Hi Kari,
I noticed the quote from Dr. Bernstein on your recent post. I am in the process of reading his book just now. (As I recall, we both had the same a1c value). It is interesting, no?
I have made a commitment to majorly reducing carbs, but WOW is it difficult! Although I haven't eaten much rice or rice pasta in recent years (other than rice toriillas for occasional sandwiches), I find that my sweet tooth was making me choose sugary treats like dates, dried fruits, sweet potato, beets, jams, etc., as well as drinking lots of diluted apple juice instead of water and adding honey to tea. Also, I was tending to eat a lot of fruit for snacks. He recommends no fruit at all. What do you think about this?
How much protein are you eating a day? I am trying to do somewhat more than 1 gm per kg., so this is an increase for me. I am also eating protein at every meal, as well as with snacks. I have noticed that I feel mentally sharper and have more energy when eating more protein and fewer carbs. I also have lost about 5 pounds - not that I was trying to, but the pounds just melt off with low-carb eating. Have you noticed any benefits? I am also working on increasing weight-bearing exercises as per Dr. B.'s recommendation.
The biggest issue for me (and probably you too) is the limited number of foods that we have to choose from. And not just that - the fact that we are supposed to rotate them. For that reason we could never stick to his recommended diet, which has eggs every morning, for example. Also, since we can't eat dairy, we can't do the yogurt or butter or cheese (I know he doesn't allow milk but the others are OK with him in limited amounts).
I welcome your comments/thoughts - and anyone else trying to eat low carb.
Hugs,
Polly
Hugs
Paging Kari
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Paging Kari
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
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Polly,
I have followed Bernstein for years, probably the first 5 years pretty religiously and the last few a little more loosey goosey. I relied to a great degree on homemade yogurt and cheese and eggs and it is much more challenging to do it without those, but that is what I am doing now. I eat a lot of meat. There isn't any other way to go about it. I pay attention to the quality of the meat I eat, grass fed rather than grain fed, no additives etc. The most essential ingredient to success is losing a fear of eating fatty meats. Bernstein says that if you don't want to keep losing weight or if you need to gain weight you should increase how much protein you eat. Bernstein is a living testament to the validity of his approach. It is certainly more challenging when you add other restrictions to it, but I think it can be done. I am certainly trying to do it. I had a grandmother who lost both legs to diabetes and an aunt who lost one. I prefer to avoid that if possible. I have never been diagnosed diabetic officially but I am knowledgable enough about such thing to have realized what was going on and old enough to think that low carb was the way to go, not realizing that the ADA was giving out different advice and advocating low fat and a much lesser restriction on carbs. I believe that it is impossible to do low carb and low fat too. Another book you might find interesting is "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney and Volek.
Good luck,
Jean
I have followed Bernstein for years, probably the first 5 years pretty religiously and the last few a little more loosey goosey. I relied to a great degree on homemade yogurt and cheese and eggs and it is much more challenging to do it without those, but that is what I am doing now. I eat a lot of meat. There isn't any other way to go about it. I pay attention to the quality of the meat I eat, grass fed rather than grain fed, no additives etc. The most essential ingredient to success is losing a fear of eating fatty meats. Bernstein says that if you don't want to keep losing weight or if you need to gain weight you should increase how much protein you eat. Bernstein is a living testament to the validity of his approach. It is certainly more challenging when you add other restrictions to it, but I think it can be done. I am certainly trying to do it. I had a grandmother who lost both legs to diabetes and an aunt who lost one. I prefer to avoid that if possible. I have never been diagnosed diabetic officially but I am knowledgable enough about such thing to have realized what was going on and old enough to think that low carb was the way to go, not realizing that the ADA was giving out different advice and advocating low fat and a much lesser restriction on carbs. I believe that it is impossible to do low carb and low fat too. Another book you might find interesting is "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney and Volek.
Good luck,
Jean
Don't know about fish. I stopped eating it when I found out about mast cells and histamine. I had been eating canned salmon and sardines (high quality for relatively low cost) but canned fish is definitely out because of histamine issues. I had put in a supply and I hate seeing it go to waste. Maybe some day I will get brave enough to try it again.Lesley wrote: Jean, can you eat fish?
Jean
Jean,
Do you have a source for really fresh fish? I thought the histamine became a problem as the fish aged. Maybe if you could try one right off the dock you'd be OK with it. Here in the mid-Atlantic it is easy to find fresh seafood. Lucky for me, since MRT showed I can tolerate all seafood but only two meats - beef and chicken.
Also, how much protein do you eat a day?
I am reading another book, "Living Low Carb" (revised ed.) by Jonny Bowden, PhD. It's a review of all of the low-carb diets with comments/ratings by the author. One of the comments in the book really impressed me, since I am finding it really difficult to stay below 30 carbs/day as Bernstein recommends. Bowden mentioned that the best leading low-carb researchers (I think he said there were 7-8 of them) all personally limit themselves to 80 carbs/day. I think I can manage that. I realize that the body does not need any carbs at all to live healthfully, but when one has eaten carbs for years, it is so hard to cut back.
Hugs,
Polly
Do you have a source for really fresh fish? I thought the histamine became a problem as the fish aged. Maybe if you could try one right off the dock you'd be OK with it. Here in the mid-Atlantic it is easy to find fresh seafood. Lucky for me, since MRT showed I can tolerate all seafood but only two meats - beef and chicken.
Also, how much protein do you eat a day?
I am reading another book, "Living Low Carb" (revised ed.) by Jonny Bowden, PhD. It's a review of all of the low-carb diets with comments/ratings by the author. One of the comments in the book really impressed me, since I am finding it really difficult to stay below 30 carbs/day as Bernstein recommends. Bowden mentioned that the best leading low-carb researchers (I think he said there were 7-8 of them) all personally limit themselves to 80 carbs/day. I think I can manage that. I realize that the body does not need any carbs at all to live healthfully, but when one has eaten carbs for years, it is so hard to cut back.
Hugs,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly,
I spent most of my life very close to the ocean but now in Vermont I am a little distance away. I should check my local fish markets and find out how fresh their fish are.
I probably eat between 50-75 grams of protein a day.
One of the first low carb books I read "Life Without Bread" by Allan and Lutz recommended about 70 grams of carbs a day. What anyone chooses to do seems to come down to personal biochemistry (how are carbs effecting you?) and what kind of blood glucose numbers you consider acceptable, Bernstein's aim for 83 around the clock or the higher ADA recommended numbers or somewhere in between. Dr Eade's Protein Power books are also very good on low carb eating.
Good luck figuring it out. It's always a work in progress isn't it?
Jean
I spent most of my life very close to the ocean but now in Vermont I am a little distance away. I should check my local fish markets and find out how fresh their fish are.
I probably eat between 50-75 grams of protein a day.
One of the first low carb books I read "Life Without Bread" by Allan and Lutz recommended about 70 grams of carbs a day. What anyone chooses to do seems to come down to personal biochemistry (how are carbs effecting you?) and what kind of blood glucose numbers you consider acceptable, Bernstein's aim for 83 around the clock or the higher ADA recommended numbers or somewhere in between. Dr Eade's Protein Power books are also very good on low carb eating.
Good luck figuring it out. It's always a work in progress isn't it?
Jean
Hi Polly,
I didn't buy Dr. Bernstein's book, but read some of it on-line. I decided that his recommendations would be too restrictive for me at this point in time. I'm taking a more moderate approach to decreasing carbs and increasing protein, and hopefully with time, this will become easier. From the time I was very young, I developed a strong distaste for meat and had trouble swallowing it (would gag). It was because I associated it with animals who had to lose their lives to feed us :(. So dinner time was always rather tortuous for me - my parents never gave up trying to force me to eat meat. Fortunately, this strong aversion has gotten better over time, but I still struggle with it.
As you might remember, I did really well with beans early on during this diet change. Then, beans started to bother me, so I dropped them for a long period of time, and am now thinking of introducing them again to try to fill some of the "carb void" (what does Dr. Bernstein think about beans?). I had dropped most all sugars about a year and a half ago, so I'm adjusted to the idea of "no sugar". However, as time went by, I gradually increased my carb consumption through potato and rice products. I also realized that the coconut water I was drinking daily, was high carb, so I've dropped it from my diet, along with drastically cutting back on potato and rice products.
As far as fruit, I will continue to eat them, albeit more mindfully. I mostly eat apples and pears, and often cook them with cinnamon. I'm glad to see that cinnamon is encouraged, since I'm very fond of it. I found a recipe for almond muffins, which I've made twice now with great success. I have not analyzed the carb content, but it should not be too bad since they are made with almond flour, coconut flakes and oil, grated apple, cinnamon and eggs. Fortunately, I seem to do fine with eggs again, so they have become a breakfast staple. I'm not too worried about the "rotation" due to the very few choices I have in my diet. I try to eat small, more frequent meals.
I admire you and Jean for keeping such close tabs on the amount of carbs you eat, but don't seem to have it in me to do that. As long as I'm moving in the right direction with my diet by gradually decreasing carbs and increasing protein, I'm satisfied. Hopefully, my blood sugar numbers will also follow along in the right directions
. Like you, I do find that my energy level is increasing with this latest diet change, and I don't seem to require as much sleep. Another thing I'm doing is stepping up the amount of physical activity I do, which will also hopefully help.
Good luck with continuing the diet tweaking. With the changes you're making, I'm sure you'll feel better and better, and succeed in bringing the blood sugar numbers down. Even though this is a huge challenge, we are so adaptable as human beings, that changes we make eventually become second nature. I try to the best of my ability to focus on things other than food. I spend more time outdoors, listen to more music, do more yoga, focus more on my grand-children, etc. It all helps :).
Love,
Kari
P.S. How soon are you planning to do a new blood sugar reading? My doctor has suggested 3 months.
I didn't buy Dr. Bernstein's book, but read some of it on-line. I decided that his recommendations would be too restrictive for me at this point in time. I'm taking a more moderate approach to decreasing carbs and increasing protein, and hopefully with time, this will become easier. From the time I was very young, I developed a strong distaste for meat and had trouble swallowing it (would gag). It was because I associated it with animals who had to lose their lives to feed us :(. So dinner time was always rather tortuous for me - my parents never gave up trying to force me to eat meat. Fortunately, this strong aversion has gotten better over time, but I still struggle with it.
As you might remember, I did really well with beans early on during this diet change. Then, beans started to bother me, so I dropped them for a long period of time, and am now thinking of introducing them again to try to fill some of the "carb void" (what does Dr. Bernstein think about beans?). I had dropped most all sugars about a year and a half ago, so I'm adjusted to the idea of "no sugar". However, as time went by, I gradually increased my carb consumption through potato and rice products. I also realized that the coconut water I was drinking daily, was high carb, so I've dropped it from my diet, along with drastically cutting back on potato and rice products.
As far as fruit, I will continue to eat them, albeit more mindfully. I mostly eat apples and pears, and often cook them with cinnamon. I'm glad to see that cinnamon is encouraged, since I'm very fond of it. I found a recipe for almond muffins, which I've made twice now with great success. I have not analyzed the carb content, but it should not be too bad since they are made with almond flour, coconut flakes and oil, grated apple, cinnamon and eggs. Fortunately, I seem to do fine with eggs again, so they have become a breakfast staple. I'm not too worried about the "rotation" due to the very few choices I have in my diet. I try to eat small, more frequent meals.
I admire you and Jean for keeping such close tabs on the amount of carbs you eat, but don't seem to have it in me to do that. As long as I'm moving in the right direction with my diet by gradually decreasing carbs and increasing protein, I'm satisfied. Hopefully, my blood sugar numbers will also follow along in the right directions
. Like you, I do find that my energy level is increasing with this latest diet change, and I don't seem to require as much sleep. Another thing I'm doing is stepping up the amount of physical activity I do, which will also hopefully help.Good luck with continuing the diet tweaking. With the changes you're making, I'm sure you'll feel better and better, and succeed in bringing the blood sugar numbers down. Even though this is a huge challenge, we are so adaptable as human beings, that changes we make eventually become second nature. I try to the best of my ability to focus on things other than food. I spend more time outdoors, listen to more music, do more yoga, focus more on my grand-children, etc. It all helps :).
Love,
Kari
P.S. How soon are you planning to do a new blood sugar reading? My doctor has suggested 3 months.
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I'm about to start a low-carb diet - for weight loss! Now that my MC is under better control, I've found I'm eating more GF bread, cookies, etc. and I've gained 5 pounds in 2 months, mostly in my belly and upper thighs 
. Admittedly, my body seems to have a set-point weight it tries to maintain, but I just bought a bunch of size 2 clothes! More carbs = more hunger and more nibbling on carbs thoughtout the day for me. I have to stop!! I'm eating cashews at the moment to avoid a ginger snap binge. Restaurant eating has also gotten easier in recent months, so I'm feeling less deprived when I'm out and about. With DH being GF too (it's permament now - he gets tired, gassy and unwell when he has gluten), good GF food is more abundant in my life now too. All good things, but I'm feeling more like regular people now, battling back the bulge. 
. Admittedly, my body seems to have a set-point weight it tries to maintain, but I just bought a bunch of size 2 clothes! More carbs = more hunger and more nibbling on carbs thoughtout the day for me. I have to stop!! I'm eating cashews at the moment to avoid a ginger snap binge. Restaurant eating has also gotten easier in recent months, so I'm feeling less deprived when I'm out and about. With DH being GF too (it's permament now - he gets tired, gassy and unwell when he has gluten), good GF food is more abundant in my life now too. All good things, but I'm feeling more like regular people now, battling back the bulge. Kari,
I think the a1c measures the average blood sugar over a 4 mo. period. That's the average life span of red cell -120 days. But if you have lowered your blood sugar you should see the evidence before then - a trend downward should be seen......so 3 mos. should be fine.
hugs,
Polly
I think the a1c measures the average blood sugar over a 4 mo. period. That's the average life span of red cell -120 days. But if you have lowered your blood sugar you should see the evidence before then - a trend downward should be seen......so 3 mos. should be fine.
hugs,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Thanks Polly - since I'm taking a more moderate approach to decreasing the carbs, I will probably wait 4 months before doing a retest. I'll be curious to know how you do when you retest.
I've been trying to figure out about the carbs in beans and am happy that it seems like they will work OK in moderation. Following is a quote from the below article:
Although most beans are fairly high in carbohydrates, they are also high in fiber what used to be known as "roughage." Beans, lentils, legumes and dried peas all contain soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that lowers cholesterol readings, because your body can absorb the fiber. The soluble fiber in beans can reduce blood sugar and lower cholesterol. Insoluble fiber is not digested by the body, which is why it's the type of fiber that keeps you regular. Because beans are high in fiber, carbohydrate counts of beans are reduced by the amount of fiber contained in a serving. When choosing which beans to have on a low carb diet, make sure you choose beans with a high fiber content. The process of subtracting the grams of fiber from the grams of total carbohydrates is called "net carbs." The more fiber content per serving, the less carbs per serving. Some manufacturers list "net carbs" on the food label, but most dried beans, peas and legumes do not have "net carbs" listed. To calculate "net carbs," simply subtract the total amount of fiber per serving from the total amount of carbs per serving.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/11802 ... z1vdzsNWOc
Since they also contain a lot of protein, I will start testing them and will hopefully be able to add them back into my diet in moderation. Increasing meats is a huge struggle for me :(.
Love,
Kari
I've been trying to figure out about the carbs in beans and am happy that it seems like they will work OK in moderation. Following is a quote from the below article:
Although most beans are fairly high in carbohydrates, they are also high in fiber what used to be known as "roughage." Beans, lentils, legumes and dried peas all contain soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that lowers cholesterol readings, because your body can absorb the fiber. The soluble fiber in beans can reduce blood sugar and lower cholesterol. Insoluble fiber is not digested by the body, which is why it's the type of fiber that keeps you regular. Because beans are high in fiber, carbohydrate counts of beans are reduced by the amount of fiber contained in a serving. When choosing which beans to have on a low carb diet, make sure you choose beans with a high fiber content. The process of subtracting the grams of fiber from the grams of total carbohydrates is called "net carbs." The more fiber content per serving, the less carbs per serving. Some manufacturers list "net carbs" on the food label, but most dried beans, peas and legumes do not have "net carbs" listed. To calculate "net carbs," simply subtract the total amount of fiber per serving from the total amount of carbs per serving.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/11802 ... z1vdzsNWOc
Since they also contain a lot of protein, I will start testing them and will hopefully be able to add them back into my diet in moderation. Increasing meats is a huge struggle for me :(.
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Kari,
I'm afraid someone is quite confused about fiber. Fiber is not digestible (not by humans, anyway). It doesn't matter whether it's soluble or not -- it's still not digestible. Soluble simply means that it will dissolve in water -- that doesn't make it digestible, unfortunately. (IOW, the amino acid chains are too long to be absorbed through the tight junctions, and they're probably too long to even be absorbed by someone with leaky gut syndrome. Even the Mayo Clinic understands that much about diet. To be digestible, the digestive system would have to be capable of breaking it down into individual amino acids, and only ruminant digestive systems are capable of doing that.
This website almost has it right, except that ruminants are mammals, and ruminants can digest most forms of fiber:
http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/dietary ... -fiber.php
The only valid articles about soluble fiber digestibility refer to livestock rations. Cattle and other ruminants can digest soluble fiber, but humans and other species with monogastric digestive systems cannot digest any form of fiber that I'm aware of. Most of the low-carbers seem to be confused on this issue.
I guess what they say about the internet containing a lot of misinformation is true.
Insoluble fiber does not lower cholesterol, etc., by being digested -- it does so by forming a gel that prevents cholesterol and other nutrients from being absorbed. Both soluble and insoluble fiber stays in the gut, and 100% of it exits where the sun don't shine -- none of it enters the bloodstream.
Tex
I'm afraid someone is quite confused about fiber. Fiber is not digestible (not by humans, anyway). It doesn't matter whether it's soluble or not -- it's still not digestible. Soluble simply means that it will dissolve in water -- that doesn't make it digestible, unfortunately. (IOW, the amino acid chains are too long to be absorbed through the tight junctions, and they're probably too long to even be absorbed by someone with leaky gut syndrome. Even the Mayo Clinic understands that much about diet. To be digestible, the digestive system would have to be capable of breaking it down into individual amino acids, and only ruminant digestive systems are capable of doing that.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033fiber isn't digested by your body. Therefore, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon and out of your body. It might seem like fiber doesn't do much, but it has several important roles in maintaining health.
Fiber is commonly classified into two categories: those that don't dissolve in water (insoluble fiber) and those that do (soluble fiber).
Insoluble fiber. This type of fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk, so it can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber. This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.
This website almost has it right, except that ruminants are mammals, and ruminants can digest most forms of fiber:
http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/dietary ... -fiber.php
The only valid articles about soluble fiber digestibility refer to livestock rations. Cattle and other ruminants can digest soluble fiber, but humans and other species with monogastric digestive systems cannot digest any form of fiber that I'm aware of. Most of the low-carbers seem to be confused on this issue.
I guess what they say about the internet containing a lot of misinformation is true.Insoluble fiber does not lower cholesterol, etc., by being digested -- it does so by forming a gel that prevents cholesterol and other nutrients from being absorbed. Both soluble and insoluble fiber stays in the gut, and 100% of it exits where the sun don't shine -- none of it enters the bloodstream.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Tex,
Thanks for your input - admittedly, this is all a bit over my head. It seems that between the high protein content, along with the idea that there is a "net carb" effect, I should still be OK with including beans in my diet. The statement that soluble fiber somehow helps to lower glucose and cholesterol levels sounds promising :).
Love,
Kari
Thanks for your input - admittedly, this is all a bit over my head. It seems that between the high protein content, along with the idea that there is a "net carb" effect, I should still be OK with including beans in my diet. The statement that soluble fiber somehow helps to lower glucose and cholesterol levels sounds promising :).
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Kari wrote: It seems that between the high protein content, along with the idea that there is a "net carb" effect, I should still be OK with including beans in my diet. The statement that soluble fiber somehow helps to lower glucose and cholesterol levels sounds promising :).
Kari - I know how hard it is to juggle multiple dietary needs. I have been thinking lately that sometimes it might just not be possible to find the "perfect" diet that satisfies all requirements. Then it becomes a question of prioritizing needs. I hesitate to bring this up but Dr Bernstein's take on fiber is different from the mainstream (no surprise) or at least what is reflected if you google "diabetes" and "beans" and "fiber". This is what Bernstein has to say:
http://www.diabetes-book.com/cms/articl ... acn-fccws-
Sometimes I think that what I need to do is just stop eating altogether but that seems contrary to health and life as well. I applaud your efforts to juggle MC with low carb/diabetes.
Jean