low fat or low carb?

I've noticed that whenever the discussion on the forum turns to diet, quite a number of members are finding that the recommended low fat starchy carbohydrate diet simply doesn't work for them. Blood sugar peaks and troughs, poor lipids, weight gain, lethargy, high dosages and regular hypoglycemia all seem to be quite common on the ADA diet. I've been type 1 for 26 years and that used to be the story of my life, but the low carb approach has transformed my health.

It would be great to know what everyone else thinks of the 'official' diet. Is there anyone out there for whom it actually works?

All the best everyone,

fergusc

After flopping around on so-called "diabetic" diets since last fall, I have created my own plan and that is very very low carb, protein the size of a deck of cards and 2 vegetables with a salad at dinner, and a glass of wine.  Lunch is salad with tuna or chicken breast (both of those from cans usually, unless I have leftover chicken from dinner the night before) with some beans - that is, cold garbanza beans, etc. with olive oil and vinegar.  Breakfast is an omelet with the egg product substitute with mushrooms and bell peppers.  I eat more vegetables now than I've ever eaten in my life with every meal.  And pasta about twice a week.  Keeps my readings down and I'm losing weight.

Lanie

Fergusc, I thought about this later.  Isn't it important to note that diets for type 1, type 2 and "pre-diabetic" (controlled by diet and exercise) might vary?  I'm part of the last group, like Ruth.  I really have to restrict carbs or my readings go way too high, so I eat beans and some milk products for carbs and I do better with the readings then.

Hi Ruth!  Still running? ;)   I know what you mean about a fast breakfast.  I've been subbing for 2 weeks, so believe it or not, I've been making the omelet the night before and then microwaving it in the morning.  Not too bad but it works.  Sometimes, I'll also eat a cube of cheddar cheese with it, and then take another cube or a stick of string cheese and almonds for snack later in the morning.  Take care.

Lanie

I use the insulin-resistance diet approach, although I don't follow the diet to lose weight. I always link 15 grams of carb (any kind of carb, not just starchy types) with 7 grams of protein.  I eat only heart healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts). I do not eat meat, but I do eat egg whites and use low carb (F A G E) yogurt, low fat cheeses (4 grams of fat or less per serving) and Hood low carb milk. I usually eat about 80-90 net carbs a day- mostly in the form of lentils, other beans, barley or oat bran. I always eat 2 fruits (berries + one other), leafy greens (including kale, swiss chard, mustard), about 40 grams of fiber, and 80-100 oz of water each day.

I have detailed my experience with the diabetes dietitian and the ADA diet in other posts.  It mirrors what others have said.  I think that it might work best for individuals who have type 1 diabetes, are normal weighted and who do not have insulin resistance (in other words - a normal metabolism without insulin, which a type 1 can control by injecting insulin as required). Since type 2s don't directly control their insulin levels, and have issues with insulin being able to ferry sugar to cells (broken metabolism with or without insulin), it makes sense to limit the incoming sugar so that the body doesn't have to deal with it. Logically, this would also apply to a type 1 who has developed insulin resistance.

Very interesting post- I look forward to reading everybody's replies.

sandy

Ruth,

Is your student allergic to all nuts? Or just peanuts? There are all kinds of tasty nut butters around. I love almond butter, and I have had cashew-macadamia, cashew, and hazelnut. I also use a recipe called  breakfast-to-go for my husband. It may have come from a South Beach Cookbook-

Spray or oil  a muffin (cupcake) pan.

In a mixing bowl - 1 dozen eggs (you could use equivalent egg beaters, or 24 egg whites); 1/4 cup diced (small) onion; 1/4 cup diced red peppers; 3 tablespoons of well-drained salsa; 2 ounces of shredded cheese; a dash of milk or cream- mix it all up and distribute it to the muffin pan (12 portions) and bake it at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are set. (shake the pan- the centers don't move - or stab them with a cake tester to be sure it comes out clean).

This makes 12. You can either refrigerate them or freeze them. My husband just pops them into the microwave to thaw and heat - or wraps a piece of bread around one and eats it cold in the car. They travel well. And you could change up the ingredients to suit your tastes. When I add mushrooms, I always saute them in a bit of olive oil to soften them up. I plan to make a batch and take them with me when we drive to Providence for our daughter's graduation in May. (A guaranteed protein source in a carb crazy world )

sandy

Thanks for all the votes so far everyone. For some time I've thought that the ADA / Diabetes UK makes no sense either in theory or in practice, and I'm glad I'm not alone! Surely if carbs raise our blood sugars fast, protein much more slowly and fat hardly at all, then to base the recommended diet around starchy carbs has to be some sort of malicious practical joke, no? Nor do I think there's convincing evidence that either protein or fat causes us harm at all.

I'm leading a debate on the issue at a forthcoming Diabetes UK conference, so please keep those votes coming. If we can change some hearts and minds then I reckon a lot of people will be better off.

Lanie, I think we all have different likes, dislikes and responses to different foods for sure. At the same time, the basic priciples apply to us all regardless of the specific nature of our conditions. You're right to mention diet and exercise too - so important!

Keep those votes coming!

fergusc

Hi Fergusc, I think the diets and adherence to exercise followed by us who responded to your quest are more healthy for anyone, not only diabetics or those on the verge of diabetes.  One thing I would like to make clear, though, is that I don't overdo beef or fatty meats and I don't use butter.  Like many others, I use olive oil and a product called Smart Balance (will this be censored?) and eat different kinds of nuts.  I do eat more protein but I stay away from high cholesterol foods or products with trans fats.  Stay well and good luck with the conference.  I would sure like to know the reasoning behind the "diabetic" diets full of carbs!

Lanie

I started out with almost no carbs in my diabetic diet and found that I eventually went bonkers! I have to allow myself some chewy flour tortillas or whole wheat pasta once in a while just to keep my inner child from pouting and pulling a tantrum (read food binge!) I have neither the discipline nor the will to eat only healthy, but mostly healthy, with a nice baby ice cream cone or a small square of chocolate once a week. This is what works for me.

I load up on salads and am about to sprout feathers from all the chicken breasts I'm consuming but there is something to be said for a slice of cheesecake on your birthday, too. Tonight I'm going to have fried fish at the best church Lenten fish fry in town. This is my one indulgence during Lent, and I'm careful about no fats all day until dinner. I eat 13 fries and lots more smelt than battered perch, but there's more to the food plan than the food. There is the social aspect of being able to eat with family and friends without having to always be different.

Shared meals are so much a part of every culture it's sometimes hardest to maintain food policy in the face of traditions and holidays. I would rather have my annual piece of real cheesecake than live to be 100. And I have to say, I hope to go quickly with a heart attack like my father-in-law did with his diabetes. When he found out he was going blind with diabetic retinopathy he said, "The heck with it! I'm gonna have fried potatoes with my egg in the morning!" My mom fed my dad oatmeal for over 50 years, watched his cholesterol and made him follow an exercise program. What she ended up with was a healthy man with dementia... Life might have been better for them both if she had fed him steak once a week. I'm sorry... I'm rambling... I've done the end of life thing with three parents now and I'm beginning to think that the good Lord made heart attacks for a reason...

Steady on Jeannie, dark portents of our ultimate demise indeed!

I think you're right, your father-in-law may very well have done better with steak at least once a week. I've said it before, but it's not going to do anyone any harm at all. Bear in mind I was a strict vegetarian for 16 years but eventally reallised the emphasis on starch was unhealthy and incompatible with well controlled blood sugars. That was quite a wake up call but I gave up vegetarianism in order to be healthier and it is working.

I'm not one for self denial however and I've had a thing for chocolate and cheesecake for as long as I can remember. I do notice however that the less I have it, the less I want it or need it. I don't know what I'll replace the urge with if it goes! I'm certainly no puritan but I do find these days that there's an enormous amount of pleasure to be had in well cooked vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, cheese etc., etc. What I have been able to leave behind is anything processed or pre-prepared - it just tastes wrong when you're used to fresh food.

No votes for the ADA diet yet, then?

All the best,

fergusc

Lanie,

Does it have to be the dense cream cheese ( NY, Philly ) style? I have a very good recipe for a cottage cheese cake (Italian style- you can make it with ricotta) that is nice and high in the protein-to-carb ratio. I have been experimenting with a graham-nut crust for it, but you could probably use a very thin graham cracker crust under it- I don't have the nutrient analysis for it yet because my software crashed and I'm waiting for a replacement disk- but I'd be happy to pass it on if you're interested.

sandy

No more votes from me ... but I WANT those cheesecake recipes! Keep 'em coming, boys and girls!!!!!!!!

Lanie,

First the science bit! There's very little basis to blame dietary fat for heart disease. The studies cited don't support the conclusions which have become unshakable dogma in recent years. Recent Harvard University research is now suggesting that fat is not just benign, but actually beneficial for the heart. What's also true is that our triglyceride levels are a more reliable indicator of atherosclerosis. Triglycerides are elevated after carbohydrate consumption and fluctuate accordingly. In other words, it's the low fat (high carb) food that damages the heart! There is a great deal of evidence to support these findings, and 6 years monitoring  my own readings has convinced me that we've all been misled.

OK, now the fun bit - cheesecake! Excuse the grams and centimetres, I'm British, ok?!

Blitz 250g of nuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, whatever your preference in a processor, but not too fine. We don't want dust here. Combine with 150g melted butter and 1tbsp Splenda. Press into the base of a 24cm springform or loose bottomed cake tin and leave it in the fridge for an hour to set.

Meanwhile, beat together 750g cream cheese, 6 egg yolks, 1tsp vanilla extract and 75g Splenda. Pour in 150g double cream while still mixing. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and stir to combine. Whisk the leftover 6 egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold gently into the mixture and scoop the lot onto the chilled base. Bake for 1.5 hours at 170c or until golden brown on top. Don't you dare open that oven door, now. Turn off the heat and leave the beast in there for another 2 hours until completely cool. Refrigerate.

Finally, invite your most deserving freinds round for the best cheesecake they've ever tasted!

And don't worry about the fat, it's good for you remember!

All the best,

fergusc

You're welcome Lanie, and I hope your modifications work out. Enjoy.

Out of interest, I took a look the nutritional info on non-fat evaporated milk and it made surprising reading:

Double cream (1 cup)  -  1.5grams of sugar

Non-fat evaporated milk (1cup)  -  12 grams of sugar

That's eight times the quantity of sugar in the same volume, which will need eight times the quantity of insulin to deal with it. This is why the low-fat argument is illogical for diabetics (or anyone else frankly!). The additional insulin required to deal with low-fat food is what actually promotes weight gain and insulin resistance, since insulin is the main fat building hormone in our bodies. Dietary fat requires very little insulin. I'll stop now, before I launch into full-on rant mode!

All the best,

fergusc