Couple of questions from a newbie

[PFletch]

Hi all

After being dignosed type 2 in Feb, I read Dr Bernstein's book a couple of weeks ago, and went straight onto the low carb routine, which seemed to make a lot of sense.

BG levels went from a hi/low of 11.8/9.6 at the beginning of April to 7.3/5.9 at the end, and I'm now really p*ssed off when I get an 8 ! Hopefully a serious exercise routine will help bring it down further, but it's hard to break the habit of being a slob for 56 years.

A couple of questions :

1. Why has Dr. Bernstein got such a downer on tomatos ? A 100g (medium sized) tom has a carb count of around 4.5 (and tinned ones are even less - 3.5g per 100g).

Seems to me that some sort of meat with lettuce and tomato would be OK for a lunch with a target carb count of 12g, but Dr Bernstein advises 1 slice of tomato max. Do they have vast tomatos in the States, so that 1 slice would be over 100g ?

2. At the moment I test BG 10 times a day - before and twice after each meal, plus last thing at night. Trouble is that this is heavy on the test strips, and my GP will only prescribe enough for 2 per day.

The local chemist charges £23.50 a pop (for Acu-check Aviva strips), and I've since found them for £18 on the net from Pharmacy2u.

Anyone found a better deal ?

Paul Fletcher

 

[jumbleannie]

No comment on the low carbs and tomatoes, as I tend to cheat a lot, but the test strips I can help with. Try ebay. I won 2 packs of 50 for £21.50 last night. Gorra be better than £18 a throw! Have bought before from there and no problems so far.

 

[cugila]

Hi PFletch
You asked:
Why has Dr. Bernstein got such a downer on tomatos ? A 100g (medium sized) tom has a carb count of around 4.5 (and tinned ones are even less - 3.5g per 100g).
Seems to me that some sort of meat with lettuce and tomato would be OK for a lunch with a target carb count of 12g, but Dr Bernstein advises 1 slice of tomato max. Do they have vast tomatos in the States, so that 1 slice would be over 100g ? (unquote)

Not a devotee of Dr Bernstein so can't answer that ! Some of his fans may well know the answer ?
As someone who does low/reduce carb I often have 6 small cherry toms with a breakfast of Bacon & Egg or Meals as you say with Meat and Salad. These have little or no effect on my Bg levels. If you like ' em - have 'em ! Tinned too, although you may have to check sugar content also ?

Regarding Test Strips.
As stated elsewhere, it's a lottery. You might get a GP who doesn't mind prescribing the things or as a lot have found you get none or very few ! You have to be prepared to 'tactfully' :twisted: argue your case with facts and figures as to why you need to monitor Bg levels more closely. 10 times a day is fine until you know what foods are good to eat, but I don't think any GP will accept that that is a normal amount to use for any prolonged length of time.
If like a lot of us you are annoyed about this - there is a Petition on the No 10 website started by one of our 'inmates' John (wallycorker).
This is the link leading to the petition: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7783
Hope this helps.
Ken.

 

[hanadr]

Bernstein is American and they measure carbs including the fibre.( which is chemically a acarb, but metabolically inactive.) also Tomatoes are fruits and Bernstein is anti fruit. It might be for simplicity.
I'll try to find out. I know a man who can ask him direct.
Bernstein is also anti carrot.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Some people have bad reactions to nightshades (tomatos, potatoes, peppers etc.) fortunately I don't or my diet would be devastated!

Likewise some people spike badly off carrots and others don't.

Once you've got a basic diet worked out you may be able to cut down on the testing. These days I only test routinely once every so often, and I usually check postprandial + 1 hour after eating out or when feeling ill or off colour, and during intensive exercise. I could NOT get away with this if I hadn't tested a lot, and taken account of my findings, in the first place.

 

[PETEELVEY]

i posted a reply on this but can't find it so here we go again
found to be class 2 28 OCT 2008
attended a diabetic 6 week course in jan/feb 2009 recomend this to all
did a comprehensive break down of all foods eaten in feb 2009 28 days
average daily carb intake 236 per day average bloods 5.8 to 7.0
i use diet meals from this site and worral thompson gi diat book in conjunction with the calorie carb and fat bible 2009
all the food was broken down by weight surprised to find even 120gm sardines have 2.2gm carbs in the tin
there is a hell of a lot of conflicting advice on intake of carbs
that is why i did my own breakdown high intake do not seem to affect me
EXCEPT did a fish and chip meal tested 3 hours after bloods 11.8
SO WILL NOT GO THERE AGAIN missed a lot out on this take 3x 500 metformin daily

have lost nearly 3s 07 lb 18 06 down to 14 13 just had an op for a new knee insert so not excering too much at present but managing to walk at least one mile a day hope to increase