Hi
Thank you for coming back to the blog. I've had a very mixed fornight, I was away from home last weekend and whilst it wasn't a problem with the diet as such, I found the mixed insulin regime (Novomix 30 twice a day) very inconvenient. I've also felt unwell most of the week. Nothing major just not my usual self - slight headache and sore throat, occasional nausea and general tiredness. I wonder if it's part of the detox process or if I've had a mild virus of some sort? I don't know but I hope it clears up soon.
Although I've stuck to the diet my BG has been a bit irratic and higher than usual, particularly fasting BG. I've felt a little down and I think it's been because I've been eating a bit too much at tea time or maybe it's just because I've been a bit under the weather. Who knows.
Anway I've been giving some thought to the fasting BG problem as it's something that has always been a problem for me. I bought a book about the Hay diet a couple of years ago and have sort of followed it albeit not too strictly. Looking at my diet, at the moment I eat salad usually with cheese or egg at lunch time (no carbs). My blood glucose pre tea time is usually very good but that's because I've kept it from going too low by snacking on fresh fruit & nuts in the afternoon.
At tea time I have a mixed meal (carbs & protein). My theory is that if I switch these meals round and eat a carb meal at lunch time and a protein meal instead of a mixed meal at tea time it might improve my fasting BG and also keep my BG up in the late afternoon. I've decided to test this out over the next week. In fact I'm thinking of testing the Hay diet on my Golden Retriever to see if she loses any weight. She's getting on now (11 this year) and while she's not actually overweight the vet told me to try and get her weight down to keep her back legs going longer.
Good news on the bread front, I tried Marks pitta bread - they contain olive oil and are much softer than the others. I also found an actual loaf of bread which doesn't specify any oil at all. It's called a 7 seeded crown from Marks and it's just like "normal" bread. Funny thing is I'm not that bothered about bread anymore. I am going to rely mostly on whole grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa for my carb lunches with lots of salad vegetables and good oils.
On the subject of oils I found an interesting website which gives the flipside to flasxseed oil. Have a look at http://www.henriettesherbal.com/blog/?p=403
also http://www.mind1st.co.uk/Flax_Seed_Oil_v_Fish_Oil.asp
As I was due to start adding in cod liver oil (according to Johns' plan) I went out and bought a large bottle of Seven Seas high strength omega 3 fish oil enriched with cod liver oil. I didn't bother reading the ingredients till I got home and was just about to pour my first yummy spoonful when I looked at the label. To my horror I read Sunflower oil and Fractionated vegetable oil. What??? I Googled for it and found the following quote from an article in the Washington Post:
Oh, and about fractionated oils: Fractionation does not add or remove trans fatty acids from an oil. All it does is remove some of the more saturated fats -- trans or not -- to keep the product from thickening when stored in a cool place.
Here's the link to the full article http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A13188-2003Aug19¬Found=true
Anway I'm going to take the stuff and hope for the best but I don't think I'll be buying it again in future. It just goes to show you that even the most innocuous of products can be harbouring undesirables!
I think that's about it for this post, I've still got ironing to do :( and I'm out again tomorrow.
If you look at my spreadsheet click on the May 07 tab to look at this months data.
Best Wishes
Carol Johnson
Saturday, 12 May 2007
Friday, 27 April 2007
Evaluation week 2
No problems sticking to the plan this week. Although I've had some very different days. I felt totally exhausted on Wednesday all day but Thursday and Friday I felt really well and full of energy. My blood glucose is coming back under control nicely (I lost control over Easter weekend by eating what my family and friends would consider to be a "normal" diet) so I'm pleased with this weeks progress.
On Thursday I printed out the whole thread by carefix and read it again thouroughly. I've also just been reading Dr Atkins vita-nutrient solution - your complete guide to natural health (I picked it up in Woolworths for £1). What a surprise! I didn't know Dr Atkins was a 'champion of complementary medicine'. The book basically corroborates the arguments by carfeix concerning hydrogenated and vegetable oils in the diet. The book is full of information about the role of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and herbs and how they can be used to
help alleviate many conditions including diabetes. Dr Atkins mentions several vitamins and minerals beneficial for diabetics which I think I already have covered with the supplements I take. One thing I might start to include is Lipoic Acid. I've seen it mentioned on the forum and according to Dr Atkins it is a proven diabetic treatment.
On the food front I'm on a mission to find the nicest wholemeal pitta bread - so far Sainsburys is in front with a softer texture and breadier taste than Tescos cardboard like pittas. I stick em in the toaster, spread with a bit of butter and call me odd but I think they're quite delicious! I'll have to try Marks next though.
My local health food shop stock some unusual breads like sprouted grain sunflower bread. Very good ingredients - just sprouted sunflower seeds, linseed oil and water. I bought one to try but have to say I didn't like it much. Must be an 'acquired taste' I think.
I've also been checking the ingredients on other breads, some of them contain palm oil (apparently a saturated fat) which carefix doesn't make mention of, so I'm erring on the side of caution and not touching it. So far I haven't been able to find anything in the supermarket (other than pitta bread) that I think would be uncontaminated with trans isomer fats.
Time to start baking perhaps? Googling for oil free bread I found some great sites with loads of fat/oil free recipes including all manner of breads (yippee!) I've put the links on the blog for anyone who might want a look. They are vegetarian/vegan but don't let that put you off! I also found some good sources for hemp & flax seed oil. Incidentally I buy my hemp seed oil from a medical herbalist who also told me that all oils must be kept refrigerated once opened.
I got my HBA1c and cholesterol results on Friday which were quite good considering my transgressions over Easter. HBA1c was 6.8 and cholesterol was 4.5. My aim is to maintain this control and maybe even improve it through continuing to eat well, avoiding all white refined carbohydrates (which I did anyway) and processed food containing hydrogenated or vegetable oil.
Weight hasn't moved yet but I think this may change in the coming weeks.
I won't be able to post on the the blog next bank holiday weekend as I will be away. I have to say I'm a little concerned about managing my diet away from home but I'm determined to do it. At least I'm not going abroad.
Thanks for reading this weeks post, have a lovely bank holiday. I'll let you know how I got on away from home in a fortnight.
Carol
On Thursday I printed out the whole thread by carefix and read it again thouroughly. I've also just been reading Dr Atkins vita-nutrient solution - your complete guide to natural health (I picked it up in Woolworths for £1). What a surprise! I didn't know Dr Atkins was a 'champion of complementary medicine'. The book basically corroborates the arguments by carfeix concerning hydrogenated and vegetable oils in the diet. The book is full of information about the role of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and herbs and how they can be used to
help alleviate many conditions including diabetes. Dr Atkins mentions several vitamins and minerals beneficial for diabetics which I think I already have covered with the supplements I take. One thing I might start to include is Lipoic Acid. I've seen it mentioned on the forum and according to Dr Atkins it is a proven diabetic treatment.
On the food front I'm on a mission to find the nicest wholemeal pitta bread - so far Sainsburys is in front with a softer texture and breadier taste than Tescos cardboard like pittas. I stick em in the toaster, spread with a bit of butter and call me odd but I think they're quite delicious! I'll have to try Marks next though.
My local health food shop stock some unusual breads like sprouted grain sunflower bread. Very good ingredients - just sprouted sunflower seeds, linseed oil and water. I bought one to try but have to say I didn't like it much. Must be an 'acquired taste' I think.
I've also been checking the ingredients on other breads, some of them contain palm oil (apparently a saturated fat) which carefix doesn't make mention of, so I'm erring on the side of caution and not touching it. So far I haven't been able to find anything in the supermarket (other than pitta bread) that I think would be uncontaminated with trans isomer fats.
Time to start baking perhaps? Googling for oil free bread I found some great sites with loads of fat/oil free recipes including all manner of breads (yippee!) I've put the links on the blog for anyone who might want a look. They are vegetarian/vegan but don't let that put you off! I also found some good sources for hemp & flax seed oil. Incidentally I buy my hemp seed oil from a medical herbalist who also told me that all oils must be kept refrigerated once opened.
I got my HBA1c and cholesterol results on Friday which were quite good considering my transgressions over Easter. HBA1c was 6.8 and cholesterol was 4.5. My aim is to maintain this control and maybe even improve it through continuing to eat well, avoiding all white refined carbohydrates (which I did anyway) and processed food containing hydrogenated or vegetable oil.
Weight hasn't moved yet but I think this may change in the coming weeks.
I won't be able to post on the the blog next bank holiday weekend as I will be away. I have to say I'm a little concerned about managing my diet away from home but I'm determined to do it. At least I'm not going abroad.
Thanks for reading this weeks post, have a lovely bank holiday. I'll let you know how I got on away from home in a fortnight.
Carol
Friday, 20 April 2007
Evaluation week 1
Very pleased with progress this week. In terms of fats I have only consumed cold pressed hemp oil and a little goats butter since Monday, as well as my evening primrose oil supplement.
I can already see an impact on blood glucose particularly on the pre-breakfast readings which is very good. However, I think this is mainly due to the reduction in carbohydrate consumed at dinner time as I have cut out one of my mainstays - bread. I used to eat very heavy stonebaked or seeded varietes but I discovered today that pitta bread does not contain oil of any kind. Excellent news as rice cakes and cripbread just don't cut the mustard when it comes to making a decent sandwich or something to dip in your soup! You can see my blood glucose data at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p5cT8HERT5YBzejCfv2_BUw
I had a full blood test done on Wednesday, despite my current dispute with the local health centre (see the thread NHS cuts on the soapbox forum at www.diabetes.co.uk), So I will be able to update the spreadsheet after I see the diabetic nurse in a weeks time.
I suppose I should also let my GP know what I'm up to, but I don't think it warrants a visit just yet. I may just write and tell her and let her decide if she wants to see me.
My weight has stayed constant as has my waist circumference which I'm pleased with. I've also decided it might be a good idea to publish some sample menus so people can see what I'm actually eating. Click on http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc4fbcgs_2j88d9z to see what I ate on Monday this week along with estimated calorie intake. I haven't been counting calories, as it's not easy to estimate the calorific content of home cooked food, but I haven't been cutting back in any way. I eat to satisfy my appetite - this is difficult enough without trying to restrict calorie intake!
During the week I eat the same things every day for breakfast, snacks and lunch (athough the salad ingredients and fruit vary). At the weekend I eat the same breakfast but might have pasta or a rice dish for lunch. For emergencies I always carry dried fruit - dates and apricots being my favourites and if I want to eat something which doesn't impact on my BG too much I'll go for some mixed unsalted nuts.
I am proceeding with caution regarding any changes to my insulin. Whilst I feel confident in managing my medication it's still easy to get caught out unexpectedly as I found out this week. I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you're happy you can manage changing requirements for medication unsupervised.
In conclusion a good week, I'm feeling highly motivated and I don't expect to see any significant changes, if they happen, for some time yet. I am fully aware that this is going to be a long term project.
Good Health to you all....
Carol
I can already see an impact on blood glucose particularly on the pre-breakfast readings which is very good. However, I think this is mainly due to the reduction in carbohydrate consumed at dinner time as I have cut out one of my mainstays - bread. I used to eat very heavy stonebaked or seeded varietes but I discovered today that pitta bread does not contain oil of any kind. Excellent news as rice cakes and cripbread just don't cut the mustard when it comes to making a decent sandwich or something to dip in your soup! You can see my blood glucose data at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p5cT8HERT5YBzejCfv2_BUw
I had a full blood test done on Wednesday, despite my current dispute with the local health centre (see the thread NHS cuts on the soapbox forum at www.diabetes.co.uk), So I will be able to update the spreadsheet after I see the diabetic nurse in a weeks time.
I suppose I should also let my GP know what I'm up to, but I don't think it warrants a visit just yet. I may just write and tell her and let her decide if she wants to see me.
My weight has stayed constant as has my waist circumference which I'm pleased with. I've also decided it might be a good idea to publish some sample menus so people can see what I'm actually eating. Click on http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc4fbcgs_2j88d9z to see what I ate on Monday this week along with estimated calorie intake. I haven't been counting calories, as it's not easy to estimate the calorific content of home cooked food, but I haven't been cutting back in any way. I eat to satisfy my appetite - this is difficult enough without trying to restrict calorie intake!
During the week I eat the same things every day for breakfast, snacks and lunch (athough the salad ingredients and fruit vary). At the weekend I eat the same breakfast but might have pasta or a rice dish for lunch. For emergencies I always carry dried fruit - dates and apricots being my favourites and if I want to eat something which doesn't impact on my BG too much I'll go for some mixed unsalted nuts.
I am proceeding with caution regarding any changes to my insulin. Whilst I feel confident in managing my medication it's still easy to get caught out unexpectedly as I found out this week. I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you're happy you can manage changing requirements for medication unsupervised.
In conclusion a good week, I'm feeling highly motivated and I don't expect to see any significant changes, if they happen, for some time yet. I am fully aware that this is going to be a long term project.
Good Health to you all....
Carol
Sunday, 15 April 2007
The first step
I am hoping that by making these changes to my diet I will make a significant reduction in the amount of medication I need to take to control my type 2 diabetes over the next 12 months.
I will record my numbers (daily blood glucose levels, HBA1c, weight, etc etc) on a google spreadsheet. You can view my spreadhsheet at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p5cT8HERT5YBdA1hElsl1Tg I will try to make the data as comprehensive as I can, I don't normally measure blood glucose at lunchtime but I've put a column on the spreadsheet as I will try to start including it.
Over the next week or so I will be reducing the amount of trans isomer fats I consume by using up stuff in my store cupboard like my favourite seeds of change curry sauces and shop bought humous. I am also going to substitute rice cakes for bread and hopefully come up with some more alternatives.
Basically I don't have to change what I eat for breakfast and lunch as they already fit in with the plan. It's just evening meals and snacks that need work. I am going to be gathering and collecting recipes, including raw food recipes.
I intend to update this blog once a week. I've already done a lot of research about food and nutrition and have saved a lot of web pages into my favourites, I will put the links the blog as they may be of interest to others. Please feel free to email me or post a comment either on here or on the www.diabetes.co.uk forum.
Thanks for reading my blog.
I will record my numbers (daily blood glucose levels, HBA1c, weight, etc etc) on a google spreadsheet. You can view my spreadhsheet at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p5cT8HERT5YBdA1hElsl1Tg I will try to make the data as comprehensive as I can, I don't normally measure blood glucose at lunchtime but I've put a column on the spreadsheet as I will try to start including it.
Over the next week or so I will be reducing the amount of trans isomer fats I consume by using up stuff in my store cupboard like my favourite seeds of change curry sauces and shop bought humous. I am also going to substitute rice cakes for bread and hopefully come up with some more alternatives.
Basically I don't have to change what I eat for breakfast and lunch as they already fit in with the plan. It's just evening meals and snacks that need work. I am going to be gathering and collecting recipes, including raw food recipes.
I intend to update this blog once a week. I've already done a lot of research about food and nutrition and have saved a lot of web pages into my favourites, I will put the links the blog as they may be of interest to others. Please feel free to email me or post a comment either on here or on the www.diabetes.co.uk forum.
Thanks for reading my blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)