Foods are confusing? What to eat?

[Maryaz]

We are at a loss as to how to go about this new eating. Not been at this long. Joe’s numbers have risen some days. We understand everyone reacts different to various foods, and that he has to do the after eating tests too. I am looking for more ‘general’ information now probably.

We need to work on his meals but don’t want to get overwhelmed. We are reading. Some of the things are so way off for us. Such extremes it seems. Like, buy pizza but get a veggie one and only eat the veggies. No, don’t buy pizza. Maybe we are missing something. We generally feed 4 people in our house. In the summer could be 5 or 6 with grandkids.

He did get his bloodwork done Monday. His next appointment is not until the 23rd. We have no idea if we are at a good place or not with this doctor we are with. Just time will tell. First impressions are not always right. We have not felt we got much help yet.

Is it better to eat more meals more often but smaller meals. How do you eat with others. We want to know where eggs fall in this. I am confused reading about eggs. Sounds like ok and then like only in moderation? I see a lot of fried foods but I thought that is not good if watching weight or cholesterol levels. He likes eggs.

What happens to all the egg yolks that were part of the egg that I keep reading the whites went in a recipe. All the recipes that I have read with the egg whites in them, I must have a whole carton of egg yolks sitting here. Lol!

A couple times he said to me (I think in frustration). “Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it”. He fixes dinner for all of us. Then he sits and eats one thing, like a can of Vegetable Beef soup. I know we can do this with meals. We just don’t know what to do. A lot of recipes have things we have never heard of and would not know where to get. It is only dinner that we all eat together.

We eat spaghetti often and suspect we should stop it. His numbers do seem to climb with that. Have been using the wheat pasta. Not so sure how okay that is. Again is it moderation or should we totally stop that.

First we thought it was certain foods to avoid. Then it sounds like it is certain types of foods to avoid. Then it sounds like all is okay but watch how much. LOST????? It is not clear enough. We read one thing and then the next thing seems to say something contrary.

I don't see other people sound this confused which makes me think we are doing something wrong. I will be back a little later and check in. It is almost dinner time.

[fgummett]

It is very confusing with all the conflicting advice out there. I can only suggest you to do some reading for yourself, don't just take anyone's word (including mine) on things like eggs and cholesterol, for example.

Here is my usual spiel on diet (in this case it simply means "what I eat", as opposed to a drastic short-term weight-loss change)...

Real whole food, is the order of the day... preferably local and in-season, grown/reared on nutrient rich land... grass-fed beef and pastured chickens for example. This means eat whole (unprocessed, unpackaged, unadulterated) food, which includes a natural balance of fat, protein and carbohydrates (as well as vitamins, minerals etc...) ...there really is no need to be afraid of fat... it's gotten a bad rap.

Those of us with Diabetes need to pay particular attention to the foods which have the most effect on our Blood Glucose (BG) levels. There are obvious things to watch out for like candy, cola, cakes and sweets (these are high in refined/concentrated carbohydrates)... next in line are the "white" foods like bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, breakfast cereal... but even something assumed to be healthy like orange juice has about as much sugar as a cola... fat reduced milk can have an higher proportion of lactose (sugar), especially in low-fat products such as yogurts which may have High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) added to replace the fat... and so it goes on. That does not mean you need to feel deprived or hungry to eat this way, not by any means. You may even find you can work in an occasional family cake... for example. The keyword there being "occasional" as it used to be when our Grandparents baked cakes only for Birthdays etc... not everyday (muffins, donuts, pastries) for breakfast.

You'll often see here on DF the phrase "eat to your meter" and this deceptively simple message is very wise... test around your food and figure out what works best for YOU.

Some ideas for snacks... I'm big on nuts, cheese, dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher), pork rinds/scratchings, cold meats, boiled eggs, peanut butter.

While we are encouraged to eat "so many servings of fruit and veg daily", many of these can spike our BGs so test, test test... for many of us, green leafy vegetables seem to work best... but you may also help reduce/slow the BG spike by mixing foods... for example: instead of eating an apple by itself, try just half the apple in slices with some peanut butter or cheese... or have a few berries with some cream.

[princesslinda]

It's definitely a learning experience, and it does get easier the longer you do it. Frank gave you great advice, eating to your meter will not steer you wrong.

Avoiding white foods will help quite a bit. If you want pasta, try Dreamfield's brand, many have good results with it, but you must make it exactly as directed.

If you are craving pizza, make your own personal sized ones using the low carb tortillas and the toppings of your choice. It's not the same, but it's a great substitute.

He can have chicken, fish (w/o breading), beef, green veggies, salads, cheese, burgers w/o bun or on low-carb buns, same with hot dogs, nuts, pork rinds, s/f jello...there's lots of things available.

Check out our recipe forum....ask lots of questions. Everyone here is where you are now...starting out, confused, stressed. He will be fine.

[Maryaz]

Hi and thanks for the responses. These posts do help. There is enough things mentioned here and with what he is eating that he can probably get a little more of a handle on it. We will take this and keep working on it and let you know.

Thanks again.

[synger]

A lot of it, especially as you get used to the changes, may have to do with high-carb food portions (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice).

For instance, we definitely still get pizza regularly. I know from measuring my BG that I can have one slice of pizza with crust, but more than that will spike me. So I eat one slice regular, and the toppings off a second piece (and sometimes a third!). I'm still participating in the pizza meal, I'm enjoying the pizza flavor, but I'm avoiding the high-carb part of the meal that will give me problems.

We still get Chinese delivered (or cook stir-fries at home), but I eat more meat/veg and much less rice than I used to. I have found that more than 1/3 cup of rice will spike me.

Other "normal" meals that we eat a lot: Beef stew (I leave most of the potatoes), eggs and bacon breakfast (he has toast and I don't), spaghetti (we use Barilla Plus high fiber pasta and I eat only 1/2 cup of the pasta per meal), chili (I no longer eat it "four way" -- over spaghetti), tacos (I eat the meat, veg and cheese with a fork, and my husband enjoys his in taco shells)... I hope you see the pattern.

In addition to these staples of our dinners, we also try new things. We love lasagna, for instance, but it's kinda hard to pick the noodles out of the dish... so we've tried it with a mixture of noodles and zucchini slices, so it's not as carb-heavy. I've introduced him to "spaghetti squash", which we'll have instead of pasta once in a while.

We've found that the easiest meals to make that are tasty and flexible are basic meat, veg, and grain/potato. We have just changed to more veg, and less grain/potato. And because they are separate "dishes" in the meal, it's easy for me to eat just a little of the grain/potato serving, or avoid it completely if I choose. So most nights we have burgers or brats or fish or chicken, with one or two veg dishes, and maybe some bread/pasta/potatoes for my husband and daughter. There's not really a lot of change in WHAT we make/serve, more in what parts of it I choose to eat.

The hardest dishes to make work are casserole-type dishes (like the aforementioned lasagna), where everything is mixed together. We've found it much easier to separate the meat and veg from the carb (grain/bread/pasta/potato).

[yannah]

yeah, testing is key, but I cannot do rice, or pizza.

tomatoe sauce is tough, i use it sparingly.

crust, rice, potatoes, bread, things like that are impossible for me.

the key is counting the carbs, and testing.

different types of carbs work different for me. the carbs in avacado do not bother me at all, the same amount of carbs of cereal or milk, or jiuce, or sugar will spike me.

[Seagal]

Sure can be confusing at first. Read labels on all foods and avoid the ones with excessive carbs & sugar. Basically meats, cheese, eggs, sour cream, cream, low starch vegetables with butter are all good choices to begin with. Later if you decide you want to, there are great recipes for muffins, pancakes, waffles, and other items made with almond flour/flax meal that are low carb and tasty.

Don't know if it has been mentioned, but if you get a chance to look at Laura Dolson @about.com recipe site, you will find some amazing recipes, also a lot of others, but Cleochatra is a good one too. If you can't find them easily, google low carb recipes....when I first started this 6 years ago, didn't have such a plethora of wonderful cooks & ideas. Never any need to feel deprived (Also, for sure the recipes on this site).

BTW, read Dr. Malcomb Kendricks "The Great Cholesterol Con", maybe it will ease your mind about eggs.

Keri

[dwm042]

As far as I can tell, dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with serum cholesterol. But doctors still tell you to avoid eggs. Go figure.

I don't eat eggs freely but I will eat them. They're too cheap and good to waste.

Frank Gummett's food advice, IMO, is dead on. Frank's advice is a succinct summary of what Michael Pollan recommends in his book, "In Defense of Food".

Faster foods I like:

A. I like bread, others can't handle it. I eat whole wheat breads with high fiber. Nice if you can know what you can make sandwiches with. Perhaps half a low carb tortilla, perhaps crackers. Eat and test to make sure.

B. Canned fish. I love red salmon, I try to eat it or mackerel once a day.

C. Greek yogurt. Half a milk exchange plus one and a half very lean meat, if you get Chobani plain. If you need flavor, add a little lemon curd, or sugar free preserves.

D. Baby lettuce. 15 cals per 5 oz bag. Almost any bag of green leafy vegetables is good for you.

E. Pickles. I prefer Boar's Head brand dill halves. 5 cals each. This is my stock snack.

F. Nuts. If you're watching Omega 3 and Omega 6 levels, you will need to be careful with these. Macadamia nuts (2.5 kernels is one fat exchange) are very high in monounsaturated fats and low in O6s. But I also eat almonds, pecans, peanuts, and small amounts of sunflower seeds.

G. Cheeses. Two kinds. Low fat cheeses I use as a 'lean meat' replacement (requires cheeses with protein:fat ratios of 2:1 or more). Cheddars, Parmesan and Kerry Gold cheeses, for the flavor.

H. Eggs from pastured chickens, in omelets, scrambled, boiled, or over easy.

I. And because you can't eat healthy all the time, the occasional hamburger won't kill you.
If the serving size is too large, (i.e. 8 oz burger), cut it in half.

[foxl]

F. Nuts. If you're watching Omega 3 and Omega 6 levels, you will need to be careful with these. Macadamia nuts (2.5 kernels is one fat exchange) are very high in monounsaturated fats and low in O6s. But I also eat almonds, pecans, peanuts, and small amounts of sunflower seeds.

I would add walnuts (very high in w-3), pecans, pistachios, edamame (yes the "evil SOYBEAN),brazil nuts, sesame seeds, and a few others, to that.

[dwm042]

I would add walnuts (very high in w-3), pecans, pistachios, edamame (yes the "evil SOYBEAN),brazil nuts, sesame seeds, and a few others, to that.

A lot of my attitudes towards various nuts are cautioned by this article from David Mendosa.

For example..

Walnuts are not a good choice to keep up decent omega-3 to omega-6 ratios. They have omega 3s, but they have a lot more omega 6 acids..

For english walnuts, the ratio is 4.5 to 1:

Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Nuts, walnuts, english [Includes USDA commodity food A259, A257]

For black walnuts, the ratio is over 10 to 1:

Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Nuts, walnuts, black, dried

That said, all the nuts you mention I eat, but I take my 2 teaspoons of flax seed oil first.

And edamame is wonderful .

David.

[foxl]

Thanks, David, that is interesting.

I always seem to think I know more about dietary fats than I do!

We overlooked one nut: coconut!

[dwm042]

Thanks, David, that is interesting.

I always seem to think I know more about dietary fats than I do!

We overlooked one nut: coconut!

I thought the same things you did before reading David Mendosa's article, because almost everyone says that walnuts are high in omega 3s, and they miss the omega 6 content.

That was also the article that convinced me to supplement flax seed oil daily, so I could eat those nuts and not worry about it.

For omega 3s, I eat a can of oily fish a day, and I take that flax seed oil.

Spinach is good for omega 3s too, and it has a good o36 ratio. In general..

green leafy vegetables -> good ratio (small amounts)
fruits -> poor ratio (but small amounts)
grains -> poor ratio
oils from grains -> !!

cows and cow products -> ratio depends on what they eat, whether it be grass (green leaf) or corn (grain). Cows, like fish, accumulate the fats they eat.

chickens -> ditto.

So how many of the bad effects attributed to red meat come from animals accumulating excess 'bad nutrients' from grains? How much is due to the fact we're feeding animals exactly one kind of feed: corn?

I don't know..

coconuts: back in the day when I lived in the tropics with my Mom and Dad, my mom decided it would be a good idea to kill all the grass in one section of the garden by putting coconuts atop that section.

She didn't count on how biologically dynamic coconuts are in their native environment. They started growing and rooting almost immediately.

My chore then became walking past her garden, pulling up each and every coconut and breaking off the root if I could.



David.

[foxl]

But think of all the coconuts they could've had by now!

Ahhhhh!

I am supplementing with flax oil as well. And coconut oil and cream -- but those are medium-chain triglycerides, a whole nuther ball game.

[LeeRoy]

yeah, testing is key, but I cannot do rice, or pizza.

tomatoe sauce is tough, i use it sparingly.

.

Can you tell me why tomatoe sauce is tough? What's in it that isn't good for you, unless it's a meat sauce?

Thanks, I still have lots to learn and appreciate the advise.

[matingara]

Can you tell me why tomatoe sauce is tough? What's in it that isn't good for you, unless it's a meat sauce?

Thanks, I still have lots to learn and appreciate the advise.

in some households "tomato sauce" is ketchup. ketchup has a lot of sugar in it usually.

also, tomatoes, like all fruit, have a high amount of sugar in them...



-- joel.