Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 In a message dated 6/21/03 2:11:59 AM Pacific Daylight Time, firestar_nb@... writes: Comments interspersed--- > ... I'm realizing that where I am on the > learning curve is pretty far down but I'm working on > it. > We were all there once! It takes some study & asking lots of questions, but you seem to have a great attitude and willingness to be supportive to your SO. She is very lucky to have you as many SO's are not supportive and in some cases, even sabotage the diabetic's efforts for control. > ...the most important piece that I understand is that she > needs to avoid carbs. She's avoiding foods that are > high in carbs altogether and shopping around for the > lowest-carb version of those foods she does eat. I > was amazed at the difference between two brand names > of the same product. Mayonnaise, for instance, has > about a 45:1 difference between the leading brand names. It may not be obvious, she should avoid any foods labeled " fat-free " , " low-fat " , " no-fat " , etc. Reading the labels will show why! When they remove the fat from a product they have to put something back in to regain the flavor and that usually is some form of sugar. Real mayonnaise vs " fat-free " is an excellent example. Most real mayonnaise is zero or 1 grams of carbs per serving, while the fat-free ones I have seen run as high as 12 grams/serving! This may account for the wide variations you see on the mayonnaise labels within the same " Brand " . She is lucky to find a dietitian that supports a low-carb WOE. That is a rarity in today's medical community, but that is slowly changing. Carbohydrates, for a T2 diabetic, are the only food type that cause blood glucose to rise. A small percentage of protein converts to bg, but for T2's that is generally covered by the insulin produced by remaining pancreas function. > Also - she's learning to space her meals apart properly. At the moment > she's eating 5 hours apart (She finds the best results with this) and not eating > in between. I'm not sure what carb numbers she's > having per meal but the goal is to stay low. > Good plan---Carbs typically digest and get into the blood as glucose in 1-2 hours, and most of us strive to be at the same bg level at the 2-hour point as we were before eating. Anyway that's a good goal. OTOH, the small percentage of protein that converts to bg happens in about 4-5 hours, so its effect should be pretty much gone by her next meal. Just so you know, fat does not convert to glucose. It has no effect on bg's except a benericial one in that it slows the digestion of carbs and therefore will typically lower bg spikes associated with carbs. When low-carbing, fat is our friend as far as bg's are concerned, and it is not the issue as regards cardio problems. I can go into the why if you like, but won't go into that right now. > Vicki - You caused me to run to the kitchen to check > the label on the bread we have. You did raise a good > point. She had been told by her nutritionist to stick > to whole wheat and whole grain breads. The one we > have is actually 12g/slice. It still may be useful to > have less bread however. I have found a low-carb bread here locally (Portland, OR) from the Oroweat Bakery. It is their " Lite Wheat " bread which has 18 grams of total carbs with 7 grams of fiber, yielding a net carb grams of 11 grams for 2 slices. When I look at carb counts on labels, I subtract the fiber from the " total carbs " and that is the number I use when considering how the food will effect my bg's. It works for me, but this is one of those YMMV issues that doesn't always work for everyone. Testing will let her know how given foods effect her bg's by testing before & 1 and 2 hours after meals. > ...book suggestions. I > ordered both of them online by rush delivery. This > will help my learning curve. > I know you need to digest those two books first, but down the line, you would find it helpful to gain some knowledge of the " Glycemic Index " (GI), which is a measure of how fast & how much a carb effects our bg's. It is a relatively new thing, but helps in selecting those carbs to eat. Related to the GI is the " Glycemic Load " (GL) which is the GI factored with the quantity of carbs. Some knowledge of these concepts will definitely be of use, but you don't want to try and attack too many things at once. Getting thru those 2 books will be an excellent start. When you get to the GI & GL, the quickest way is to go to the website <A HREF= " www.mendosa.com " > www.mendosa.com</A> which has a tutorial and lists of GI & GL numbers. > Thanks again > Matt E. , T2, dx'ed 4/98, controlling with LC, average bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 5.6% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 , Thanks for that useful information. I was just wondering about that last night at the grocery store. I was looking at packages of cookies (didn't buy any) and fat free sometimes had MORE carbs than the regular. I think I learn something new every day about this disease and how to eat. Thanks also to Vicki who mentioned pork rinds as a good low carb snack. I love them and bought some yesterday. D. Re: Good Suggestions > > It may not be obvious, she should avoid any foods labeled " fat-free " , > " low-fat " , " no-fat " , etc. Reading the labels will show why! When they remove the fat > from a product they have to put something back in to regain the flavor and > that usually is some form of sugar. Real mayonnaise vs " fat-free " is an excellent > example. Most real mayonnaise is zero or 1 grams of carbs per serving, while > the fat-free ones I have seen run as high as 12 grams/serving! This may > account for the wide variations you see on the mayonnaise labels within the same > " Brand " . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 There are some low carb breads. I use the Food for Life Low Carbohydrate stuff (it's an acquired taste, best used after several months of no bread at all) 3 carbs per slice. And I can't have more than two slices/day because I'm staying under 30 carbs. Labels: read them carefully. Low Fat cottage cheese has 4 sugar carbs per serving. Regular, full fat cottage cheese has 3 carbs per serving. I eat it very rarely, only when my post-nap bgs are less than 90, but my dog enjoys cottage cheese every day (which is why it's in the house). Suggest you investigate several low-carb diets, Bernstein certainly, Atkins, Protein Power, the Zone, whatever and especially take a look at the Maintenance section of each one. Then decide on a woe (Way of Eating) that can be sustained for good and ever based on whether or not the maintenance portion is something you can live with. Most diets will work for weight loss, at least in the short term, but diabetes is for life, so maintenance requirements are very important to understand and live with. CarolR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Carol, Very interesting. I think is one of the areas I need to do the most reading on. The book by Bernstein which I have already ordered should be helpful there. So when you say you limit yourself to 30 carbs is that per day, per meal, in your biggest meal? When I say I'm new to this stuff, I'm obviously not kidding. I recently obtained a book entitled " The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter " by Anne Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin. I don't know if anyone's heard of it. It's a great book. If 30 carbs a day is a target, however, it definitely doesn't follow the same low-carb philosophy. It's recommendations for a person of my height and weight are (and this is a diabetic diet) Breakfast: 400 Calories, 55 Carbs Lunch: 550 Calories, 76 Carbs Supper: 750 Calories, 103 Carbs Also two snacks with 14 carbs each, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Has anyone else seen this book and what do you make of the plan it gives? Thanks again, Matt E. ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 In a message dated 6/21/03 11:16:32 AM Pacific Daylight Time, firestar_nb@... writes: > > ...So when you say you limit yourself to 30 carbs is that > per day, per meal, in your biggest meal? When I say > I'm new to this stuff, I'm obviously not kidding. > > I recently obtained a book entitled " The Diabetes > Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter " by Anne Natow and > Jo-Ann Heslin. I don't know if anyone's heard of it. > It's a great book. If 30 carbs a day is a target, > however, it definitely doesn't follow the same > low-carb philosophy. It's recommendations for a > person of my height and weight are (and this is a > diabetic diet) > > Breakfast: 400 Calories, 55 Carbs > Lunch: 550 Calories, 76 Carbs > Supper: 750 Calories, 103 Carbs > Also two snacks with 14 carbs each, one in the > afternoon and one in the evening. > > Has anyone else seen this book and what do you make of > the plan it gives? > Thanks again, > Matt E. Matt, Consider this--- Each gram of carbs can raise our bg's 3 to 5mg/dl !!! The diet you mention has 234 grams of carbs per day, which can give our poor overworked pancreas's 702mg/dl to 1170mg/dl of bg to deal with. Since it is the inability to use bg and clear it out of the blood, does it make one bit of sense to stuff that many carbs into our bodies??? What results from that type of diet (for the majority of us) is that it will require medications to bring the bg's down from the sky-high levels caused by all those carbs. Also, wide swings in bg usually result because of our bodies inability to deal with the carbs (glucose). This diet is typical of what has been pushed for many years by the ADA & the larger medical community, and has resulted in a vast population of diabetics that experience horrendous complications. I'm not Carol, but she is talking about 30grams of carbs per day which is the amount on Dr Bernstein's WOE. It is very doable, and can be maintained long-term. I have been doing essentially that now for 5 years, and maintaining my bg control in the range of " normal non-diabetic " with no meds. , T2, dx'ed 4/98, controlling with LC, average bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 5.6% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Carol, Congratulations on losing 60 lbs! That's an accomplishment for anyone. Thanks for the feedback. This is an excellent support group. I'll keep everyone up to date. Matt ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Whoa - thatsalotacarbs. Are you covering with insulin? I do 30 carbs per day or less, net carbs. That means I deduct the fiber carbs from the total. I would not consider 30 carbs a target for anyone other than myself. I'm still on a weight loss program and have about 20 lbs. to go (already lost 60). Once I get to maintenance - if ever - I may be able to go up to 40-45 per day. Having added daily exercise I now have daily average bgs under 110, and it was a great disappointment to me to learn that exercise really works because I am a very lazy person and just have to force myself to do it. Added yoga and Pilates classes this past week and thot I was gonna die! But I didn't, yet. I think I use a Bernstein/Atkins approach and plan to stick with it since all my numbers are going down - cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, A1c. CarolR Firestar wrote: > Carol, > So when you say you limit yourself to 30 carbs is that > per day, per meal, in your biggest meal? > I recently obtained a book entitled " The Diabetes > Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter " by Anne Natow and > Jo-Ann Heslin. I don't know if anyone's heard of it. > It's a great book. If 30 carbs a day is a target, > however, it definitely doesn't follow the same > low-carb philosophy. It's recommendations for a > person of my height and weight are (and this is a > diabetic diet) > > Breakfast: 400 Calories, 55 Carbs > Lunch: 550 Calories, 76 Carbs > Supper: 750 Calories, 103 Carbs > Also two snacks with 14 carbs each, one in the > afternoon and one in the evening. > > Has anyone else seen this book and what do you make of > the plan it gives? > > Thanks again, > Matt E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 net carbs. That means I deduct the fiber carbs from the total. Could you explain this to me a little more please? How come you can deduct fibre from carbs? How does this work? anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 net carbs. That means I deduct the fiber carbs from the total. Could you explain this to me a little more please? How come you can deduct fibre from carbs? How does this work? anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 The fiber part of the carbs does not affect your blood sugar levels. It's an indigestible part of the plant product and does not convert to glucose. So, if you want to, you can deduct the fiber from your total carb count. If you have a label that reads: carbohydrate: 5g; fiber: 2g; sugar 3g, you can count only the 3g of sugar as part of your daily carb intake. CarolR anne wrote: > net carbs. That means I deduct the fiber carbs from > the total. > > Could you explain this to me a little more please? How come you can deduct fibre from carbs? How does this work? > anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 The fiber part of the carbs does not affect your blood sugar levels. It's an indigestible part of the plant product and does not convert to glucose. So, if you want to, you can deduct the fiber from your total carb count. If you have a label that reads: carbohydrate: 5g; fiber: 2g; sugar 3g, you can count only the 3g of sugar as part of your daily carb intake. CarolR anne wrote: > net carbs. That means I deduct the fiber carbs from > the total. > > Could you explain this to me a little more please? How come you can deduct fibre from carbs? How does this work? > anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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