My final transfer from my old blog - Good Bye Temple Tenant Improvement - I appreciated the things that you taught me :)
I have been studying the GI (Glycemic Index) and the GL (Glycemic Load). Trying to find out what they are and how they effect me.
Originally there was the GI and everyone started waving the flag that this was the new end all be all for dietary measuring. How many commercials did you see on TV about this? Tons. Basically the GI is how high your blood sugar goes up after eating 50 grams of available Carbs in any one item then that is compared to the same measurement of eating 50 grams of sugar. The number they come up with is the GI. That's fine but the amount of stuff you have to eat to get that 50 grams made some people cry foul. I mean to get 50 grams of carbs from carrots you would have to eat 1.5 pound and 50 grams of watermelon requires you to consume 6 cups. Most of us just don't eat like that so the GL was created to give you more of a balance in determining how to eat. The GL measures the actual amount of available carbs in a normal serving. If you take the two numbers together then you get a better idea of what is good and what is bad for you.
Numbers under 55 for the GI are the best, 56 to 69 are medium and 70 and up are high. With the GL the number you are looking for is under 10, then 11 to 19 is medium and over 20 is high. There is some really good info on this on the web site www.mendosa.com(just type in GI in the search engine and go to the post on 'lists'). Again there are tons of charts out there giving you the GI and GL of items.
So why do I care about the GI or GL in my diet. Well I am a diabetic and my blood sugar level is a constant source of aggravation to me and knowing the GI and GL just give me one more tool to keep my blood sugar under control. I read too that insulin can effect cancer growth (which was all new to me).
The more I learn the more I realize that everything in my body seems to be intertwined with everything else. I know, I know, just eat right and exercise and it will all fall into place. That's the plan.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Onions for All (or you may offend some)
Still moving items from the old blog.
I thought I would find a ton of amazing things about onions but oddly enough, even though they have been around forever, research just hasn't confirmed anything. Everything I find is 'we think' or 'looks promising'. If you go the the vegetarian/health food web sites they call onions the best thing since sliced bread, with claims of fixing just about everything. But when you go to the more scientific sites they qualify everything with 'we just don't know'. So I will do the same. These items are promising but not proven so . . .
Onions show that they might give protection against tumor growth especially with stomach cancer. In rats, that have diabetes, onions slowed kidney damage (but of course rats aren't people - yet). There are some studies that are working on the possible benefits of onions on Alzheimer's. Onions have something called Quercitin which may have Anti-inflammatory (another post in embryo) and Anti-oxidant properties. Nutrition wise I see that it has folate (good) and is low on the Glycemic Load.
The only negative thing I can find about onions is, if you have heartburn, onions may be a 'no no' to you and then, of course, there is the breath issue. That's why if we are going to have onions then we are ALL going to have onions.
I think the biggest benefit of onions is that it helps things taste better without adding any unwanted calories. Period. Sadly I love them best fried :( Onions come in a variety of colors and pungency's. Some of the more favorite varieties seem to be the less pungent varieties and are actually thought to be less helpful health wise. The more pungent the more health benefits the scientist think the onion has.
I guess we wait for the scientist on this one.
Finally on to the last transfer from my old Blog - Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load- I think I finally understand them :)
I thought I would find a ton of amazing things about onions but oddly enough, even though they have been around forever, research just hasn't confirmed anything. Everything I find is 'we think' or 'looks promising'. If you go the the vegetarian/health food web sites they call onions the best thing since sliced bread, with claims of fixing just about everything. But when you go to the more scientific sites they qualify everything with 'we just don't know'. So I will do the same. These items are promising but not proven so . . .
Onions show that they might give protection against tumor growth especially with stomach cancer. In rats, that have diabetes, onions slowed kidney damage (but of course rats aren't people - yet). There are some studies that are working on the possible benefits of onions on Alzheimer's. Onions have something called Quercitin which may have Anti-inflammatory (another post in embryo) and Anti-oxidant properties. Nutrition wise I see that it has folate (good) and is low on the Glycemic Load.
The only negative thing I can find about onions is, if you have heartburn, onions may be a 'no no' to you and then, of course, there is the breath issue. That's why if we are going to have onions then we are ALL going to have onions.
I think the biggest benefit of onions is that it helps things taste better without adding any unwanted calories. Period. Sadly I love them best fried :( Onions come in a variety of colors and pungency's. Some of the more favorite varieties seem to be the less pungent varieties and are actually thought to be less helpful health wise. The more pungent the more health benefits the scientist think the onion has.
I guess we wait for the scientist on this one.
Finally on to the last transfer from my old Blog - Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load- I think I finally understand them :)
Fungus among Us
Counting down - only 2 more left to move from my old blog.
My Husband hates mushrooms so they don't show up very often in our regular meals but after all I have read about them I suspect that I will try to add them as a 'side' to the things that we eat. That way he can choose without all the whining. Actually, he's pretty good about it. He just politely puts them on my plate.
Mushrooms (and I'm dealing with mostly the button mushrooms that you get in the grocery store) are a fungi. They are over 60% water so are a good diet food and contain a good dose of fiber. On the GL they stand at 2 so eat them to your hearts content. The stand outs on the vitamin list included Riboflavin and Niacin (both B vitamins) and Selenium (which seems to lower the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease according to one source). They also seem to be high in antioxidants.
My favorite thing about Mushrooms are that the latest research shows that mushrooms decrease the production of estrogen which may help in protection against estrogen positive cancers. It also may protect against estrogen positive tumor growth.
I like mushrooms so even though there are a lot of 'mays' in the research on mushrooms it's enough for me to continue eating them.
The one negative I found was that mushrooms are high in something called purine which may contribute to gout. I guess it reminds me everything in moderation.
Just an FYI mushrooms can be cleaned with just a quick wipe from a paper towel or you can even wash them in cold water but remember they will act like a sponge and soak up some of that water. I wash them but only right before I use them so that they absorb less. Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator to help them last longer.
Enjoy!
My Husband hates mushrooms so they don't show up very often in our regular meals but after all I have read about them I suspect that I will try to add them as a 'side' to the things that we eat. That way he can choose without all the whining. Actually, he's pretty good about it. He just politely puts them on my plate.
Mushrooms (and I'm dealing with mostly the button mushrooms that you get in the grocery store) are a fungi. They are over 60% water so are a good diet food and contain a good dose of fiber. On the GL they stand at 2 so eat them to your hearts content. The stand outs on the vitamin list included Riboflavin and Niacin (both B vitamins) and Selenium (which seems to lower the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease according to one source). They also seem to be high in antioxidants.
My favorite thing about Mushrooms are that the latest research shows that mushrooms decrease the production of estrogen which may help in protection against estrogen positive cancers. It also may protect against estrogen positive tumor growth.
I like mushrooms so even though there are a lot of 'mays' in the research on mushrooms it's enough for me to continue eating them.
The one negative I found was that mushrooms are high in something called purine which may contribute to gout. I guess it reminds me everything in moderation.
Just an FYI mushrooms can be cleaned with just a quick wipe from a paper towel or you can even wash them in cold water but remember they will act like a sponge and soak up some of that water. I wash them but only right before I use them so that they absorb less. Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator to help them last longer.
Enjoy!
Abondanza :)
One more carry over from my old blog - three to go :)
Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous. Someone must have gotten sick on them and declared them so and everyone avoided them because of that. Imagine not having tomatoes in sauces or on salads. Where would Pizza be without tomatoes? Interesting thought. Well we are big tomato eaters in our home. Spaghetti sauce, salads, salsa, and chili all come to mind.
So what's good about tomatoes? Well first it starts with the color. The brighter the red the more pluses for your diet. The red shows an increase in the beta carotene - lycopene. It's an antioxidant but even more importantly they have found that carotenoids have a killer effect on cancer, especially Prostate, Lung and Stomach cancers. One book I read said that caroteniods actually 'mobilize the body's defense systems against carcinogens'. They did mention that to absorb all the benefits of the tomato you must eat it with a little bit of fat to help your body absorb the lycopene better. So just add a bit of olive oil to whatever your cooking.
They also did some studies where they had people eat food high in cooked tomato product (mostly tomato paste) and they showed a mark decrease in heart disease. Tomato Juice has been shown to help stop blood clots from happening. Another article mentioned that Tomatoes have actually been shown to help with reducing some migraines.
Tomatoes have B6 (niacin - great for raising your HDL) and Folic Acid (great for lowering your Triglycerides). It's high in Vit A & C & K. Oh, and it's a wonderful source for Potassium. So when you suffer from leg cramps next time instead of eating a banana grab a tomato instead.
If you are on a diet, tomatoes are wonderful since they are mostly water and very low in calories. And the GL on this is 2 for a whole cup of fresh tomatoes.
One thing I didn't know about tomatoes is that you need to store it outside of the refrigerator. Now that I think about it the tomatoes are always in the center section at the grocery store and not in the refrigerated section. They say that refrigeration interferes with the ripening process of the tomato and takes away the flavor. Well I guess I will have to make room in my fruit bowl for the tomatoes.
Oh, and Tomatoes are a fruit :) I'm sooooo glad that I like tomatoes. Definitely a plus.
What next? I just realized that I had skipped over Mushrooms. I love Mushrooms. In our household the mushroom lovers are female and the mushroom haters are male. I must go back and cover mushrooms.
Enjoy!
Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous. Someone must have gotten sick on them and declared them so and everyone avoided them because of that. Imagine not having tomatoes in sauces or on salads. Where would Pizza be without tomatoes? Interesting thought. Well we are big tomato eaters in our home. Spaghetti sauce, salads, salsa, and chili all come to mind.
So what's good about tomatoes? Well first it starts with the color. The brighter the red the more pluses for your diet. The red shows an increase in the beta carotene - lycopene. It's an antioxidant but even more importantly they have found that carotenoids have a killer effect on cancer, especially Prostate, Lung and Stomach cancers. One book I read said that caroteniods actually 'mobilize the body's defense systems against carcinogens'. They did mention that to absorb all the benefits of the tomato you must eat it with a little bit of fat to help your body absorb the lycopene better. So just add a bit of olive oil to whatever your cooking.
They also did some studies where they had people eat food high in cooked tomato product (mostly tomato paste) and they showed a mark decrease in heart disease. Tomato Juice has been shown to help stop blood clots from happening. Another article mentioned that Tomatoes have actually been shown to help with reducing some migraines.
Tomatoes have B6 (niacin - great for raising your HDL) and Folic Acid (great for lowering your Triglycerides). It's high in Vit A & C & K. Oh, and it's a wonderful source for Potassium. So when you suffer from leg cramps next time instead of eating a banana grab a tomato instead.
If you are on a diet, tomatoes are wonderful since they are mostly water and very low in calories. And the GL on this is 2 for a whole cup of fresh tomatoes.
One thing I didn't know about tomatoes is that you need to store it outside of the refrigerator. Now that I think about it the tomatoes are always in the center section at the grocery store and not in the refrigerated section. They say that refrigeration interferes with the ripening process of the tomato and takes away the flavor. Well I guess I will have to make room in my fruit bowl for the tomatoes.
Oh, and Tomatoes are a fruit :) I'm sooooo glad that I like tomatoes. Definitely a plus.
What next? I just realized that I had skipped over Mushrooms. I love Mushrooms. In our household the mushroom lovers are female and the mushroom haters are male. I must go back and cover mushrooms.
Enjoy!
'Goosekini'
Another blog carry over from my old blog - almost done :)
When my Daughter was little the word zucchini was beyond her ability to pronounce so it became 'goosekini' and has been ever since.
Zucchini is the one vegetable that you can eat to your heart's content since it's about 95% water. Very little nutrition but a great filler if you are on a diet.
It's considered to be a summer squash (as opposed to the winter squashes, like butternut, acorn and pumpkin). If you plant your own garden and want something that will way over produce. Welcome to the wonderful world of zucchini. Make sure you pick them when they are still small or they get too many seeds and a thick skin.
One of my favorite things about zucchini is that they take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking them with. I have seen them shredded in pineapple juice and they taste like pineapple (a friend used them on ice cream as a topping). Weird. I just like that fact that they blend in with whatever your making and add bulk without calories.
Fry them up with olive oil, onion and garlic and add them to your eggs in the AM. Fry them up with olive oil, onion and garlic and add fresh tomatoes and basil and serve them as a side with dinner. I like them. Bestest taste is fried in batter with ranch dressing (I go out of my way to go to Mimi's for fried zucchini). Of course, it's not bestest for my diet so it's only an occasional item. Love it too in bread with lots of cinnamon.
Since I way over planted this summer I'm sure I will be sick of zucchini by the end of the summer but for now . . . it's all good.
Tomatoes next, I think. Enjoy!
When my Daughter was little the word zucchini was beyond her ability to pronounce so it became 'goosekini' and has been ever since.
Zucchini is the one vegetable that you can eat to your heart's content since it's about 95% water. Very little nutrition but a great filler if you are on a diet.
It's considered to be a summer squash (as opposed to the winter squashes, like butternut, acorn and pumpkin). If you plant your own garden and want something that will way over produce. Welcome to the wonderful world of zucchini. Make sure you pick them when they are still small or they get too many seeds and a thick skin.
One of my favorite things about zucchini is that they take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking them with. I have seen them shredded in pineapple juice and they taste like pineapple (a friend used them on ice cream as a topping). Weird. I just like that fact that they blend in with whatever your making and add bulk without calories.
Fry them up with olive oil, onion and garlic and add them to your eggs in the AM. Fry them up with olive oil, onion and garlic and add fresh tomatoes and basil and serve them as a side with dinner. I like them. Bestest taste is fried in batter with ranch dressing (I go out of my way to go to Mimi's for fried zucchini). Of course, it's not bestest for my diet so it's only an occasional item. Love it too in bread with lots of cinnamon.
Since I way over planted this summer I'm sure I will be sick of zucchini by the end of the summer but for now . . . it's all good.
Tomatoes next, I think. Enjoy!
We want the 'Whole' Thing
I am still working on carrying over my old blog to this blog - here is one of my carry over entries.
Whole Wheat is a Mormon mantra. We store it. We grind it. We cook with it. At least that's the hope or why else would our garages be full of it :) Wheat stores incredibly well in it's grain form. They actually had grains of wheat in the pyramids in Egypt that they planted and grew wheat from. Incredible grain. Unfortunately the modern world has processed it into a white, fine powder and has taken away most of its nutrition so it ends up being mostly starch. If you are looking for truly whole wheat bread you either have to make it yourself or it has to have the words 'whole' or 'sprouted' or 'malted' before the word wheat to let you know that the whole wheat has been used. It also needs to be the first ingredient.
So what does it do for me? Well whole grains will digest slower than the processed stuff so it stays with you longer and it helps to regulate your blood sugar (no spiking with whole grains). Since it has bulk it helps with those that are 'intestinal challenged' or have diverticulitis. It has been shown that is may help with DNA damage (that's the B vitamins in it) and in suppressing cancer cell growth (I just quoted this out of the 'Food for Thought' book). Part of that is tied up in Ligans (same stuff that is in Flax). They think it may help suppress hormonally motivated cancers (like mine).
So how do I eat whole grains? Well as bread or in toast (with butter - I can't have margarine since it is made from Soy oils), in cracked wheat cereal (been doing some experimenting with this), in pastas, brown rice, barley, etc. There are some brown rice cereals on the market (Bob Redmill farina, comes to mind). All good.
I need to make sure and read my label for my bread, even though it's multi grain they say you still have to be careful that they are using the whole grain. More stuff to worry about.
Oh, well. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat is a Mormon mantra. We store it. We grind it. We cook with it. At least that's the hope or why else would our garages be full of it :) Wheat stores incredibly well in it's grain form. They actually had grains of wheat in the pyramids in Egypt that they planted and grew wheat from. Incredible grain. Unfortunately the modern world has processed it into a white, fine powder and has taken away most of its nutrition so it ends up being mostly starch. If you are looking for truly whole wheat bread you either have to make it yourself or it has to have the words 'whole' or 'sprouted' or 'malted' before the word wheat to let you know that the whole wheat has been used. It also needs to be the first ingredient.
So what does it do for me? Well whole grains will digest slower than the processed stuff so it stays with you longer and it helps to regulate your blood sugar (no spiking with whole grains). Since it has bulk it helps with those that are 'intestinal challenged' or have diverticulitis. It has been shown that is may help with DNA damage (that's the B vitamins in it) and in suppressing cancer cell growth (I just quoted this out of the 'Food for Thought' book). Part of that is tied up in Ligans (same stuff that is in Flax). They think it may help suppress hormonally motivated cancers (like mine).
So how do I eat whole grains? Well as bread or in toast (with butter - I can't have margarine since it is made from Soy oils), in cracked wheat cereal (been doing some experimenting with this), in pastas, brown rice, barley, etc. There are some brown rice cereals on the market (Bob Redmill farina, comes to mind). All good.
I need to make sure and read my label for my bread, even though it's multi grain they say you still have to be careful that they are using the whole grain. More stuff to worry about.
Oh, well. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Homemade Ice Pack
So my daughter has been down for about 6 days now with a herniated disc. Not fun and no health insurance to help. So she has been booking it to the Chiropractor 3 times a week. Last Monday we got her a Tens machine and some natural anti-inflammatories. We were also instructed to ice her back several times a day. Well have you seen how much reusable ice packs are? And we needed half a dozen to rotate so one is always frozen. So off to my pinterest boards to see if I had a recipe to help. Yup and here it is:
3/4 cup dawn dish washing detergent
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup water
Put it all in a Ziploc bag and then shove the whole thing into a food saver bag and seal it up. I tried just putting the mixture in the food saver without the Ziploc and sucked the mix into the trough to seal it. What a mess! So I put it in a Ziploc, with as much air out of it as possible, laid flat inside of the food saver bag and sealed it up. Look, no leaks! Or I should qualify it - No leaks outside of the food saver bag.
Enjoy!
3/4 cup dawn dish washing detergent
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup water
Put it all in a Ziploc bag and then shove the whole thing into a food saver bag and seal it up. I tried just putting the mixture in the food saver without the Ziploc and sucked the mix into the trough to seal it. What a mess! So I put it in a Ziploc, with as much air out of it as possible, laid flat inside of the food saver bag and sealed it up. Look, no leaks! Or I should qualify it - No leaks outside of the food saver bag.
It also does not set up hard like water would. It's very flexible. Works amazingly well.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Homemade Dog Shampoo
So Pippa is now 8 months old and weighs 65 lbs. (this is an old shot of her). Anyway pretty much weekly since she was tiny we give her a bath - actually it's more like a shower - actually it's more like we ALL get a shower :) So I finally used up the dog shampoo I bought months ago and wanted to find a lower cost alternative since the 1/2 gallon of soap runs about $20. I treat my dog's hair better than I do mine, but we just couldn't swing the big bucks this time. So I found this on the Internet and tweaked it a bit. To my surprise, it worked wonderfully well :) But the site had no picture that I could 'pin' so I couldn't save the information. So I'm putting it here.
I used a 1 gallon container - Milk Jug, whatever. Rinse it thoroughly.
Into it put:
1 1/2 cups of Dawn dish washing detergent (no antibacterial stuff)
1/4 cup glycerin (you can get this at any pharmacy not too pricey)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup of totally pulverized oatmeal (used the Vitamix)
additional options include:
Several drops of essential oils (I used lavender)
2 T vitamin E oil (again you can get this at any pharmacy - I didn't use it)
Then fill the jug to the top with Water.
Shake like crazy and your done.
Simple.
Don't use too much even though it seems watery - the soap takes forever to wash off if you do.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Lyphedema
For those of you who don't know I suffer from a condition known as lymph edema. It's because of the cancer surgeries. When I had cancer the second time the final tumor was removed by using a procedure known as lymph node dissection. They removed all the lymph nodes that they possibly could from my left under arm. I have a arm hole not an arm pit. Anyway then after that they did radiation therapy. 6 weeks of being zapped. My surgeon told me when I was having the surgery that I would likely develop this condition. Well it took 3 1/5 years after surgery but I finally did it. Wooohoo for me :( Not exactly a goal I'm proud of.
What happens is my arm does not drain properly because of the destruction from the surgery and radiation so that finally whatever route the fluids were taking to get out of my arm blocked up. Hence the fat arm.
See how much bigger my left arm is than my right. This is what it looks like. This is actually the first night I discovered it. So I sent an email to my Doctor and she sent me to a physical therapist. You might ask why she did not see me. Well it's because this condition is permanent. No drug or surgery will correct it. The only thing that will keep it under control is exercise/massage, a lovely compression sleeve and glove and care. Did I mention that this condition in permanent? Joy :( Fortunately this condition has relatively little pain associated with it (At least my lymph edema has none - can't speak for all). And I still have my arm (you have to look for the blessings).
I have specific limitations too. I'm not supposed to fly in a plane, go up into high altitudes, take a dip in a hot tub or do any heavy lifting. Some of these I can do but only my sleeve and glove in place - which takes the fun out of a lot of things.
So now I wear my fashion accessory daily, do my massage in the AM and do my exercises 2x a day. That's it :) Everyday for the rest of my life :) Simple :) but a pain :(
So you might wonder why I am sharing this today. Because yesterday I had my first appointment with the physical therapist in a long time and what do you know - my arm is actually shrinking - not back to normal but several sizes smaller. Wooohooo for me :) And I actually have permission to remove my glove and watch my hand to see if there is any swelling. If so then the gloves go back on. If not then I get to have my hand FREE. Love it!
Enjoy! Enjoy Life!
What happens is my arm does not drain properly because of the destruction from the surgery and radiation so that finally whatever route the fluids were taking to get out of my arm blocked up. Hence the fat arm.
See how much bigger my left arm is than my right. This is what it looks like. This is actually the first night I discovered it. So I sent an email to my Doctor and she sent me to a physical therapist. You might ask why she did not see me. Well it's because this condition is permanent. No drug or surgery will correct it. The only thing that will keep it under control is exercise/massage, a lovely compression sleeve and glove and care. Did I mention that this condition in permanent? Joy :( Fortunately this condition has relatively little pain associated with it (At least my lymph edema has none - can't speak for all). And I still have my arm (you have to look for the blessings).
I have specific limitations too. I'm not supposed to fly in a plane, go up into high altitudes, take a dip in a hot tub or do any heavy lifting. Some of these I can do but only my sleeve and glove in place - which takes the fun out of a lot of things.
So now I wear my fashion accessory daily, do my massage in the AM and do my exercises 2x a day. That's it :) Everyday for the rest of my life :) Simple :) but a pain :(
So you might wonder why I am sharing this today. Because yesterday I had my first appointment with the physical therapist in a long time and what do you know - my arm is actually shrinking - not back to normal but several sizes smaller. Wooohooo for me :) And I actually have permission to remove my glove and watch my hand to see if there is any swelling. If so then the gloves go back on. If not then I get to have my hand FREE. Love it!
Enjoy! Enjoy Life!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Diabetes and Counting Carbs
I am a diabetic and have been for over 9 years. My Mom had type 2. Usually that is related to weight but not with my Mom she was, as my brother-in-law once said, 'a bag of bones'. And yet she was insulin dependent. I also have other family members who have diabetes who are not overweight - it's just in our genes. When my Mom passed in 2003 I started using her blood sugar monitor. That's when the challenge began. My first reading was 230. My Brother who had been helping me learn how to use the monitor (he's diabetic too) looked at me wide eyed when the reading came up. Not good. I had no idea that your blood sugar should be around 100. So it was off to the Doctor for me.
Fortunately I got a Doctor that wanted to try to help me rather than just putting me on Medications. So I was off to meet with a dietitian and learn about carbohydrate counting. After several months of trial and error I was able to control my Blood Sugar with JUST DIET AND EXERCISE. No medication for me :)
I have had several people ask me how to do it and thought I would share with you all. Please note that I am not a dietitian and this is 'my' method. Run it by your Doctor first if you are concerned. But it's easy - truly. It's just a matter of assigning a carb amount to the food that you eat and then staying within certain dietary numbers for each meal and snacks. I will show you how I do it :)
So everything in my life that I eat, that is a carbohydrate, has been given a 15 carb rating. I do everything by approximations. Which means some of these meal items are worth a little more and some a little less but they are all worth around 15 carbs each (or a multiple of 15). Oh, and I drink a ton of water. Most of my drinking at meals is water. I would rather use my carbs for something more fun to eat :)
My eating pattern is:
30-45 Carbs for Breakfast
15 Carbs for Snack
30-45 Carbs for Lunch
15 Carbs for Snack
30-45 Carbs for Dinner
15 Carbs for Snack
I should also mention here that I eat 'normal'. I have no extremes in my diet (not vegan or only organic or DASH or whatever) and I eat junk food and desserts too. I just work them into the menu.
So let me give you a basic method for counting:
Meat and Veggies (except those below) are basically free (unless you have a lot of sauce on the meat).
Starches like Potatoes, Pasta and Rice are measured in 1/2 cups for 15 carbs.
Fruit (except dried) is also measured in 1/2 cup or a medium sized fruit for 15 carbs.
Bread is 1 slice, 1/2 a bagel and one small roll are all 15 carbs.
Milk and milk products (like yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese) have carbs too - 1 cup fat free milk, one slice of cheese, one 6 oz container of yogurt and 1/2 cup cottage cheese - 15 carbs.
Now becareful - some veggies have hidden carbs - especially your yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and winter squashes. Just watch them. And sauces can kill you if you don't know what is in them. And if you drink alcohol - this would be a great time to quit since alcohol is high in sugars.
So here is some idea of how I eat:
12. 1 serving of oatmeal with milk and 1/2 cup smoothie (45)
13. 1 cup smoothie, a hard boiled egg and 1 slice of toast (30)
15 Carbs
1. ½ cup non-fat Milk and 1 slab of Graham Crackers
2. 2 long celery sticks and 1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter
3. 2 cups popcorn plain
4. Apple with 1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter (or plain)
5. Sugar Free Jello
6. One serving of fruit*
7. 1-8”tortilla rolled with mustard and deli ham slice.
8. ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese with ¼ cup fruit cocktail
9. ½ cup ice cream, frozen yogurt, no toppings
10. 3 Ritz crackers and 1 slice of cheese
11. ½ cup pretzels
12. 10 peanut butter pretzels
13. 1 cup sugar free hot chocolate
Lunch
BASIC COMPONENTS - 3-4 oz of Meat or Protein (beans), 1 cup of approved veggie (steamed, salad-ed, stir-fried, etc.), 1 serving of carb (1/2 cup rice, medium potato, 1 cup pasta, 1 slice bread), Water or diet soda.
3. 1 medium slice of beef roll (family recipe), gravy, large salad*, water or soda (45)
4. 1 BBQ Chicken Breast, ½ cup veggies**, ½ cup rice, water or diet soda (15)
5. 1 cup pasta, 1 cup spaghetti sauce with 3 meat balls or 1 cup San Francisco Sauce (My Alfredo sauce made with apple juice), 1 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, large salad*, 1 dinner roll, water or diet soda (45)
6. 1 hoagie roll, 3 deli slices of roast beef, 1/3 cup au jus, large salad*, water or diet soda (45)
7. 1 slice of pizza, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
8. Meat (chicken or Beef) and Veggie** Stir-fry, ½ cup rice, water or diet soda (15)
9. 1 cup Homemade Chili, 1 corn muffin, large salad*, water or diet soda (45)
10. 1 cup twisty pasta salad with chicken on a ½ cup of fresh spinach (family recipe), water or diet soda (30)
11. Large Salad* with 1 grilled chicken breast on top, dinner roll, water or diet soda (15)
12. 1 ½ cup of Hamburger Pie (Hamburger, Mashed Potatoes, mixed veggies), water or diet soda (45)
13. 2 Salmon Cakes, cream sauce, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
14. Chicana (family crock pot recipe), 2 small 6" tortillas, fat free sour cream, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
15. 1 ½ cup of beef stew, water and diet soda (45)
16. Medium Size Piece of pot roast, 1 medium potato, 1/3 cup cooked carrots, water or diet soda (30)
17. 1 Sloppy Fred (family name for Sloppy Joe's), large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
18. 2 slices of Ham, ½ cup rice, ½ cup veggies, water or diet soda (15)
19. 1 ½ cups ham stew (family recipe), water or diet soda (45)
20. 1 med BBQ steak, 1 med baked potato, ½ cup veggies, water or diet soda (15)
21. Dinner of your choice
As you can see, I don't starve myself. I do all the snacks - they are really important for maintaining your Blood Sugar stays constant. And that is it. I just did this for months and months and lost the weight I was carrying and my Blood Sugar has maintained it's self. Enjoy!
Fortunately I got a Doctor that wanted to try to help me rather than just putting me on Medications. So I was off to meet with a dietitian and learn about carbohydrate counting. After several months of trial and error I was able to control my Blood Sugar with JUST DIET AND EXERCISE. No medication for me :)
I have had several people ask me how to do it and thought I would share with you all. Please note that I am not a dietitian and this is 'my' method. Run it by your Doctor first if you are concerned. But it's easy - truly. It's just a matter of assigning a carb amount to the food that you eat and then staying within certain dietary numbers for each meal and snacks. I will show you how I do it :)
So everything in my life that I eat, that is a carbohydrate, has been given a 15 carb rating. I do everything by approximations. Which means some of these meal items are worth a little more and some a little less but they are all worth around 15 carbs each (or a multiple of 15). Oh, and I drink a ton of water. Most of my drinking at meals is water. I would rather use my carbs for something more fun to eat :)
My eating pattern is:
30-45 Carbs for Breakfast
15 Carbs for Snack
30-45 Carbs for Lunch
15 Carbs for Snack
30-45 Carbs for Dinner
15 Carbs for Snack
I should also mention here that I eat 'normal'. I have no extremes in my diet (not vegan or only organic or DASH or whatever) and I eat junk food and desserts too. I just work them into the menu.
So let me give you a basic method for counting:
Meat and Veggies (except those below) are basically free (unless you have a lot of sauce on the meat).
Starches like Potatoes, Pasta and Rice are measured in 1/2 cups for 15 carbs.
Fruit (except dried) is also measured in 1/2 cup or a medium sized fruit for 15 carbs.
Bread is 1 slice, 1/2 a bagel and one small roll are all 15 carbs.
Milk and milk products (like yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese) have carbs too - 1 cup fat free milk, one slice of cheese, one 6 oz container of yogurt and 1/2 cup cottage cheese - 15 carbs.
Now becareful - some veggies have hidden carbs - especially your yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and winter squashes. Just watch them. And sauces can kill you if you don't know what is in them. And if you drink alcohol - this would be a great time to quit since alcohol is high in sugars.
So here is some idea of how I eat:
Breakfast
30 – 45 Carbs
1. 1
serving of Oatmeal and 1 cup of non-fat Milk (45)
2. 1
serving of Kashi without dried fruit, one hard boiled egg and 1 cup of non-fat Milk (45)
3. 1
egg, 1 slice of toast and 1 cup of non-fat Milk (30)
4. ½
cup peach slices, 1 slice of toast and 1 cup of non-fat Milk (45)
5. ½
bagel, 1 tablespoon of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1 cup of non-fat Milk (45)
6. 1
Slice French Toast, Sugar free Syrup, 1 cup non-fat Milk (45)
7. ½
bagel, 1 Tablespoon of cream cheese, ½ cup peaches, water (45)
8. ½
bagel, ¼ cup cottage cheese, 2/3 cup orange juice (45)
9. 1
quarter Belgian waffle, ¼ cup applesauce or ¼ cup sugar free syrup, 1 cup
non-fat Milk (45)
10.
¼ cup egg beaters, ¼ cup onion, mushrooms and zucchini, 1 Tablespoon
shredded cheese, 1 slice toast, 1 cup non-fat Milk (30)
11.
1-8” Tortilla, ¼ cup egg beaters, 1 Tablespoon shredded cheese, 1
breakfast sausage, ¼ cup salsa, 1 cup non-fat Milk (30)
*2/3 cup of orange juice may be substituted
for Milk
Snack
15 Carbs
1. ½ cup non-fat Milk and 1 slab of Graham Crackers
2. 2 long celery sticks and 1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter
3. 2 cups popcorn plain
4. Apple with 1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter (or plain)
5. Sugar Free Jello
6. One serving of fruit*
7. 1-8”tortilla rolled with mustard and deli ham slice.
8. ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese with ¼ cup fruit cocktail
9. ½ cup ice cream, frozen yogurt, no toppings
10. 3 Ritz crackers and 1 slice of cheese
11. ½ cup pretzels
12. 10 peanut butter pretzels
13. 1 cup sugar free hot chocolate
* One Serving of Fruit – ¼ cup raisins, one apple, ½ cup applesauce or peaches or fruit cocktail, ½ banana, one orange, ½ cup grapes
30 – 45 Carbs
1. 1
slice of bread, 3 slices of Deli Turkey
2. ½
can of soup, ½ cup carrots** with fat free ranch dressing, one serving of
fruit*, water (30)
3. 1
cup chili, one serving of fruit*, water (45)
4. One
8" Tortilla, 3 slices of Deli Turkey or Ham, Romaine Lettuce, 2 Slices of Tomato
and Mustard, one serving of fruit*, water (45)
5. Chicken
Salad – One cup of Lettuce, 1 Tablespoon shredded Parmesan, ½ cup cooked
chicken, 2 Tablespoons Dressing, water (30)
6. 1
grilled cheese sandwich, ½ cup carrot sticks**, water (30)
7. ½
can soup, ½ sandwich, water (30)
8. ½
peanut butter and jelly sandwich (limit peanut butter to 1 tablespoon and Jelly
to 1 Tablespoon), ½ cup carrot sticks**, one serving of fruit*, water (30)
9.
One Hot Dog and Bun, ½ cup carrot sticks**, one serving of fruit*, water (45)
10.
One Corn Dog, ½ cup of carrot sticks**, one serving of fruit*,
water (45)
11.
½ bagel, Deli Turkey
12.
1 slice of bread, Canned Tuna (or Chicken or Beef) made up with celery
and fat free mayo, Lettuce, one serving of fruit*, water (30)
*One Serving of Fruit – ¼ cup raisins, one
apple, ½ cup applesauce or peaches or fruit cocktail, ½ banana, one orange, ½
cup grapes
** side salad may be exchanged for Carrot
Sticks (fat free dressing only)
Dinner
30 - 45 Carbs
BASIC COMPONENTS - 3-4 oz of Meat or Protein (beans), 1 cup of approved veggie (steamed, salad-ed, stir-fried, etc.), 1 serving of carb (1/2 cup rice, medium potato, 1 cup pasta, 1 slice bread), Water or diet soda.
1. 3-4
oz of Salmon, Large Salad*, 1 slice of bread or 1 med baked or steamed potato,
water or diet soda (45)
2. 1
hamburger with low carb bun (no cheese), lettuce, tomatoes, water or diet soda (30)3. 1 medium slice of beef roll (family recipe), gravy, large salad*, water or soda (45)
4. 1 BBQ Chicken Breast, ½ cup veggies**, ½ cup rice, water or diet soda (15)
5. 1 cup pasta, 1 cup spaghetti sauce with 3 meat balls or 1 cup San Francisco Sauce (My Alfredo sauce made with apple juice), 1 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, large salad*, 1 dinner roll, water or diet soda (45)
6. 1 hoagie roll, 3 deli slices of roast beef, 1/3 cup au jus, large salad*, water or diet soda (45)
7. 1 slice of pizza, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
8. Meat (chicken or Beef) and Veggie** Stir-fry, ½ cup rice, water or diet soda (15)
9. 1 cup Homemade Chili, 1 corn muffin, large salad*, water or diet soda (45)
10. 1 cup twisty pasta salad with chicken on a ½ cup of fresh spinach (family recipe), water or diet soda (30)
11. Large Salad* with 1 grilled chicken breast on top, dinner roll, water or diet soda (15)
12. 1 ½ cup of Hamburger Pie (Hamburger, Mashed Potatoes, mixed veggies), water or diet soda (45)
13. 2 Salmon Cakes, cream sauce, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
14. Chicana (family crock pot recipe), 2 small 6" tortillas, fat free sour cream, large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
15. 1 ½ cup of beef stew, water and diet soda (45)
16. Medium Size Piece of pot roast, 1 medium potato, 1/3 cup cooked carrots, water or diet soda (30)
17. 1 Sloppy Fred (family name for Sloppy Joe's), large salad*, water or diet soda (30)
18. 2 slices of Ham, ½ cup rice, ½ cup veggies, water or diet soda (15)
19. 1 ½ cups ham stew (family recipe), water or diet soda (45)
20. 1 med BBQ steak, 1 med baked potato, ½ cup veggies, water or diet soda (15)
21. Dinner of your choice
** Veggies may include – green beans, corn,
peas, mixed veggies, broccoli, carrots, stir-fry zucchini, onion and tomato,
* Salad may include – romaine lettuce,
celery, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, sliced almonds, feta,
grated Parmesan, As you can see, I don't starve myself. I do all the snacks - they are really important for maintaining your Blood Sugar stays constant. And that is it. I just did this for months and months and lost the weight I was carrying and my Blood Sugar has maintained it's self. Enjoy!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Diet Diary and General Fluff :)
Okay so my diet diary is a success. If nothing else I am still keeping it and my Blood Sugar is now consistently in the 100's (last night it was 97 before bed - wooohoo for me). So I have to say if you are thinking about a Diet Diary - stop and just do it. I am suprised. I think you will be too. And with that I'm done reporting on my Diary. I'm still going to keep it but I'm not sharing with you all unless something amazing happens :) Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
My Diet Diary Revisited
So I have been doing this for a week now and am still at it. Surprised? Yup, me too. Anyway I have noticed a definite change in my Blood Sugar (BS) and my weight is down 2 pounds even after labor day yesterday and eating my way through 2 BBQ's. My BS last night was 126 and this morning was 111. Pretty darn good if I say so myself. And I have actually had several readings in the AM in the 100's. Wooohoo for me :)
So what have I noticed while doing this? Well I am more food conscious. It was, that if I was hungry, I would just grab the first thing I could find (usually bread or cookies) now I pay more attention to what I'm grabbing. And I look for healthier alternatives to my usual snacking. Does this mean that I eat no more bread and cookies - as the kids would say, hecka no. But I am not eating 3 or 4 of those items a day. Only one. And I try to eat it earlier in the day so I'm not carrying it at night. Gives me a chance to work it off.
So on to week 2.
Enjoy :)
So what have I noticed while doing this? Well I am more food conscious. It was, that if I was hungry, I would just grab the first thing I could find (usually bread or cookies) now I pay more attention to what I'm grabbing. And I look for healthier alternatives to my usual snacking. Does this mean that I eat no more bread and cookies - as the kids would say, hecka no. But I am not eating 3 or 4 of those items a day. Only one. And I try to eat it earlier in the day so I'm not carrying it at night. Gives me a chance to work it off.
So on to week 2.
Enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)