need some advise please, medical issue.

[FL_runner]

kewl, thank you so much.
Thank you for your service to your community!

I do often eat oatmeal for breakfast.
When I eat sandwiches its usually with leftovers.
Say have pork chops, vegies, and sweet potatoes for dinner then port chop sandwiches the next day for dinner.
I have found out that sweet potatoes do not cause me issues like white potatoes do and dont appear to raise my blood sugar a lot.
I love squash and its ok on my blood sugar so am going to have it more often.

I think if I do this somewhat systematically i can get a better idea what my diet can contain and work on menus from there for the long term. Am I off base?

It’s actually a strategy I recommend to folks who are motivated and dedicated to making dietary changes. People all approach diabetes management differently and it’s never bad to assess your personal reaction to certain foods. It can allow you to continue to keep healthy veggie and fruit options in your regular foods that you might think you have to exclude due to carb content. With diabetes and blood sugar not all carbs are created equal

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

kewl, thank you so much.
Thank you for your service to your community!

I do often eat oatmeal for breakfast.
When I eat sandwiches its usually with leftovers.
Say have pork chops, vegies, and sweet potatoes for dinner then port chop sandwiches the next day for dinner.
I have found out that sweet potatoes do not cause me issues like white potatoes do and dont appear to raise my blood sugar a lot.
I love squash and its ok on my blood sugar so am going to have it more often.

I think if I do this somewhat systematically i can get a better idea what my diet can contain and work on menus from there for the long term. Am I off base?

hi Karl
my other half is diabetic
i know it can be really hard trying to get every thing balanced
i make mashed spuds with a least two kumera (sweet potato) to every spud
i beleave new waxy spuds have lower GL (no good for mashing of course)

but good bread is hard to give up
sigh

have you tried making wraps instead of a tradtional sandwhich ?

 

[Karl_K]

have you tried making wraps instead of a tradtional sandwhich ?

Hi sorry to hear your other half is fighting this also.
I ordered some low carb, high fiber pita bread to make wraps with in place of bread and will see what happens.

 

[Karl_K]

It’s actually a strategy I recommend to folks who are motivated and dedicated to making dietary changes. People all approach diabetes management differently and it’s never bad to assess your personal reaction to certain foods. It can allow you to continue to keep healthy veggie and fruit options in your regular foods that you might think you have to exclude due to carb content. With diabetes and blood sugar not all carbs are created equal

kewl
I have been doing a lot of reading and there is a lot of throw everything out then add it back in as indicated over time.
I would last about 2-3 days if I tried that.

 

[lambskin]

Karl, can you prick other parts of your body other than finger tips? I know diabetics who use their ear lobes and toes when their fingers are a mess from all of the pokes. You have to be careful with toes however due to the circulatory issues with diabetes and your blood thinners. Prayers to you and your wife.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hi sorry to hear your other half is fighting this also.
I ordered some low carb, high fiber pita bread to make wraps with in place of bread and will see what happens.

i hope they taste nice Karl
i like seedy bread over brown

the worst thing is i got a job at a bakery and they make the most delicouse mostly white bread
they make their own bread for all the samwhiches, panninis and rolls they make but also a few loaves to sell ( to look pretty behind the counter)and on saturday a pizza bread that is to die for (only on weeks they dont use olives)
it is displayed behind the counter and i can smell it behind my mask !
do yiou know how hard that is to resist ?!!!

oh they do this loaf with pesto folded through it yummmmmmmmoooooh
and the chaessy loaf makes the most delicoiuse toast

i know we are surposed to turn our noses up at white bread but its so soft and fresh - its like no white bread i remember
i suspect its freshness is its key
and they dont use many ingrediants or aditives that you wouldnt find in your own kitchen

plus i get it for free !

i cant belave how exspensive bread has got the last few years

on a friday when i work at the actually bake house i see all the bread in the prover - bread is like a miricle -

it sux its kind of bad for us now


sorry worst most unhelpful post ever

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Daisys and Diamonds, I love your candor! And I want your job. Of all the things I shouldn't eat around Mr., good bread is at the top of the list. OMG, pesto, cheese!

 

[Karl_K]

i hope they taste nice Karl
i like seedy bread over brown

the worst thing is i got a job at a bakery and they make the most delicouse mostly white bread
they make their own bread for all the samwhiches, panninis and rolls they make but also a few loaves to sell ( to look pretty behind the counter)and on saturday a pizza bread that is to die for (only on weeks they dont use olives)
it is displayed behind the counter and i can smell it behind my mask !
do yiou know how hard that is to resist ?!!!

oh they do this loaf with pesto folded through it yummmmmmmmoooooh
and the chaessy loaf makes the most delicoiuse toast

i know we are surposed to turn our noses up at white bread but its so soft and fresh - its like no white bread i remember
i suspect its freshness is its key
and they dont use many ingrediants or aditives that you wouldnt find in your own kitchen

plus i get it for free !

i cant belave how exspensive bread has got the last few years

on a friday when i work at the actually bake house i see all the bread in the prover - bread is like a miricle -

it sux its kind of bad for us now


sorry worst most unhelpful post ever

I used to drive by a commercial bread factory a lot.
Think I gained 10lbs just from smelling it!
I never ever though I would pay over 5 bucks for a loaf of bread.

 

[Rfisher]

Have you done comparison shopping on the different models/brands and from different stores the cost of a no prick monitor?
With the free discount cards or mfg assistance possibly?
what it would cost you with no insurance assistance?
It may be worth ponying up for it, really.
if you are suspecting you will be needing shots of insulin soon - it will be almost impossible to maintain without checking your blood regularly at least for a while until you “know” how your body reacts.

januvia is about $500/month if your insurance doesn’t cover it and you are above the income level for mfg assistance. No generics available. It’s a good one but will only prolong the inevitable for a while.

 

[FL_runner]

Have you done comparison shopping on the different models/brands and from different stores the cost of a no prick monitor?
With the free discount cards or mfg assistance possibly?
what it would cost you with no insurance assistance?
It may be worth ponying up for it, really.
if you are suspecting you will be needing shots of insulin soon - it will be almost impossible to maintain without checking your blood regularly at least for a while until you “know” how your body reacts.

januvia is about $500/month if your insurance doesn’t cover it and you are above the income level for mfg assistance. No generics available. It’s a good one but will only prolong the inevitable for a while.

The readers aren’t that bad in the scheme of things. https://www.singlecare.com/prescrip...ZpeP5H3X9PpsTQlTIQkKGyrcSGajGN2QaAl71EALw_wcB

There’s a trial offer as well https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/...mgyY2RtorThxW3CJSxcaAq0eEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[caolsen]

I get not wanting to give up bread, it’s literally been part of human civilization for millennia - the modern world would not exist in the ‘West’ as we know it without bread and beer.

That said, the type of bread we commonly eat has way toooo much sugar and salt in it. The sprouted breads are a great addition to any diet, as is whole rye bread. Not Jewish style where the grain is ground, but the scandanvian style, dark whole seed rye.

Beyond Keto breads, which I avoid as I don’t eat animal products, these breads have the lowest GI and sugar levels going. Good luck!

https://delivery.publix.com/landing...k5BPCoHGp9AumTl-uWnPdZxaZzPq6GLAaAsPqEALw_wcB

 

[Karl_K]

Not bread, but maybe look at Wasa crispbreads.

yummy
had one with a couple slices of aged cheddar and it was a yummy lunch.
The low carb high fiber low sodium pita bread was out of stock so didn't get it this time.
Got a loaf of Ezekiel Bread to try out, maybe tomorrow.

 

[Matata]

Got a loaf of Ezekiel Bread to try out, maybe tomorrow.

I hope you like it. I found gnawing on a log more palatable

 

[SparklieBug]

@Karl_K If you like sweetness in coffee/tea, etc., BochaSweet (https://bochasweet.com) is an amazing substitute for sugar! I've tried so many different alternatives to sugar and find that I detest the aftertaste of stevia, monkfruist, Swerve, etc.

BochaSweet is the closest thing I've found, taste- and texture-wise to sugar with zero of the effects of sugar other than a sweet taste. It can be used for baking, too, one-for-one, however, it's pretty spendy, so I only use it for sweetening tea or beverages.

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K If you like sweetness in coffee/tea, etc., BochaSweet (https://bochasweet.com) is an amazing substitute for sugar! I've tried so many different alternatives to sugar and find that I detest the aftertaste of stevia, monkfruist, Swerve, etc.

Thanks I will look into it, I dont use a lot of sugar just a dab of brown sugar in my oatmeal but do have bad reactions to a lot of sugar subs. Maybe it will be one i can use.

 

[Karl_K]

Have you done comparison shopping on the different models/brands and from different stores the cost of a no prick monitor?
With the free discount cards or mfg assistance possibly?
what it would cost you with no insurance assistance?
It may be worth ponying up for it, really.
if you are suspecting you will be needing shots of insulin soon - it will be almost impossible to maintain without checking your blood regularly at least for a while until you “know” how your body reacts.

januvia is about $500/month if your insurance doesn’t cover it and you are above the income level for mfg assistance. No generics available. It’s a good one but will only prolong the inevitable for a while.

Not yet, and I am going to bug my insurance company again to see if I can get it covered.

 

[elizat]

yummy
had one with a couple slices of aged cheddar and it was a yummy lunch.
The low carb high fiber low sodium pita bread was out of stock so didn't get it this time.
Got a loaf of Ezekiel Bread to try out, maybe tomorrow.

Glad that may work out for you! Very versatile base too for many snacks and light meals.

 

[SparklieBug]

Thanks I will look into it, I dont use a lot of sugar just a dab of brown sugar in my oatmeal but do have bad reactions to a lot of sugar subs. Maybe it will be one i can use.

BochaSweet is made from kabocha squash and is all natural with nothing else added. It's advertised as diabetes-friendly, zero calorie, etc.

My grandmother and an uncle both had diabetes, and had very restricted food choices. At that time there wasn't much choice other than avoidance—no sugar alternatives, no low-carb bread alternatives, etc.

Kudos to you for exploring some of the many dietary options there are! All the very best to you in this journey of better health.

 

[AGBF]

I just saw this thread, Karl. I didn't know you were struggling with blood thinners and diabetes at once. I have been eating a low-carb diet for several years, so I related instantly to all the things people eating keto diets wrote. (I have followed the Atkins diet.) When you wrote that you had problems with green vegetables you threw me through a loop, though, because-unlike some other posters-I am not knowledgeable about what foods are safe for you. I depend on being able to eat any vegetables that are low in carbohydrates. I know that besides avoiding bread, rice, potatoes, and pasta that I have to avoid tomatoes and tomato sauce and catsup and tomato juice (which I still cheat and eat in small quantities) because they are high are carbs. I absolutely love "Virgin Marys", the spicy non-alcoholic cocktail made with tomato juice and I hate being unable to have one if I am at a party with a bar.

Atkins frozen meals are very expensive, but if you can afford one once in a while, you might try one. You would have to look at the ingredients from the point of view of the green vegetables, but not all the meals contain them. (The breakfasts do not.) They are very low carb, which means low sugar. I love the beef merlot and meat loaf dinners, which have no potato or noodle or rice in them.

I also eat "Protein Packs" which are expensive and probably unhealthy, full of processed food. One makes up a whole breakfast for me with only 160 calories, though and it is low in sugar. I think it would be something you could put in your pocket if you needed to keep your blood sugar in balance and didn't have time to pack a meal. One I eat has a small amount of smoked turkey, a small amount of cubed cheese, and a small number of salted nuts.

I have to watch my blood pressure and my kidneys so I shouldn't be loading up on some of the stuff I eat. There are always challenges. Let us know how you do. Good luck!!!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[Karl_K]

Hi Deb!!!!
Yea, its no fun trying to figure out a diet.
Between my different doctors I should be on a low fat/low carb/high fiber/no vitamin k diet ... which leaves water and fiber pills it seems like sometimes lol.
I eat a lot of chicken and even that is getting very crazy in price lately.

 

[doberman]

kewl, thank you so much.
Thank you for your service to your community!

I do often eat oatmeal for breakfast.
When I eat sandwiches its usually with leftovers.
Say have pork chops, vegies, and sweet potatoes for dinner then port chop sandwiches the next day for dinner.
I have found out that sweet potatoes do not cause me issues like white potatoes do and dont appear to raise my blood sugar a lot.
I love squash and its ok on my blood sugar so am going to have it more often.

I think if I do this somewhat systematically i can get a better idea what my diet can contain and work on menus from there for the long term. Am I off base?

Lol. You sound like my husband. If I make a protein he has to immediately place it between two slices of bread at the first opportunity! His mother has type 2 diabetes, as did his uncle, so I am always looking to have him cut out breads when possible. Type 2 is hereditary.

You're on the right track with the sweet potatoes and squash! Plus they're both a good source of vitamin A. Carrots and red peppers are good too, so is zucchini. Leafy greens do have to be in moderation, but what's more important is to not have a large amount all at once. A small portion regularly will play well with your anticoagulant therapy.

 

[doberman]

Just a note - I can't help it, a lot of my job was educate, educate, educate - but if you're on anticoagulants you absolutely do not have to omit all green, leafy, vitamin K containing foods. After all, they're good for us! But the key is regularity. Regular, moderate consumption of green leafies will keep your INR in check. What you want to avoid is a big spinach salad for lunch two days in a row, followed by broccoli for dinner. A little spinach or broccoli every other day is fine.

 

[Karl_K]

Just a note - I can't help it, a lot of my job was educate, educate, educate - but if you're on anticoagulants you absolutely do not have to omit all green, leafy, vitamin K containing foods. After all, they're good for us! But the key is regularity. Regular, moderate consumption of green leafies will keep your INR in check. What you want to avoid is a big spinach salad for lunch two days in a row, followed by broccoli for dinner. A little spinach or broccoli every other day is fine.

Thank you, its awesome that your taking the time to help me, some of it I know some has been new to me.
Also it will help someone else who googles the subject.
I have been on blood thinners since 1997 almost all the time because every time I come off them for more than a couple weeks I throw a DVT and have had a PE.
I try to eat a similar amount of k each week so it balances out.
Usually in the form of green beans 3-4 times a week.
But sometimes will do a salad or cabbage and cut the beans to once.
I will go for sometimes years with good inr's on the same dose then it goes goofy for bit then back to my old dose.
Its goofy right now but it will even out soon likely.

 

[Karl_K]

What I am running into is a lot of stuff advertised as low carb is sky high in sodium which I also avoid.
I grew up on a low sodium diet due to my dads high BP so am not very tolerant of sodium.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Hi @Karl_K
I use the Dr. Kelly Ann diet for inflammatory issues. There is some crossover.
This recipe:

Bread 2.0

This easy gluten-free bread recipe is made with 7 ingredients including heart healthy almond flour. Perfect for sandwiches!

elanaspantry.com

Is used in this stuffing:

Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Stuffing

Prep time: 20 min • Cook time: 1 hr 10 min • Yield: 12 to 16 servings Equipment 3-quart oven safe baking dish Ingredients 10 cups Paleo bread cubes (see Notes below)* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus enough to butter the baking dish 2 cups yellow onion, diced (2 large) 1 cup celery, diced...

drkellyann.com

Kelly Ann's recipes have been really good for me (as well as tasting good!). Her book, Bone Broth Diet has been a saving grace for me. It gives all kinds of explanations of the why behind the food choices and gives a complete list of yes and no foods that maybe you can take a look at. And, you are right--so many of the pre-packaged stuff that has sodium levels into the stratosphere!

 

[doberman]

What I am running into is a lot of stuff advertised as low carb is sky high in sodium which I also avoid.
I grew up on a low sodium diet due to my dads high BP so am not very tolerant of sodium.

Ay caramba! Processed food is the devil! I am also very careful with sodium. If I have trouble getting my rings on in the morning, I know I've been bad! (Must keep this PS friendly lol).
Sodium is flavor, fat is flavor, that is the problem. Ignore things that are advertised as low carb. Chances are they are high in glucose. Stay far away from processed foods, fresh, unprocessed foods are your friends (although pickled vegetables are the bomb!

I'm really enjoying this conversation and showing my husband!

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

One of the reasons you might be running into why low carb foods are high in sodium is because when you go full-keto, you’re generally supposed to increase your intake of sodium because your body holds on to less water, and hence, less electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). This is aside from the fact that processed foods are generally full of sodium anyway.

You can also make your own low carb bread etc. and therefore control what goes into it.

 

[Missy]

I don't have the same medical issues you do @Karl_K but I have a lot of experience with having to avoid certain foods and also not being able to eat processed foods. I think your best bet is to avoid processed foods no matter how easy it is to get and eat them. It can be challenging and time consuming but for your health you should prepare from scratch. Don't eat processed food and avoid simple carbs. That includes bread. Bread was hard to give up for me as was dairy. I went cold turkey and for me that worked. One day I was eating these foods and the next I stopped. I never (well almost never) looked back.

I went on an Auto immune paleo diet in 2017 and gradually added some things back so am now on a modified AIP eating plan and I never looked back. I gave up gluten, soy, dairy, many grains, many legumes (inflammatory-that was challenging as I ate mainly vegan at the time and giving up my main protein source) etc and I am better for it. It wasn't easy but it was worth it.


You should not take unnecessary risks with your health. We are only given one chance here on earth and you want to make the most of it. With diabetes you have to be super aware of what you are eating and when and just do your due diligence. It is worth it. 100% worth it. Always check the ingredients including sodium. We really are what we eat and when we eat healthfully we just feel better overall. Yes it can be hard and yes at times I just want to have pizza and cheesecake and I miss that. But I don't regret it. My HgA1C is now 4.6 which is great for me. All because of diet.

Autoimmune Protocol to Manage Type 1 Diabetes

The autoimmune protocol is a specialized diet that eliminates inflammatory foods to stop the body’s immune system from over-reacting (an autoimmune response). The purpose of the autoimmune pr…

flawedyetfunctional.com

Is Type 2 Diabetes an Autoimmune Disease? What the Research Says

Is type 2 diabetes, like type 1, an autoimmune disease? If so, how would that affect the treatment options? Discover the answer to these and other questions here.

www.healthline.com

Diabetes and the Paleo Diet | Beyond Type 1

The paleo diet is a way of eating that is meant to mimic the way earliest humans ate. Essentially, those following the paleo diet eat things that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would be able to eat — for instance fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean meats.

beyondtype1.org

Food and Diabetes | Beyond Type 1

Having diabetes means having a unique relationship to food. You are more aware because of the impact food has on your diabetes management.

beyondtype1.org

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

+1 to what @missy said. Your health is all you have, so best to do whatever it takes to protect it! It's hard but can be done, I've had to make drastic diet changes too (and am doing so again myself). After the first two weeks or so, your body adjusts and it gets easier. You also start to get a feel for how your body responds to certain foods. Take a look at Whole30 recipes, try to stick to whole foods and omit anything processed or with added sugar.

 

[AGBF]

Well, I have been loathe to bring it up because of the work involved, but one can make his own bread, and with a bread machine it is extremely easy. I used to bake bread when I was young, before bread machines. Now I am in a period of not baking anything, But I sometimes used to bake two different loaves a day in one breadmaker and I wound up owning two breadmakers. You can add exactly what you want. Some of the recipes have almost nothing except flour and water in them. The oil you pick and the flour you pick is up to you. You do need yeast or a starter and at or at least a small amount of sugar or a substitute for it and a tiny bit of salt.