Meal questions

[mho357]

Hi all,

I just tested after lunch - 128. I was 118 one hour before.

I think that is good - right?

Here's what I had for lunch:

Ham & swiss on whole wheat with mustard. 1/2 c mixed nuts.

Not too many carbs but maybe a little high in fat?

I'm used to having chips with my sandwich but they have too many carbs. I tried raw veggies but they didn't really work for me - crunch but lacked the salty flavor.

For breakfast, I used to have a big bowl of Udi's granola (tons of carbs). Now I have a couple of scrambled eggs, 1 sausage patty, and a 1/4 cup of Udi's (19 g carbs).

Neither of these meals cause much of a rise in my BG - breakfast more than lunch.

I think I've found a couple of things that work well but am I missing something. I love eggs but is it a bad idea to have them every day? I suppose that I could try turkey sausage (lower fat).

I welcome any comments.

Thanks,

M

[princesslinda]

MHO, was your 128, 2 hrs after your meal or one hour?

If I want something really crunchy with my meal, I enjoy pork rinds...very carb friendly.

Like you, I do eggs for b/fast several times a week....so far, my cholesterol is good. If you're worried about it, you could try "Egg-beaters" egg substitute. I usually just fix a couple slices of bacon with mine, turkey bacon is also quite good.

I also enjoy the S. Beach high-protein cereal bars when I get tired of eggs.

For lunch, often have a bunless burger or grilled chicken with a side salad...or tuna with some whole wheat crackers and s/f jello or s/f pudding.

Sounds like you're doing well.

[xMenace]

Do some research on those eggs. There have been a few claims on here that those bad-for-cholesterol claims were urban legends.

I find chips very BG friendly. It must be the high fat content. Not so healthy though.

[BlueSky]

... I love eggs but is it a bad idea to have them every day? ....
I have been eating 3 eggs a day, every day, for years. And I am healthier than ever. Nutitionally, eggs are the ultimate super-food, and the yolks are the best part. Best of all, eating eggs doesn't increase blood glucose. Seems like a no-brainer to me ...

[mho357]

The 128 was at 1 hour - only a 10 point rise (and in the noise level of the meter I think).

M

[pdxdennisj]

Cholesterol in eggs is not an urban legend. It is very real ask and heart doctor. I allow myself two whole eggs a week at the most, otherwise I substitute generic (read cheap) "EggBeaters".

[BlueSky]

The notion that food containing cholesterol increases serum levels of cholesterol dates back to the 30s, when this effect was observed in experiments with rabbits. That they should have reacted badly to animal based foods is not surprising as rabbits are vegetarians. The effect was never replicated in humans, who are omnivorous. Eggs were eaten in large quantities long before heart disease became a problem. My experience backs this up.

I increased my egg consumption from 2 a week to 21 a week, increasing weekly dietary cholesterol from this source from 420mg to 4410mg. And my serum cholesterol hasn't changed. So there is really no good reason for me to deny myself this nutitious food. Dieticians disagree because they still adhere to discredited theory. Dieticians say that you shouldn't eat foods containing more than 300mg of cholesterol a day, which is ludicrous. Your liver produces about 1000mg of the stuff daily, anyway. And the more you eat, the less it produces. Only 50% of dietary cholesterol is absorbed. So you would need to eat 10+ eggs a day to make your cholesterol go up - i.e. replace all the cholesterol the liver produces with dietary cholesterol.:o

[Alice]

I order "egg white" omelets at a local restaurant that are excellent. I tell them to go light on the cheese or no cheese. But I find when I travel it's difficult to find a restaurant that can master the egg white omelet...keep trying in different places.

I love eggs, but try to just eat 2-3 a week. Also, if you watch your chol on other items, an egg every now and then is not so bad. It's when they are combined with other high chol foods such as shrimp, oysters, etc.

[DeusXM]

The notion that food containing cholesterol increases serum levels of cholesterol dates back to the 30s, when this effect was observed in experiments with rabbits. That they should have reacted badly to animal based foods is not surprising as rabbits are vegetarians. The effect was never replicated in humans, who are omnivorous. Eggs were eaten in large quantities long before heart disease became a problem. My experience backs this up.

I increased my egg consumption from 2 a week to 21 a week, increasing weekly dietary cholesterol from this source from 420mg to 4410mg. And my serum cholesterol hasn't changed. So there is really no good reason for me to deny myself this nutitious food. Dieticians disagree because they still adhere to discredited theory. Dieticians say that you shouldn't eat foods containing more than 300mg of cholesterol a day, which is ludicrous. Your liver produces about 1000mg of the stuff daily, anyway. And the more you eat, the less it produces. Only 50% of dietary cholesterol is absorbed. So you would need to eat 10+ eggs a day to make your cholesterol go up - i.e. replace all the cholesterol the liver produces with dietary cholesterol.:o

Of course, all this is totally dependent on the individual. It works for YOU. Doesn't mean it necessarily applies for everyone's metabolism.

Incidentally, since you say you were eating eggs frequently for many years? And didn't you also have your own fair share of health problems until you switch to a non-carb diet?

[BlueSky]

... It works for YOU. Doesn't mean it necessarily applies for everyone's metabolism ....
Yes, I am relating my personal experience to my understanding of how cholesterol production is regulated. But we all have pretty much the same metabolic pathways (except for the mutants ;) ). So I would have thought that others would have a similar experience. Having said that, I am aware that different experiences are reported, and I have no idea why this should be. But clearly, the generalisation that dietary cholesterol increases serum cholesterol is not valid either.

[mho357]

I have always had good cholesterol numbers regardless of what I eat. I've known people who couldn't keep their numbers down in spite of maintaining a low cholesterol diet.

Kind of makes you wonder how much is really understood about cholesterol.

M

[Cyborg]

The point to keep in mind that everyone's body reacts differently.

For me, I have to bolus for eggs due to the protein content. I eat eggs whenever I can and with an extended bolus they are very easy on my bg.

[DeusXM]

But we all have pretty much the same metabolic pathways (except for the mutants ). So I would have thought that others would have a similar experience. Having said that, I am aware that different experiences are reported, and I have no idea why this should be. But clearly, the generalisation that dietary cholesterol increases serum cholesterol is not valid either.

True - as ever, I recommend that if you're not sure how something will affect you, you should try it and find out for yourself.

As for metabolic pathways...now we're really getting into far more complex territory. Some people seem to just store up cholesterol far more than others - these people may indeed be affected by dietary cholesterol. There are some people out there who have abnormally high cholesterol levels despite being exceptionally healthy. A prime example of this is former footballer Kevin Keegan who has to take cholesterol reducing drugs, despite continuing an active, healthy lifestyle.