Prediabetic/T2 and a 2nd year college student. I'm really working on making my eating habits better than they are so my bg levels are a little happier. I do eat pretty well (local, organic, and balanced), but sometimes it's hard late at night or when I'm in a hurry.
I've been reading through these boards and other diabetes websites, but I feel like I need to narrow it down a little or adjust it for my lifestyle. Basically, I understand low carb is good (how many?) and veggies are best. Low protein is ideal and sugar is a NO NO. Otherwise I'm kind of lost. I eat greek yogurt lots and keep juice in the fridge for lows (also life savers in my purse.) I know I eat too many carbs...they're just so easy.
I thought protein was ok but am not 100% sure? I think the theory is that you have to eat something and protein is easier on one's system than carbs, although 53% of it converts to carbs?
I find that having healthy, but convenient choices works best. So I try to keep a supply of veggies and dip/hummus for healthy, low carb snacks, and great alternatives to a bag of chips or crackers !
Lately my favorites have been carrots, sugar snap peas and cut up peppers (red, yellow and orange !). When I have time, I get broccolli or cauliflower and shred/slice them in my food processor, add a bit of dressing and store in the fridge for quick snacks, or to put on top of a bed of salad greens or spinach. I found that preparing stuff on the weekends helps too.
I'm a type 1, but understand the struggle of trying to stay away from those delicious carbs while in college. I was very active and carbs were pushed heavily within the athletic department where I went to school. It was hard because I knew they were bad for my BGs, but who can resist a bagel? Anyway, following are snacks and meals I relied heavily on in college that were easy, fast, and (relatively) satisfying.
- Quick, pre-cut veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) and dip - Nuts (lots and lots of nuts!) - Pre-measured trail mix (but watch out for the ones that have a lot of sugar added!) - Frozen meals - I didn't use these as much in college, but I use them a lot now because they are clearly marked with the carb content. Read labels and you will find that there are a lot of healthy frozen meals available that do not have a lot of carbs. - Wraps (take a whole wheat tortilla and add lettuce, tomato, mayo and lunch meat of your choice) - Spaghetti squash (cooked and scraped out, topped with a can of tomatoes and parmesean cheese)
In general, you should be able to eat a substantial amount of protein and fat. Just keep those carbs down!! I would say try to stay under 100 grams per day...that's usually my goal. Cheese, yogurt (unsweetened), nuts, veggies, etc are all generally really good.
Also, check out the South Beach recipe book. I've never "done" South Beach, but I have found quite a few good low-carb snack and meal ideas in that book.
Yes, ramen is out but you could eat Shiratake noodles and just add some chicken broth to get a low carb meal. Basically you want to have some low carb items available in your room. Peanut butter or Almond butter, WASA cracers or GG crackers, cheese, nuts, hard boiled eggs and meat are good. If you eat low carb make sure you eat high fat to replace the carbs. You don't need to eat low protein, but moderate protein is good. Do you eat your meals in the dining hall? I would find the lower carb optons like stir frys, hummus, salads, omlettes and plain meat.
Indirectly they can go to glucose, but mainly through liver when there is a lack of other fuel around. The derived glucose is primarily used for the brain and red blood cells. All others tissues (muscle, cardiac, kidney, ect), when resting, prefer using fatty acids as fuel.
It's all about balance. There is no such thing as a "bad food." For all intents and purposes everything ends up as one of four things in the gut: glucose, fructose, amino acids or fatty acids. The key to a diet is finding the balance that works for your body and your metabolism. The reason for going for low carb is that is most easily utilized fuel for the body and by far the most direct method for formation of fat in adipocytes. Contrary to popular belief protein can, and is, converted into fat by the body through gluconeogenesis (making of glucose from substrates) by the liver.
So the key is to keep everything in moderation. Will having a bowl of ice cream every once in a while kill you? No. Will having a slice of pizza kill you? No. Will eating a GIANT bowl of ice cream right after eating a whole pizza have detrimental effects, absolutely. The best advice is to keep everything well balanced. Complex carbohydrates, fiber, lean-meat for protein, beans, brightly colored vegetables are always good. Limiting sugar and simple carbs (pasta, white bread, candy) are always a good thing. Anything with high-fructose corn syrup is not good because fructose bypasses the major regulatory point of metablism and prevents cells from uptaking serum glucose because of negative feedback mechanisms.
Are you sure Taco John's isn't at least questionable food? I worked there one summer in college and it was sort of where things went downhill for like 20 years? Heh heh heh....
I couldn't even begin to tell you carbs in fast food. I haven't had taco bell/taco johns or any other fast food since I started bodybuilding 5+ years ago.
Low calorie, low sodium, low fat and low carb....Never heard of low protein, I always heard protein helps is low in carbs and helps you with weight management...I love to snack and when I was in college it was really hard because I was use to eating pizza or noodles as real meals, not to mention cheetos (my veggies)...lol...I suggest cutting up some apples or other fruit/ carrots/ celery/ almonds/ trial mix and keeping it in ziplock baggies to go. I always made sure I had a bowl of tuna salad made in my fridge, when I need a lil snack I would grab some wheat crackers and tuna or cheese. Eating oatmeal in the mornings, they have weight control kind that is not so bad. I find that wheat carbs are nicer than white so switch if you havent already. As for how many carbs you should eat, I can not answer that I eat lower than is recommended. If there is anything that I am not sure whats the nutritional facts are I simply look them up, like the other week I wanted to now how much protein are in egg whites so I googled it.
You dont have to cut sugar out of your diet....Anything can be eaten with moderation...And remember exercising/ being active is as important as watching what you eat.
They put fillers in their meat, but legally they can say its beef because a certain percentage of it is beef...what are the fillers, cant say and dont want to know...
My first pump eal was Taco Bell, as it was convenient and I'd been out from work for 2 hours already, 2 hour reading was 85 so I was *very* pleased. All I ever get there are tacos as 1/2 the stuff, I'm not sure what it is? MexiMelt?
Since you have a fridge for juice, I wonder if you could add some cheese and some cut veggies (keep some ranch dressing in there too). That way when you are in a hurry, you can just open a bag and have your veggies, and some chesse and or yogurt. Those are excellent foods and the carbs are not bad. No one can tell you what the right carb count is for you...you have to figure that out yourself. As for protein, I do limit mine because it does cause my bg to rise hours later. I do not now that low protein is best for everyone though, and wonder where you got that nugget "Low protein is ideal".
Whoops! I think I meant to say "lean protein." (I may have written this right before dinner time. Silly words come out then.)
Anyway, thank you for all the advice about snacks and carbs! It sounds like everyone's carb intake is different, but somewhere between 100-50 a day? I'm starting with just watching and being more aware. I've never personally had to watch carb intake before, so I think awareness is good! (Plus I've always been a high carb person, just because I could balanced with healthier options.)
I do eat at our dining hall for lunch and dinner most nights. I eat lots of hummus and whatever the main protein meal is that night with a salad at both dinner and lunch. I try to stay away from all the pastas and desserts, but I do still eat it all in moderation. Thankfully my parents taught me balanced eating habits earlier on, so I'm just adjusting some more.
