tomcatt

There are a few here that are on carb restricted diets for medical reasons, or know someone who is. This sort of diet can also be beneficial to anyone that wants to eat healthier and, with exercise, lose weight slowly and properly.

I thought since we talk about anything/everything else here, this might be a good topic for ongoing discussion.

I'd like to see this as a compendium for foods that work and sources for those foods. In addition there may be other tips and tricks for managing diet and blood glucose levels, along with websites, books, forums (forii??) etc. Recipes, meal plans, anything else that comes to mind???

I'd rather not have postings on fad diets like Atkins, etc. While similar, those diets usually promote the consumption of large amounts of fatty foods, and that runs counter to the sort of thing I'm talking about.

BTW, the heart is for Heart Healthy.

tomcatt

I have a number of things I've come across and tried over the past few weeks. I'll be posting them later today and tomorrow.

valentine

TC--this is an excellent topic for the Vintagers. I went to nutrition classes at the Heart Center here in my hometown three years ago. I'll share some of the cooking techniques, etc. if you're interested. BTW I have hypoglycemia and have to reduce the type of carbs, but I absolutely do not believe in the fad diet routines. The nutritionist who taught our class was appalled at the Atkins plan and several others.
Switching to whole grains and eating more vegetables and fruits is a big help. Simple sugars are something that I really have to stay away from as much as possible.

JonasM

Right - the kernel of truth in the Atkins and similar diets is that most people eat way too much carbs. Cutting back on the simple, processed carbs, and replacing some of it with complex carbs (such as substituting brown rice for white) is one of the single best steps towards changing your diet for the better.

Even during periods of lower exercise, like the past 6 months or so for me and Virginija, the improved diet means that there will be less catch-up to do when we get back on the full exercise thing (knee surgery, and other factors shut down out exercise room for a while there...) ..

JonasM

Honda 367

I think this is a relevant topic. Developing a healthy lifestyle is foundational to what we are trying to accomplish here. My opinion is that unless you are willing to examine your whole outlook on life and how you want to live it, faddish behavioral changes not unlike new year resolutions will only go so far. There has to be a fundamental shift in our thought process to effectively impact on how we eat. Common sense approach goes a long way. There is no magic or easy way to healthier life. Eating modest portions and exercising regularly are first steps, I think.

kane.s2k

People were in better shape in the past before the whole carb restricted diet plan kicked in just some food for thought.

Zippy

I have been on a lowered carb regimen for a while, and have done well with it for the most part. My cholesterol went from in the low 400s to 160 with the correct balance of triglycerides. (This was going to a "strict" Atkins diet, and not really resticting fat intake, but everyone is different. The saying goes "fat doesn't make you fat".)

I find that I have slipped back into some old (bad) habits. A humorous but somewhat effective rule of thumb is don't eat white foods. Breads, potatos, sugar, most all processed grains.

You can get a carb counter book and look at the numbers, but that gets real old in a hurry.

If you are afraid of too much fat, even on an Adkins regimen you can stick to fish and poultry for your protein intake.

As I said I find that I have been cheating (resisting fresh baked bread is torture, oh and yes there is chocolate), but I have removed a number of items from my diet and that helps a lot.

tomcatt

One of the things a diabetic has to watch is not only what foods have how many carbs, but how fast they raise the blood glucose level. There is a measurement standard for that called the glycemic index.

It uses a slice of regular white bread as the starting point, with a value of 100. Other food items are tested and compared to it. Interestingly enough, a tsp of table sugar has a glycemic index of 93 (IIRC) and a potato has an index of 125 or so.

This means that if you eat a potato your blood glucose level will rise much faster than if you consume table sugar.

For those that need to be concerned about BG level, this can be important information when deciding what ingredients to combine into a meal.

OhioRacer

Lainey

I'm not a fan of fad diets. They just don't seem sensible to me. I don't have any particular health issues that require me to watch carbs, sugar, etc., so it's easier for me to make choices that appeal to me, while keeping healthy eating in mind.

I know I eat more carbs than I probably should, but I've made an effort to cut down on foods that tend to be higher in fat, and try to eat a few more veggies, fish and low fat dairy items.

A little less food and a bit more exercise is what we try to go with to stay healthy.

I would not last two days on a carb restricted diet. And any person who attempts to remove my M & M dish from my house is asking for trouble.