low carb information

[gypsy123]

Hi I have type one and half diabetes and spent a week in hospital with dka . I have been told by my diabetic nurse that
I have to lower my carbs.
Can anyone please supply a list of what food I can and cannot have
Thank you

 

[asokasuri]

Hi I have type one and half diabetes and spent a week in hospital with dka . I have been told by my diabetic nurse that
I have to lower my carbs.
Can anyone please supply a list of what food I can and cannot have
Thank you

This would be so useful for me too. I know I need to loose weight to get my diabetes under better control and for my other health problems. If anyone has such lists I would be very grateful for a copy.

 

[britishpub]

There is plenty of information on the Low Carb forum.

Read the Stickies and ask about anything you find difficult to understand, although the information is very comprehensive so it should be easy to follow.


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum mobile app

 

[plantagenet]

Also, take a look at the Low Carb Program, it's a ten week course that goes through better diet, tighter blood glucose control, and improved overall health. By the end of the course you will have a better understanding of what foods are beneficial and what should be avoided in order to keep your Blood glucose levels under control. You can sign up here: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/sign-in.php

 

[bulkbiker]

alternatively have a look here...as well as the recommendations above..
http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Regards
Mark

 

[Winnie53]

I second all the suggestions you've received.

Just for fun, I'm going to try to summarize the variation I use of the Low (healthy) Carb High (healthy) Fat, (low to moderate healthy protein) diet to see if I can do it concisely. [laughing]...

"Eat PFC every 3 [hours]" as Dietician Cassie often says. By that she means include a healthy protein, fat, and carb in every meal and snack. In the beginning, you'll probably need to eat a snack between meals. I did. Eventually, your need for snacks likely will lessen or only be needed occasionally, and you'll be able to fast 12 hours between your last meal and first meal.

No processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, grains, or highly refined, damaged, omega-6 rich vegetable oils - (corn, soybean, canola, saffola, sunflower, cottonseed, peanut) - starchy, below ground vegetables or legumes, or fruit. No processed foods. Did I cheat? Yes, sometimes. For the first month, I kept a small box of gluten-free cookies in my freezer. The first week, I'd have four corn chips topped with cheddar, warmed in the microwave. I didn't tolerate fruit at all in the beginning, but after about six weeks I added small amounts blueberries - (six, and yes I counted them) - in the beginning, later a 1/4 to 1/3 cup mixed berries with meals, occasionally small amounts of starchy vegetables and legumes too.

Watch your protein intake with each meal. Excess protein is converted to glucose and will spike your blood glucose. My lean body mass is 100 pounds, so I only need an egg for breakfast, and 2-3 ounces of meat with lunch and dinner. My husband, who is bigger than I am, needs more protein, of course.

Drink lots of water throughout the day. It's okay to alternate water with tea (or coffee) but both can be dehydrating. Sweet tasting beverages made with artificial sweeteners are not advised because they reinforce your cravings for "sweet" and studies show they also cause you to eat more. As a rule, I drink a cup of water before each cup of tea.

Stevia, a natural sweetener that doesn't affect blood glucose levels is okay, but it can lead to cravings for "sweet" too. The form I use is Stevita liquid extract. I don't use it daily. It's more of a special treat.

Tea with breakfast and after lunch, keep cravings for sweets manageable. Wine with or after dinner, also is helpful. It's that little something I need after a meal to replace what used to be a cookie or other treat.

Also find a way to add a minimum of a 1/4 teaspoon salt to your daily diet, because you're no longer getting enough by eliminating processed foods. I did it by adding a 1/8 teaspoon salt to a mug of hot water and stirring well to dissolve, then worked up to 1/4 teaspoon. I like salt so while this seemed a bit different at first, eventually I liked it. Today I add the salt to my vinaigrette with spices instead. Even though the body recycles salt, you'll need more salt if you're physically active and sweat. You'll know your salt intake is too low if you feel light headed, fatigued, perhaps irritated, or have a headache. If these symptoms are due to low salt intake, they should improve soon after having some salt. In the beginning, I craved two sources of salt intensely, corn chips, later olives, when my salt intake was too low. Your body will find a way to tell you.

Two supplements that are critical to improving your diabetes: vitamin D3 and magnesium which almost all of us are deficient. Most of us need a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day, sometimes 5,000 IU or more if you're very low. The vitamin D3 will help your immune system work better, and reduce inflammation and insulin levels, but it can take a long time to get back into the normal range so the sooner you start the better.

Magnesium's involved in almost 300 processes in the body so it's very important. It also will reduce and eliminate the muscle cramps that occur with low carb eating. I take 600 mg magnesium citrate a day, half with breakfast, half with dinner. There are many different forms of magnesium. Some, like magnesium oxide, will give you loose, frequent stools. Seek guidance. Initially, I'd take 200 - 300 mg magnesium citrate, half with breakfast, half with dinner, then increase if muscle cramps continue.

Constipation. Eating lots of fiber rich, plant foods, taking magnesium, and drinking water will all help. Bumping up the magnesium temporarily can also help.

I have severe insulin resistance so it took me a full 4 weeks to get my blood glucose levels down, but they never dropped below the pre-diabetic range for me. I'm patient though. My diabetes took decades to develop. I anticipate I will continue to heal over time. Not having any sugar, starchy, below ground vegetables or legumes, or grains, or fruit greatly helped. A 1/4 cup berries may be okay. Later you'll be able to add limited amounts of these foods back into your diet, especially berries, yum!

Berries, lemons, and limes are all low carb. I think grapefruit is too.

Even though I've always eaten a reasonably healthy diet this diet took me a couple of days to adjust to. In the weeks that followed, it got easier and easier. It really helps if you clear out foods you're choosing not to eat, and have on hand a variety of snack foods.

Everyone has there own variation of what diet works best for them for a variety of reasons: level of insulin resistance and the body's diet requirements. I spent a lot of time researching this. What I learned is that while everyone benefits from a plant based diet, some need animal protein with every meal, some don't, and most of us are somewhere in between. Additionally, some people can only eat plant foods cooked, others only raw, most of us are somewhere in between. Those who are only mildly insulin resistant can tolerate more carbs, sometimes up to 150 g carbs, those with severe insulin resistance only 20 to 50 g carbs. I've heard it argued that the carbs in above ground, non-starchy vegetables shouldn't be counted. I'm not sure, but I think this is true after the body becomes more tolerant and resilient, though not initially.

Book Recommendations: For the low carb diet, The Blood Code (2014) by Richard Maurer. For a vegetarian/vegan, low carb diet, The Blood Sugar Solution (2014) by Mark Hyman or The Low Carb Dietitian's Guide to Health and Beauty (2015) by Franziska Spritzler. For the whole food, plant based diet - (high healthy carb, low fat; strongly limits or eliminates animal proteins and fats) - The End of Diabetes (2012) by Joel Fuhrman - (Warning: he wrongly trashes the low carb diet, but the book in general is otherwise quite good).

The low carb diet works best for the majority of diabetics, but not all. You won't know until you try it for a few months. If the first diet doesn't work, try a different diet.

Because you now have type 1.5 diabetes, I'd add to my recommendations: Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, 4th edition (2011) by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. so you can learn about the low carb diet from a type 1 diabetic. It's also an excellent reference for type 1 diabetics, type 2's too.

Ask for help here if you choose to do the vegetarian/vegan low carb diet.

To be continued...

 

[Winnie53]

Examples of low carb meals and snacks...

Breakfast - egg with pan sauted/steamed vegetables cooked in butter (from grass-fed cows) and a side of frozen, organic berries. I have three variations that I enjoy:

Butter, slice of onion, 1/4 red and 1/4 green pepper, sliced, and 2 mushrooms, sliced, steamed in pan with lid, low heat. Add layer of fresh spinach leaves, steam for 1-2 more minutes. Add 1 (or more) fork whipped egg. Put lid back on and steam until egg is cooked, perhaps 2 minutes. Fold in half with spatula, fold in half again, serve with side of berries.

Butter and slice of onion, steamed in pan with lid, low heat. Add layer of fresh spinach leaves, steam for 1-2 more minutes. Add 1 (or more) fork whipped egg then 1 ounce of thinly sliced or grated swiss cheese on one half. Put lid back on and steam until egg is cooked, perhaps 2 minutes. Fold in half with spatula, fold in half again, serve with side of berries.

Butter, three sliced mushrooms, steamed in pan with lid, low heat. Add layer of fresh spinach leaves, steam for 1-2 more minutes. Add 1 (or more) fork whipped egg and 4 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered. Put lid back on and steam until egg is cooked, perhaps 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon feta cheese. Fold in half with spatula, fold in half again, serve with side of berries.

A fast breakfast for me is bacon and a fried egg cooked in the bacon fat with added butter.

For special occasions, I might add a side of sliced cauliflower and/or brussel sprouts sauted/steamed in butter. I lightly caramelize on one side, then flip and steam a bit more. Delicious.

Snacks/Treats:
An ounce of raw nuts
Fresh vegetables - celery or green and red pepper or zucchini (courgette), with full fat, plain greek yogurt (Fage is a good brand; add a little dill, if you prefer) - or pesto
A spoonful of peanut butter, the kind with no additives other than salt that you have to stir then store in the refrigerator.
A thin slice of ham, cream cheese, and a long slice of a dill pickle rolled.
Green olives with pimentos removed.
Half an avocado, eat with a spoon.
Heavy cream, 2 ounces, whipped with a hand mixer, then add 4 drops Stevita liquid extract. Whip to mix, add berries and raw nuts.
A fresh lemon, halved and reamed into a tall glass. Spoon out seeds, add 4 drops of Stevita liquid extract, and 3 parts or 7 parts water with ice, stir.
A square of 70%+ cocao, dark chocolate.
A glass of red wine with or following dinner.

Lunch - a big bowl of mixed spring greens topped with half an avocado, diced, an ounce of raw walnuts or raw pecans, 2 ounces of sliced chicken (that I cook a head of time), and my favorite vinaigrette. If I don't have any chicken, I'll make a tuna salad - (tuna, mayonnaise made with whole eggs and avocado oil, and 6-8 sweet pickles diced, referred to as "bread and butter pickles" in the US). Another options is bacon or ham (but I try not to eat cured meats).

Vinaigrette - 2 parts extra virgin olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper, (recipe if requested).

A fast lunch for me is pre-cooked chicken or beef patty and a side of fresh or steamed vegetables. I've been known to run out the door with a handful of raw nuts and a carrot.

Dinner: Typically meat, poultry, fish, or seafood with a big side of steamed vegetables, often a mix, sometimes with chopped onion, sliced jalapeno peppers, and/or sliced mushrooms added. After the vegetables are cooked, I add butter, organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil, or a mix of both, sometimes spices, salt and pepper. I also love to make fresh pesto and often serve it on cooked spaghetti squash or yellow squash, cubed then steamed, topped with freshly grated parmesan, and a side of chicken pan fried in butter. My low carb version of taco salad is ground beef with gluten-free taco seasoning, lots of fresh cilantro, cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered, green onion, sliced, avocado, diced, cheddar cheese, grated, a tablespoon of black beans, and topped with sour cream, instead of dressing. We make meals in the crock pot too, soups in the winter.

I try to buy meat, poultry, and eggs that are organic and pasture raised. I also look for pasture raised, grass fed beef, cheese, cream and butter; organic pork; and wild fish and seafood. Humanely raised pork has been the hardest to find, but its so much better than CAFO pork, healthier too. Grass fed beef has significantly more omega 3 fatty acids than conventually raised beef. I also buy organic produce because there are studies suggesting that Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) such as pesticides and herbicides and heavy metals may be causing chronic health conditions such as diabetes and damaging the mircobiome.

Bernstein teaches to "eat to your meter". You'll likely find that everything spikes your blood glucose levels in the beginning, but every couple of days, it will get a little bit better. Try to figure out over time how each food affects your blood glucose. Again, while it takes some people only a week to get their blood glucose levels down, it took me a full month to stabilize my blood glucose levels.

Foods you don't tolerate well initially may become more tolerable with time. In the summer, I'd make salads with spring mix leafy greens, a slice of raw, purple cabbage, an inch and a half of carrot, julienned, a couple of cherry tomatoes quartered, topped with a plain vinaigrette. It did spike me, but because it was so healthy, I ate it anyway. I tolerate it well now. I strive for excellence, not perfection.

My first blood glucose reading, late afternoon was 282 mg/dL. Today it's more like 125 mg/dL. Since I added digestive enzymes, it's now more like 105 to 110 mg/dL. Last A1c was 5.4%, first was 9.9% I started the diet 15 months ago. I don't take medication because I have type 2 diabetes. It's been a worthwhile journey.

Good luck!

 

[Winnie53]

Oops, forgot to answer the question of how does one eat without bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta anymore?

Take what you normally put in a sandwich, and eat it as a salad with a fork and knife. Easy. Tasty too.

Cauliflower is a good substitute for potatoes and rice.

Spaghetti squash, yellow squash, and zucchini (courgette) are all good substitutes for pasta. Squash and zucchini can be thinly sliced or cubed.

Healthy oils and fats - (butter, ghee, avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, and animal fats can be heated; coconut oil can be briefly heated; extra virgin olive oil should not be heated) - vinegars, onion, garlic, peppers, also spices, salt, and pepper, as well as cheese, add to the flavor of meals. I think of it as trading "savory" for "sweet".

I keep my vegetable drawer packed with a variety of fresh vegetables, so I can throw something healthy together if suddenly hungry. I love sliced brussel sprouts pan fried in butter. Sometimes a small amount of sweet potato or yam, cubed, can be added to steamed vegetables for a little treat.

Don't be afraid of healthy fats, but go easy on the dairy. You need the oil and fat to replace the calories you've lost by significantly reducing your carbs. The healthy oils and fats will also eliminate the need to eat every 2 hours. You'll feel satisfied. If you start feeling hungry, but it hasn't been 3 or 4 hours yet, you probably didn't have enough healthy oils or fats with your previous meal. I try to limit dairy to one to two servings a day, sometimes none. I rarely eat cheese by itself as a snack. Raw nuts are healthier. If I eat more than a serving of dairy a day, my LDL and cholesterol starts creeping up. My lab tests are almost all within the normal range, in a few cases just above now. This diet has worked extremely well for me. And likely will for you too.

 

[KevinPotts]

I second all the suggestions you've received.

Just for fun, I'm going to try to summarize the variation I use of the Low (healthy) Carb High (healthy) Fat, (low to moderate healthy protein) diet to see if I can do it concisely. [laughing]...

"Eat PFC every 3 [hours]" as Dietician Cassie often says. By that she means include a healthy protein, fat, and carb in every meal and snack. In the beginning, you'll probably need to eat a snack between meals. I did. Eventually, your need for snacks likely will lessen or only be needed occasionally, and you'll be able to fast 12 hours between your last meal and first meal.

No processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, grains, or highly refined, damaged, omega-6 rich vegetable oils - (corn, soybean, canola, saffola, sunflower, cottonseed, peanut) - starchy, below ground vegetables or legumes, or fruit. No processed foods. Did I cheat? Yes, sometimes. For the first month, I kept a small box of gluten-free cookies in my freezer. The first week, I'd have four corn chips topped with cheddar, warmed in the microwave. I didn't tolerate fruit at all in the beginning, but after about six weeks I added small amounts blueberries - (six, and yes I counted them) - in the beginning, later a 1/4 to 1/3 cup mixed berries with meals, occasionally small amounts of starchy vegetables and legumes too.

Watch your protein intake with each meal. Excess protein is converted to glucose and will spike your blood glucose. My lean body mass is 100 pounds, so I only need an egg for breakfast, and 2-3 ounces of meat with lunch and dinner. My husband, who is bigger than I am, needs more protein, of course.

Drink lots of water throughout the day. It's okay to alternate water with tea (or coffee) but both can be dehydrating. Sweet tasting beverages made with artificial sweeteners are not advised because they reinforce your cravings for "sweet" and studies show they also cause you to eat more. As a rule, I drink a cup of water before each cup of tea.

Stevia, a natural sweetener that doesn't affect blood glucose levels is okay, but it can lead to cravings for "sweet" too. The form I use is Stevita liquid extract. I don't use it daily. It's more of a special treat.

Tea with breakfast and after lunch, keep cravings for sweets manageable. Wine with or after dinner, also is helpful. It's that little something I need after a meal to replace what used to be a cookie or other treat.

Also find a way to add a minimum of a 1/4 teaspoon salt to your daily diet, because you're no longer getting enough by eliminating processed foods. I did it by adding a 1/8 teaspoon salt to a mug of hot water and stirring well to dissolve, then worked up to 1/4 teaspoon. I like salt so while this seemed a bit different at first, eventually I liked it. Today I add the salt to my vinaigrette with spices instead. Even though the body recycles salt, you'll need more salt if you're physically active and sweat. You'll know your salt intake is too low if you feel light headed, fatigued, perhaps irritated, or have a headache. If these symptoms are due to low salt intake, they should improve soon after having some salt. In the beginning, I craved two sources of salt intensely, corn chips, later olives, when my salt intake was too low. Your body will find a way to tell you.

Two supplements that are critical to improving your diabetes: vitamin D3 and magnesium which almost all of us are deficient. Most of us need a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day, sometimes 5,000 IU or more if you're very low. The vitamin D3 will help your immune system work better, and reduce inflammation and insulin levels, but it can take a long time to get back into the normal range so the sooner you start the better.

Magnesium's involved in almost 300 processes in the body so it's very important. It also will reduce and eliminate the muscle cramps that occur with low carb eating. I take 600 mg magnesium citrate a day, half with breakfast, half with dinner. There are many different forms of magnesium. Some, like magnesium oxide, will give you loose, frequent stools. Seek guidance. Initially, I'd take 200 - 300 mg magnesium citrate, half with breakfast, half with dinner, then increase if muscle cramps continue.

Constipation. Eating lots of fiber rich, plant foods, taking magnesium, and drinking water will all help. Bumping up the magnesium temporarily can also help.

I have severe insulin resistance so it took me a full 4 weeks to get my blood glucose levels down, but they never dropped below the pre-diabetic range for me. I'm patient though. My diabetes took decades to develop. I anticipate I will continue to heal over time. Not having any sugar, starchy, below ground vegetables or legumes, or grains, or fruit greatly helped. A 1/4 cup berries may be okay. Later you'll be able to add limited amounts of these foods back into your diet, especially berries, yum!

Berries, lemons, and limes are all low carb. I think grapefruit is too.

Even though I've always eaten a reasonably healthy diet this diet took me a couple of days to adjust to. In the weeks that followed, it got easier and easier. It really helps if you clear out foods you're choosing not to eat, and have on hand a variety of snack foods.

Everyone has there own variation of what diet works best for them for a variety of reasons: level of insulin resistance and the body's diet requirements. I spent a lot of time researching this. What I learned is that while everyone benefits from a plant based diet, some need animal protein with every meal, some don't, and most of us are somewhere in between. Additionally, some people can only eat plant foods cooked, others only raw, most of us are somewhere in between. Those who are only mildly insulin resistant can tolerate more carbs, sometimes up to 150 g carbs, those with severe insulin resistance only 20 to 50 g carbs. I've heard it argued that the carbs in above ground, non-starchy vegetables shouldn't be counted. I'm not sure, but I think this is true after the body becomes more tolerant and resilient, though not initially.

Book Recommendations: For the low carb diet, The Blood Code (2014) by Richard Maurer. For a vegetarian/vegan, low carb diet, The Blood Sugar Solution (2014) by Mark Hyman or The Low Carb Dietitian's Guide to Health and Beauty (2015) by Franziska Spritzler. For the whole food, plant based diet - (high healthy carb, low fat; strongly limits or eliminates animal proteins and fats) - The End of Diabetes (2012) by Joel Fuhrman - (Warning: he wrongly trashes the low carb diet, but the book in general is otherwise quite good).

The low carb diet works best for the majority of diabetics, but not all. You won't know until you try it for a few months. If the first diet doesn't work, try a different diet.

Because you now have type 1.5 diabetes, I'd add to my recommendations: Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, 4th edition (2011) by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. so you can learn about the low carb diet from a type 1 diabetic. It's also an excellent reference for type 1 diabetics, type 2's too.

Ask for help here if you choose to do the vegetarian/vegan low carb diet.

To be continued...

Absolutely brilliant Winnie...you should start your own blog

I would add to your book list "The art and science of law carb living"...Phinney & Volek...the best book I've ready...very in depth


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[Debmcgee]

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[KevinPotts]

I would also recommend "Diabetes Epidemic & You" by Joseph R Kraft who was a pathologist that carried out over 13,000 autopsies and made careful observations about the disease drivers and CVD impact on diabetics. Very interesting.


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[Winnie53]

I would also recommend "Diabetes Epidemic & You" by Joseph R Kraft who was a pathologist that carried out over 13,000 autopsies and made careful observations about the disease drivers and CVD impact on diabetics. Very interesting.


Sent from my iPad using DCUK Forum mobile app

Book ordered Kevin. Thanks for the reminder. I was reading the book's reviews on Amazon here in the US a second time, and came across this link to Ivor Cummins interviewing Dr. Kraft in 2015. I'm watching it now!

I do treasure my Volek and Phinney books. I'm glad someone here persuaded me to buy the second book after purchasing the first because neither is complete without the other. It's also helpful to read them in sequence. The published history of the diet beginning with Banting 150 years ago was so interesting. They, more than anyone, convinced me that I wasn't going to kill myself by eating less carbohydrates and more healthy fats!

Thanks also for the kind compliment Kevin. It takes a long time to write these posts, and I do have plans to collect all my writings in one place eventually.

 

[KevinPotts]

Book ordered Kevin. Thanks for the reminder. I was reading the book's reviews on Amazon here in the US a second time, and came across this link to Ivor Cummins interviewing Dr. Kraft in 2015. I'm watching it now!

I do treasure my Volek and Phinney books. I'm glad someone here persuaded me to buy the second book after purchasing the first because neither is complete without the other. It's also helpful to read them in sequence. The published history of the diet beginning with Banting 150 years ago was so interesting. They, more than anyone, convinced me that I wasn't going to kill myself by eating less carbohydrates and more healthy fats!

Thanks also for the kind compliment Kevin. It takes a long time to write these posts, and I do have plans to collect all my writings in one place eventually.

Well do keep contributing Winnie, your comments are always thoughtful and provoking


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[Winnie53]

@Debbie gott I'm tagging you so you can find your way to this thread where I posted on my experiences on the low carbohydrate high fat diet. Hope it's helpful. For additional support, go to the Low-carb Diet Forum and start asking questions. It's located here... http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/low-carb-diet-forum.18/