Is anyone here using the DASH diet, modified for diabetes? My searching shows it lowers not only blood pressure, but homocysteine too. Below are some of the links about it and about homocysteine and diabetes. The diet is interesting in that homocysteine levels went down, like blood pressure as a result of using the diet, not from use of supplements.
I don’t think my diet is exactly DASH, because I cannot consume as many servings grains as they want… but the complex carbs I consume are all multi grain, or 100% wheat, or have a lot of fiber in them. I do watch for salt content, and moderate it as much I can… by making my own meals at home. I try not to consume anything canned anymore, as they add so much extra salt as a preservative, and it’s still tasting bland! So you end up adding more… As far as fats, I try to make sure they have a higher percentage of the good fats, and keep the saturated ones to a small to moderate level. Some stuff you just should be wise and not consume, cus it has like 20 grams of saturated fat, and tons of trans fat… and it’s just not even a healthy food item, like cheese, or lean meat. I keep my carb intake to about 90 g of carb a day, or less. Lately, it’s been more like 70-80. My blood pressure has dropped quite a bit… from 140s and 130s to low 120s and 110s. I kind of enjoy not using salt as much anymore, and making dried beans instead of canned beans… you can taste the actual food more.
Thanks Liz,
I’m brainstorming with my neighbor on developing a diet plan for her to try. She’ll be excited to see your blood pressure improvement. I was having trouble getting an idea of what number of carbs (and what types) is good for each meal and provides enough food volume and nutrition. It looks like there are good aspects of the Atkins Diet, too, though am concerned about too high a protein contributing to elevated homocysteine and possibly more inflammatory degeneration.
We may do the diet as gluten free, too. I went onto a gluten and lactose free diet in the 1990’s which helped bring my seizures under control. Experimenting with different type of flours I found some very good bread can be made incorporating bean flours into a gluten free mix. Nut flours are very good too, but the nuts are so expensive now, I can’t afford them. I saw a recipe in “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” for a low carb bread made with soy flour and cottage cheese." Have you ever seen it? I’m going to bake some this weekend.
I don’t use much salt, but do use it occasionally to be sure of getting adequate iodine. Do you eat snacks during the day? If so, what works for you?
I’ve fallen a bit off the bandwagon, but my original post-diagnosis diet was a somewhat stricter version of DASH-sodium (the sodium-restricted version of the DASH diet), heavily influenced by Walter Willett (Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy). Eventually, I modified it into a “five by five” exchange-based diet: 5 whole-grain starches (NOTHING white/processed), 5 nonfat protein-or-dairy (all fat grams transfer over to allowed fat exchanges), 5 vegetable, 5 fruit, 5 fat (includes all fat grams from other dietary sources). Based on calories per exchange, this works out to about 1400 calories per day. Protein-Carb-Fat percentages were about 20-50-30, keeping fats under 30% of total calories, saturated fats under 7% of total calories, and dietary cholesterol under 200mg/day. I managed to lose about 90 lb under that diet, plus I got off all the medications I was on, but in the process I developed iron-deficiency anemia and had to up my protein intake considerably…
I don’t consume iodized salt because I have Hypothyroidism, and an excessive consumption of Iodine can lead to goiters in the thyroid. Back in the day when people did not have access to a variety of foods, it was easier to get into an iodine deficiency and develop thyroid issues; but in the developed world, that is not the case anymore. A lot of foods have a high iodine content, and the extra added iodine in salt disrupts this balance. I consume Kosher salt, and I use it very sparingly, as some foods already have a natural amount of sodium in them. For example, let’s say I am making a recipe with chicken, and some amount of butter or margarine. I probably would not add any extra salt, as these already come salted, and add to the chicken. The daily requirements for iodine are very minimal, at 150 micrograms (or a 1000th of a teaspoon). If you are still concerned about getting a certain amount of iodine in the diet, you can google for foods high in iodine. Some of these foods are: egg yolks, seafood, dairy, cured meats, canned vegetables, broth, chocolate, soy, molasses and FD&C red dye #3, which is commonly found in brown sodas. Some other foods which are moderately high in iodine are: fresh meat, bread, egg whites, unsalted peanut butter, coffee, popcorn, sorbet, canned fruits, clear sodas and frozen vegetables.
Consuming too much soy is not good for me, as it interferes with my thyroid medication. I can only consume it about maybe 2 servings per week. I do snack about one to two times daily, and usually 15 - 20 g of carb at most. I try to keep it on the low end. A good site to see if a food is highly inflammatory is www.nutritiondata.com. Not only do they have the glycemic load factor for many many foods (which tells you how much likely a food is to spike your blood glucose levels after a meal), they also account for the inflammation factor, and this can help plan out your diet a little better. Such other things as consumption of dietary fiber, and resistant starches can help control inflammation, and blood glucose spikes. That site has been like a gem of information for me… I love it.
Thanks for the link, am adding it to the list. I’m finding so much information on inflammation and diet re diabetes and its complications, it will take a while to sort it all out and plan a good diet. There has been so much controversy over soy, it is difficult to get a clear sense of it’s true value. I picked up two books, one on glycemic index and am waiting for one on the DASH diet. Working out the diet is a challenge.
I’ve heard of, but not read Willett’s book and will get it through the libary. In planning the diet we will look at all the nutrients to, hopefully, prevent deficiencies. With all the diet experiments, I’ve learned to love broccoli too!
Hi, I’m new to this forum, I was diagnosed with type 2 in 2004, I have been following the dash diet since then, my bg level was 257 and a1c 10.5 and was prescribed glyburide 6 mg per day, lost 150 lbs in year and a half, have kept it off for 6 years, my latest a1c test was 4.2, my fasting bg level is between 70-85, I also check regularly after large meals, usually they range from 89-107. I exercise 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 5 times a week alternating between a stationary bike and resistance training. For those not familiar with the dash diet, it was designed to lower blood pressure, I also had high blood pressure, it focuses on low sodium, low sugar, low fat, with a emphasis on fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low fat diary and lean meats. I don’t eat anything made with white flour. I use very little sugar and I usually have between 300 to 400 grams of carb a day… It works for me but I know everyone is different and I believe everyone should find their own plan that works best for them.
