Hey everyone!
My name is Mariah Campbell. I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with type 1 three years ago. I have started this new diet where I have essentially cut out all starchy carbs, no bread, rice, pasta, tortillas, and so I am basically just sticking to meat, proteins, cheese, veggies, and fruits. Has anyone else done this type of thing before? i am having trouble coming up with things I can eat as snacks and meals. If you have any advice it would be much appreciated!
Thanks! Mariah :)
Hey, Mariah!
This is pretty close to the Paleo/Caveman diet a few people on here follow. You might consider discussing the finer details of the diet with them :o)
I'll be honest - I don't really approve of no-carb/really low-carb diets. Carbs are essential for the body's functions and without them it has to turn to ketones to create the energy it needs. I STRONGLY encourage you to speak with your diabetes-doctor about the diet as well as having someone follow your labs (should you choose to do this long term).
On that note, I can give you a few ideas for meals and snacks :o)
You can make sandwiches, but use lettuce instead of bread. It adds a nice crunch and you aren't missing out on a "normal" food. Fruits and veggies with dip make good snacks as well. Fruits have carbs, but they are relatively low. Most veggies, with the exceptions of potatoes, corn, and peas, have little to no carbs in them. You can eat them any way you like (cooked, raw, in a sauce, etc); they are filling while being low in calories and high in fiber. Low-fat milk products, while having some carbs, are a good source of protein.
Cheese sticks wrapped in lunch meat make for quick snacks as well - same with pickles, cottage cheese, low-fat/sugar-free yogurt, and nuts. Peanut butter, if you don't mind putting it on things, is a nice high-protein filler as well. Do you like fish? That is a good protein/healthy fat way to keep your carbs low. You can make tuna salad or chicken salad that is low-carb. You can put it on a salad instead of bread or crackers.
Basically, as you mentioned, sticking to the meats, dairy, nuts, fruits, veggies, and fish are going to be your lower carbohydrate options. Beans are another good source of protein and fiber, but they are rather starchy. It's up to you to choose which carbohydrate containing sources to eat, but I would at least consider consuming very small amounts of them so you know your body is at least getting SOME healthy carbs.
There are other threads on Juvenation about "low-carb food options". If you want to do a keyword search in the forums sections, you will probably find quite a few helpful hints. The website http://www.dlife.org is another great resource for low-carb snack and meal recipes.
Good luck with your BGs! Let us know if we can help you in any other ways :o)
Not sure how I missed your post but hopefully better late than never...
www.everydaypaleo.com is a good source of recipe and snack ideas and they should fit your restrictions.
Cheers!
A-D
I have stopped eating those kinds of carbs too. But, I still will eat oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and high fiber cereals.
I agree with C - the registered dietitian! I was sucked into trying a low carb diet with promises that it would "normalize" blood sugars - but it ended up with me being in a terrible mood, losing a bunch of weight, and frequently binge eating. That's not to say I think you or everyone experiences this, I definitely could have done it "better", but for me these extreme diets are out
Wow! So you're getting all your daily carbs from fruit and vegetables? That sounds like a lot of fruit and vegetables lol. Have you tried incorporating soy into diet? That's not starchy, is it? I eat soy like it's nobody's business.
I think it is a great idea to cut out all fast acting carbs. We do need some carbs to survive and be healthy, but we DO NOT need to get them from grains of any kind and definitely not refined sugar of any kind! You should be getting your carbs from fruit and vegetables only and maybe some sprouted whole grains if you find it necessary to eat grains at all. Basically if it is not nourishing to your body, don't eat it, and flour and sugar are not nourishing, in fact they prevent the absorption of nutrients! And please DO NOT EAT SOY! check out this link for a very good explanation of why
Don't listen to C. She's been telling me that Paleo is bad for me except that my A1C is great, my 14 day avg for glucose is under 150, my body fat % is down, my strength is up, and my endocrinologist couldn't be happier :)
Silly nutritionists always using books.
...this is where I get confused.... if I can adjust my insulin to the amount of carbs I eat, why does everyone tell me I need carbs?? Lower carbs, lower insulin, yes??