MARTIN SHANNON, TYPE 2 COACH

There are only 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats. If you reduce carbs which have 4 calories per gram you have to increase either fats or proteins to make up the calorie deficit. Increasing proteins will also cause problems in that your body will make glucose from proteins quite easily. Example: If you are eating a 2000 calories diet that contains 300 grams of carbs (typical avg diet of a non-diabetic) you are getting 1200 calories from carbs. Reduce the carbs to 50-100 grams a day would give you 200-400 calories from carbs. This leaves you a deficit of the original 1200 calories of 800-1000 calories, you have to make up the calories from one of the two macronutrients left, fats or proteins or your body’s metabolism will slow down.

GREAT ADVICE FROM OUR DIABETES EDUCATOR

Edith Weil

6 hrs

A GOOD READ. A MESSAGE FROM OUR CERTIFIED DIABETES EDUCATOR*****************Charlee Kimball Deb, I have no idea what meds you are on, so it is hard to help. Here is what I teach........you need 7 cups of vegetables a day. Your body does not make all the enzymes it needs to process your food, and we get the enzymes we need from vegetables. You need good fats. These are flax seed oils, nuts such as walnuts and almonds, avocados, and Extra Virgin Olive oil. You have to make an ...effort to get the bad fats out of your diet. Bad fats are trans fats (ingredient list will have "hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated" ), all plant based/vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rapeseed, walnut, palm oil, peanut etc. These are not just the oils that you can buy to cook with, but are in just about every processed food. You have to cut out the refined grains. Just about every type of bread on the grocery shelf is "refined" and so is all that flour you buy. And finally, you have to learn the names of sugar and how food manufacturers try and fool you. "sugar free" only means it does not contain table sugar. Honey, molasses, agave, dextrose, lactose, sucrose, fructose...there are about 50 different names for sugar. And finally High Fructose Corn Syrup is horrible and so damaging to our bodies. You have to get rid of this from your diet. You will find it in regular sodas, BBQ sauce,salad dressings, peanut butter, cereals, miracle whip, fruit juice, ice cream, yogurt...all kinds of things. Then keep your carbs to about 100 grams per day. If you focus on REAL food of lots of vegetables and lean meats with some good fat, you will find that you do much, much better. Shop the parameter of the grocery store and avoid premade foods. Shop the isles only for a few select items.

 

COMMENTS BY MARTIN SHANNON

Taking Control
What does it mean to take control of your life, health, physical well-being? When first diagnosed with diabetes it is of utmost importance to learn everything you can about your disease, read, think, read some more. Put into practice what you have read. Use your meter as often as you feel necessary, more importantly than just taking your glucose levels is using the information to better control yourself. Doesn’t matter who you see for your diabetes, the doct...or, the nutritionist, diabetic educator, the Endocrinologist, it is your diabetes not theirs. You need to educate yourself to the point where you can make informed decisive decisions about how you are going to treat your diabetes. Listen to the professionals but question everything they say, and then make a decision. Do not let them decide for you what you are going to take to treat your diabetes. You have to own this disease, control it to the best of your ability. If you’re taking medication and your glucose levels are still out of control, change your diet first not your medication. Diet and exercise is the true key to controlling this disease. All Carbohydrates will have an impact on your blood glucose levels, some faster than others but all will have an impact. If that impact drives your glucose levels beyond your set goal you need to rethink what you are eating. If at some point you can no longer refine your diet in your quest to achieve normal glucose levels than adding more medication makes sense but you have to decide what medication you want to take. Taking the latest and greatest medication is not always the best route to take. Do you have a goal in mind or are you going by what your doctor told you are acceptable levels. What are acceptable levels by most organizations and what will help eliminate future complications are usually two different goals entirely. Learn what normal glucose levels are; decide what you want your goals to be, then strive to obtain those goals.

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