Great Snack Ideas for T2D’s!

November 7, 2016

As promised, here’s a list of some great snack ideas with only 15-20 grams of carbohydrate per portion! 

One of my biggest issues with T2D is that I’ve believed that less is better.  UNTRUE! Skipping snacks can be likened to skipping meals. It disrupts the balance of our blood glucose levels. Therefore, it’s important to include appropriate snacks in our daily food intake.

Maggie, my Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, gave me the following ideas, regarding those all important snacks:

• 3 cups popped popcorn (no fat added) or 94% fat free mini microwave bag
• 1/2 cup sugar-free pudding
• 3 cups of any combination of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber, pea pods, belly peppers, radishes, tomatoes, or zucchini with 1 tablespoon of dip     
• 25 Soy Crips
• Kasha TLC Bar
• 15 Kellogg’s Special K Cracker Chips, Sea Salt, Cheddar, or Southwest Ranch
• 5 Reduced Fat Triscuits with 1 teaspoon Almond or Peanut Butter
• 1 Pack Special K Pastry Crips (various flavors)
• 1 cup Edamame beans
• 41 Gold Fish Baked Snack Crackers
• Skinny Cow No sugar added Fudge Bar or Blue Bunny brand
• Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie
• Nature Valle Dark Chocolate Granola Thins
• Weight Watchers Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bar
• 8 oz. Vanilla or Chocolate Almond Breeze Milk

That’s 15 delicious snack ideas! Visiting your Diabetes Education Center will reap many more snack ideas, along with lots of helpful information. What have you got to lose?

P.S.  Important Information:  NO FRUIT AT NIGHT!  I can’t believe I didn’t remember that. Obviously, it’s important NOT to eat fruit and other sugar-rich foods before bedtime.

REMEMBER:  Always check with your physician before making ANY changes to your Diabetic Treatment Plan.

 

 

Menus — On-the-Run, as well as At Home!

November 6, 2016

In a recent post, I let you know that I’d gone to a dietician at the Diabetes Education Center near my home. I said I’d post information that Maggie (Registered Dietetician and Certified Diabetes Educator) had given me, in terms of monitoring my food, choices, and alternatives. Balancing our blood glucose levels is imperative, and eating the right foods at the correct times will help T2D’s to do just that!

BREAKFAST is touted as being The Most Important Meal of the Day — NOT in my world!  I want it to be.  I recognize the importance, but I have some issues with it. I’ve got ISSUES!!!  🙂  🙂  🙂

• I’m allergic to eggs. That leaves out a LOT of recipes.
• I have a “thing” about the TEXTURE of some foods. Therefore, Oatmeal = I’d rather be shot!

That being said, Maggie helped me with some alternatives.  So that YOU get the full benefit of my appointment with her, I’m going to list ALL the choices (including the ones I won’t be eating).

First off, she gave me a brief list of some “At Home Menus” that contain 45-60 g of carb; less than 10 g fat; at least 8 g fiber. Perfect, right? O.K., take a look:

• Oatmeal, 1 cup cooked  (Hope YOU enjoy it!)
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 apple

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• 2 Kashi Go Lean Waffles
• 1 T. Light Margarine/Sugar-Free Syrup
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 8 oz. 1% milk

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• 2 egg whites OR 1/2 cup, Egg Beaters    (NO CAN DO, per allergist; but, that’s just me. YOU can feel free to dig in!)
• Low fat Sausage Links
• 2 slices whole wheat toast
• 1 T. Lite Margarine
• 1 small orange

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Here are some “On the Run Menus” for those of us who are on-the-run!  They contain 30-45 g carb!  All good so far!

• Cannon Lite n’ Fit Yogurt
• BelVita Breakfast Biscuit — mixed berry  (7 g. fat)

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Deli:

• 2 egg whites on Rye
• 1 cup fresh fruit (10 g. fat, 15 g carb.)
• Quaker Breakfast Flats (27 g. carbs)

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• Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich (egg, vegetable, Pepper Jack cheese)
• small fruit  (7 g. fat)

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• McD’s Egg McMuffin*
• Apple Slices                     

(12 g. fat)

* In my case, I can eliminate the egg and have the McMuffin with sausage and cheese!

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I have a mini-confession:  I NEVER eat margarine! Nope, I eat the real deal. Butter makes everything better.  🙂   The truth is, I eat VERY little of it — no big deal.

So, my fellow T2D’s that’s it for some of Maggie’s breakfast suggestions. Whether we’re eating AT HOME or ON-the-RUN, now we have NO excuse!  (Thanks, Maggie.)

I believe I promised a list of Maggie’s great snack ideas, too. That will be for another post. However, in an effort to encourage you to meet with a Dietician/Diabetes Educator in your area, I won’t be giving you the entire list. After all, I’m NOT Wiki-leaks!!!!!

 

REMEMBER:  Consult your physician before making ANY changes to you Diabetes Treatment Plan.

 

 

 

 

 

Nutrition Counseling with a Registered Dietitian– Defined as: One who is trained or expert in the field of food and nutrition and…

— who advises on matters of foods and their impact on one’s health. A registered dietitian promotes good health through proper eating. That’s what I need, I told myself, and off to The Diabetes Education Center I went!  I had an appointment with one of their dietitians and it was wonderful.

Diabetes is a disease and I needed/wanted a health specialist. It was an outstanding visit. (I’ve been there before, over the years; sometimes you just need a tune-up.  This was one of those times.)  I AM dedicated and determined, that’s for sure.

I’m trying desperately to get off the Metformin — and attempting to be realistic at the same time. Maggie, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, helped me step back into reality. Reviewing my file, she complimented me on my A1C and pointed out that we were having a conversation similar to some we’d had years ago, when I first started.  Oh NO!  

I have this (flawed) theory that less is better. In other words, less food (carbs, etc.) will help to keep me on track. Thus, I’m probably not eating enough!  Then, when hunger strikes, guess what happens?  

CRAVING ATTACKS!  She’s right, of course. That evil sugar beast  creeps into my head and won’t leave until I cave. An attack on my blood sugar levels!!! Ugh… If you’ve been there, you know what I mean.

We talked about alternatives that will help the cravings to subside (I still use my Grapefruit Oil, which provides laughs for my friends. But, guess what? It helps me! See post dated: Nov. 21, 2015). This was a suggestion from a friend and guru of all things alternative.

Maggie helped me sort out a multitude of food choices that will get/keep me on track. I’ll get back to you with a TON of information that she gave me; tomorrow, if possible.  But for now — it’s dinnertime, and I have to move on with some healthy choices.  🙂

Keep the faith, fellow T2D’s!  …and to Maggie, THANKS A MILLION!!!

IMPORTANT:  Check with your physician before making ANY changes to your diabetic treatment plan.

What’s on Your Plate?

Sunday, August 7, 2016

“PLATE” #1

Do you live for a buffet/smorgasbord dinner? NOOOOoooooo! My conscience screams, DON’T do it! If you have issues with portion control, that kind of dining can be a downfall.

I read a great article in Everyday Health. the title was, “Sizing Up Your Plate: Why Portion Control Matters.”

Everyday Health does a great job in its discussion of diabetes and this T2D “listens” very carefully when they “talk.”  D. Wolter-Nitta, RD, CDE, nutritionist and certified diabetes educator at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY, was quoted on the topic of portion control. For the Type 2 Diabetic, who may be overweight, losing some pounds can lead to better blood sugar control and “possibly” less need for medication. Some of the information noted in the article will be familiar to you and some will seem like common sense. I read everything diabetes related. Truth is, there’s always more to learn and, if nothing else, reading the info will put it in the forefront of my mind. Can’t hurt, right? Everyday Health noted that Jill Weisenberger, RD, CDE, and writer, out of Yorktown, VA, stressed that “not eating proper carbs at a meal can lead to higher or lower blood sugars,” and we know what that can produce. Problems.

She, along with others, had some good points:

• Weigh and Measure your food. LOL — right!  We’ll see about that.  🙂    Okay, I’ve never been thrilled with doing “the scale thing,” but she’s right. It’s really difficult to guess how much food is the right amount, and we know that portion control is imperative. That’s why…
• Visual Aids are so important! I was having difficulty awhile back in my T2D journey, and I went to a diabetes educator for help. I thought I had portion control down pat but was stunned to learn that the fact that I was eating apples the size of a softball didn’t make the grade. She tossed me a tennis ball and informed me that THIS was the size I should have been consuming. “Really?” I queried, while looking at the small ball that seemed to be lost in my hand. I realized that the difference in size meant that I was eating what would be considered two apples at each sitting. AAArrrggghhh! That explained my weight gain.                 By the way, when shopping for apples, TRUST ME, the ones that come packaged in the plastic bags are the size you should be eating.   It’s called SMALL! At first, I was saddened by the fact that my beloved apple snack had just shrunken to about one-third of its size.  Here’s what helped a LOT:  I sliced the apple into very thin slices — VERY thin!  During that same appointment, the Diabetes Educator shocked me into realizing that I’d been overeating just about everything — without even knowing it. She showed me a plastic hamburger to demonstrate the portion that we should be eating.  It seemed so small and alone on the plate — probably one-third of the size I’d been scoffing down. Next on her agenda was the “deck of cards” — another visual aid to slap me silly into “getting” the world of portion control.  WHAT??? How many of us eat a portion of chicken, fish or beef that takes up one-third to half of the dinner plate? Well, get a grip! The deck of cards it is.
• Read Food Labels!   Besides the obvious — carbs, protein, fiber, it’s important to check out the food labels for the SERVING SIZE.  You may be surprised to learn that a can or package contains more than one serving per person.
• Use Smaller Plates.  This is an easy one. Substitute a luncheon-sized plate for a regular dinner plate. This tricks your eye, because it looks like you have a lot of food on your plate when, in fact, your plate is smaller.    🙂
• Beverages. Again, read those labels. You may be surprised to see that the serving size information will force you to make a different decision. Drinking is the fastest way to get carbs into your system; therefore, for better blood glucose management, it’s better to eat your carbs than drink them.
• SNACK, SNACK, SNACK! Tim Harlan, M.D. and Medical Director of Tulane University Group in New Orleans, states (in Everyday Health) that snacking is important for the diabetic. He says that snacking “controls overeating, controls cravings, and keeps blood sugar stable.” MAKES SENSE!  🙂
• WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! Another common sense tip. Keeping a food log is important when managing blood glucose levels. Simply put, it keeps us on track and holds us accountable. Not a big deal.

    “PLATE” #2 — continued in next post — will focus on eating out and will include social events such as weddings!

So folks, WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE???