Where do I begin once I’ve decided to do the low carb thing? How do I know what to eat? This is overwhelming, but I need to get bs down.
In a word eat to your meter. Test before each meal and 1 and 2 hours after to see how your body reacts to various foods. When you have this figured out you can cut back on the testing if you wish. Set goals for your blood sugar (mine is to never go over 140, and I am able to meet it most of the time). Then eliminate the foods that cause you to not meet your goals.
For many the foods causing problems are sugars and starches. Sugar is pretty obvious but starches include grain, potatoes and legumes. These are foods most people have at every meal and are harder to give up. The web is loaded with low carb recipe sites that can help you come up with alternative meals, here’s one. This website has several low carb recipe groups that are a great resource. I’ve found there is lots of good tasting food I can still eat and that I don’t have to feel deprived. It’s something I need to do for the sake of my health and after a while it becomes second nature.
Personally I eat about the same amount of meat as before( I always did like meat though). Instead I have increased my veggie consumption. Cheese, nuts and eggs are also blood sugar friendly.
What Badmoon says! It really is only overwhelming because you don’t know what works. Once you learn what does and does not spike you it is really just common sense. I took a fairly hard core step at first to drop my BG to a more normal range. Once I was comfortable with the results I began experimenting. I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the foods I have been able to add to my low carb plan. Some things (like certain potatoes) I can eat in small quantities regularly if my meter allows (it usually does). Other things like pasta, rice and sweets, I only eat very rarely if at all. I do have them if I really want. Just in small servings and ONLY if I think it is worth the effort and insulin.
Here is the basis for my diet; Nothing is “off limits” as long as I keep my NG below 140. I am able to do this almost all the time by staying around 100 g carbs per day, picking my carbs and carb portions carefully and testing regularly.
The other thing I did right a way was to remove all the food from the house that was not compatible with my plan.
When I started low carbing, I found the about series very useful - here’s the link
It’s also useful to start looking closely at nutritional information on the foods that you often eat. So you can adjust portions accordingly. For example, I used to be addicted to those instant ramen noodles. Then I realized to my horror that they were 70-80 grams of carb per packet, which is more carb than I can handle in one sitting. Now, I still occasionally have them, but only have half a packet each time. I get my ramen hit, and it’s easier to handle 35-40 grams of carb. To give an example from the opposite end of the spectrum, when I started looking closely at nutritional labels, I realized that I could eat all the donuts I wanted - because I have a very small appetite for donuts and only ever want 1/4 at a time. That’s only 5.5g carbs.
In the beginning it is a lot of information to take in but hang in there, it gets easier, and you will soon familiarize yourself with the carb counts of most of the foods you regularly eat. There are also plenty of resources that help with this - website, books, apps etc.
I like to look at each meal as an opportunity to eat “less carb” instead of proclaiming myself to be “low carb” as well, that ain’t gonna happen. At the same time, I had some weight issues to deal with and cutting carbs seems to always help me make progress towards goals or just to keep losing weight. It seems to have other benefits like nudging me to eat more veggies and stuff like that. I had surgery recently and my BP, which was 150/100 at my peak, was like 115/ 70 as I was “fading to black” which made me feel good then!
Here’s what I do, maybe this will help…
For lunch–a large salad of some type every day with a large spoonful of tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, meat/cheese. Also cole slaw works for me with a small piece of meat or fish. Another lunch I like is a large apple cut in slices with p’nut butter spread on them. I drink one diet coke every day with lunch.
For dinner–a piece of meat, chicken, or fish (approximately the size of a deck of cards), then as much green vegetable as I want (steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts, summer squashes). I limit corn to on-the-cob only, and only one half of a baked potato at a time. (The closer you eat corn and potatoes to their natural state, the better.) Perhaps another small salad on the side with dinner. The key at dinner time is lots of vegetables. Two to three different kinds on the plate at once. I love pasta so I do eat that once in a while but I measure it and have only one level cup.
For snacks, I like two slices of cheese with two Stoned Wheat Crackers (the Stoned Wheat Crackers are practically the only carb I eat and I do so sparingly). I also like the Jello sugar free gelatin and pudding cups. They are pretty tasty and don’t affect my BS very much. To satisfy an out-right craving for sweets, Russell Stover makes a very good sugar free chocolate. I like the pecan delights. I don’t know how they do it, but they manage to make it taste pretty good. Also, for snacks, I like p-nuts and pistachio nuts in the shells.
I’m not personally much of a breakfast eater, but when I do have it, a two-egg omlett w/ cheddar or jack cheeses and salsa on top makes for a nice Mexican omlet. Also, plain Chobani yogurt with a tablespoon of Polaner All-fruit mixed in for taste is a good breakfast.
I know this all sounds lean if you are used to being a big carb eater, but you do get used to it. It becomes easier when you see you are getting great numbers and feeling better, maybe even loosing a couple of pounds. The key is to make sure you get plenty of protein and vegetables. Skip the rice, cereal, pasta, any kind of processes wheat, potatos or corn.
I have given you all my secrets here. I went to a nutritionist every week for a year to learn how to eat like this and to get the support to stay with it. I would recommend that you do the same. My A1cs are routinely 6.2, which is pretty good for me because I have seen 9 before. I feel alot better.
When I first started I have this book to guide me.
Set a realistic bg goal . You can do this by yourself or with your doctor. Personally, anything under 140 for me is still okay. I kept a journal of all the food I take (tedious but it worked)…Test bg 1 and 2 hours after. This will determine which foods makes your bg react to increase the most. Our bg’s may react to foods differently individually. Its like an experiment at first…but there are general foods that are high in carbs. I stick to veggies, nuts, meat, eggs, cheese…
First of all, your basal insulin will drop when you lower your carbs significantly. I dropped from 6 units of levemir at night to 2 units at night when I went from eating a max of 30g carbs/ meal to a total of 30g/day. Just be prepared for the change. Nothing kills a new diet for me like unexpected nighttime lows.
It depends on how low you want to go, and if you have food allergies or need to mix any meds with food.
Lots and lots of veggies and eggs is what I eat. Eggs because they are packed full of nutrition and they are super quick and easy for the lazy people like me.
Some breakfast ideas: omelet or breakfast burrito (with low carb tortilla). You can make a quiche on the weekend, throw in whatever meat and veggies you prefer and eat during the week.
You can spread peanut butter on a low carb tortilla.
A lot of salads at lunch time. I get pretty sick of salads, but the low carb makes me feel so good, I cannot stop.
For dinner I fix broccoli beef or stir fry with NO RICE. Some people make “cauliflower rice”, but I am lazy and haven’t tried to takle that one yet. Another option is lettuce wraps. If you make the asian food yourself (even the packages you fix at home) the carbs and sodium aren’t too bad, and you have nutrition labelsIf I eat brooccoli or cauliflower, I don’t miss the carbs, for some reason. Otherwise I do.
There are some great Atkins websites that have some great ideas for low carb meals. My favorite is INDUCTION FOOD PORN.
Make whipped cauliflower instead of potatoes. I cook a 1 lb bag of frozen cauliflower and stick it in a food processor with 3 or 4 laughing cow light soft cheese wedges (pretty cheap if you buy them at Costco). Pretty good.
Best desert - Strawberries are pretty low carb, depending on how many you eat. I eat some of those with half and half or whipped cream when I can.
Best snacks for me - celery with laughign cow cheese or peanut butter, cheese crisps, or sugar snap peas. I like to snack on crunchy things.
Go on every low site, and learn as much as possible. I kind of like the Atkins phase1/abduction way of eating, as a starter, and like BadMoon said “eat to your meter”. Find out what foods spike your BS. Once you get used to this way of eating, it becomes your eating life style. Good luck Kimmy
There is a definite trend here if you look at all these postings: more proteins, more fresh vegetables, skip the pasta, bread, and rice. I just want to add one more thing here. Don’t fret about the cost. It definitely costs more to eat healthy than it does to eat unhealthy. Try not to think about that part of it. Whatever the grocery bill comes to, it’s worth it. It’s an investment in yourself and in a long and healthy life. I have to remind myself of that every now and then–I’m worth it.
Personally I don’t find it much different in cost. I am buying products with less processing and packaging. I get 3 to 4 times the meals from what I buy. The big difference is the prep time. I try to make as much food ahead of time that makes sense. That way it is ready when I need it. Just like the processed and packaged stuff only better for me and I know what is in it.But I wholeheartedly agree, whatever the cost or effort it is well worth it.
I agree. I spend a bit more on the varieties of veges but a lot less on the quantities of most foods. I spend more time in food preparation but less on purchasing costs.
I go into more detail on the subject here: The Price of Eating Healthy
I agree with Cinderfella :
Whatever the grocery bill comes to, it's worth it. It's an investment in yourself and in a long and healthy life.
In the end, everything has a price. The cost may be calculated in dollars, health, time, or some other currency. What it boils down to is whether the goals we set for ourselves are worth the price. Each of us has to make that decision, but it helps if you truly calculate the cost.
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except laughter