Very timely article, David -- yet another reason why I read your blog assiduously!
I am a 57-year-old Type II diabetic (diagnosed just over a year ago, and within several months, under good control with A1C under 6.0). I’ve lost 22 kg, and am now in training to walk my second marathon, aiming at under 5 hours for the 42.2 km. My wife and I first switched to a low glycemic diet, and I began serious walking in response to a challenge from a niece. We were gradually well on our way to a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. But I was increasingly concerned about post-prandial blood glucose swings based even on low glycemic but fairly high-carb intake. As a marathoner-in-training, race-walking above 50 km each week as well as swimming and weightlifting, I’m consuming about 3500 calories per day. That’s a lot of carbs given a low-fat diet. And those carbs meant higher post-prandials (in the 8s -- above 150 in American un than I was comfortable with.
After reading here and elsewhere about Bernstein’s approach (and others, including Atkin’s and Rosedale), I have switched to a low-carb approach. Not as deeply low-carb as perhaps I should, though most days I’m eating about 80 gms carbs. That means that I’ve switched to a high-fat diet, and therefore so far, a high meat way of eating.
But I’ve all along been wondering about how I would eat low on the food chain, and yet eat low carb. I certainly eat a lot of nuts. The main source of my beef is wonderful local organic stuff raised by a friend and fed only materials produced organically on his own farm. So I’ve been able to justify that particular meat because it’s got a much lighter ecological footprint than eating asparagus from Chile and blueberries from Argentina.
But the ecological footprint of a Brazil nut is very troubling. I’m consuming and enjoying the fruit of a tree that can only grow in virgin rainforests ...
This article of yours stimulates me to dig deeper and to see the overall ecological footprint of everything that I’m eating. I’m going to expand my home veggie garden. I’m going to do what I can to live the “100 Mile Diet” and thinking that will be easy in the summer and fall.
Dear Mark,
Thank you for your contribution. It is precisely the heavy ecological footprint of eating food passed through the stomachs of livestock is moving me too in the direction of a vegetarian diet. I'm not there yet, but certainly when any of us eat less meat we are doing a bit to help prevent the further worsening of the health of our planet. Besides, it's clear that like so many people, I was getting too much protein anyway.
Your mention of Brazil nuts was an eye-opener for me. I have always loved them. They are also far higher in healthy selenium than any other food (although, as a recent issue of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter notes, the therapeutic dose of Brazil nuts becomes a toxic dose when you eat more than 5 a day). But that's as far as I had thought about them. I knew -- but had not considered -- that they all are harvested from virgin rainforest, making their carbon footprint somewhat equivalent to that of a cow.
Last year I read "The 100-mile Diet" (titled "Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally" in the U.S. edition) and had the opportunity to go to a talk here by the authors. Interesting, but even more persuasive was Bill McKibben, who wrote "The Deep Economy" and who I also heard speak (and corresponded with) here. Among my articles that developed out of that interest was one at http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=158
I think that it is fitting that some of us with diabetes are taking the lead not only in reversing our own illness but also that of our environment!
barry,
I'm the 'Barry' David mentioned in the article. I looked at Barnard's book also. They say I'm type 1, but am not yet in need of insulin. I'd like to keep it that way! In 2 month's time, my A1C went from 11, to 10.5 to 7. I looking forward to more declining numbers next month. I remain a strict vegetarian and mostly vegan. Like you, I also believe eating low glycemic is important but I prefer for now to eat low carbs and only good fats (for example, mono saturates like olive oil). I've lost 20 lbs. I feel better than I've felt in many years now. As I continue to learn more each day, I recognize now that two diabetics eating exactly the same food will have differing blood sugar response. We need not have to promote rules and diets for everyone, but to share and compare our experiences. Thanks for your comments. I'd also enjoy exchanging ideas with other veg head diabetics (1&2) who have discovered low carb protein options, what you look for (or look out for) when you go out to eat, and how your life has changed and been challenged by remaining vegetarian and eating to reduce systemic inflammation. I believe all of us vegetarian diabetics can benefit from networking together. Best health to you too! Sincerely, David's friend -Barry (feel free to contact me at: be at slsware dot com)
A very intersting post, David. The Vegetarian Low-carb Diet Cookbook
by Rose Elliot sounds interesting. You can check this out on Google.
Joan Mercantini
Dear Joan,
As you suggested, I Googled this cookbook. What a great help you are!
Not only did I find it, but also found links to these other low-carb vegetarian cookbooks on Amazon:
Low Carb Vegetarian by Margo Demello
Low-Carb Vegetarian by Celia Brooks Brown
The Protein-Powered Vegetarian: From Meat... by Bo Sebastian
Carb Conscious Vegetarian: 150 Delicious R... by Robin Robertson
The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet: The Fast, No... by Rose Elliot
Low-Carb Vegetarian Cooking: 150 Entrees to Make Low-Carb Vegetarian Cooking Easy and Fun [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)
by Sue Spitler (Author), Linda R. Yoakam (Author)
I am telling Barry about these books so that he can buy them -- and loan them to me.
Best regards,
David
Dear Joe,
You're right. Not all beans are high in net carbs. My friend Barry just discovered black soybeans from Eden that are quite low in net carbs.
I wasn't familiar with romano beans either. But http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/108404.html does show that they are low in net carbs. Thanks for pointing this out!
But white kidney beans, at least according to http://nutrican.fshn.uiuc.edu/tables/Whitekidneys.html are pretty high in carbs. The USDA site hasn't evaluated them. What's your source?
Best regards,
David
Here are samples from the same site:
white kidney beans: total net carbs are: 12g/130g about 9%
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/105856.html
mung beans: net carbs are: 23.3g/202g about 11%
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/16081.html
black beans : net carbs: 11g/127g about 9%
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/104573.html
I suggest that more research is required before we can
have definitive numbers on true carbs for some beans.
Eg. I found the following listing for kidney beans
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20bV.html
which gives only 5g carbs per 100g weight
Joe G.
Dear Joe,
That's the difference between us then. I have learned from bitter experience not to believe labels. The FDA allows wide latitude and seldom enforces mistatements. My favorite Greek-style yogurt, for example, has widely different carb counts on its label and its website. The company tells me that the website is correct, but I really don't know which one to accept.
In the case of lupini beans -- which in the U.S. we generally know as lupin beans -- the U.S. Department of Agriculture differs significantly from the UNICO can that you cite. The National Nutrient Database at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/cgi-bin/nut_search_new.pl says that 1 cup of "lupins, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt" has 16.4 grams of carbohydrate, of which 4.6 grams is fiber. That's the scientific authority in this country. I don't believe all of its policies but I do accept the facts.
David
Thanks David, for setting me streight on those labels.
So, where are we suppose to get reliable info on a product?
Because I am crazy about beans, I did a search at the USDA site for
"bean" under the "Vegetables & Veg Products",
I got the following info:
(some?)Kidney beans- NDB No: 11030 net carbs 4.7g /100 g weight
pinto beans - NDB No: 11654 net carbs 4.1g/ 100 g weight
Shellie beans canned-NDB No: 11050 net carbs 2.8g/ 100g weight
mung beans NDB No: 11044 net carbs 3.4g/ 100 g weight
Regards,
Joe
David, FYI... I've recently been staring at the food facts label in our local "health" food store Sunflower, in front of the chocolate covered almonds in their bulk foods section. "Wow! finally a low carb dark chocolate covered almond snack!" I thought... The Sunflower in store food facts label looked great, but I kept staring at the numbers... something just wasn't right. So I thought I'd ask to see the manufacturer's label on the box it comes in. I started with the section clerk, who referred me to the store manager, who brought out the bulk box it was delivered to the store in. Sure enough, no food facts label on the shipping carton. "The food facts are printed at our corporate head quarters." So, I asked them to contact corporate and verify their label. "The carbohydrates listed don't look correct". I said. After a week, I received phone call, telling me that in fact, I was correct and they were going to correct their food facts labeling in the store. A week later I checked the bulk bin and sure enough, the healthy looking low carb dark chocolate covered almond snack, was now listed with a high carbohydrate rating.
Dear Barry,
Good detective work! By the way, I loved the hot chocolate I got on my High Sierra trek and was thinking about chocolate to warm me up today (I hiked up to Arapahoe Pass at 12,000 feet where it's a lot colder than in Boulder). Do you know of any low-carb chocolate drink that tastes good?
Best regards,
David
David,
What was the name of that sample of hot chocolate drink I once shared with you that was sweetened with stevia??? ;-) I know you're not much into cooking, but hot chocolate couldn't be simpler... grind some organic cacao nips into coco powder, or get 100% unsweetened coco alkalized powder, sweeten with erythritol and/or stevia, mix in to unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened soy milk... add cinnamon, vanilla extra, nutmeg... however you like it, even a little high fat low carb whipped cream on top and voila!
Check out http://www.ap-foodtechnology.com/news/ng.asp?n=83517-vegetables-antioxidants-diabetes"
“A higher intake of vegetables, rich sources of fibre, antioxidants, and magnesium, may reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by almost 30 per cent, suggests a new study.
“The mechanism by which vegetables affect glucose tolerance has not been clearly defined but may be associated with the high content of antioxidants, fibre, and magnesium or the low glycemic index in vegetables," stated the authors.”
Interesting ... Veggies, not fruits, decrease the risk of Type 2.
I note the point about the low glycemic index, which seems thrown in almost at the last moment. Of the four possible mechanisms, isn’t it the only one that has a significant evidence base?
Dear Mark,
One of the very few givens in this developing field of nutrition is that green leafy vegetables are healthy. Almost all of us would benefit by eating more of them. It also seems that eating more fiber is good for us, although earlier studies that indicated it would help prevent colon cancer have not been verified.
However, much of nutrition is in the midst of the greatest uproar in history right now. Beliefs for the last half century that fat -- and particularly saturated fat -- would lead us to high cholesterol levels and eventually death by heart attack -- are being challenged like never before.
Therefore, I can't stress strongly enough the impact that the 2007 book by Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories, has had on me. I can't recommend it enough to you.
Best regards,
David
I’ll second your recommendation of Taubes’ book, David. It’s been hard to read even though I have at least some background in biology and biochemistry and physiology.
Taubes has radically re-shaped not only my way of thinking about my diabetes but has also provided a rationale and explanation for changing my way of eating.
(I should have added to my earlier post about fruit not leading to a reduction in Type 2 diabetes by drawing a potential/likely connection between the relatively high levels of fructose in fruits and the different way fructose is metabolized by the liver and their resultant effect on fat deposition in the body. A much more plausible explanation than anti-oxidants, perhaps?)
Dear Mark,
Good article! Thanks for posting a summary of it. While it's hard to define "significant," I think that all four factors have some evidence for them. Fiber, antioxidants, and magnesium are all factors that I have written separate articles here in support of them in our diet. Of course, I have also written a lot about the glycemic index. It sure is interesting that fruit doesn't rate as highly. Personally, I eat a LOT of veggies and very little fruit except those "honorary vegetables," tomatoes and avocados.
Best regards,
David
I'm sorry, but there is no truth in the UN report on Livestocks effect on the environment. All you have to do is look in your mouth at your teeth and realize that humans need to eat both plants and animals.
Cattle digest grass and legume plant materials much better than humans, and humans get more benefit from eating a steak than alfalfa or grass.
It also appears that many of the low fat, high in soy protein diets cause more problems for humans and contribute to inflamation, which is the real problem that causes heart attacks, not cholestrol levels.
Hi!
A nice starting point is Dr. Neal Bernard's Program for Reversing Diabetes. He claims his recipes as lo-carb, and I believe all of them are probably fine for most -- thus may be helpful to you, but I seem to need extreme lo-carb. Some of the things I eat are a modified version of his pancakes:
4 T. Kashi 7-Whole Grain Pilaf, 3 heaping T. soy nuts,
2 T. almond -- add one c. water and grind in blender.
In separate bowl, 2 heaping T. soy flour, 1 t. aluminum free baking powder, 1/2 - 3/4 t. baking soda, 1/2 - 1 t. cinnamon -- per your taste, stevia to taste.
Add the ground ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add 1 T. lemon juice (fresh is best), mix by hand and cook in Macadamia nut oil (my preference).
I do require vegan butter on these to enjoy them, but for pancakes they seem to be relatively easy on my blood sugars.
I have recently discovered coconut flour (90% of the carbs are fiber) though I had to buy it on the net and on the net it said that it required eggs to work right -- but I'm experimenting with it right now and have actually found that I can make a crisp topping that I love (no eggs, but I did cheat as a vegan and used ghee -- or clarified butter -- I'm going to try it again with Macadamia oil in the near future) I put it on a mixture of almonds, cashews, and sunflower seed along with some Slimstyles PGX powder (additional fiber sweetened with stevia having an orangey flavor available from Life Extension Foundation) and it actually reduced my blood sugars.
The recipe I have used is:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1 c. coconut flour
1 c. wheat gluten
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
4 T. clarified butter
1 c. soy milk
Put dry ingredients into a bowl, mix together.
Blend in butter with a fork into fine particles
Add milk and stir until the particles cling together
Pour out into the bottom of a glass pan
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
I actually tried some fruit spread baked into the middle of a portion of this and it was excellent if your system can handle the sugar -- my couldn't... However, I'm every bit as happy with the taste of this on the nut mix.
I also eat some of the prepackaged food bars made by Organic Food Bar Company. I find my system is happy with both the Protein and Active Greens versions -- and would probably be happy with some of the other flavors, too, but I tend to overeat when I have a case of the Belgian chocolate in the house.
Also good is and open faced sandwich made with sunflower seed rye bread and tofurky (I like the Italian flavored one) and drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the bread to keep it from being dry and yet still heart healthy and completely vegan.
I'm going to keep experimenting. Let me know if you want me to keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Myrna (former heavy weight and insulin user -- now svelte vegan and insulin free!)
Hi Again David,
I don't count my carbs by the day, but rather by what I know my body can handle at one time depending upon my starting sugars and my intended upcoming activity. The greatest quantity of carbs I would typically consume at any one time is 28 net, and that is only if I know that I will be engaged in active movement after eating. If I won't be doing something active, I might eat a tofurky
"sausage" with 2 pcs of kavli 5-grain crispbread for a total of 17 carb grams (6 of that being fiber). I do eat frequently. Just out of curiosity I did figure out that I ate 115 carb grams today (39 of which was fiber) but I also walked 6 miles today.
My favorite place at which to eat out is our local Mongolian Grill. They stock tofu! So my meat loving husband and son and I can all eat happily at one place. They eat the meat and noodles and I eat the tofu and veggies.
I also forgot to mention that I do sometimes use chia seed, which I assume you are already familiar with. While it definitely has a positive impact on my blood sugar control, I have food sensitivities and it gives me a skin rash if I consume more than about 1/4 t. every other day.
Wishing you well,
Sincerely,
Myrna
Dear Myrna,
You are so right to be talking about your exercise together with your diet. They do go together.
I would say that you eat a lower-carb diet. The standard diet is more than 130 grams (and I don't remember seeing whether that is total or net). I understand a very low-carb diet to be less than 42 grams of total carbohydrate per day (ala Bernstein) or less than 45 grams per day (total or net unspecified) by doctors like Jeff Gerber in Denver (his Denver diet). That's what I am following.
Chia seeds? Absolutely. See my article here at: http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/17801/chia-seeds/
Too bad that you are sensitive to them in substantial amounts. I sure am not. But I guess that it's a good thing (although complicated) that we are all different.
you may find all books by Dr.Ann Wigmore of interest. Just go raw, eat plenty of green vegs, preferably blended with a sour apple and some linseeds to bind the mixture. It is simple and deliciuos.
Take greens, nuts, raw vegs, and some fruit.
You can eat also beetroot etc, just take a little and raw.You won't want much of that strong tasting veg anyway.But a little for decoration will make a nice change.
It is fun to eat raw vegan food.
With cordial greetings, Sabine.
Dear Sabine,
I am strongly attracted to the idea of eating raw food. But just like eating a total vegetarian diet, I am not to that point -- at least yet.
A whole lot of my diet is raw. Salad forms a whole meal of mine every day. I love the "Go Raw" products, particularly their "Flax Snax" (www.goraw.com).
This is why I was so disturbed by the report out of Italy that cooking actually makes nutrients in some foods more available. That's why I wrote about that here, "Raw Isn't Always Better" at http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/20403/raw-isnt/
Best regards,
David
Dear David,
thanks for your reply. I am writing from Germany and have just come back from work. My father was diagnosed with diabetes 2 recently and has to take injections by now. He doesn't want to cut down on food, because he never wants to hunger again the way he did, when he was a child in ww2nd, he will not comprehend, that eating too much actually shortens life.So all my talk is to no avail and infact, I have given up.Together we found your homepage.I found it through Italy and sent it to my father who thought I wanted to 'patronize' him again, until he found you and was happy about your info himself.I am so far free of diabetes, don't believe it, but have been a chocoholic all my life.
My ideal would be to be completely raw, but I can't follow it trough either.I find the little films on YouTube by the raw family, the Boutenko family quite interesting.You may look there for inspiration.They are a very interesting family.Their son overcame diabetes 1,I believe, with a completely raw diet.They describe it in their books.
Best regards from Frankfurt,
Sabine.
Dear Jean,
My favorite Certified Diabetes Educator also likes a protein powder drink. But I have resisted because the main thing that I have to do is to keep controlling my weight.
And it looks to me, on the basis of what I have read and reported on here that drinking calories do contribute to weight gain. Please check out my article, "Drinking Calories" at http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/13299/drinking-calories/
Best regards,
David
David, I appreciate your reply and understand and agree with the view that drinking calories can contribute to weight gain. However, for me, the soy milk w/protein powder drink in the morning is the only breakfast that gets me to lunch without being ravenous and unable to focus by 11:00.
I have learned much from your columns and look forward to the next one. Have you been to Linda's low carb recipe site? Not every recipe is vegetarian, but she does have some, and she's a terrific, inventive cook:
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html
All best, Jean
Dear Jean,
Thanks. I will check out that site.
You mention that the protein powder drink is the only thing that doesn't feed your hunger. Yes, most breakfasts do actually make you want to eat more -- because most breakfasts have a lot of carbs. But I have found when I limit my carb intake at breakfast to 6 grams or less, with anything that has this small amount (e.g. even the good old standby of bacon and eggs), I don't get hungry. It it the CARBS that make you ravenous!
Best regards,
David
What a great post. I am a vegetarian and a T2 diabetic. I've been experimenting with various recipes recently. My favorite combines broccoli, Quorn or Morninstar Chicken Strips and Imagine No-Chik broth with mushrooms added in. All combined in a big bowl. I had been including brown rice but the rice spiked my sugar level, so no more rice! Along with a good size salad, this is a very satisfying meal. I can't wait to check out the cookbooks noted in a previous comment. Once again, this site has been a great source of info.
Pam
Hi all,
I just came back to this blog and am impressed with all the great input from everyone! What a great place to share experiences and discoveries... I thought to give an update on my progress as I've settled in to eating low carb vegetarian.
Since being diagnosed type 1 in November 2007 with a1c of 11, I was since rediagnosised as type 2, with a current a1c at 5.8 and have lost 37 lbs!
My low carb vegetarian Bernstein-like diet is what I attribute to the changes, and I continue to feel better than I have in decades.
Some vegetarian zero to very low carb discoveries to share:
Morningstar breakfast patties and Boca Burgers from Costco
Nature's Life Pro-Life 0% carb soy protein powder (25 gms!) mixed in to unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk (or homemade; 1 part almonds to 4 parts water in a blender), sweetened with Sweetleaf flavored liquid stevia (1 drop per ounce)
Root-beer flavored liquid Sweetleaf stevia with Perrier water
Ultima Replenisher flavored electrolyte powder and spring water
SushiParty Soy Wrappers by Yamamotoyama (or nori seaweed sheets) for creative veggie wraps, to use around LightLife TofuPups tofu hot dogs, with mustard and pro-biotic sauerkraut, or avocado, lettuce, sprouts, shredded cheese, or pesto, mozzarella, tomato, basil, lettuce, kinds of sandwiches
Canned black soy beans by EdenSoy for added protein, mixed into those great stir fried green leafy kale, chard and other non starchy vegetables, stirred in olive oil, over Shirataki Tofu Noodles by House Brand (3 varieties)
Homemade flax and chia seed curried crackers
Ground cacao nips with organic raspberries, chocolate unsweetened almond milk and dark chocolate stevia sweetened frozen desserts...
These are a few of my favorite very low carb delights. Please post more of yours!
Sincerely,
Barry from Boulder
Indian food from Gujarat is vegetarian (more than other states) as most Gujaratis are vegetarian for religious reasons.
You can eat all the different dals and shaks(lo carb vegetables), yoghurt, milk, cheese.
Omit the rice and may be have a rotli once in a while.
There are so many different dals that you will have a great variety.
You can also get Karela(bitter melon) that is good for Diabetes per Ayurveda - there are many ways to make it to decrease the bitterness - I love the bitterness and even eat it raw (the small ones) It's one of my favorites. You can grow it easily in California.
You can also buy a lot of other Indian vegetables also like bhinda(okra), eggplant(ringana), Turia, Parval, Tindora which can be prepared in many different ways. I can send some recipes but you can also find on line, just omit adding any sugar.
Also you can get Indian spices like Turmeric, cumin, coriander etc. to make recipes with. It is easy to make these.
You can get chana dal and chana lot to make thepla with instead.
You have so much variety of food available than just tofu and seitan.
Find at Indian grocery store. Or most now available at whole foods.
Thanks for your tips!
You mention that okra is available at Indian grocery stores. I love okra and it is seldom available at Whole Foods, where I usually shop, much less regular supermarkets. But my experience confirms what you write, since my local Indian grocery carries it and I buy it there.
Best regards,
David
Hi David,
In response to your friend Barry's situation I have found these books for the veggie low carber. I myself am a vegetarian and I just started low carbing and I also found information to be a bit scarce too. But I purchased a couple of these books and armed with the knowledge of diabetes because my husband is diabetic, I'm doing just fine. My husband being a meat eater forces me to be creative with meals so that we can share the same meal experience together, so I make sure meat is not the only high protein part of the meal. I sometimes prepare only vegetarian meals and he finds them very satisfying (because of my creativity of course).
Anyway, I hope that this helps.
Thanks,
Paula
Chalmette, LA
Link to books:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=low+carb+vegetarian+cookbook&x=0&y=0
Many years ago a friend of mine wrote a book just for this purpose. Her husband was diabetic and vegetarian. Here is the updated version and appropriate information:
The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook
by Patricia Stevenson; Michael Cook and Patricia Bertron, R.D.
ISBN-10: 157067129X
ISBN-13: 978-1570671296
It is available at Amazon.com
I hope this will be helpful to those of you who are vegetarian or want to be.
Dear David,
Thank you so much for compiling these wonderful resources. I was vegetarian for many years, but about 7 years ago, I began eating meat again. At the time, my husband was thrilled, but now his health has begun to deteriorate, and he has switched to a vegetarian lifestyle. I had been resisting switching back, having become comfortable with the convenience of the starch, protein, and vegetable on the plate mentality; until yesterday. My husband returned from the doctors with the news that he is now diabetic (at 45), and has metabolic syndrome, which means he is at greater risk of stroke and heart disease as well.
Today, I am searching the web, going to the library, and learning how to cook all over again! I am book-marking your site as a great source of information, and sending it to several friends as well.
Thank you again all of the information and resources.
Sincerely,
Kimber G
Quorn makes delicious vegetarian products. I was been a vegetarian for a number of years and found Quorn products when I could no longer eat soy, the main ingredient of so many meatless 'meats'. A few weeks ago I decided to go vegan and when I reread the ingredients in Quorn I found they have egg whites in them. So vegetarians enjoy and vegans go soy!
Hello! I was wondering if boca original vegan burgers are good for people with hypoglycemia, pre type 2 diabetes, with the works (i.e. whole wheat buns, mayonaise, mustard, etc.) if you could get back to me, that would be very helpful, as i am doing a science fair project! Thank you so much!
Sincerly,
Samantha B.
Dear Samantha,
This is a terrible meal for anyone, in my opinion. First, we do much better when we avoid prepared foods, especially those with so many ingredients: Ingredients: WATER, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF METHYLCELLULOSE, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, DRIED ONIONS, YEAST EXTRACT, SESAME OIL, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR (NON-MEAT), DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE. CONTAINS: SOY, WHEAT, SESAME.
Some of these ingredients are bad food choices, including the soy, the wheat gluten, the hydrolyzed wheat protein, and the sesame. I could write articles about each of these but will refrain. The whole wheat bun is perhaps the worst ingredient but almost all mayo is too high in omega-6 fats. Avoid this like the plague!
David
Hi to everyone,
David's friend, Barry here again.
I wanted to let you know that I created a Facebook group called,
"The Vegetarian Low Carb Diabetic Healthy Diet Society"
and have posted many of my vegetarian low carb discoveries there.
See:
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39690495167
I invite you to take a look and become a friend. As vegetarian diabetics, we need to network and learn from each other!
I have type 1 diabetes, am a vegetarian and I always take this low carb pita bread which is approved as diabetic food. It's delicious and I can feel 'normal' when I eat it, for example stuffed with vegetables. When my friends eat 'forbidden' food I always have my pita bread with me and prepare my own versions of meals. Check high fiber plus diabetic friendly pita bread.
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Dear Cleo,
I appreciate your comments very much. You made some excellent points for all readers and I will pass them on directly to my friend Barry. Yesterday we were talking about seitan, in particular that the many people who are gluten-intollerant would not be able to eat it. I would like to know more, however, about your sources that indicate to you that gluten is bad for everyone. Clearly, wheat flour is bad for all of us (because it is so high glycemic and high carb) so it is important to differentiate between them.
Your suggestion about making faux meat from nuts is a most interesting one. But nuts are, of course, moderately higher in carbs than the leafy plants I recommended in my recent article here on "Good Veggies," so a low-carber would need to eat them in moderation.
Your suggestion about purslane for omega-3 is a great one. I was able to find it regularly at the farmer's market when I lived in Santa Cruz, California. It is, of course, a common wild plant. But where are you able to get it?
I have read from more than one source that gluten intolerance is an under diagnosed problem, and that many people are sensitive to it but aren't aware.
One doctor who writes about the difficulity in digesting gluten protein is Susan Lark who has a website and a health newsletter.
I grow my own purslane in the summertime, and can also buy it at the farmer's market here in Madison (Wi.).
Dear Cleo,
What you write -- that gluten intolerance is under-diagnosed -- corresponds exactly what the founder of the BalancePoint Health program (http://www.balancepointhealth.com/) told me at lunch today. He said that officially 1 out of every 130 of us is gluten intolerant, but that actually more of us are. Certainly, however, most of us aren't. What he didn't tell me -- and I wish I knew how to determine -- is how any of us can know for ourselves.
Best regards,
David