Something new ...

"Breakfast" today -
Walnuts
Unsweetened flaked coconut

Protein shake:

• milk
•  kefir
•  cocoa powder
•  cinnamon
•  cayenne pepper (really)
•  sweetener
•  whey protein concentrate
•  creatine

What's new you ask?
A couple days ago I started adding 5 grams of 100% creatine to my protein shakes. No, I'm not looking to get "swoll" ... just looking to stop, or slow, the muscle weakness/loss in my legs (thanks to motor neuropathy), improve results from lifting and to reap some of its  other benefits (heart health, lower blood glucose and LDL cholesterol). Not all the evidence on those benefits is conclusive but ... it's safe, cheap (80 days worth for $10) so I figured I'd give it a 3-4 month trial.

Death to the chicken finger

A follow-up, of sorts, to my previous post ...

"For a generation, many North American parents have indulged children’s picky eating tendencies by sticking them in an endlessly repeating loop of chicken fingers, burgers, pizza, plain pasta, mac and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Anyone who has sat down for a meal with youngsters over the past 25 years will recognize this list of typical “kids’ foods.” Pushed out of the picture, to varying degrees for different children, are fruits and vegetables and anything else that might challenge them, from spicy delicacies to unfamiliar proteins. To picture what this might look like to a visitor from almost anywhere else in the world, imagine we just mashed up some bread and cheese and mechanically separated chicken flesh together, called it Kiddy Chow, and bought it by the bag to rip open to feed the tots."

read the full article here
(if you don't read the article at least watch the video)

Teach your children ...

I often say that one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child is an understanding and appreciation of good nutrition.
In that light ...

If you frequent health or nutrition sites you have no doubt seen the photo on the left in some ad ... it is omnipresent. While perusing a couple of my regular health blogs, I came upon one that had this photo. Asher, my (then) almost 3-year-old grandson, was sitting in my lap and said:

"Egg"
"Avocado"
"mmm ... Yummy!"

That's EXACTLY what I am talking about.

I am very proud of my son and his wife for teaching their children well.

Great way to break your fast

Eggs (2 fried Spanish style)
Bacon (2 slices thick cut)
Avocado (1/2 medium)
Grape tomatoes (8 fried in EVOO)
Strawberries (4 "largish")

Nutrient breakdown for entire meal:
Calories - 688 kcal
Carbs - 13.5 grams (total)
Fiber - 6.3 grams
Protein - 23 grams
Lipids - 60 grams

If you're interested in such things ...
Pre-meal blood glucose 100 mg/dL
2 hours post 100 mg/dL

What's a Spanish fried egg, you ask ... It's an egg fried very quickly in very, very hot olive oil. Some use olive oil AND butter but just olive oil does fine. What you get in a Spanish fried egg is a crispy, delicate white that crunches then practically melts in your mouth. The yolk is just set, but still runny enough to soak into your toast (if you are so inclined). In other words, no rubbery white, no overcooked yolk ... just Yummy perfection!

(and if you're worried about the oxidation of the olive oil at high heat ...the egg is in and out of the pan in less than two minutes ... no need to get the oil so hot that it’s smoking. A Spanish style fried egg is not likely to turn extra virgin olive oil into a health threat.)

Enjoy!

When you just can't decide ...

... Mixed plate!

It was time to eat and I just could not decide what to have so I put this together. It was wonderful, very filling.

1 medium avocado, 2 hard-boiled eggs, cucumber slices, some broccoli florets, a couple teaspoons of mayo and a generous sprinkle of Tapatio hot sauce.

nutrition

calories - 460 kcal

carbs - 17 grams

fiber - 11 grams

fats - 38 grams

protein - 17 grams

and significant amounts of B vitamins 

and vitamins A, C, and K 

Yummy!

The Gingerbread Man

Hyperinsulinemia is a serious and little-known problem. This is from Catherine Crofts, a New Zealand pharmacist and researcher in metabolic disease.  (read her article here)

(click on picture to view larger image)

Balance

I'm not a subscriber to the notion of "everything in moderation". I'm talking about balance. Specifically nutritional balance, ideally getting all of your nutritional needs through the way you eat.

One of my favorite sayings has long been  "eat as if your life depended on it". Seems pretty obvious doesn't it? Many type 2 diabetics got "here" (or, at or least the journey was hastened) by poor eating habits. Many, if not most, type 2's recognized that and made major changes to how/what we eat. But are we eating healthy? Really? Or have we simply replaced one poor eating plan for another ... avoiding entire nutritionally beneficial food groups to save a few carbs, sometimes having to rely on supplements to try and "round out" our nutritional requirements.

Trust me when I say, "been there, done that" and I have the scars to prove it. When first diagnosed I went a bit overboard. I ate about 20 total carbs a day and less than 700 calories. Without a doubt, I was wasting away losing a large amount of muscle mass (and a lot of fat too) but hey, I quickly lowered my A1c from 10.0 to 5.8 so yay me, right? Although I can't prove it, I am convinced that my poor eating contributed to my stroke and perhaps to some of the complications that I have developed despite maintaining tight control for 8 1/2 years now.

My point, my concern, is that it seems that a lot of type 2 diabetics get so hung up on the carbohydrate reduction aspect that we lose sight of the importance of total nutrition. Entering into to the mindset that the lower the A1c the better, no matter the cost or food group we exclude.

All I am suggesting is that you keep "balance" in mind and that you "eat as if your life depends on it".

Soup is good for the soul

Vegetable soup specifically.
This started by making vegetable stock from the veggie trimmings/peelings from our cooking for the previous week. Stuck them all in the crockpot with seasonings and about two quarts or so of water and cooked on high all day ... strained, put in the fridge overnight. Next morning chopped  yellow onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, green beans, cabbage and zucchini ... then because we had them added some frozen pearl onions, chopped spinach and green peas. Added a bit more water and some salt and cooked for 6 hours in the crockpot.  Right there would be good a very low carb meal, but I added a 1/2 cup of barley and a can of great northern beans to kick up the nutrition a bit and cooked for 2 more hours.
I love making soups and stews. They are always very "improvisational" and dictated by whatever is on hand. I never cook from a recipe and never more true than with soups. If it sounds good ... throw it in!

(here's a picture of the finished product)
Yummy!

Spaghetti

Italian sausage, ground beef, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, on zucchini "noodles" topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
I didn't do a breakdown on the nutrients but it is low carb and high protein.
Yummy!

Tacos

Perhaps not what you think of when you hear "tacos" but ...

Low "net" carb, high in fiber, protein, and healthy fat ... these were yummy! and very satisfying.

La Tortilla Factory whole wheat, low carb tortillas (3)
Avocado (1/2 large)
Roma tomato (1)
Red cabbage (1/2 cup shredded)
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Frank's Red Hot

Nutrient totals for 3:
Carbohydrates: 41 grams
Fiber: 28 grams
Protein: 18

At 41 total grams  (13 'net') this may not be what many consider "low carb" ... but the proof is in the postprandial test. At 1 hour after eating my blood glucose measured 95 mg/dL. Which is pretty close to my "walking around" number.

(after I made these I had thought that adding a strip of bacon to each would have been awesome and would have added another 12 grams of protein to the meal... and virtually zero carbs).

enjoy!