But First, I Must Confess
I am a loyal, addicted fan of a certain soda pop, so I will be trying to kick
that habit, also. The suggested alternative is Propel Zero, which tastes
really bad, especially after my favourite soda pop, but if you are terribly
determined, the taste of Propel grows on you. The reason for this selection
is that it does not contain any of those harmful artificial sweeteners. You
know the ones, like aspartame, which gives me a severe headache… And
if you need any more convincing to give up the soda pop, just watch this
YouTube favourite of mine, Sugar: The Bitter Truth.
Warning: this YouTube video is 1½ hours in length, but worth viewing, if
you can find the time.
Propel Zero is a low sodium, nutrient enhanced, water beverage with zero
sugars, carbs, fat, calories, cholesterol, fiber, and protein, so it will work
well with most diets.
Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in Propel, stock or company holdings
of any of the makers of Propel. I have interest only in cutting the sugars and
avoiding artificial sweeteners in my beverage, and this is the best way to get
me to drink anything close to bottled water.
My First Diabetes Seminar
So, there was this diabetes seminar in town a couple of weeks ago, and
they gave out the usual book on exercise and activity (yes, I have another
one of those), one booklet on meal planning (actually, this one could be
very useful), another cute little blood sugar diary, and a lot of printed
material for me to read (diabetes awareness, recipes, and foot care).
Now, I am playing catch-up to get all of these read and, truthfully, have
not finished, yet. But I have digested enough to come here and log a few
tips before I forget and get distracted. First and foremost, two important
points to make on meal planning: bacon is no longer a protein with all the
other meats; it is now in the fat column. And cottage cheese is no longer
in the dairy column, but is now a protein.
The most information I got out of this seminar was that everyone should
increase their fiber intake without increasing their carbohydrates, eating
fresh or frozen non-starchy vegetables and fresh fruits. Non-starchy
vegetables? Oh, you would not believe what all they consider starchy
vegetables. And as far as fruit goes, there are very few that I can eat that
don’t instantly turn into sugar on me. I also learned that my drastic and
desperate switch to beans and rice that I thought was heart healthy, was
not so diabetes diet healthy, at all. My carrots and green lima beans were
out, but the beef wiener and baked potato were good to go. The more they
told us, the more confused I got. They do not make this stuff easy, and I
think everyone was somewhat frustrated by the time they pushed us on to
the exercise and activity part of the program. The familiar phrase became:
for all additional information, you should see a diabetes dietitian, which
they didn’t have at the seminar, but they realized they needed, as most of
our questions could not be answered by anyone else. At my next doctor’s
appointment, I made an appointment with the diabetes dietitian, because
the one thing they kept repeating at the seminar was that diabetes could be
controlled by diet and exercise. And I want that to happen. I do not want
to be dependent upon drugs and needles and pills and meters and all the
expense of being the usual, defeated, household variety diabetic.
My First Diabetic Dietitian
I went to my “half-hour diabetes teaching appointment” totally prepared,
possibly too prepared, to make sense of all that I was told, and understand
what I was doing wrong, and learn what I should be doing to correct my
misguided venture into this so misunderstood world of blood sugars and
insulin. Packing my daily diary and labels from the usual foods that make
up my diet, I was met with the usual sheets of typed information and
booklets which I already had.
Seriously, you cannot just hand these pages of information to ordinary
people and expect overnight changes. Even smart people are going to
look at these booklets and pages stabled together and resolve that we
will be better off eating the paper the information is typed upon, rather
than struggling to make sense of what they are trying to tell us without
uttering one syllable of comprehensible explanation. Do not hand me
an 1800 calorie diet list of food groups, tell me to increase my proteins
and fiber and cut back my carbohydrates, eat three meals a day and a
snack before bedtime, and we’ll see how your blood sugars are in two
weeks??? What?!
No! No!! No!!!
Confuse and frustrate me and you will pay for it. I’m a diabetic, for
God’s sake, I don’t think clearly on a good day!
My diabetic dietitian, I believe, now has a genuine understanding of a
diabetic who is not one of the usual cattle, drawn in the entrance, pushed
through the chute, and stamped with “bill Medicare” as we are shoved
out the exit. Over an hour later, and probably to the relief of the entire
doctor’s office, I contentedly walked out of there with the beginnings of
a manageable meal plan in mind.
After months of reading food labels and paying pointed and particular
attention to the amounts of cholesterol, sugar, and sodium in the foods
I eat, I am told that the most important things on the Nutrition Facts
label for a diabetic are the amounts of protein, total carbohydrates, and
fiber. Carbohydrates are primarily what turn into glucose, or sugar, in
our blood; the more carbohydrates, the higher our blood sugar level. As
for fiber, this is what slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugar,
and so, the more fiber, the slower the carbohydrates turn to sugar and
raise our blood sugar level. It is a delicate balance that can be managed
when striving for a high fiber, low carbohydrate diet. Protein is what
gives you energy, but there are three groups of protein, and if you need
to shed some pounds and build some muscle, lean, low calorie, low-fat
protein will be the right kind. Three groups, you say? Yes, three groups,
differentiated by calorie content; low, medium, and high calorie proteins.
So, I was assigned an 1800 calorie diet and they replaced my blood sugar
pill with two different pills. I wasn’t happy, but if I can get the blood
sugar under control and lose 40-50 pounds, then I can work on getting
off the pills, altogether. I am very tempted to post the details about my
diet on here, but everyone must realize that I have allergies and a heart
condition to consider, and I am a very finicky eater. What works for me
will not necessarily work for anyone else, but we all have to start some-
where.
For now, I am not to exceed 4 carb servings within the following food
group allowances, daily:
7 Proteins – 4 Low-calorie Group, 2 Medium-calorie Group, 1 High-
calorie Group
4-5 “A” Vegetables (non-starchy)
1 “B” Vegetable (starchy)
3 Fruits
8 Breads
6 Fats
2 Dairy (low-fat)
And my biggest problem is that I can’t eat that much. Old habits die
hard. I am accustomed to eating only one or two times a day, and now,
my dietitian insists that I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a snack
before bed. So, this will be a new challenge, and we shall see how it
goes.
