New here - banana question etc.

Em16 said:

re: bananas

Just in case anyone does miss them terribly, I have a recipe that doesn't spike my sugars and seems to work with my low carb/high fat diet.

It is: 1 banana eg. 100g combined in blender with at least 150g finely chopped brazil, almond, pecan nuts (go more on the nuts if you want to take care and see how you do), 4 table-spoons of cocoa powder (obviously with no sugar added and no fat reduction) and 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. Sometimes I also add in a few berries, but always make the ratio of fruit: nuts at least 1:1.5 Bake in a loaf tin at 160 degrees for 15 mins. Eat in thin slices - again, test the amount good for you. It's very dense so a very slim slice is complete satisfaction!

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This sounds lovely. What size loaf tin?

SaskiaKC said:

Welcome!
My doctor surprised me by telling me bananas are OK as long as they're not too ripe (unfortunately the way I like them best but I am starting to like them less ripe!). They are the best fresh fruit for me these days because the berries at the grocery store are all either flavorless or sour, and the apples now hurt my teeth. At least bananas have some flavor as well as nutrition. And they go well with dark chocolate and nuts.

I don't particularly like eggs these days and they have too much cholesterol for me to eat them often anyway. Bacon has too much sodium.

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Whereas my nurse told me not to touch babanas with the proverbial 10foot barge pole

unfortunately doctors and others say things that I am sure they believe but in some cases just don’t work in practice.

CGM is showing clear evidence of how what we thought to be true isn’t. I live in hope of wearables like the future watches can add monitoring in that’s available to all for free then so much more evidence will sway the minds of the medical profession

unfortunately carbs, of all kinds, and T2 often don’t mix. The press can indicate losing the weight and the fast 800 and all that reverses to normality. I wish that were the case.

it is a real change to what we are told. “Healthy” grains and fruits and carbs, well.. unfortunately for a significant proportion of the population they just aren’t

Lakeslover said:

This sounds lovely. What size loaf tin?

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Hi Lakeslover, its 22cm x 12 cm. My mixture never quite fits it (there's never enough) but it doesn't matter a bit as it is so dense it just stays where I put it! I eat it in little slices (think shortcake fingers but a little smaller). It doesn't sound much but it completely hits the spot for me - I love it. I'm also not on meds at the moment but am controlling via diet only and I tolerate this really well.

Hope it works for you!

coby said:

This sounds nice Em. Would you serve it spread with butter or eat as a cake slice, and does it keep well please?

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Hi Coby, I eat it like cake, sometimes with double cream - yum. I keep it in the fridge and it lasts for 4 -5 days. I often take some out if I'm on long walks/cycles as it's a great snack. I've also frozen it in slices and it's great: defrosts quickly and is ready to eat. Hope you enjoy it. I got it from a keto website although its so long ago I can't remember which one.

Em

Em16 said:

Hi Coby, I eat it like cake, sometimes with double cream - yum. I keep it in the fridge and it lasts for 4 -5 days. I often take some out if I'm on long walks/cycles as it's a great snack. I've also frozen it in slices and it's great: defrosts quickly and is ready to eat. Hope you enjoy it. I got it from a keto website although its so long ago I can't remember which one.

Em

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Thank you for your reply and I hope to try this x

unlike most here I do not find that bananas cause my blood to spike which only adds to confusion I know. We all digest and metabolise slightly differently which is why testing is so helpful even though your diabetes nurse will probably tell you not to bother. It is the only way to track what impacts you. Sometimes it may also come down to what you eat it with or even when which I think is why we then have general broad brush guidelines like “avoid bananas”. Now weetabix for me would be a guaranteed spike although most cereals will because they have really high levels of added sugar on top of the carbs. Learn to read nutritional labels is one of the best bits of advice.

wilderness said:

Newly diagnosed (2 weeks), I'm Type 2 with HbA1c of 6.6% (49). The nurse is happy for me to control this with diet and I have yet to go to DESMOND where I expect I will get some good information. In the meantime I have cut out most of the 'bad food' I used to eat and I'm surviving on salad meals, eggs, limited bread (sorry), and several other things I deem OK such as poultry and pulses. I worry that I may not be getting all the correct foods and nutrients.

Clearly I need to do more research, and will. For starters, a few quick questions.

1. I have seen that all tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, banana) is best avoided yet I have also seen recipes including banana: so what gives? I am just curious here as I don't generally eat bananas!
   
2. Can I eat Weetabix?
3. I have not been told to get any testing equipment: is that normal?

My next review is in 6 months.

Pleased to meet you all.

Wil

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Victoria240 said:

unlike most here I do not find that bananas cause my blood to spike which only adds to confusion I know. We all digest and metabolise slightly differently which is why testing is so helpful even though your diabetes nurse will probably tell you not to bother. It is the only way to track what impacts you. Sometimes it may also come down to what you eat it with or even when which I think is why we then have general broad brush guidelines like “avoid bananas”. Now weetabix for me would be a guaranteed spike although most cereals will because they have really high levels of added sugar on top of the carbs. Learn to read nutritional labels is one of the best bits of advice.

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Hello Victoria. What type of diabetes do you have, and are you on any medication for it? Reactions to carbs can be different, depending on the answers to those questions.

It would be helpful to other posters if you would fill in this information in your profile, so we can respond better to you.

Hello all. On the subject of berries for breakfast fuelling my lowish carb lifestyle (I lost 2 and a half stone and dropped HbA1c from 69 to 47) I am lucky enough to live near a fruit farm which freezes their leftover berries. I can buy a kilo of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and 750 gms of strawberries and I make up a box of mixed fruit for the fridge. I use them with Greek yoghurt and homemade granola (very low carb) for breakfast every day and they don't spike me at all. They are also great for making compote with a few home grown plums (I add crumble mix at the other end for my non diabetic husband) and they make great smoothie mixes too.
Good luck Wil. You've come to the right place for lots of wonderful help. I only wish this had been available when I was first diagnosed.