Diabetes Direction

It is an unfortunate fact that many of us do not have healthy eating habits. This is something that everyone should fix, but a person with Diabetes of any type needs to certainly work on this. Since each person is different, the same type of diets aren’t going to work the same for everyone. The only way you can know for sure what is right for YOU, is to eat, test, eat, test and then eat and test. You have to know how foods are likely to affect your blood glucose levels, but remember that other things also affect those levels, like stress or sickness.

The way that we have found that works for us is to be mindful of carbs (carbohydrates) and over-processed foods. I don’t count carbs, but generally we try to eat foods that are low in carbs and sugars. We typically eat around 100 carbs per day, most of which come from vegetables, fruit, beans (legumes), dairy products and whole grains. For instance, a breakfast that we eat nearly every day works very well for us. We have boiled eggs, toast that is made with low carb, double fiber whole wheat bread topped with real butter and sugar free jelly, bacon and half a pear each. It is a big meal to help us get our day going. The bacon that we typically eat is the type that is pre-cooked and comes in a box. The slices tend to be very thin and have less fat than if cooking raw bacon. Plus it doesn’t pop hot grease on you while you cook it! It is more expensive than raw bacon, but we limit it to just a couple of pieces each, which makes a box last a few days. My blood glucose level a couple of hours after eating (PP) is typically between 90-110. I am happy with this.

We generally have HbA1C results of between 5-6%, which I feel is a good place to be. It is lower than the 7% that the American Diabetes Association and most doctors will recommend, but I feel that it is better to be lower than this. I feel that they don’t have very much faith that we will work hard to be well.

Back to food! We try to be aware of how many carbohydrates are in the vegetables that we eat, as some are quite high. Things that need to be limited to special occasions are typically “white” foods…potatoes, white bread, white rice and white pasta. This is just a very general guideline and it’s ok to eat these things sometimes. You don’t have to completely stop ANY foods that you love and enjoy. When we don’t overuse our bodies to deal with the bad stuff on a regular basis, then it is more able to handle it when we do have these treats. We are ok to eat french fries or a small baked potato on holidays with the family. I LOVE white bread, and on my birthday I allow myself to have some. A bite or two or even a small piece of cake or pie isn’t going to kill us either. Just be sure that it is a small amount, and not very often. Not only is it hard on our body, it is also hard on our determination and willpower.

We have discovered that with not eating junky food all the time, those treats taste too sweet and often realize that we don’t want them as much as we think we do. Chocolate is a weakness of ours, and we do have a small square of dark chocolate a few times per week. We buy chocolate bars that are 85% cacao. They are more expensive than regular chocolate or candy bars, but since we only eat a small square at a time it evens out. At first it tasted a bit bitter, but we soon found that when you let it melt on your tongue you discover that the flavors are amazing, and sweet enough. I will mention other treats from time to time in the blog, so be sure to come back and check regularly!

Vegetables. Everyone knows that we should eat them, but many of us don’t care for them. I’m one of the ones that has trouble eating enough servings. Steve loves nearly all vegetables though, and has no trouble eating them. I have found soup to be a great way to get a variety that I normally wouldn’t want to eat. We make soup from scratch, starting with veggie scraps and bones to make the broth. Since we are on a tight budget, we watch for marked down or manager special foods. Veggies for soup don’t need to look pretty. We also take advantage of 10 for $10 sales on bags of frozen vegetables at our local Dillon’s (Kroger) grocery stores. These make it a snap to put a good pot of soup together. If you don’t want to mess with making your own broth, you can buy broth at the store, ready to go, in the soup isle. We use things like pearl onions, carrots, napa cabbage or bok choy, bell peppers of all colors, celery and garlic, but avoid potatoes and corn. We do not use any pasta or rice either, but we do like meat in it sometimes. Our choice is turkey, chicken or ham. Sometimes we use beans (legumes) to get some variety, plus they are really nutritious and high in fiber, which most of us don’t get enough of. I never use canned beans anymore, as they are loaded with sodium and God knows what all else, and it is easy to soak and cook dried beans. Sugars and corn products are hidden in MANY products.

There is nothing wrong with making simple meals of meat and veggies. Many times I cook up meat and steam vegetables for a quick meal. We eat a lot of pork and turkey because they are the most economical. Eat a salad on the side instead of a higher carb choice like bread, potatoes or corn. Learn how to use seasonings, herbs and spices to add flavor. You can also find many cookbooks that offer low carb recipes. As you learn how different foods affect you, you will be able to branch out and try adding some new flavors. Be careful not to have too much of the processed meats like hotdogs and balogna.

When shopping, try to stick to the outer part of the store. We get about 90% of our groceries from the produce, dairy and meat sections. Remember that fruit is good for you! Yes, it has natural sugars and carbs, but we need some carbs and fruit comes with many vitamins and minerals that are necessary to be healthy. Take care to not eat too much at a time, but you don’t need to give up fruit. Some of the fruits that we find best are pears, apples, berries of any type and once a month or so we allow ourselves to have a small banana each. Bananas are pretty high in natural sugars, so even though we love them, we don’t allow as many as we used to in our pre-diabetes days. Juice is not a good way to get fruit servings because it is concentrated which increases the sugar content, and it leaves out other parts of the fruit, like the fiber. Eat fruits and vegetables whole rather than juiced.

Dairy products are a big part of our diet as well. We eat a lot of full fat cheese, real butter, whole milk, half & half, heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt and cottage cheese. You might be wondering about all that fat, but fat is not the enemy that many of us grow up believing it to be. Eating fat along with our carbs actually is helpful as it slows down the digestion of the carbs, helping our body to process it easier. If you want to eat some berries, put a splash of heavy cream and a sprinkle of sweetener over it for a real treat! It is delicious as well as a better way to have the fruit. Our grocery store offers a store brand yogurt that is low in carbs and calories called CarbMaster. There are only 4 grams of carbs and less than 100 calories per 6 ounce container. Because yogurt has added benefit of helping our digestion, I try to eat one or two containers every single day. At two for a buck, it isn’t impossible to do this. Moderation is key in eating of all types of food.

Other foods that are good for the mix are eggs and nuts. I know that many people are afraid to eat eggs because of the high cholesterol fears, but I can honestly tell you that even eating 3-4 eggs per day and all this high fat dairy, both Steve and I have normal cholesterol levels. Nuts offer a lot of nutrition and are tasty. Be careful not to eat too many though! Keep the container in the kitchen and just get a small handful on a small plate at a time, along with some cheese for a snack. Vinegar is helpful in lowering blood sugar, and since we don’t eat a lot of salt we get our vinegar in the form of pickles and sauerkraut. We eat lots of pickled vegetables. Sometimes I even take a swig of juice from the jar.

When we need to take care of cravings for sweets, we do sometimes go to processed foods and eat sugar free pudding or jello. Be very careful of sugar alcohols as they are sneaky carbs, just with a weaker punch than real sugar. You don’t have to give up other favorites either. I make flourless cakes and cookies, cheesecake and pies using sugar substitute. I prefer Apriva, but will use Splenda if Apriva isn’t available. I also like to eat crushed ice flavored with a little bit of sugar free soda. I know that the artificial sweeteners may not be good for us, but I have a horrible sweet tooth, and I just can’t give up sweet treats totally. However, I have cut way back and choose the sugar free variety almost always. To do this, we simply do not buy foods made with sugar. I do keep sugar in the cubbard to use for making treats for others.

Eating out is something that we avoid, but sometimes we have family gatherings that take place at restaurants. For these meals we aren’t so strict with our choices, since it is not a regular thing for us. Most places have some lower carb offerings on their menu. If you aren’t sure about something, ask questions. Find out if sauces or toppings have sugar in them. Usually it is best to avoid menu choices that you know to be high carb. You will feel better if you make smart choices. Another benefit is that someone else might see and decide to give it a try too!

Remember to check my blog regularly for more food tips and recipes! I am also happy to get questions or comments.

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