[dominick]

For me, the question of "What to eat?" has always been one of the biggest problems in managing my diabetes. Often, I've had something to eat which "sounds" healthy (and for the non-diabetic it would be), but isn't.

I remember when I was first diagnosed with Type2, I sat down to a bowl of Grape Nuts cereal with skim milk and a banana. Two hours later, my bG was 340!

Then I looked at the serving size and realized I'd had about 7 servings, each with about 40 carbs. I realized that the days of "eye-balling" my cereal into my bowl were over. But the problem is what they consider a serving... 1/4 cup! My diatician put me on 250 carbs per day and I reduced it to 200 before I started getting results. How was I supposed to manage what I eat and not starve?

A while back, I discovered Nutrisystem had a meal plan geared to diabetic men. For the purpose of getting back on the wagon and getting things under control again, I find it to be a big help as it removes all the thinking from what to eat. The trouble is that it is so expensive.

Yes, I know... when you break it down to cost per day, it turns out to be less than I spend when I'm not on it. But laying out $375.00 at a time is a big expense.

It works for me and I thought I would share this with everyone if they have the means.

 

[Flattwin]

Guy I worked with turned me onto buying Nutrisystem throught Costco. Pay the $30 membership ONE time a year and you can get Nutrisystem for $275 for a 35 day plan. Thats about $2.70 a meal and well worth it after the "Costco discount."

IMHO I have been on and off of this diet for around a year now and lost 40 pounds on it, so it was well worth it for me.

 

[Flattwin]

Just checked and its now $299 through Costco. A bit more but still a $75 savings for you.

Wonderful bloody bulletin board will not let me post a link for you until I have 5 posts! Funny thing is that I have 5 posts! Go to Costco's site and search for Nutrisystem, then two will pop up and select the mens program.

 

[annice]

Diabetic person should not contain high quantity of carbohydrate as glucose is released from carbohydrate and it raises the level of blood sugar level. One should consume at least 1.4 oz of fibers per day. Instead of taking three heavy meals, one should go for 3 to 4 meals at regular intervals. Avoid taking fast food and bakery products. Four to five serving of fresh fruit and vegetables are beneficial.

 

[foxl]

FRUIT!?! I do eat fruits: cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and eggplant, are my fruits.

 

[diabetes86]

for many diabetics fruits are very bad for BG

 

[Dimitri]

You can eat apples and blueberries also. They are too god for the diabetic persons. But do not eat apple's upper part as they are waxed.

 

[Dimitri]

You can eat apples and blueberries also. They are too god for the diabetic persons. But do not eat apple's upper part as they are waxed.

Updating . . . !!!
I have just read on a blog that there is wax on the apple fruit covers.
So be warn when eating them.

 

[moon]

Organic apples, or apples at farmer's markets don't have added wax.

 

[rubyburns]

I just heard today on a TV show that it is best to eat only the "berry" fruits for low sugar/low carb eating plans. Although - when I put frozen blueberries in my Fiber One cereal (the "gerbal food" looking type of Fiber One), it makes my BG spike more than I would like. So, I don't know what that's all about if berries are okay to eat...?

 

[Shanny]

I just heard today on a TV show that it is best to eat only the "berry" fruits for low sugar/low carb eating plans. Although - when I put frozen blueberries in my Fiber One cereal (the "gerbal food" looking type of Fiber One), it makes my BG spike more than I would like. So, I don't know what that's all about if berries are okay to eat...?

Hello & welcome, Ruby.

Apparently berries aren't okay for YOU to eat. There are no hard fast rules about what we can collectively eat. That's why we individually eat to our meters & avoid the foods that cause us to spike higher than we like. For me personally, a few of those blueberries would be okay, but the Fiber One original cereal would shoot me to the moon . . . the main ingredients are corn bran, whole grain wheat, wheat bran & cornstarch - total carbs in a 1-cup serving is 50g, & even deducting fiber, net carbs is still 22g. Way too high for me.

Just keep testing after you eat & avoid the foods that spike you over 140 (7.7) and you'll be fine. You'll have an individualized food plan and you'll know not to rely on what others tell you is safe to eat cuz it ain't always true!

 

[beefy]

Apparently berries aren't okay for YOU to eat...

...For me personally, a few of those blueberries would be okay, but the Fiber One original cereal would shoot me to the moon . . .

Ruby, are you SURE it's the berries, and not the Fiber1 cereal? Adding berries to that kind of cereal is basically adding carbs to carbs... So of course it might send you higher if the culprit is the Fiber1...

See how much you go up after 1, 2 or even 3 hours after the cereal (it may take a while for the actual spike to show) to see if it's maybe the cereal. I know I couldn't eat it.

the main ingredients are corn bran, whole grain wheat, wheat bran & cornstarch - total carbs in a 1-cup serving is 50g, & even deducting fiber, net carbs is still 22g. Way too high for me.

My typical breakfast has 15g of net carb, and I eat twice as much as most people here... so that's too high for us big-eaters, too.

 

[rubyburns]

Hello & welcome, Ruby.

Apparently berries aren't okay for YOU to eat. There are no hard fast rules about what we can collectively eat. That's why we individually eat to our meters & avoid the foods that cause us to spike higher than we like. For me personally, a few of those blueberries would be okay, but the Fiber One original cereal would shoot me to the moon . . . the main ingredients are corn bran, whole grain wheat, wheat bran & cornstarch - total carbs in a 1-cup serving is 50g, & even deducting fiber, net carbs is still 22g. Way too high for me.

Just keep testing after you eat & avoid the foods that spike you over 140 (7.7) and you'll be fine. You'll have an individualized food plan and you'll know not to rely on what others tell you is safe to eat cuz it ain't always true!

Thank you for your reply. It is confusing. I think the Fiber One cereal does spike me but I only have 1/2 c. serving (not much) and it could also be the milk although I don't add much of that either. Some of the info I have read says that what a person eats for a meal shouldn't spike their reading more than 50 pts. If that is the case, then the cereal doesn't do that and it does make my readings go lower afterwards - more than say, scrambled eggs would. But, then, of course - eggs don't spike anything

I am still at the point where I am trying to keep from having to take meds. I am in the mid 6.5 A1C reading and my Dr. said if I continue to lose weight and stay there or lower, I would be okay.

I have been taking readings for a long time and my A1C only seems to fluctuate depending on if I can or lose weight. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat. Which is also confusing (I think).

I see a wealth of info on this forum and have been reading a lot. Looking forward to learning a lot as well!

Ruby

 

[Shanny]

You can't go wrong eliminating carbs from your diet . . . it will keep your BG down and you'll lose weight too. Many of us have experienced these reductions in BG & weight by using the low-carb/high-fat way-of-eating. Just build your meals around proteins & fats and leave out the pasta, potatoes & other starchy foods. Avoid all the cereal grains like wheat, corn, rice, oats, etc., and any products containing them like bread, porridge/breakfast cereal or things like power bars etc. Milk is an offender too . . . milk is loaded with lactose & the lower fat milks are even higher in carbs than whole milk. I use heavy cream & dilute it 1:1 with water whenever something requires "milk".

The whole low-fat doctrine is a hoax, and a dangerous one for diabetics especially. You'll be far healthier eating bacon & eggs for breakfast than having muffins/bagels/bread/pancakes or cereal. And believe me, you'll keep losing weight too.

140 (7.7) is the jumping off point for BG . . . you want to keep your BG under 140 at all times & it's the best way to keep off meds if possible. But if you can't stay under 140 on low-carb alone, some metformin can be a good thing. It enables weight loss too, and it doesn't damage your pancreas like the other oral meds do.

 

[rubyburns]

One thing I want to ask is after eating a meal, what is the normal range blood sugar is supposed to rise? I've read it shouldn't rise more than 30pts. and another place said 50pts. - yet another place said it shouldn't get above 180 and after 3 hrs. or so should be 130 or under.

Everyone is talking about blood sugar "spiking" - so I guess I want to know if this means the normal rise after eating or does it mean going way above the normal rise?

(I have to get used to calling it blood glucose reading (BG) - I've always called it blood sugar)

 

[rubyburns]

......
140 (7.7) is the jumping off point for BG . . . you want to keep your BG under 140 at all times & it's the best way to keep off meds if possible. But if you can't stay under 140 on low-carb alone, some metformin can be a good thing. It enables weight loss too, and it doesn't damage your pancreas like the other oral meds do.

When you say 140 (7.7) - what is the 7.7?

My little diabetic pamphlet says an A1C reading of 7.0% is equal to 170 BG reading.

 

[rubyburns]

Ruby, are you SURE it's the berries, and not the Fiber1 cereal? Adding berries to that kind of cereal is basically adding carbs to carbs... So of course it might send you higher if the culprit is the Fiber1...

See how much you go up after 1, 2 or even 3 hours after the cereal (it may take a while for the actual spike to show) to see if it's maybe the cereal. I know I couldn't eat it.


My typical breakfast has 15g of net carb, and I eat twice as much as most people here... so that's too high for us big-eaters, too.

It could totally be the Fiber One cereal. I just thought I should eat it a couple days/week because it is "supposed" to be good for me. My brother had to start taking shots (not insulin but a med, of course - I can't remember the name right now) and the nutritionist at the Dr.'s office said he should eat Fiber One cereal for fiber because fiber rich foods help to lower BG.

How much is the medical community off on all of this? Sounds like a lot.

 

[Shanny]

When you say 140 (7.7) - what is the 7.7?

My little diabetic pamphlet says an A1C reading of 7.0% is equal to 170 BG reading.

Most countries of the world use a different measuring system than we in the States. At DF, we have so many more members from other countries that I try to remember to post my readings in mg/dl like yours, and also in mmol/l, so others don't have to look up the conversion.

My A1c converter says A1c of 7.0 = average BG of 155 - wonder why the difference?

Using my own A1c of 6.0, it comes out 126, which is about what my meter tells me.

The actual formula for converting the A1c is eAG(mg/dl) = (28.7 X HbA1c) – 46.7 and is very close to the converter mentioned above.

 

[moon]

How much is the medical community off on all of this? Sounds like a lot.

That's the realization we all come to once we land where real diabetics talk, compare notes, share experiences, and learn about the studies that don't make the mainline press.

Pretty remarkable, isn't it?

 

[Patdart]

Doctors don't get much information about nutrition in school and so they are totally dependent on other 'specialties' for information about it. Sadly, the current crop of dietetions (sp?) have been trained during the low fat/ high grain period of our history. Some are beginning to change, but very few, leaving us to learn the hard way. But, after all, in the end, we have to find our own way since no one can tell us what our bodies will react to or tolerate. Much of life is the same after all...