wholefoodnut's Journal, 12 August 2017

Whole non-processed foods are definitely the best. I've tried low carb but it's very difficult as a vegetarian and I didn't really enjoy it. I mainly count calories but I try to keep my starchy carbs low. I avoid bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc, but I do include a small amount in my diet, especially when I go out for meals. I probably sound a bit of a hipocrite as I'm always directing people to dietdoctor.com! I'm glad you're feeling better now on your new way of eating. 

I was just thinking this morning that, while I could certainly use to cut out some carbs (like sugar!), I could not sustain the low carb lifestyle. I am always looking to create a way of eating that I can maintain for life. It is definitely a work in progress, but that is the goal. Everyone has their own approach to our common challenge. I admire how you are meeting it. :) 

God bless your soul. I really think most people on FRIDAY are misguided for following the low carb diet. There is scientific proof that the low carb diet is no better than any other diet. I guess it differs individually. I'm pleased at how your taking charge of your health  

Everyone has to find their own path. There was a time when pure plant-based was best for me. Now, very much not. Ethics and water politics of meat sourcing is a challenge. Right now I'm making the choice to spend money there rather than elsewhere. Next year, maybe lentils and buckwheat? 

I have always respected your commitment to healthy living. You have found a way of life that fits your health goals, your lifestyle, and your ethics. You set a good example for the rest of us to do the research to see what fits for us.  

Finding what works for you is the key and not a fad diet. There are some basic truths that are starting to appear: eat whole foods, eat less processed food, stay away from Frankenfoods, eat more plant based foods, eat in moderation the sweets and lower the sugar and so on 

I've been mostly vegetarian for years. For the last two weeks I've been mostly vegan. I'm feeling great and finally losing the weight that I gained from being pregnant two years ago! I'm realizing that dairy just isn't very good for my digestive system. I do love cheese, but there's some yummy vegan alternatives out there. 

Not sustainable is code for I gave up. If you start going to the gym 5 days a week for a month and then stop, was going to the gym unsustainable? Does it mean that the gym was a fad? When you get fat again does that mean that exercising was only a temporary fix? We have to commit to life long changes. We can't go back to pur old habits and then blame then blame exercise for being unsustainable. Works the same way with LCHF. It is a way of life. I know the struggle. Lost 54 easily and felt amazing. Gained it back when I stopped being committed. Eating out, drinking like a sailor, and not prioritizing my physical and emotional health. I take full ownership for my shenanigans. Sustainable is what you male it. 

I support just about all ways of eating, I do take exception to programs that sell products or rely on some other form of "magic pill", like that human growth hormone thing I've seen people duped into. Reduction is really the key, whether that's a reduction of fat, protein, carbohydrate, or all three, you lose weight by consuming less than what you were. People with insulin and diabetic issues really need to restrict anything that spikes blood sugar, and it's a severe injustice that doctors don't explain what that really means to diabetics. Interestingly enough, diabetes is often co-morbid with obesity, fixing two problems at once is win-win.  

Agree with all of you, each has to find a way that fits your life and often your family's life. Sustainability is the key, yo-yo dieting is not healthy either are the "magic pills". I had to take a good long look at how I like to cook and eat and come up with a plan that worked for me. Granted it has been tweaked overtime as my tastes have expanded. I started with simply adding more vegetables, whole grains and decreasing the animal flesh I was eating on low carb and keeping calories to 1200 average per day over a week. Many of you know I'm a crazy eclectic cook who loves trying cuisines, flavors and ingredients from all over the world. My interest in eating all whole foods dates back to the early 70's. Large amounts of meat have as long as I remember upset my stomach and don't keep me satisfied for long. Low carb made me feel sick to my stomach all the time so even though I lost weight I felt awful and I was always hungry. Therefore not sustainable for me, though for others it is. On this journey I've gone further and further away from a WOE that depends on animal flesh for food. I've found that for me legumes, whole grains, veggies, and fruits keep me satisfied and feeling good. I no longer need the knee replacement I was headed for and no am no longer in daily constant pain. My blood work etc. proves it as does being able to maintain my weight. Interesting Phil that higher fiber including soluble fibers in plant foods has been proven to help stabilize blood sugar. Most docs have no nutrition training and the ADA recommendations are so influenced by large food processing companies that you can't rely on those either. It is a huge challenge to find a WOE that one can maintain.  

We are all different in what nourishes us best. For many though, modern foods have damaged our metabolisms. I have become so carbohydrate intolerant, that I just can't eat grains, potatoes, or sugar without huge insulin spikes that cause weight gain and mood swings. So low carb for me, for life - or perhaps until my metabolism is healed. I'm grateful that I have discovered how to eat delicious foods that make me increasingly healthier. Enjoy the journey! 

Erika, Agreed that modern processed foods have wrecked havoc on the modern American diet. If low carb is helping you, terrific. I can't do the "white" processed grains except occasionally rice and a hard wheat unbleached flour in a homemade bread now and then. Whole grains red, black or brown rice, whole cooked spelt, oats, wheat, kamut, rye, etc. Most processed carbs give me a horrible stomachache. I use a stone ground wheat in most of my breads, homemade not store bought breads. Most meats are loaded with chemicals from raising the animals, being sensitive to chemicals I have to be cautious about what I purchase. I now have chickens looking forward to organic eggs in the near future. Back to building my chicken coop.  

Phil, on the point about doctors and diabetes: I was shocked to find, recently, that the standard diet from the American Diabetes Association encourages 60g carbohydrate *per meal*! It lends credence to the claim of a conspiracy among scientists, manufacturers of anti-hyperglycemic medications, and the medical establishment. The fact that insulin, which was "discovered" in 1921, is *still* sold only under expensive brand names, instead of as a less-expensive generic, is a scandal. I'm fortunate to have excellent medical insurance but still pay $90 per calendar quarter for Humalog, Levemir, and and $105 every time I order test strips. (By law, Federal Employee Program health insurance beneficiaries are ineligible for subsidies or special pricing available from drug-and-medical-supplies manufacturers.) 

I meant "insurance companies" not "scientists," in the above comment. Sorry, scientists! 

Erikahollister, I've read that a sustained very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic regimen may eventually "heal" carbohydrate intolerance. The problem is that beta cells in the pancreas don't regenerate, permanently limiting the natural production of insulin and the capacity for metabolizing carbohydrate. Maybe someday, the pancreatic transplant will be available for worst-case diabetics. I'm sure, like me, many people would prefer the option of dietary restraint to the risks of major surgery. 

I'm not diabetic my blood sugars are low even after eating as I eat little simple carbs or processed foods. I have no idea what the current diabetes association guidelines are, their web site pushes their book, it seems. All carbs are not created equal especially in regards to how your body reacts to them, diabetic or not. There are complex carbs that do the body good from whole foods: vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds etc. Then there are simple carbs like refined sugars and flours that are the primary ingredients to most processed foods that if not already are turned instantly into glucose by one's body.  

I love this discussion and appreciate your post @ wholefoodnut ☺ I'm glad people doing Keto happily have found something they like. I could never and hopefully won't have to resort to it since I realized sooner that I could keep eating my way solidly into prediabetes if I didn't change what I was eating. I wanted to be a vegetarian or vegan at another point for reasons aside from nutrition but realized some meat in my diet works for me. I appreciate a whole food approach and have discovered " slow" carbs and generally much higher protein intake is balanced and 'do-able'. I'm trying also to help my 70+ yo mother with a meal plan for her morbid obesity. If she couldn't have a dropped egg on toast or a sweet potato she'd just go back to no plan at all-- she is not using FS. I can hardly believe she isn't diabetic but her numbers are ok. I think she thinks under 200g carbs IS Keto🙊 And the sodium solutions injected into meats is atrocious : up to 10% daily allowance ( yeah for a 2000 calorie diet !)  

You have to find what works for you! There are plenty of people that maintain on Keto but if it's not for you, then don't do it! :-) 

@Miraculum- they are actually experimenting in Britain right now and running trials for Type I diabetics with t-cell injections to stimulate the new creation of beta cells and it seems to be working. I just posted it to my FB feed a week or so ago. I'll see if I can find it to re-post. 

Wholefoodnut, there's no question that my old habit of mainlining simple sugars (e.g., refined baked goods, candy, ice cream, and other sweets) -- that will rear its ugly head from time to time and requires vigilance to ward off -- will spike my blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates that include fiber and fat are better tolerated since my diagnosis of diabetes, but I find that a limit of 75-100g per day keeps my body happy!