So now what do I eat?

[Debbie Sue]

I apologize for top posting and asking so many questions, but I really feel left out in the dark. I have the mandatory diabetes education classes but not until 6-16-08. I have a kitchen loaded with all sorts of carbs that I can't/shouldn't eat and my appetite is very low. I was munching ice cubes but the desire is fading. I ate a Starkist Tuna to Go lunch and some reheated frozen corn. This is my first day for the Metformin and Actos, so I guess I'm still in the experimental stage?

[xMenace]

Mendosa has some great advice Advice for Newbies (http://www.mendosa.com/advice)

[princesslinda]

Its hard to know what to eat starting out, that's why testing 2 hrs after the first bite of food is so important, as it shows how YOU tolerate certain foods. I was given a goal of 140 or less 2 hrs after first bite of my meal. Of course, you are just starting out on meds, so it will take awhile to see results.

Many of us find if we minimize carbs (esp. potatoes, rice, pasta, bread) our blood sugars stay at a better level.

Corn and peas are starchy, and can cause a rise in blood sugars.

Tuna is good, as are most lean meats, cheese, and fish. Eat lots of green veggies, salads, nuts, eggs. Avoid cereals, as these are often high in carbs. S/F jello or jello pudding and Breyer's carb smart ice cream are quite good.

[Debbie Sue]

Thanks for the help Linda. I am reading everything I can. Your simple way of looking at the whole picture helped me quite a bit. I am making too big of a deal out of it. I really need those education classes and soon. I love the idea of more salads. I've been craving those like crazy lately. Now to see if I can do without French dressing...

[sprzepiora]

This has been working for me, concentrate on a meal at a time and work at making it better every week. For instance I generally eat a lot of carbs and cover it with insulin, but this is not good for the long haul. I have been eating 80g carbs per meal, sometimes up to 100, but understand this is all new to me and although I am eating a lot of carbs, I am eating MUCH healthier foods than I used to. I am trying to slowly adjust my carb and calorie intake. I also find the lower amount of carbs I eat the easier it is to keep my good numbers, but we need some carbs for energy.

The meal I am working on right now is lunch, I usually eat out for lunch and I have two places I go to to eat lunch right now, Mc Donald's and Subway, at both places I can get lunch for about 50g carbs. At Mc Donalds I do a chicken salad with grilled chicken and a cheese burger, at subway I'll get a turkey sub. I am still working on other places, but it is a process.

You will find you generally eat the same foods, so find what works for you and use it.

Look for a post by XMenace (I think ) that is very informative on what foods generally work.

Please, Please, Please do not beat yourself up over it, work hard at it of course, but if you have a bad day, just say you had a bad day. Sometimes our numbers can go up because it's Tuesday :)

[Real4]

Now to see if I can do without French dressing...

Why? The oil in salad dressing is totally irrelevant to diabetes. Carbs count, not fats, oil, protein, etc. That's the short of it.

[Evermont]

...Now to see if I can do without French dressing...

Welcome to DF Debbie Sue. I never liked French dressing myself, but I looked up a few recipes for it. Depending on how you make it I think there's a chance for a diabetic friendly adaptation. I saw recipes that have sugar and ketchup (which has sugar). Also most of them called for less healthy oils. If you want I could try to help you adapt one - you might like it better than store bought anyway! Find a recipe you like and I'll help you tweak it.

[Debbie Sue]

I'm really fond of Ott's French Dressing, but it's loaded with sugar. I do like the idea of concocting one of my own and I like Splenda sweetener so maybe a recipe can be tweaked with Splenda?

[notme]

Why? The oil in salad dressing is totally irrelevant to diabetes. Carbs count, not fats, oil, protein, etc. That's the short of it.


French dressing (especially bottled) can contain a lot of sugar. Better off with vinegar and oil.

[Keezheekoni]

I don't like most salad dressings, but I did find that I really like balsalmic vinegar spray dressing. You might try one of the "spray" dressings since they are low in carbs and seem to work really well for portion control.

[princesslinda]

I LOVE balsamic vinaigarette dressing...and you have the added benefit of the vinegar, which can help lower post-meal #s in T2s.

I've never seen spray-on vinaigarette, i'll have to look for it.

[Evermont]

I'm really fond of Ott's French Dressing, but it's loaded with sugar. I do like the idea of concocting one of my own and I like Splenda sweetener so maybe a recipe can be tweaked with Splenda?

See? Now you're talkin' like a T2! Personally I go for natural sweeteners in general. There are a lot of folks here that would endorse Splenda as a substitute. I might use agave nectar which has a lower glycemic index than sugar, but you get the idea. Try adding the sweetener last and slowly while tasting it - stop when it's good enough. You may find over time that you can cut way back as you get used to eating less sweet foods.

I would also try using extra virgin olive oil rather than anything else. In a dressing like that you're not likely to notice the difference anyway - why not be extra healthy about it?

[xMenace]

I'm trying Splenda for the first time. So far I don't really care for it. I don't use much sweetning anyway. I'm sweet enough already. I buy EVOO it bulk though. I even wash my hair in it ;)

[Janlaton]

If you can not do without the dressing put it on the side, dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad. You will find you use much less dressing this way. I use such a small amt of dressing, less than a teaspoon on a large salad I do not count it as carbs.

Glad to hear you are latching onto the info. It takes a while to absorb but raw greens are good and low in carbs that is the way my doc put it to start out! Be sure not to add croutons they are dried up bread. Also eating a lot of crackers with a salad is a no no as well. 3 or 4 with no other carb is ok.

Keep in mind that a person using insulin can eat more carbs and cover with insulin while a type 2 has to watch what they eat because we do not have the insulin to inject ourselves with.

Hope this helps out some. If I ramble to much say so.

[Debbie Sue]

Oh I love rambling. I'm often guilty of it myself, soooo ramble on! :)

I love ice burg lettuce salads because of the compaction of the lettuce leaves. I like to slice a head into 4ths, wedges, add some small veggies and drizzle dressing over it. This would be a meal for me, nothing else. So, I will give EVOO a try on my salads. It's a yummy oil and I've used it, plus spices, to dip bread in it. Not now though, just for cooking and salads.

I am learning so much from you guys, maybe I should rename my handle Spongie?

[fgummett]

If you can not do without the dressing put it on the side, dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad. You will find you use much less dressing this way.Good idea but I'm afraid this would back-fire with me and I'd end up using more. I can eat most salads without dressing ( :eek: ) but what I usually do if it is a packet of dressing is just drizzle half of it on top and toss the rest in the bin.
Not a big fan of iceberg lettuce as I understand it has practically zero nutritional value... I prefer a mixed greens or a romaine lettuce. Remember also that you are mixing foods... salad greens and veggies are high fibre (?) so should be slower to digest and adding some oil and vinegar will likely slow digestion and release of sugars even more... But only you can find out how these affect your own BS by testing :)

[matingara]

There is a great thread here on DF where we all shared salad dressings.

I have pasted mine here because i think it is by far the best in the world. (Am i biased??? :D)

Orleanais Dressing from Rick Stein's French Odyssey series.

take 1 or two cloves of garlic and crush on a board. add a pinch of salt and continue chopping/crushing the garlic until it is a paste. (fresh garlic is mandatory. the crushed stuff in the jar won't work).

put the crushed garlic into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of good red wine vinegar. (I use the Maille brand and refuse to use anything else now.)

also add to the bowl 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard. (i prefer "Grey Poupon" but the Maille is also good.)

Whisk together briefly.

Gradually whisk in 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Whisk until you have a nice creamy consistency.

I have tried doing this in a blender. It is much better when done by hand.

PS: ALSO, before i toss my salad i always, ALWAYS sprinkle it with a tiny bit of flaky sea salt. This gives it extra bite.

PPS: try this dressing on raw broccoli - the lil heads soak up the dressing and it is HEAVEN!!!

:)

-- Joel.

[BrianSCohen]

Debbie Sue,

Welcome. I know everything is rushing at you. A diagnosis of diabetes, new medications, everyone running around screaming about the end of the world. Well it is not the end of the world, you will be fine. Actually, you may very well have totally ignored your diet before being diagnosed, and any change will be positive. There is plenty to read here and you will learn a great deal from your class and from others here at the forum. In the meantime, just make simple choices. Read the nutrients on the label. If it says carbs per serving are 20 or more grams, that is pretty high carb, best to avoid. Reduce/avoid sugar, starches, bread, rice, pasta, potato. Don't go and make yourself suffer on ice cubes. Find a some carb free choices you can have any time you are driven by hunger, and allow yourself these. You will be fine, even modest actions with your medication will quickly bring things around. As you learn more about diet and exercise you can worry more about the details.

[kgm0612]

Debbie Sue........ here's some food suggestions that are pretty good on the blood sugar.

Breakfast: Toasted light wheat bread; scrambled eggs or an omelet; Special K Protein Plus Cereal; Dannon Carb/Sugar Control Yogurt.

Lunch: You're already eating salad, but I'd add a blend of lettuce because Iceburg has no nutritional value. Top the salad off with some grilled chicken, or slices of lean deli meat; Turkey or Chicken breast, tuna, egg or chicken salad on light wheat bread; Lean Cuisine makes some low carb (8g-15g) meals that are very good; Leftovers (chicken, etc) from dinner the night before.

Dinner: I eat a lot of chicken......grilled, baked, etc. I also grill a steak or a burger once a week. I do eat pasta, but I've switched over to wheat pasta. Mostly every meal consists of a small baked sweet potatoe and lots of veggies.

Snacks: walnuts, almonds, sugar-free pudding (or jello) cup with whip cream, a handful of mini carrots, celery sticks, a small apple or pear.

Hope this helps.

Karen

[Debbie Sue]

Wow! Thanks Karen! I feel like I've got a good place to start now. Also, does caffeine raise bsl?

[MJB]

I'm going against the grain here but screw the "lean" meat and go ahead and enjoy fat meat. Burgers, steak, sausage, bacon etc.

There seems to be very little out there supporting the idea that low fat eating is actually best for you.

When I was doing Atkins I ate a LOT of cheeseburgers, steak, bacon and eggs. My lipid profiles were the best they have ever been since I've been having them checked.

But....you have to find what works best for YOU!

I think natural foods (not processed) and limited carbs work for most.