Mediterranean Diet to do or not to do

[big_daddy]

Since getting out of the hospital from having high blood sugars, i've been contemplating whether or not to do the mediterranean diet from being told about it by my diabetes nurse as my medication has changed from taking 2 500mg metformin twice daily to taking 1 500mg metformin and 1 80mg gilclazide twice daily. I've tried low carbing and in the end it only made me crave more unhealthy carbs and I think that doing the Mediterranean diet might be for me as it includes pasta and bread which might curb my cravings for carbs. So I'm just asking if the Mediterranean Diet is good or not as a diet.

 

[hotblack desiato]

re the Mediterranean diet , we were loosely on it for the last few years , my type 2 was caused by ale and pies , however , it is a great diet , very varied , you can use wholemeal pasta and bread , however watch out for some of the meat cuts they recommend they can be fatty, lots of fruit and veg in it , watch the amount of cheese you consume particularly the mozzarella and the feta , hundreds of books out there we have one called the silver spoon , it is quite a tome , loaded with recipes , you get instruction on pasta and bread making , sauces you name it , we feel great on it , we are 99% on it now , a great step forward , my cholesterol is under four , blood pressure is down and spot on for someone of forty eight , on the whole , I highly recommend it , just watch for hidden sugars ,fats and carbs , particularly in pre made sauces , we make our own from scratch so a slow cooker is a bonus , just throw everything in and leave it , good luck , all the best HBD .

 

[Daibell]

Well, pasta and bread are OK in small quantities and preferably low-GI versions based on wholemeal flour. These are carbs after all and carbs will raise your blood glucose. Don't worry too much about fats; they are not the villain. They don't affect blood glucose and can, in fact help, by slowing up carb absorption. So I'm afraid whatever else you do you will find that you must keep the carbs under control one way or another otherwise you may find it difficult to keep your blood sugar and possibly weight under control. Go for protein, veg, some fats, some fruit where you can.

 

[macabee]

I was diagnosed with FH [genetic cholesterol problem] 20 years ago and went on basically a Mediterranean diet. But in 2011 I was diagnosed as T2, I was not overweight, I swim regularly, walk. But My Mother and her sister both had diabetes, I reckon it was in my genetic make up. All said and done I like the Mediterranean diet and will stick to it, maybe it delayed my T2 who know.

 

[douglas99]

My diet is based on it.
Modified to suit my bs meter, and more low fat at the moment.
It's worked well, bs is under control, and I've lost 4 stone.

 

[Sable_Furr]

I'm intrigued - I'm T1 but my diet is carb based. I tried cutting them right down as that seems to be what everyone else does, and ended up in hospital. I'd love someone to explain...

 

[phoenix]

There are lots of diets around the Med but the type of diet usually referred to as a Med diet tends to use a lot of plant based with animal fats and proteins less often(so not very much fatty meat and cheese)

Have a look at this Med diet pyramid to see the proportions. Note the bit on the bottom about physical activity and enjoying meals with others.
http://www.heb.com/sectionpage/healthy-at-heb/food-eat-better/mediterranean-diet-pyramid/sd30670145

 

[AnnieC]

I felt a mediterranean type diet would be more suited to me with small portions of wholemeal carbs and I don't do high fat but as it has been said on this forum many times what suits one person does not suit another so we all have to find the diet that suits us best

 

[rdfeinman]

The scientific principle is still that the lower the carbs the better. If you are taking medication, you have to do it with a physician because it will lower blood sugar like many medications (the main idea behind it) and you have to lower meds, usually in advance. Mediterranean, low GI, etc. are ways of not facing low-carb (not sure why) but here's my take on the Mediterranean diet http://wp.me/p16vK0-91.

 

[Thommothebear]

I concur, in no way can the Mediterranean diet be considered low fat. It is pretty good though, albeit too high in carbs for me now.


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[Yorksman]

I eat a lot of med style salads for lunch consisting of some salad greens, lots of sliced tomatoes mixed with thinly sliced red onion, some sliced radish, a little grated carrot and celeriac salad and drizzled with an olive or pumpkin seed oil and a little balsamic vingegar. To top the salad I vary between stuffed oilves and feta cheese cubes, tuna chunks, strips of ham and sliced cheese, or sardines and mackerel. Sometimes I will have tinned salmon or strips of chicken with bacon. You can eat a lot of this stuff and depending on how you put it together and whether you mix in roasted peanuts, pine nuts, sliced spring onions, anchovies etc etc, you can have a different taste every day. If I have porridge for breakfast and one of those salads for lunch, after 30 mins on an exercise bike I will be in the low 4s in the afternoon.

I eat wholewheat pasta sometimes, or wholewheat noodles and particularly like it with prawns, chicken, cheese, or sardines, together with a tin of chopped tomatos, sauteed onion, some chilli and italian herbs. I keep my pasta portion sizes to about 60g uncooked weight.

The trick with low GI foods like wholewheat pasta is not to have it for consecutive meals. The slow release means it stays in your system but the insulin that you do produce will handle it, because it is slowly released. You have to test to find what quantity you can cope with. But, if you haven't got rid of it all by the next meal, you don't really want to be topping it up because you run the danger of topping your carbs up at a faster rate than your body is coping with it. Limit the amount you eat, keep it to once per day and exercise. Test to see how it all affects you.

Buitoni wholewheat was a brand that worked for me, along with Blue Dragon wholewheat noodles.

Tinned fish in general is very good.

 

[Thommothebear]

Agree mostly with yorksman, but be aware that the canning process used for Tuna reduces its omega 3 content to such a degree that it can no longer be regarded as an oily fish. See http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish.aspx

I love canned tuna but i only use the varieties canned in olive oil as this puts the omega 3 back into the mix.


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[Yorksman]

I love canned tuna but i only use the varieties canned in olive oil as this puts the omega 3 back into the mix.

You should try my Scicilian Pasta con le Sarde

 

[Thommothebear]

Ah, I eat a lot of sardines both fresh and tinned (its only tinned tuna which loses omega 3).I eat some form of fish most days and have done for years. Mrs Bear's family are from Venice and Trieste so have some great ways with food, My mother in law was a great cook and we still use her recipes, she is in her 90's now but can no longer cook following a stroke sadly.

I very rarely eat pasta anymore though which is a shame as my so called "signature" dish is a family recipe lasagne which I make entirely from scratch and includes red meat, poultry and fish. It takes hours to make but it goes down a storm when I cook up a 40 portion batch for the England v Italy match in the 6 nations. We do have to make Mrs Bear go to the other side of the bar when that match is on though.



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