LOL Steven, I need to get the measuring tape out I think, not sure I should answer you because you havent sent me a potted history of yourself, I dont know who you are or where you live
))
Ok, to begin with it is important that you test before and after you eat, this way you will find out how food affects you, for example some people eat porridge in the morning and their bg shoots right up, others can eat it by the bucket load and it keeps their bg nice and steady.
What you eat and what you can tolerate is different for everyone and individual choice really. Eg if you cannot stomach wholemeal bread you can make it lower GI by eating beans with it, do a search on GI index on google so that you get a good insight on this subject.
You devise your own diet, really, based on what you enjoy eating and modify it according to your bg readings, keep carbs fairly low and if possible have complex carbs.
My diet was practically forced upon me by the clinic overseas where I was treated for severe neuropathy. For me it was a drastic change I had to do it overnight, suddenly I was eating wholemeal spaghetti oh yuk I left most of them on my plate, whrn I got back home I still wasnt used to this type of food and went straight back to my old way of eating (junk, cakes and white pasta, etc) a week later I didnt feel so good any more, so I thought, right, I must change this and I cooked white and wholemeal pasta, next time still white but a bit more wholemeal, same with bread and other food, gradually and easy does it.
Then I started cooking more, I stopped eating things out of packets, tins, ready meals, anything with artificial ingredients, colouring, chemicals, additives whatever, cut out completely,
But that doesnt mean what I eat is boring or that I spend my time just cooking all the time, far from it I do have a weekly or even fortnightly cooking session and then freeze in portion sizes and I use all herbs and spices that make food really tasty and you know I found it also saves time I dont have to go shopping all the time either, just for some things that I need to buy fresh.
Speaking of fresh, I do use some milk, although many diabetics find that it raises bg, it is the lactose, so for porridge for example I use rice milk or soya, you dont notice the difference there, but for drinking, oh no, soya milk is lousy to drink on its own, rice milk is actually quite nice as a cold drink, but in tea or so I just have to have milk.
So I will give you an example of what I ate yesterday:
Morning: 1 tbsp of flax seed oil and 1 tbsp of hempseed oil with a small glass of pineapple smoothie, made with kefir (I make my own, do a google search on it, its recommended for diabetics, also look at Dipsy's posts in this forum about kefir), a slice of wholemeal bread,spread with butter and marmalade - I used to bake my own, but not so often anymore, at the moment I am addicted to Supernaturals 10 Seed Loaf - just try that toasted, just once, you will be converted) and a cup of green tea, I add a splash of milk and a teaspoon of cinnamon to it. The flaxseed oil works better if you take kefir or yogurt with it.
Mid-morning a few grapes and a few nuts - yesterday it was cashew nuts
Late lunch: home made soup, yesterday it was a thick, chunky vegetable soup and just before serving I chucked in loads of fresh parsley and chives, finely chopped I made a huge pot of soup and froze it in portions I had another slice of that lovely bread with that, this time with a scraping of butter and a thin slice of cheese and some home made onion relish on top (onion relish recipe from Anthony Worrall Thompson)
Around 5.30 or so: I thought I would be good and ate a small mango, but then I could not resist one of those butternut squash muffins with cream cheese topping that I baked with my granddaughter over the weekend (recipe from Jamie Oliver) cup of green tea with milk (yeah I know...)
Evening around 8pm: roast fish with parmesan crust (thats a Delia Smith recipe) with a mix of vegetables, last night it was mange tout/carrots/broccoli/courgette mix, sprinkled with salt, pepper and sesame seeds and a few drops of Maggi (honestly try this, it tastes as if you put gravy on it, everyone agrees with me there) and I had a couple of boiled potatoes with that (veg and spuds done in the micro, too lazy to steam them yesterday), I swirled the hot potatoes in a dab of butter with finely chopped fresh parsley (again saving time by buying herbs in big quantities chopping them immediately and freezing them, just scrape out from frozen the amount you need) and then I had a few spoons of yogurt, it was a Rachel's organic bio coconut yogurt and a teaspoon of pumpkin seed oil.
The only fats/oils I use are all cold pressed, olive oil, butter, mostly goats butter, if I sm roasting something its goose fat.
I dont use hempseed, flax seed and pumkin seed oil for cooking, I still class them as medicine, so they dont have to taste nice, medicine rarely does...even after all those years I dont like the taste of them.
I never eat meat so instead of fish I might have a omelette or a frittata or whatever, if you want more meal suggestions let me know. And I drink lots of plain chilled water as well throughout the day.
As for complementary stuff and other things that keep me healthy, again it is what you believe in and what makes me feel good.
I do my relaxation/meditation every day, just for half an hour and use aromatherapy oils or candles depending on which mood I am in, sometimes I have reflexology done, I walk or cycle, swim, do pilates or go to the gym first thing in the morning or after work ab out 4 times a week, I share my thoughts, good and not so good with friends, husband and family, I have hobbies and interests eg I do go to the pub now and then, but dont drink too much, I go to gigs even if I am old enough to be everyone's granny there, I knit a lacy jumper at the moment as I have taken part in an auction of promises, so thts fun, I have hobbies and interests and do things that I enjoy and when a problem does come along I dont lose it or well, I lose it for a few hours and then sit down and eat some chocolate truffles while taking stock of the situation and work out how to deal with this carbuncle in my life.
I compare life with nature a lot I have my favourite tree for example in Dalby Forest in Yorkshire LOL this tree gives me strength just looking at it it has been so so damaged over the years, branches cut off and all its not a picture book tree, but it is amazind damaged here and damaged there but you know what, it still finds ways of branching out and growing healthy shoots in different directions, it doesnt give up, Or another thing that I find sort of inspiring on pavements or concrete psths there you see in a tiny crack a lovely looking weed or flower growing out nice and strong is that somehow not courage and determination? ROTFLMAO by now you are probably wondering where the pink van with the yellow dots and square wheels is to take me away hahaha hehehehehe hohohoho!Anyway I love people all shapes and sizes, animals and plants and flowers.
So really, I am lucky, because I am happy and am having fun most of the time, of course I am sad at times too and can cry just like anyone else but on the whole I look on life with humour, I like people and find them interesting and all things I do make me feel good and healthy but it wasnt always like that at all the opposite in fact.
Sorry this is ever so long, but I wanted to be specific there, you see its not just about eating, its the whole lifestyle that needs looking at, a kind of really holistic approach, its not just about disease and food or diabetes alone.
So this is what works for me, you need to find your own path, discover what works for you and your family, etc - this all works for me, at least for now, maybe one day the bubble will burst, I will have high bg again, I will have to return to taking prescribed meds once more, if need be I will of course, so lets see what happens, there is no guarantee anywhere.
Phew I am exhausted now.
So keep on testing and if differing advice puzzles you, take up the best bits that you think appeal to you, discard the rest and you have your own programme there and it will work for you.
All the best
Karen
LOL I dread to think what responses this epistle will bring along oh dear sorry people told you I am a nutter...
Challenges can be stumbling blocks or stepping stones, it depends how you view them
