tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10358147576096197782024-03-08T01:08:38.601-06:00Reversing Diabetes- My Ketogenic Journey To Health!Highlights and experiments in my journey to battle and reverse Diabetes through a high fat, low carb ketogenic diet, exercise and attitude!Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-5293932033034616132017-02-18T20:15:00.001-06:002017-02-19T11:07:45.311-06:00Got Diabetes? Eat Cake! It seems to be unique to diabetes that it is a disease that is really not to be taken seriously. That is, of course, until it actually DOES get serious! Until then many diabetics and their families, their health service providers, dietitian's and the world in general is blind to the fact that this is a disease which has many serious consequences when ignored. <br />
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Diabetics themselves also tend to be in denial even in the first days and weeks of the scary diabetes diagnosis. Many don't want to use their meters (assuming that their doctor even suggested one). Rather than understanding that life is going to have to be different now many question how they can continue to eat as they always did by "just cutting back a little bit" and take the medications. That may go okay for a while but it won't make diabetes get better or go away. Diabetes is not simply a broken bone! <br />
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Society doesn't help. Diabetics get shamed into eating as if they are not diabetic. They are told "One plate of ice cream and cake won't hurt you!" or "One donut isn't going to kill you! Enjoy it! This is a party!" or they may resort to something even more shaming like "Isn't the food I'm serving good enough for you?" <br />
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I sometimes hear people say "Just take an extra pill." or "Can't you just go on insulin?" That is easy for them to say since they have not been diagnosed and don't have to give themselves a shot! I have seen some of my diabetic family members load up their plates with rolls and potatoes with gravy, pizza, juice and dessert and saying "I can eat anything I want! I just take my pill and I'm not worried about it" as they throw their head back in a good ole laugh! <br />
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Think about other diseases or conditions that have perhaps less life threatening consequences but are actually taken seriously! When someone says "My cholesterol is high so I have to skip the butter" no one says "Oh come on! You only live once!" No, in fact everyone in the room will nod their approval. Someone who says that their Gerd or heartburn will act up if they eat a bowl of chili seems to be very much understood. A person who has had a previous stroke is usually taken very seriously by their family, friends and co-workers. They don't tell the former stroke victim not to be worried about it happening again. <br />
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Grocery products are very careful to note on packaging that something is gluten free so as not to make someone who is sensitive sick. Packages will say clearly that a product is made in a factory that may have also handled nuts in order to warn those with a peanut allergy that the product may cause them harm. <br />
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Hospitals are notorious for not taking diabetics carbohydrate intolerance into consideration. They treat diabetics as though they actually need more carbs and sugar than normal people do! Even if the diabetic is in the hospital for a foot amputation a glucose drip is given along with plates full of bread, fruit, milk and juices. If the diabetic patient complains the nurse just purses her lips and says "Don't worry honey! We have insulin for you!" <br />
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What is the answer to the way that the diabetes epidemic is not being taken seriously by society? What is the answer to the way that diabetics are told that there is nothing you can do to get better?<br />
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The tide is changing a bit. There are more doctors and nurses and other health care providers who have recognized that Diabetes does in fact have very dangerous consequences that can end up shortening lives by years. <br />
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It is interesting that a large number of the health practitioners who have come around to a low carb way of eating are also the health practitioners who handle the most severe complications of the disease. Those who are dealing with the kidney disease, the eye disease and those who have done hundreds of amputations in their practice. They see the patients who are finally succumbing to the end stages of the disease when changing to a low carb diet would have probably kept the patient from being in their offices'. <br />
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While it seems impossible to change those who make the guidelines that diabetics are told to follow we now have the impact of social media and diabetics are beginning to actually question their physicians and diabetes educators bringing them studies and books to show what they have learned. <br />
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It is sad that I see so many diabetics talk about how they have actually been shamed by their diabetes educator for actually trying to get well! Some doctors even "fire" their patients for refusing to eat a high carb diet! "It's progressive. There is nothing you can do to stop it and you are going to need insulin! That's just the way it is and you need to accept it!" <br />
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So, LET US EAT CAKE! (not!) <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=revdiamyketjo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0964711613&asins=0964711613&linkId=f74da0316a31debe050ad40e8d1b13ce&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-43605432307268379962016-12-27T09:30:00.000-06:002016-12-27T12:42:00.463-06:00Does Your Relationship With Food Define You? <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bda8v" data-offset-key="fcei3-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="fcei3-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The new year is coming upon us! Yes, resolution time again! The gym memberships will surge, Weight Watchers will advertise their specials and many will once again for the umpteenth time try to adhere to a diet and exercise program.
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Again at this time of the new year I would like to address our "self talk" and beyond that a person's belief in "self hate" or "self loathing". This is often the recipe for failure.
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Food and your relationship with food does not make you a good or bad person. Whether you are overweight or not does not dictate your goodness or worthiness for living. Yet, many tell themselves this exact lie! Do you?
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you try and you fail do you consider that this is human and the success lies in pulling yourself up and starting over again? Or when you fail do you tell yourself that you are never going to be anything but a failure and that you are not even WORTHY of success SO "I might as well just give up!"
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which one are you? Can you change? Yes you can change! There is no failure if you keep getting up and get going!
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was once a man who failed over and over again. Abe Lincoln, one of the most loved and respected presidents in the U.S.
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A common list of the failures of Abraham Lincoln (along with a few successes) is:
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1831 - Lost his job
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1832 - Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1833 - Failed in business
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1834 - Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1835 - Sweetheart died
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1836 - Had nervous breakdown
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1838 - Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1843 - Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1846 - Elected to Congress (success)
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1848 - Lost re-nomination
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1849 - Rejected for land officer position
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1854 - Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1856 - Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1858 - Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1860 - Elected President (success)
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Don't let the bad thoughts you have heard in your own head dictate how you will respond to the food that is around you! You always get to choose whether you try, don't try, try harder, or whatever. It's not a reflection on your personal character.
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I don't believe any of us are perfect 24/7 ! We were not/are not perfect parents either but we didn't quit! It's too important! So don't quit! Your health is too important! If you mess up go do it again! Stop telling yourself that you are a bad person! Don't let anyone else tell you that either!
Don't make a resolution that you will not keep! Make a detailed written plan that you can keep! Then tell yourself that you can do it and that you are not a failure! </span></div>
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-405729128603419282016-11-27T23:07:00.000-06:002016-11-27T23:09:34.154-06:00Are You Sabotaging Your Success? <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="c4ba5" data-offset-key="2kto4-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="2kto4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Years ago I read a book that changed who I am. It was a book about how our own "self talk" makes us succeed or fail in many ways. The book taught me to examine what I was saying in my own head to be unsuccessful. In my case in my young adult life at the time I had very low self esteem and experienced panic attacks in groups. The book told me to pay attention to what I was telling myself at those times and to write it down. I began to see a pattern of how I told myself how worthless and unimportant I was. I even thought that people were laughing about me. I mean how silly to think that anyone was that concerned about ME! </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="d80gg-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">At the time I was also probably at my highest weight and was eating to sooth myself. This was something that I didn't recognize was tied to my dislike of myself and my fear of others. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="eefsj-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">It was my self talk that affected my eating patterns. It was not just what I told myself about food, it was also what I told myself about my lack of self control. I gave myself reasons to be out of control. I told myself why I couldn't succeed.
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Once I started listening to my "self talk" and writing it down I realized that I was sabotaging my own life! I was bullying myself! It is bad enough to be bullied by others but it is worse to bully yourself into failure! </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3i95a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I write this because it applies to "lack of self control" or "failure" in changing diet, walking away from the cake, closing the refrigerator door, putting the junk food item back on the shelf and in many more ways that we tell ourselves "why I can't do this"! </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ca4qs-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">How does this apply to reversing diabetes? It applies because it is our "self talk" that makes us give up. It is our "self talk" that makes us believe that we can't do this. We tell our self that "it isn't fair", we tell our self that "I just can't give this up". We tell our self that "I have no control". </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2848h-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">So listen to your self talk. Write it down just as you are thinking it! I bet you do not even realize what you are saying about yourself until you listen and write it down. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="banvp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">In the book I read called <a href="http://amzn.to/2gwV31V" target="_blank">"Telling Yourself The Truth" by Author's William Backus and Marie Chapian </a>there are chapters called "Misbelief in Self Talk", "Misbelief in Lack of Self Control" and another called "Misbelief in the Fear of Change".</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2i6u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There are many more misbeliefs that we tell ourselves that can make us unable to stop the cycle of bullying ourselves and making us feel that we can not succeed, but we can succeed! So get a pen and paper and start journaling what you are telling yourself. You may be very surprised to discover what your inner bully is telling you! <span style="font-size: 12px;">
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-2717155095053598292016-03-25T22:48:00.000-05:002017-03-09T12:56:09.862-06:00The Magic OF Ketosis! <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides lowering blood sugar what does the LCHF ketogenic diet do for you and why is the side benefit often weight loss? There is a really good explanation of this as I have experienced in my own life while eating this way since December of 2012. </span>
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I first started eating this way I did start out eating 3 meals a day and even a snack at night. Sometimes I did just skip breakfast though or just had breakfast for lunch. Still, I ate kind of as we were taught to eat trying not to skip too many meals. </span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As months went by things changed. I didn't need to eat for many hours after waking up and in some cases literally just "forgot" to eat. I had my <a href="https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/" target="_blank">Bulletproof Coffee</a> in the morning and it kept me going until 1 or 2 PM. When I finally was hungry I ate my 75-80% fatty meal keeping my carbs low and my protein moderate like the size of my inside palm. As a diabetic large amounts of protein can be problematic as they can convert to glucose or glycogen that may increase blood glucose later. </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As time went on I was even less hungry and went even longer between meals. Sometimes as long as 22 hours naturally. So even though I was eating high fat meals I was burning body fat. You can easily understand the reason. I stopped eating! I was fasting! I didn't think of it as fasting though. Not at all. I just followed my body's natural desire to eat or not eat. It really is a simple concept! </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biochemistry isn't so simple though. I am not a biochemist and I'm not going to pretend to be one but here are the basics.</span>
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eating less often naturally lowers your insulin levels. Eating moderate protein also keeps insulin levels lower than eating a 12 ounce steak. Of course if I only ate one meal in 24 hours I could certainly take in a larger protein portion because for the next 23 or more hours of not eating my insulin will be low during that time. Don't get me wrong here! I am not telling you that you have to fast. I am telling you that eventually you just will end up doing it and you won't even think about it in that way! That is part of the magic!
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The magic of the lowered insulin levels is that fat burning begins! Fat stores that have been unable to be utilized now can be released. There is no additional fat being stored from your diet because you are not overeating carbs, proteins or even fat. You are eating just enough! Your body perceives you in a fasted state (low insulin) and begins to use the body fat. This is a natural thing. It is just like the tribes who hunted but didn't get their kill for a few days. Did they lose their energy? Were they unable to continue to hunt because they needed food! No, not at all! They burned their body fat as naturally designed to do. </span>
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We have done it for thousands of years. Only in the last 35 years have we been taught to eat our 3 meals and 2 snacks. What has that accomplished?
The LCHF ketogenic diet is best for blood sugar, it's best for health and it seems to be the best for weight loss because you keep your insulin low and the reality is that it seems to lead to naturally just plain eating less food!
So is a LCHF diet a super high fat diet? No it is not at all! Not when you become fat adapted and are not eating your 3 meals and 2 snacks! You are now burning body fat instead because you don't need to eat 24/7. You will be reversing high blood sugar and reducing meds. This is the best gift of all!
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-50222769140885088202016-02-22T14:10:00.002-06:002016-02-22T17:16:18.226-06:00Out of Ketosis- A Blood Sugar Dilemma For more than three years I have been on a LCHF Ketogenic diet to manage my type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. I began the Ketogenic diet in Dec. 2012 after reading Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek's book "<a href="http://amzn.to/1Qu7HFw" target="_blank">The Art and Science of Ketogenic Living</a>". That was a light bulb moment for me. I went LCHF and never turned back. I had been eating a low carb diet but not LCHF prior to this. <br />
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I saw fantastic results of normal blood sugar in the first 48-60 hours. I went from post meal blood sugars of 135-140 to post meal blood sugar readings of under 115. At the same time my fasting blood sugar went from 110 to 85-90! It was a very exciting experience to achieve this control! <br />
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Something happened this past week that took me back to my past life. It was another reminder of how small and very short term changes in diet can quickly show unintended consequences. I have never been in the dark about this and have told others many times how such seemingly small things have an impact for days or even weeks. My five day vacation trip this past week gave me a reason to write this blog post.<br />
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I knew that this trip was going to be my biggest travel challenge. Las Vegas resort casino's do everything possible to keep you eating in their restaurants. They do what they can to keep you from making or keeping any perishable food in your room. They purposely do not provide microwaves or mini refrigerators or any conveniences that may help you avoid eating in the restaurants.<br />
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I went armed to beat them at their game! I packed nuts, cheese, hard boiled eggs and tuna for breakfasts and snacks. I brought coconut oil and olive oil too. I was ready, so I thought! My meter told me something else over the 4-5 days.<br />
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I still had to eat out in restaurants. I was after all, on vacation! Part of vacation is enjoying some excellent food and shows, etc. I chose the restaurants carefully. Most had their menus posted outside so I could see what would work for me. What I was not prepared for was the portion sizes of all of the meals and how to deal with the emotional side of the thought of throwing away food that we paid good money for. This, in the end, was the issue that led to my highest blood sugar readings in three years. <br />
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Steaks and burgers all were at least 8 ounce portions everywhere we went. I am used to limiting protein portions to less than 3 ounces a meal. Often, I asked them to sub a vegetable in place of the potato but then a salad was also served on the side. Night one my husband and I ate in a restaurant in our hotel for convenience. We both ate an 8 oz rib-eye steak dinner with a vegetable side. I requested an additional side of butter for my steak. I knew this 8 oz steak was too large a portion but the fact that we were spending nearly $30.00 a person really got into my head. This is the emotional part of it that I was referring to! The thought that I could not use a take out box and it would be thrown out bothered me. <br />
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On day two I woke up to my first over 90 fasting blood sugar reading in a long time. It wasn't too serious but I am normally pretty close to a 74 fasting number every day. <br />
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Each day of eating the large portion sizes of meat and vegetables were taking their toll. I could also taste the addition of sugar in vegetables and sauces used on the sides and in the dressings. We also ate two buffet meals along the way. It is difficult to take a plate with only one small piece of meat. I wanted to take a meatball, a peice of chicken thigh, and a small peice of ham too! The price of the meals again got to my head. My husband thought that I was not eating much considering the prices of the buffets.<br />
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For the sake of keeping this blog post as short as possible I'm not going to go into a complete breakdown of all of my meals and choices. I did the best I could to choose wisely but It wasn't a controlled environment like my diet is at home. Stressing out over restaurant foods while on vacation wouldn't have been helpful to me or my partner either.<br />
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So the bad and the ugly of this is that my blood sugar readings in just 2-3 days time were back up to the blood sugar control that I had experienced prior to changing to the ketogenic diet in Dec. 2012. My fasting number on the final morning there was up to 103 and my post meal numbers were up to 130. I was checking my readings before bed and they were in the 115-125 range when they should have been below 95 at that time. Within 3 days I was out of ketosis and back to diabetic blood sugar readings averaging 25-30 points higher than my usual averages over the past 3 years. I was surprised at how quickly my body went back to these higher numbers. <br />
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My experience this past week just goes to show how quickly daily mistakes in food and portion choices can lead to the loss of blood sugar control. It also helped me to understand once again that this dietary approach isn't an easy path. Small mistakes can make the difference between tight blood sugar control or roller coaster control. <br />
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I am glad to see my blood sugar control coming back to normal now after eating my usual meals here at home in the past two days. My fasting reading this morning was 83 so I expect to be back to my usual blood sugar control by tomorrow.<br />
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I hope that this helps others who may be questioning why the Ketogenic diet doesn't seem to be working for them. When I ask people to show me their daily menus or meals it is portion sizes of protein or vegetables and sometimes it is both. The other issue is that the meals need to provide enough fat in order to be ketogenic. It can't just be low carb, it must also be high fat. <br />
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See my daily menu samples <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1U4qilB3SRyflVZTmF2bFN3X012UWdEMUMydWplVFBiR1REUzBtcm1OemN3LWJCRjd3U2M&usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </b>Sample pictures of portion sizes are<b> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130174513@N05/sets/72157649051793733/" target="_blank">here</a>. </b><br />
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For diabetics managing blood sugar and insulin levels we need to meet the targets of 75-80% fat, 15-20% protein and 5% non-starchy carbs.<br />
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<i>I am a type 2 diabetic who blogs about my personal journey and observations while choosing a ketogenic dietary approach. I am not a scientist or a physician. What you read here is not to be taken as medical advice. </i><br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-75273838322605496252016-01-18T15:13:00.000-06:002016-04-16T20:20:15.432-05:00The Life Of A Compliant Diabetic- Do The Math<head>
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Most of us are aware of the ADA guidelines for carbohydrate consumption for diabetics. We come across these all over the place; online, at the diabetes education classes, at the docs office and on facebook groups too.<br />
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The daily carb intake for male diabetics recommended by the American Diabetes Association varies between 135 and 180 grams for your three basic meals along with up to 60 to 90 grams of extra carbohydrates at snack time. Your daily recommended carb intake could therefore vary between 135 grams a day if you don't snack up to 270 grams a day. In many cases I've seen dietitians allow up to 60 grams of carbs a meal.<br />
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Let’s just use the 45 grams a meal and 25 grams of carbs at 2 snacks and the recommended 3 meals and 2 snacks scenario that most diabetics are told to stick to. Get a picture in your head to start off with.<br />
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4 grams of carbs in any form, sugar, rice, bread etc. is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Our bodies can handle at most 1-2 tsp of sugar at ANY time! Keep this picture in mind. <br />
4 gr carbs= 1 tsp sugar.<br />
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If we take Dr. Bernstein's math from his book <a href="http://amzn.to/1OsPyKf" target="_blank">"The Diabetes Solution"</a> 1 gram of carbs raises blood sugar by about 5 points.<br />
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Barney, our patient in this scenario was given the standard ADA advice that he needs 45 grams of carbs for breakfast. Barney's blood sugar before breakfast is 120. This is a common number for many diabetics in the morning. <br />
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For breakfast he eats 45 grams of carbs; a bowl of Special K with some sugar, toast with margarine and a glass of skim milk. Within 30-45 minutes his blood sugar will rise and continue to rise over several hours.
45 X 5 = 225 <br />
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That isn't all! Barney started with a blood sugar of 120 and he is still making insulin to try to get the original high blood sugar down. Now he has added 11 teaspoons of sugar to his bloodstream and his blood sugar rises to 350 (19.5 mmol/l). Remember our blood stream can only handle 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. This is an emergency! The pancreas pushes out massive loads of insulin! The insulin gets the glucose out of the blood and tells Barney's fat cells to store all of the extra sugar in the fat cells.
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Barney took his pill so that he can make more insulin to help get his blood sugar down. 2 ½ hours later his blood sugar is 200. (11.1 mmol/l) He is already starving and it is time for his work break and his snack. He eats a large apple and 2 pieces of string cheese at 25 grams of carbs. His blood sugar rises by an additional 100 points and once again the pancreas must work hard to make insulin and try to get rid of an additional 6 teaspoons of sugar in his blood. <br />
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After break, Barney feels sluggish and thirsty. He remains hungry and is thinking about lunch already. Lunch comes two hours later! Since Barney is following his dietitian's guidelines to the letter he has his low fat turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. That is pretty much his 45 grams of carbs allowed for a meal. He has a diet Coke and a piece of string cheese on the side.<br />
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He doesn’t take another blood sugar reading at this time but we can figure that it is still high from his earlier snack. Now the math again is 45 X 5 = 225. Barney takes his pancreas stimulating medication again at lunch to help get his blood sugar down. With his earlier snack and a high blood sugar that was never able to come down due to the snack earlier Barney’s blood sugar never goes below 200 on this day.<br />
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At 3:00 Barney can’t wait for his snack! He is starving! He checked his blood sugar and it was down to 180 since lunch. That is in the range that his doctor says is okay so he heats up one bag of microwave low fat popcorn. He eats the whole bag at 23 grams of carbs. 23 grams of carbs X 5 = 115 added to the 180 reading he just had is going to drive blood sugar up to about 300 (16.7 mmol/l) He doesn’t take any medications at snack times.<br />
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After work Barney makes a quick trip through Wendy’s for a regular sized grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and a packet of the low fat ranch salad dressing. He also ordered an extra large Diet Coke because he is so thirsty. This is his 45 gram carb meal. At home he checks his blood sugar and takes his diabetes pill that will help his pancreas to flood his blood with insulin. His blood sugar reading is 195 at the start of his meal tonight. He shrugs because this is just the reality of his life with diabetes.<br />
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Again the 45 grams of carbs is equal to a blood sugar rise of 225 and he has put more than 11 teaspoons of additional sugar in his blood stream by eating this meal. His pre-meal reading was<br />
195 so adding another 225 points will get him up to a reading of over 400. It's a good thing he has his diabetes pill because that will once again help make a lot more insulin to try to reduce the blood sugar. <br />
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Barney is hungry again but he is afraid to snack. His post meal number was just too high and his doctor has told him not to eat after supper unless his blood sugar goes low. At the end of the day, Barney takes his 1500 mg metformin pill and goes to bed with a blood sugar reading of 260 (14.4 mmol). <br />
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This is a day in Barney’s life that repeats over and over again because no one has taught Barney the diabetes math. Barney is a compliant diabetic. He follows all of the rules given to him by his diabetes educator. He doesn’t cheat although he would love to have chips with his lunch or fries with his burger sometimes because he is always so hungry eating the low fat diet. <br />
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Not too many people eating a diet like this would be able to avoid the carby sides that Barney has worked very hard to try to avoid. This poor man just has no idea to help his diabetes. He is becoming more and more upset and thinks about his grandchildren and wonders how much time he will have left with them. <br />
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It is my hope that Barney, like so many of you, will find the LCHF Ketogenic diet like I and many others have. Learn the diabetic math and have the beginning of a new life. I hope this helps many of you understand the blood sugar roller coaster as Dr Bernstein calls it.</head>Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-50303515330554378252015-12-28T19:20:00.000-06:002015-12-28T20:16:10.260-06:00Resolutions Are Not Results<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CV11VZCVerg/VoHSRqN-0RI/AAAAAAAAAak/Dd7OJabU4s0/s1600/new-year-resolutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CV11VZCVerg/VoHSRqN-0RI/AAAAAAAAAak/Dd7OJabU4s0/s320/new-year-resolutions.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's that time of year once again for "the New Years resolution". Have you come up with one? Are you mulling it over? Do you even remember last years resolution at all? Perhaps you are only reminded by the monthly gym membership that you are still paying? Do you remember what the gym looked like 9 months ago? <br />
If you have a resolution do you have a plan? Remember that a resolution does not equal success or results. A resolution is a decision based on determination. If you lack determination then you will not be able to follow through with your New Year's resolution. You are just going through the motions.<br />
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To make a true change you have to recognize that you have to change a habit or habits. In something like quitting smoking most past smokers will tell you that the hardest part of quitting smoking was not the withdrawal. Yes that is definitely very difficult. Most who successfully have quit will remember that it was the habits that went along with the cigarette that was the hardest to overcome. The first cigarette in the bathroom after the alarm goes off, the one in the car on the way to work, the one on your 10 minute break, the after dinner cigarette. What do you do now on that 10 minute break? How do you change your habits during these times so you don't break down and ask a co-worker for a cigarette which is the beginning of the failure once again?<br />
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Habits are so hard to change! That is why it seems to be harder to change something in your life that consists of multiple habits. Changing one small habit is fairly easy. An example of this might be a resolution to go to bed 45 minutes earlier each night or wake up 45 minutes earlier. This is one habit that done over about a full week will most likely be very successful. Also, deciding to walk one extra mile when you already walk four miles will be easily achieved. <br />
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So, lets take this idea and apply it to a difficult resolution that involves a lot of habits. Apply it to a resolution to change to a LCHF Ketogenic diet. This year you resolve that you want to be really committed and make it your lifestyle and you are going to stop eating the wrong snacks. What habits will need to be changed? Each eating habit you have can be a stumbling block so they each need to be addressed seriously and separately. Here are some examples you may want to consider:<br />
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Eating on the run or in the car<br />
Eating too late because you have to get the kids ready first<br />
Munching on the kids or spouses foods while you prepare their meals<br />
Taking bars or shakes to work for breaks<br />
Eating fast food lunches<br />
Eating while watching TV<br />
Eating based on your emotions<br />
Keeping high carb foods in the house for the family that you seem unable to avoid yourself.<br />
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There are many more food "habits" that could be listed but you get the idea. Do you see from this list why changing eating habits may be just as difficult as quitting smoking? <br />
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Once you identify your habits you have to find a solution. Will you be successful if all of these habits are changed at once? That certainly looks like a fail when you look at the entire list! You have to create a solution for each one of these habits. The first two on the above list may be solved first by changing a small habit first; that habit would be to change the time that you wake up. Change that habit and perhaps you can find time to prepare a healthy food rather than grab an unhealthy food. Let's face it, you are not eating scrambled eggs in the car.<br />
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Another habit that can be changed that is a more simple habit would be to set aside a day and a time once or twice a week to prepare take along foods for breaks and lunches. Changing this habit helps to solve the problem of eating at fast food joints and instead of shakes or protein bars you will enjoy turkey cheese roll-ups, hard boiled or deviled eggs, chicken or tuna salads and the like. Resolve that Sunday afternoon for one hour is going to be a food prep time and make that a habit.<br />
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Emotional eating or eating while watching TV are difficult habits to break. Recognizing it is a key to working on the reasons. In the mean time make sure that you make a habit to make better snack choices while at the grocery store and use some of your prep time to give yourself these extra snacks for these emotional eating times.<br />
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Instead of grabbing your kids bag of chips, have some turkey and cream cheese roll-ups waiting in the refrigerator or have some of your home made <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LCHF.ketogenic.recipes/photos/pb.161135030633095.-2207520000.1451338142./830513453695246/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">"cheese nachos"</a> and sour cream ready to munch on. Have some <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LCHF.ketogenic.recipes/photos/pb.161135030633095.-2207520000.1451338128./905040442909213/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">"salami jalapeno roll-ups"</a> during your usual TV watching snack time. All of these things can be made and placed into containers or zip lock bags.<br />
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So, here are two basic changes that can potentually solve the 8 eating habit issues that are going to be quite hard to change all at once. It is much easier to make the two new habits work than to try to change the others.<br />
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Don't make the mistake of making a resolution that creates even more chaos in your habit filled life! If you resolve to both diet and exercise to change your couch potato lifestyle you have doubled the number of habits that will need to be addressed! Think about that! Is it any wonder that the gym membership card has been gathering dust on your dresser?<br />
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Again, we want results not just resolutions. Of course make your resolution but also resolve to get results; not in the way you tried to get results in the past but by trying a new way! Think it through. What can you do to create NEW habits that will bring the results you want to achieve?<br />
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</div>Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-21733684029432544752015-12-07T15:17:00.001-06:002016-02-06T12:51:41.804-06:00The Failed Food Policy ExperimentWhen I was a kid growing up in the 1950's-1970's I remember being told not to eat snacks because it would "spoil" my next meal. This was a pretty universal thought from what I remember.<br />
In the late 70's and early 80's this all changed right along side the newly released dietary guidelines that had not existed before that era.<br />
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Now anybody here who grew up in the 80's or later "knows" that we are supposed to eat three meals and 2-3 snacks a day to keep our blood sugar "stable" and keep our brain and body from experiencing low energy. That is what just about every dietitian, physician or dietary aide will tell you. They will also tell you that skipping a meal or not eating breakfast will "slow your metabolism and make you gain more weight". Well how has this all worked out for the last 35 years? It seems that is has worked out poorly indeed! Because these guidelines to eat all the time came along at about the same time as the published dietary guidelines and the war on saturated fat it is difficult to know which dietary change is the worst culprit here. I'm going to focus here on the 5 meals a day idea only at this time. <br />
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Why would eating five or six "small" meals a day be a problem? The first thing seems obvious and that is that most people aren't following the "small" meal part of the advice. That in itself is a fail! <br />
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Next, Let’s look at the process of what happens when you eat a meal. I'm not going to go into great detail as I am not a biochemist. At the start of the meal, in the mouth, digestion begins. Enzymes are release to begin the breakdown of starches and sugars. At the same time a signal is sent to the brain. The brain signals that you are eating and the hormones and enzymes are released to process the meal.<br />
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Let’s just focus here on insulin and let’s assume that the person eating is not a diabetic. Insulin levels rise and fall in with food consumption. In the standard diet the meal is normally a high carb meal. The hormone insulin is known as the energy storing hormone. This means that the meal causes your body to release insulin. If it is a really high carb meal and blood sugar is still rising after a half hour or so, a second round of insulin is needed and your body will continue to release insulin until the blood sugar is back to normal levels. <br />
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In a non-diabetic person this should happen in less than an 1 1/2 hours or so. Insulin then comes back down to baseline and some new insulin is stored for the next meal. In two hours you are now eating again at your morning coffee break. This process begins again. So this is normal right? Why is this a problem and why does it contribute to obesity? <br />
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Insulin has several jobs. Number one is to store excess carbs and sugar as fat and secondly to tell the cells not to release any fat. Blood sugar management is not it's primary job. Insulin has several jobs. Number one is to store excess carbs and sugar as fat and secondly to tell the cells not to release any fat. Blood sugar management is not it's primary job. Your body will NOT release fatty acids from your fat cells, and will instead encourage your body to store fat.<br />
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This will happen at each meal and snack you eat. It means that you are storing fat all day long. Even eating a low calorie, low fat diet isn't going to do much good for weight loss as long as meals are going to be eaten every few hours. The only time insulin is going to stabilize is when you are sleeping. Most people have noticed that dieting this way just doesn't seem to work out very well.<br />
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Now if we go back to the old idea that snacking between meals is not a good idea we should be better off as far as insulin goes. We may have some fat loss between meals once insulin levels are low. This works even better if we eat a low carb diet because insulin levels come down even faster and we don't need as much to deal with the meal. <br />
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What if we go to eating only twice a day with 6-7 hours between eating low carb meals; something no mainstream dietician is ever going to recommend? Would this be a fat burning scenario? It should be! It may not be the same once a person has metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. Things get more complicated and weight loss may still be difficult for a person in this situation. <br />
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Here is the problem we face with the dietary guidelines that we have learned to follow. Most adults do become insulin resistant because of the standard American diet and the pounds begin to add up. This is even more reason to leave longer periods between meals. Insulin will have to stay high longer to deal with the insulin resistance and blood sugar problem. It will take much longer to go back to base line. All of this time you are storing fat and not losing it.<br />
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So the next time that your dietician, diabetes educator, or doctor tells you to eat several high carb meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar stable remember that you don't have to be part of the failed 35 year dietary experiment any longer! <br />
<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-38860788283356353902015-11-08T23:40:00.000-06:002015-11-09T15:29:00.346-06:00How To Handle The Holidays With Confidence<div>
We are coming to the time of year that causes the greatest food temptations and the potential for overeating for everyone! For diabetics though giving in to those temptations doesn't only mean some weight gain to shake off after the holidays but it can lead to high blood sugars, guilt, shame, self pity and even depression. Not only that but "well meaning" relatives and friends tell you to relax and enjoy the holidays by eating the stuffing and pumpkin pie. This can also cause you to feel anger because they seem to be unconcerned about your health or are not listening to you. <br />
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Most of us have experienced this. I know that I certainly have. Here are some tips to help you survive the holiday parties. </div>
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Bring a favorite dish and make it low carb. Don't ask if you can bring a dish. Just bring it! An example would be a low carb version of <a href="http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/dotties_green_bean_casserole.html" target="_blank">Green Been Casserole</a>, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/load-cauliflower-bake-52798831" target="_blank">Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower</a>, a <a href="http://dietaryglycemicindex.com/2013/08/08/atkins-diet-recipes-low-carb-7-layer-salad-if/" target="_blank">Seven Layer Salad</a> or a <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cobb-salad/" target="_blank">Cobb Salad</a>. Fill your plate with the meat and your sides and whatever else you can find that fit's in your eating plan. If you are the one cooking the main meal you will have much more control over the meal and snacks and can choose to make things like a <a href="http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/4806/low-carb-stuffings-for-thanksgiving-and-christmas" target="_blank">Low Carb Stuffing</a> and serve both a cauliflower mash and mashed potatoes.<br />
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For parties where snacks will be served bring a platter of assorted cheeses and bite sized beef sticks, Deviled Eggs or a veggies platter with a <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/vegetable-dip" target="_blank">Cream Cheese Dip</a> or a <a href="http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/spinachdip.htm" target="_blank">Spinach Dip</a> are other ideas. While everyone is filling their snack plates with crackers and nachos you will fit right in by adding the cheese, beef bites and veggies and dip to your plate. You will not feel at all left out this way and you won't feel hungry either.<br />
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Make a <a href="http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/pumpkin_custard.html" target="_blank">Low Carb Pumpkin Custard</a> or a low carb <a href="http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/raspberryfool.htm" target="_blank">Raspberry Parfait</a> to eat when you get home and remind yourself that it is going to be there when you get home. <br />
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As for dealing with the pressure of dessert time someone gave me a really great tip and she swears it works perfectly! Take a small piece of pie and chop a small piece from it with your fork and move it to the side of the plate. During conversation stab at the pie a few times and put your fork down in between. If you have a partner then finally just push the plate over to him/her and say that you are just "stuffed" and can't eat another bite. If there is no one to pass it to then just get up from the table and stab at the dessert while walking into the kitchen. Set the dessert down and leave it there. This only will work if you really can "walk away" from the pie! Remind yourself that your low carb dessert is at home! <br />
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Alcoholic beverages are also part of this time of year so if you do choose to indulge choose wisely! A vodka or gin with club soda or seltzer and a lime slice would be a good choice or a dry red wine if you like the taste. A glass of dry white sparkling Champagne is also a low carb choice. Alcohol can lower blood sugar so do keep that in mind. See more about <a href="http://lowcarbediem.com/low-carb-vice-improving-your-diet-with-alcohol/" target="_blank">alcohol choices here</a>.<br />
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So you see that you can survive the holiday parties with just a few low carb tricks up your sleeves and friends and family will barely notice. You will be full and happy and you will be able to enjoy family and friends without feeling shame, guilt or anger. You will instead feel very very proud of yourself! <br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-84180853588559401202015-08-22T17:14:00.000-05:002015-08-22T17:14:54.110-05:00Low Blood Sugar Protection for Insulin Dependent Diabetics - Ellen Davis of the Ketogenic Diet Resource<br />I want to thank my friend Ellen Davis for addressing the ketogenic diet for use in insulin dependant diabetics. This is not an area of expertise for me so I am thankful that she has agreed to post here!<br />
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I use her wonderful websites often. She does fantastic work and is extremely knowledgeable. She has written a book for type 2 diabetics and just finished another one for the type 1 diabetic.<br /><br />On to Ellen's post! <br /><br />
<h2>
<u>The Ketogenic Diet: Low Blood Sugar Protection for Insulin Dependent Diabetics</u></h2>
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Diabetes, as the readers of this blog probably know, is
a group of diseases in which high levels of glucose or sugar build up in a
person’s bloodstream because insulin, a pancreatic hormone which manages blood
sugar, is either not available (type 1 diabetes), or is not working correctly (type
2 diabetes). </div>
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Some people tend to underestimate the implications of a
diabetes diagnosis, but make no mistake, diabetes is a deadly disease. When high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) goes uncontrolled,
diabetics can suffer from a range of serious complications including loss of
eyesight, limb amputations, kidney failure, heart disease and death. And while high blood sugar is damaging,
there’s an even more immediate health risk associated with low blood sugar
(hypoglycemia). </div>
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For those with type 1 diabetes and insulin reliant type
2 diabetes, the lack of sufficient internal insulin requires injecting insulin
from outside. Since this external
process is much less efficient than normal pancreatic function, diabetics on
insulin must engage in a moment-to-moment guessing game of judging how much
insulin to inject to offset food intake, while taking into account the sugar
burning effect of normal activity and exercise. </div>
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The scary part is that a wrong guess can have serious
consequences. Injecting <b>too little</b> insulin to compensate for food
intake allows blood sugar to climb high enough to cause body damage. But
injecting <b>too much</b> insulin can cause
blood sugar to plummet to levels low enough to be lethal. In fact, the issue of dangerously low blood
sugar is the greater danger for diabetics who inject insulin. About 10 % of type 1 diabetics die each year
from hypoglycemia, and many of those are children who perish when their blood
sugar crashes while they are asleep.<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></div>
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While imprecise insulin dosing
is the major factor, food choices also play a large role in the frequency of diabetic
hypoglycemic episodes. This is because each of the three food macronutrients (carbohydrates,
proteins and fats) have very different effects on blood sugar and compensating insulin
needs. </div>
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<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 6.3pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Cryer,
PE. </span><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-weight: normal;">Death during intensive glycemic therapy of
diabetes: mechanisms and implications. Am J Med. 2011 Nov;124(11):993-6. Accessed August 8, 2015 at </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3464092/pdf/nihms397850.pdf"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: normal;">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3464092/pdf/nihms397850.pdf</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #413f36; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></h1>
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In particular, carbohydrates,
which are found in all sweet and starchy foods, have the greatest effect on
blood sugar. Ingested carbohydrates in any
form or amount will raise blood sugar swiftly and require insulin to counteract
the rapid blood sugar elevations. </div>
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<b>More importantly,</b> <b>the
relationship between carbohydrate intake and compensatory insulin is not a
linear one, but is instead an exponential one</b><a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>. In other words, if 15 grams of carbohydrate
is consumed in one meal, it will require a certain amount of insulin, say one
unit, to counteract the blood sugar rise. But if 5 times that amount (75 grams
of carbohydrates) is consumed at one sitting, <i><u>more than</u></i> 5 times the amount of insulin will be needed to
lower blood sugar back to a baseline level.
These larger doses of insulin increase the likelihood of driving blood
sugar down below baseline and causing a dangerous low blood sugar episode.</div>
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In addition, protein, which
is found in foods such as meats, eggs, poultry, and fish has a moderate effect
on blood sugar. Whereas carbohydrate raises blood sugar immediately, protein tends
to raise blood sugar several hours after a meal, and extra insulin may be
needed then. This “protein effect” is
not usually discussed by the American Diabetes Association because their
guidelines direct people with diabetes to eat large amounts of carbohydrate at
each meal<i>. The amount of insulin needed to counteract this
high carbohydrate intake tends to mask the associated blood sugar rise from
protein. </i>This is an important point to remember for any diabetic who decides
to lower carbohydrate intake.</div>
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In contrast, dietary fats
have little to NO stimulatory effect on blood sugar, so the need for compensatory
insulin is low, and blood sugar stays steady. As you can now understand, meals
which are low in carbohydrate and higher in fat are less likely to result in
hypoglycemia. </div>
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Furthermore, macronutrient
choices also determine what type of fuel will be predominantly used by the
body. If one eats a diet high in
carbohydrates, then the body cells will utilize the large amounts of sugar or
glucose created as the primary fuel. If
one eats a diet low in carbohydrates and higher in fat and protein, the body will
generate and utilize fuels created from stored and dietary fat. (Protein is mainly used a construction and
repair material, rather than a fuel source.)
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Marran KJ, Davey B, Lang A,
Segal DG. Exponential increase in postprandial blood-glucose exposure with
increasing carbohydrate loads using a linear carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio. S
Afr Med J. 2013 Apr 10;103(7):461-3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This is why a low carb, high fat ketogenic diet can
help people with diabetes take control of their disease. Over time, when carbohydrate intake is
restricted and fat intake is increased, the liver adapts to the dietary change by
breaking down stored and dietary fat into substances called ketone bodies and
releasing them into the bloodstream. This is called being “in ketosis” and when
blood ketone levels get into a certain range, the brain, heart and other body
systems can use them as an alternate fuel source when blood glucose levels are
low. </div>
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However, while our brains can run on both glucose and
ketone fuels, there’s a balancing act involved. This issue of balanced fuel
sources for brain function is crucial to understanding the positive effect of a
ketogenic diet on diabetic hypoglycemia and overall health. The difference is whether
carbohydrates or ketones are being used as a primary fuel. In other words, is one’s brain “carb-adapted”
or “keto-adapted?”<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></div>
<h2>
Carb-Adapted or Keto-Adapted Brain?</h2>
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Our brain cells MUST have a constant fuel source to
stay alive. Any interruption in fuel availability is a critical emergency for
the brain, and it doesn’t take long for our brains to shut down permanently
when brain cells don’t get enough fuel.
Having a carbohydrate-adapted brain versus a keto-adapted brain
highlights this weakness because there are differences in fuel availability
while in these various states. Let’s explore these differences.</div>
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We’ll discuss the carb-adapted brain first, because
that’s the typical state for someone consuming a standard American diet. </div>
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When a person consumes a high-carbohydrate diet, ketone
production in the liver is essentially shut off due to the presence of large
amounts of stored and circulating glucose and insulin. Since ketones are
unavailable, the brain becomes dependent on glucose as its primary fuel source.
We call this a carb-adapted brain since it relies greatly on glucose from
carbohydrate intake to function and thrive. The problem will bring carb-adapted is that
the human body can’t store a lot of glucose for future use, so unless food is
ingested every 3-4 hours, it quickly runs out of fuel, and blood sugar begins
to drop.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(<i>Keto-adaptation is a term coined by Drs. Jeff Volek and Steve Phinney,
authors of the Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living.) <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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When a carb-adapted brain senses that blood glucose is
becoming scarce (such as when food is
scarce, or too much insulin is injected) it takes counter measures and frantically
signals the liver to break down stored energy to glucose and dump it into the
bloodstream. An adrenalin rush ensues, and is experienced by the brain’s owner
as the symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. </div>
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The signal is frantic because at this point, glucose
MUST be made available to the brain. Otherwise, very bad things happen. For
example, the liver may not be able to break down enough stored carbohydrate to
counteract an excessive insulin dose. As blood glucose levels continue to drop,
the carb-adapted brain starts losing consciousness. Without an intervention of sugar
(juice, glucose tablets or candy) from outside, blood sugar can drop to a level
which results in a coma or death. As you now understand, going on high alert
when blood sugar drops is definitely warranted for a carb-adapted brain. </div>
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Now consider a person consuming a ketogenic diet.
Carbohydrates are restricted and ketone production in the liver increases over
time as this person enters a state of “nutritional ketosis.” Blood ketone levels are in a range of 0.5 – 3
mmol/L (mM), and at this level, the ketones act as an alternate fuel source for
the brain. This brain is keto-adapted and low blood sugar becomes less of an
emergency since the brain cells now have an alternate fuel source. For the diabetic in a state of nutritional
ketosis, this is not to say that lower blood sugars shouldn’t be corrected if
discovered, but it is logical and there is experiential and researched based
evidence<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
that the brain is afforded an extra measure of protection from symptomatic
hypoglycemia when blood ketones are available. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In
the overall evolutionary design of the human body, the ability of the liver to
produce ketones is an elegant solution for providing an alternate body fuel
when food is unavailable. Fasting and starvation cause the same elevation in
ketone production, and in fact, most people wake up each morning in mild
ketosis because they haven’t eaten for the past 8-12 hours. If dietary
carbohydrate is restricted to 20 – 50 grams per day over several weeks and dietary
protein is not excessive, the liver will produce ketones, and blood ketone
levels will rise moderately. However, it’s important to note that blood ketone
levels don’t typically rise as high during nutritional ketosis (0.5 – 3 </span></o:p>mM) as they do during prolonged fasting (5 – 8 mM) so this
protective effect may be more pronounced during times of total food fasts.</span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/bahr/Downloads/KD%20and%20Diabetes.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Cahill GF Jr. Fuel metabolism in starvation. <i>Annu Rev Nutr</i>. 2006;26:1-22. Review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This alternate fuel effect is a great reason for people
with diabetes to eat less carbohydrate and more fat, but being in ketosis also
brings other significant benefits. Not
only does ketosis provide an alternative fuel for the brain and heart, blood
sugar normalizes, and the spikes and crashes associated with a high
carbohydrate diet and compensatory insulin are minimized. This translates into a much lower risk for
diabetic complications down the road, a reduction in dangerous hypoglycemic
episodes and better overall health. </div>
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The ketogenic diet is arguably the best diet for
diabetics, and if you have diabetes and are not on a ketogenic diet, I hope
this post has given you some compelling reasons to change your diet in that
direction. </div>
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BIO-</div>
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Ellen Davis is the creator and owner of <a href="http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/" target="_blank"> www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com</a>, a website devoted to sharing information on the health benefits of ketogenic
diets for diabetes and other health conditions.<br />She also has a wealth of free information at her other website <a href="http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/">www.healthy-eating-politics.com</a><br /><br />Ellen has a Master’s degree in
Applied Clinical Nutrition from New York Chiropractic College. She recently wrote and released two books
detailing how to treat diabetics with a ketogenic diet. Both books were
co-authored with Dr. Keith Runyan, a physician who successfully treats his own type
1 diabetes with a ketogenic diet, and both books <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>are
available on her <a href="http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/">website</a>. Ellen lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming and can be
contacted at ask.ellen.davis@gmail.com.<br /><br /><br /></div>
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-46852668271713712762015-08-18T10:29:00.000-05:002016-04-09T14:46:45.493-05:00Glucagon, The Forgotten Hormone In Diabetes.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Type 2 Diabetes is almost always thought of as a disease of simple blood sugar management. In reality there is nothing simple about diabetes. There are multiple factors involved on many levels. </span><br />
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In my experience with many Diabetics in my group settings there are always reports of crazy blood sugar swings when the person claims that they have not had any carbs or sugar, Many report high blood sugar either at wake up or after wake up before eating. It is not uncommon to see raised blood sugar after exercising, gardening, or fasting. An argument or bad news can raise blood sugar. What's going on here?</span><br />
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It isn't the most recognized hormone insulin that is the culprit behind these issues. Insulin is the hormone that is supposed to lower blood sugar. People often say "Your blood sugar went up due to an adrenaline response or a cortisol response". But why and how? </span><br />
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I am no scientist but I spend a lot of time teaching others about managing blood sugar so I manage to learn from a lot of sciency people around me. I pick up on a few things along the way.</span><br />
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There is the forgotten hormone Glucagon. It seems that nobody talks about it. Your doctor or diabetes educator won't. They may know of it's use in patients who are passed out in a diabetic coma but that is the only time that they are going to think about it. </span><br />
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Glucagon is a major player in diabetes and blood sugar control. One of the problems is that no one is able to figure out how to manage it. Certainly drug companies would love to find a way to add an additional medication to control the over production of glucagon. Many so-called Brittle Diabetics are thought to have a dis-regulation of glucagon. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Glucagon is secreted into the bloodstream by the alpha cells, insulin is secreted by the Beta cells. When insulin is produced, glucagon is suppressed. (after a meal). When glucagon is released it suppresses insulin. <br /><br />In diabetics many of the beta cells are gone or are overworked so insulin is not working so well. On the other hand the alpha cells are just fine and releasing lots of glucagon when signaled to do so. Your insulin is not responding normally so your blood sugar does not come back down quickly like it would in a normal person.<br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Glucagon tells the liver to start churning out glucose and the next thing you know, for seemingly no reason that you can think of, you have an unexpected blood sugar high even while fasting! What the heck. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytOMtDnKkd4/VwlbtzOH_NI/AAAAAAAAAb0/LknAbxUX1-8JMER2S0mjZFeoyoytdQM7w/s1600/glucagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytOMtDnKkd4/VwlbtzOH_NI/AAAAAAAAAb0/LknAbxUX1-8JMER2S0mjZFeoyoytdQM7w/s200/glucagon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/insulin-and-glucagon#Insulin2" target="_blank">HOW GLUCAGON WORKS</a> (link)<br /><br />What are some reasons why glucagon is released? Here are some:<br /><br />Low Blood Glucose, even in a normal range when insulin levels are also low: Good normal blood sugar is great and that is what you want. For many who are new to eating a low carb diet you may see some rises in blood sugar as glucagon is released to compensate. Just keep going and things will level off.<br /><br />Fasting: Again while fasting insulin levels are low so the brain signals the pancreas to release glucagon. This is a normal response so don't panic. This is why many see higher blood sugar in the morning. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Protein-rich meals: stimulate both insulin and glucagon. Too much protein will have to be stored as glycogen (sugar) in the liver and the hormone glucagon stimulates this process. This is the reason that I always advise against large protein portions. Your blood sugar goes up from both the carbohydrates and the protein you just ate. Your body only needs an adequate amount of protein for the use of essential amino acids. </span><a href="http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2013/04/glucagon-dietary-protein-and-low.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Glucagon, Dietary Protein, and Low-Carbohydrate Diets</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stress, Exercise, Bad News, an Argument or Injury: Your body perceives all stress the same way. physical or mental stress cause the same release of various "fight or flight" hormones. Beyond that, a person with chronic and long lasting fear or anxiety is in a constant state of stress. Glucagon is stimulated by these various stress hormones. As long as you are under the stressful condition the liver will receive it's instructions to provide more glucose to give you the energy you need to fight off the dangers around you, perceived or real doesn't matter. This is all a good
reason to try to discover what may be causing your stress and anxiety on a
daily basis and try to find ways to combat it for your blood sugar health.</span><br />
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There isn't much you can do about illness and
injuries but at least you will be aware of why it is affecting your blood sugar
and you won't make matters worse by panicking and then adding to the stress!
In some cases there may be some natural remedies that will reduce pain and
inflammation or you may have to rely on some medical help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From: <span style="background-color: white;">Minireview: Glucagon in Stress and Energy Homeostasis</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #44667d; font-family: , "arial narrow" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/en.2011-1979" target="_blank">http://press.endocrine.org/ Nov. 2011</a></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">"Evidence for glucagon release in a wide variety of stressful situations began to accumulate after improvements in glucagon assays made accurate measurement possible in the early 1970s. In animal models, large elevations in plasma glucagon are observed immediately after acutely stressful stimuli</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">. Hyperglucagonemia is also well recognized in patients under a range of physiological stress states, including trauma </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">, burns </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">, surgery, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;"> sepsis </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">), hemorrhage</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">, acute myocardial infarction</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">, cardiac arrest</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">, and hypoxia </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">including in neonates </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;">Very high plasma glucagon concentrations are seen in diabetic ketoacidosis </span></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5100002288818px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>and contribute to hyperglycemia in this setting."</i></span></span><br />
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</span>While I have barely scratched the surface of this issue it is important to understand that glucagon may be affecting your blood sugar negatively and some changes may be in order in your life. Try to reduce stress, arguments, negative work environments, etc.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My final word on this is that I hope you will remember not to beat yourself up over things that you can't control. Don't
assume that every blood sugar rise must be due to something you ate or drank. Don't blame yourself and assume you must have "cheated" or
eaten some forbidden food. Give yourself a break!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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I will end by saying what I said when I started.
Diabetes is not a simple disease. It is complicated and involves
many hormones and various other factors. Some you can control and others you may not
be able to.<span class="apple-converted-space"> I am not an expert on diabetes. I am growing and learning as I continue to discover how to manage diabetes with a ketogenic lifestyle. </span><br />
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A good book to read that goes into these factors
and hormones is one written by Dr. Richard David Feinman called</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1K2VMQp" target="_blank">The World Turned Upside Down. The Second Low Carbohydrate Revolution</a>". </span></span><br />
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Please do not take anything you read here as medical advice or make changes to
medications based on what you read on my blog. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.3999996185303px;"><br /></span>Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-1774155460644577322015-07-14T14:18:00.001-05:002016-02-12T14:41:22.393-06:00Protein and Dawn Phenomenon- My Experience. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What role does protein play in Dawn Phenomenon? </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">DP is that higher blood sugar number that many wake up to. It is frustrating and one of the most questionable topics that diabetics discuss.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />In just a few days I was able to create a condition where I went from a state of completely controlled morning blood sugar to DP. I did not to this on purpose and please don't try this at home! (wink wink!) ;)<br /><br />My usual morning fasting blood sugar averages around 74 (4.1 mmol/l). In a few days time I have experienced a nasty return to Dawn Phenomenon and I quickly saw my fasting blood sugars skyrocket! I actually created a situation where DP would return to my life after three years without having it. This was an unwitting vacation experiment on my part and a teachable moment that I feel I can pass on to others.<br /><br />I just spent the past eight days across the country with family members in a food environment that was difficult to control. Many of you may have experienced this for yourselves. It is a tough situation to be in. Our relatives took us out to eat a lot. They love carbs and sugars. I worked very hard to control my own food choices and often left a lot of included carbs on my plate. I did pretty well in that regard. <br /><br />What I found more difficult to control was my protein and fat portions. Although I was able to request "no bun" it was hard to find fat choices to add to my proteins and the protein portions were all quite large no matter what I ordered. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of my meals was a burger with a fried egg on top. The burger was 1/2 pound. A fajita meal contained enough protein for 3 of my usual meals. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Several meals were from local food trucks and so it was not an option to ask for side items like additional butter, sour cream, mayo, etc. I was also not able to find my usual heavy cream at any establishment or in any of the hotels we stayed in. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am always trying to point out to others that fat grams should be about twice the amount of protein grams. I was not able to follow my own advice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I took a lot of leftover boxed food back to the hotel fridge but at some point I was eating it. In general I was eating way too much food, too much protein and not nearly enough fat. I was very successful at keeping to my daily carb limit though.<br /><br />Each day I saw an increase in after meal and pre-meal blood sugar despite my attempts at control. For the first few days my morning blood sugar was in the 80's, (4.5) then crept up to the 90's (5's), then 105 (5.8). <br /><br />The family members that we were visiting proudly refer to themselves as "foodies" who eat three meals a day and numerous snacks in between. On our final night, after figuring out that I was a "meat and vegetables" eater the family treated us to a Brazilian Churrascaria (meat BBQ) restaurant. This is a type of buffet where you can go and get your salad items and then the <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Gauchos (servers) slice the meats table side. Eleven types of meat were served! Just imagine the protein overload! The restaurant was an expensive treat and I certainly did not want to offend our hosts who were paying the pricey check. I knew what I was in for and it wasn't going to be pretty. </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Sure enough, my last morning reading there was a 128 (7.1) It was higher than my bedtime reading. After nearly 3 years on a diabetic ketogenic diet I managed to put myself in the position of reverting back to a state of higher blood sugars in general and brought DP back into my life! It took so little time to do this! Think about the significance of this! </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I wanted to make this a teaching moment for those in my groups and for those who follow my blog. My vacation mistakes were not mistakes of eating extra carbs, potatoes, french fries etc. The mistake was a mistake of extra protein over and above what my body needs. This reprogrammed my liver in a way that made it store more glycogen (glucose) for use between meals and overnight. There is a more scientific explanation of this that there is not time for in this post. </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The take away from this is that I hope that some of you will have a better understanding of how too much protein can keep you from experiencing the blood sugar levels that you aim to achieve. The DP that doesn't seem to ever go away could be tied to protein portions. This is assuming that you really have been limiting your carbs to the suggested 25 grams a day or less. Eating LCHF has normalized my blood sugars and brought me to an A1c of 5.1. </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Look how quickly I was able to mess with that! The Ketogenic LCHF diet for diabetes truly is an art and a science as Volek and Phinney point out in my favorite book </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1Gk1BCj" style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" target="_blank">"The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living".</a><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">My fasting blood sugar this morning was 105 (5.8). I still have a long way to go to get back to my usual average of 74 (4.1) and this is going to take several days as my liver and pancreas have to readjust to my lowered protein servings again. It is sad to see blood sugars in this range again after 3 years of great control. I will get my normal numbers back in a few days. I hope that my experience has inspired you. Sometimes my mistakes can keep you from making one or can point you in the right direction. </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Here is a link to an earlier post where I discussed the over eating of protein as well. </span><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2014/02/protein-is-my-nemesis.html</span></span></span><br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-13259667072474766192015-06-29T13:50:00.000-05:002015-06-29T14:06:54.955-05:00My Approach To LCHFOver the past several years I have found that I have taken several different approaches to the low carb high fat (LCHF) diet and kind of put them all together to create what ended up being a complete and perfect plan for me and one that also seems to work best for many. <br />
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In my "Revering Diabetes" facebook group we direct most new members to Dr. Eric Westman's "No Starch, No Sugar" plan because he has a great video and a food list that goes along with it. It is an easy place to start and is very understandable to most. He does not recommend limiting protein for diabetics which is something that I think is hindering the fine tuning of blood sugar control for some. I think that protein does need to be limited.<br />
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I also point people to Dr. Richard Bernstein's plan which is a bit higher carb and focuses more on blood sugar control with "the law of small numbers" for glucose control. His books and lectures are more directed to the type 1 diabetic. <br />
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Rosedale, Volek & Phinney fine tune the ketogenic diet at a more scientific level where fat, protein and carb ratios are more regulated and fine tuned for better blood sugar control and lower insulin levels. Lower insulin levels have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, lessen free radical damage, slow the aging process and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimers disease's<br />
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I have spent over 4 years of N=1 experimentation on myself. In the process I have shared this in my three facebook groups of over 10,000 other diabetics. I believe wholeheartedly in the plan of attack against diabetes that I have chosen to use and to teach. A scientifically formulated ketogenic diet works if you DO the work. It is not exactly the same for everyone. We all have different levels of insulin resistance and so the diet should be tailored to each person. It is still very basically the same for most. 5% carbs, 15-20% protein and the remaining 70-75% fat is what works for most. It is proven over and over again to do so. I do agree that there are exceptions. In some cases gut health, enzymes, hormones and nutritional deficiencies may be hindering the process or a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes may have been an incorrect diagnosis. You then need to get more testing for LADA (type 1.5). All of these things have to be addressed for those who are not successful after doing LCHF correctly. <br />
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Fasting seems to have come in to vogue now with the popularity of Dr. Jason Fung and his protocol as well a the lesser known Roy Taylor's very low calorie diet that mimics gastric bypass surgery. Both of these can be useful for the diabetic for blood sugar and insulin control. Some seem to prefer these methods instead of working out the ratios of the ketogenic diet for themselves. Others find that it is the final step to getting optimal control of diabetes where they are looking to be in a completely non-diabetic A1c range of under 5.0<br />
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I wanted to address this mainly so that those following in my facebook groups could understand that my approach is not simply that of Westman or of Volek and Phinney or Rosedale. I lean towards Volek and Phinney's <a href="http://amzn.to/1GLfpXG" target="_blank">"The Art & Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living"</a> because it brought me to a new place in my level of blood sugar control and it did so in a matter of days. It is a book that I recommend for any who want to understand the science of how and why the ketogenic diet works and what mistakes keep it from working. <br />
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I suggest the following websites for more information on the science of the LCHF Ketogenic diet.<br />
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Ellen Davis's <a href="http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html" target="_blank">Ketogenic Diet Resource</a> is a great place to start. <br />
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Here are some others:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ruled.me/start-here" target="_blank">Ruled Me</a><br />
<a href="http://cavemanketo.com/keto-meal-plan/" target="_blank">Cave Man Keto</a>, <br />
<a href="http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/low-carb_index.html#.VZGP9_lViko" target="_blank">Second Opinions, UK</a><br />
<a href="http://drrosedale.com/rosedale_writing#axzz2vOfJBHLw" target="_blank">Ron Rosedale , MD</a><br />
<a href="http://dsolve.com/">Dsolve.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mendosa.com/" target="_blank">Mendoza.com</a><br />
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Keep fighting the good fight! <br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-47903467092827630092015-06-08T14:19:00.000-05:002015-06-11T16:37:54.727-05:00Is The Key To Diabetes In The Gut? <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">A famous quote by Hippocrates (</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">460 – c. 370 BC" </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"> is “All disease begins in the gut.” Ongoing medical research is now showing how true that statement really may be. Is it possible that many of our medical issues can be at least partially solved by focusing on ways to heal our gut health rather than trusting in allopathic medicine and drugs? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">New studies and research are re-exploring how our gut flora is linked to diseases ranging from autism and depression to autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, inflammatory bowel disease and type 1 diabetes. Dr. David Perlmutter has written a new book on this called</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1JzGQd4" target="_blank">Brain Maker</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dr.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/gonzalez-pdq" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Nicholaus Gonzalez </a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">of New York says that "The gut has it's own active nervous system and also has an active immune system. Scientists never used to think of the gut as an immune organ, but now we know that it is." If this is the case then we had better think about what we are feeding our gut on a daily basis! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">This <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26929-both-cause-and-cure-for-diabetes-could-be-in-your-gut.html#.VXXBP89Viko" target="_blank">article from Feb. 2015 </a>suggests that the lack of a gut microbe,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Lactobacillus gasseri is tied to type 1 diabetes and possibly type 2 as well. </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dr Mercola addressed gut microbiota in his article: </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/02/diabetes-alert-your-gut-microflora-may-be-out-of-balance.aspx" target="_blank">"Gut Bacteria Differs Between Diabetics and Non-Diabetics"</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">We are living in a time where drugs are now our medicine instead of food. For thousands and thousands of years people relied on foods, herbs, Chinese medicine and other natural therapies for healing. Now, since about the 1940's we have been taught to rely on drugs and eat junk food. We have been duped into believing that food is not medicine for our bodies but only a emotional comforting and social thing. The quality of our food and our gut health is no longer considered. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">I am currently reading a new book by Suzanne Somers called </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1HXe9AW" target="_blank">TOX-SICK: From Toxic to Not Sick</a>. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">It is a great book that discusses how our modern environment full of toxins in our air, our foods, and in our water are causing a whole host of modern epidemics. Even our children's DNA is being altered by these toxins while they are forming in the womb. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">This generation of children is expected to have the diseases of the elderly in their 30's and 40's. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">Toxins and GMO's are affecting our gut heath, our immune systems and our brains. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">I have experienced a change in myself in the past year since I started to make my own </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.726861374060455.1073741830.161135030633095&type=3" style="line-height: 26px;" target="_blank">fermented vegetables </a><span style="line-height: 26px;">and </span><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-ginger-kombucha-drink-recipes-from-the-kitchn-206552" style="line-height: 26px;" target="_blank">Ginger Kombucha</a><span style="line-height: 26px;">. Although I had been on the LCHF ketogenic diet for a year or more I still found my fasting blood sugar to be in the 90's (5-5.5 mmol/l) and after meal daily blood sugars always hovering around the 100 (5.5) mark even 4-5 hours after eating a meal. I really had no idea why this was continuing to occur but I wanted better results.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">I started the fermented foods more for the purpose of general overall health rather than to help correct a blood sugar issue. I never really thought about the potential effects that it would have on blood sugar. I still can't "prove" that a change in my gut bacteria had anything to do with it but if not then it is a coincidence that I can't explain. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">When I started eating my homemade Kimchi I had a rumbling taking place in my tummy. It was a feeling like little mice were doing somersaults in there. It was a bit weird but I knew that it meant something good was happening. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 26px;">I added the kombucha to my diet a few months later to introduce a different type of bacteria to my gut. I had some new and even more aggressive tummy rumbling going on and had to go very slowly with it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">I began to get morning blood sugar readings from 69-79 (3.8-4.4) at that time. I also began to lose some weight again which was an added benefit. See this article from Chris Kresser: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2;"><a href="http://chriskresser.com/a-healthy-gut-is-the-hidden-key-to-weight-loss/" target="_blank">A healthy gut is the hidden key to weight loss.</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2;">My daily between meal blood sugars began to drop. I was seeing blood sugar readings in the 80's four hours after a meal. Mostly 90's but some nice surprises. It seemed to be a new level of normal and I liked it! In 6 months my A1c went from 5.6 to 5.1 which is closer to my goal of being in the 4.8 range. <br /><br />I am only skimming the surface of this vast topic. There is so much more and I wish I had the time to learn it all. I am very intrigued by it and will continue to study it. I hope to post more on gut health and it's numerous benefits in the future. It may well be the key to both our physical and mental heath! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;">More Resources: </span><br /><a href="http://synergydrinks.com/index.php/products#enlightened-kombucha" target="_blank">GT's Kombucha- A good store bought brand</a><br /><br /><a href="http://amzn.to/1JzDhn8" target="_blank">Probiotics on Amazon</a><br /><br />Studies and articles on Gut health</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2551660/<br /><br /><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/10/2277.full</span><br />http://bodyecology.com/articles/the-truth-about-diabetes-the-relationship-between-gut-health-and-disease</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 1.2;"><br /></span>Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-68347841619840143232015-05-02T17:41:00.001-05:002015-05-03T10:27:10.735-05:00Yearly Wellness Exam With Some Surprises- The good and the bad! Every year my husband's insurance does a wellness program. This year they offered some additional tests that I decided to take advantage of. There were some good results and some surprises too.<br />
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My HDL is 10 points higher than it was in Jan. of this year. My total cholesterol remains the same as in Jan at 221 even though my LDL is about the same as Jan and my triglycerides are lower at 110 now vs. 120 in January. So the great news is that my LCHF diet continues to affect my lipids in a positive manner. <br />
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My A1c (3 month indicator of average blood sugar) went from 5.3 in Jan to 5.1 at the end of April. That indicates an average blood sugar of 97 (5.4 mmol/l) per the ADA's <a href="http://www.nhrmc.org/documents/Diabetes%20Health%20Plan/Class%20Materials/Diabetes%20Overview%20Class%20Materials/Conversion%20table%20revised%2012.30.14.pdf" target="_blank">ADAG </a>formula of measuring and 101 (5.6 mmol/l) according to Dr. Bernsteins preferred <a href="http://healthy-ojas.com/diabetes/a1c-glucose-chart.html" target="_blank">DCCT</a> formula. <br />
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Due to one of the "surprises" in my blood tests I discovered that my A1C runs high which I have always suspected. I will explain more a bit further down on the page.<br />
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Another test result was for that of kidney function. For as long as I can remember, going back to at least my pre-diabetic days, my e-GFR (estimate of kidney function) has always been at the lowest level of normal. I never knew why but my score was always right at 59 or 60. e-GFR levels below 59 are indicative of a low kidney filtration rate and early stage renal malfunction. I was never told that I had any kidney issue by my doctor but I was always concerned about my lower test numbers.<br />
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My new e-GFR test came in at 88! That's great! It means that I am no longer borderline and my kidneys are working better than they have in years! <br />
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Now for the not so happy surprises! I had vitamin and mineral testing done. I have been taking a B vitamin formulation with all of the B vitamins and folate for about 7 months. Even so, the tests showed that I am still borderline deficient in both B-12 and Folate, more so in the B-12. This probably explains my morning fatigue. I have been taking the active forms of the vitamins so I was surprised at this result. My B-12 formula contains 1667% of the active methylcobalamin B-12. I actually was concerned that I was getting too much! I guess I need more than I thought! <br />
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My magnesium level is borderline even though I take it daily so I need to up that too. I didn't expect to see that after a few years of supplementation. <!--59--><!--59--><!--59--><!--59--><!--59--><br />
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The final surprise was that I have more red blood cells than most people and they are larger than normal in size. This wasn't a big surprise to me as I have suspected this for a few years. This could be due to the B-12 levels being low (anemia) or my ancestry as I have some Indian in my DNA. These larger RBC's affect the A1c test because more total hemoglobin is in my body. I have always known that my A1c test was higher than it should be based on my meter averages and my fasting numbers in the 70's (4 mmol/l) I was correct in my suspicions. I am going to try to learn more about this. <br />
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Read about A1c issues <a href="http://www.ccjm.org/index.php?id=107937&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=369561&cHash=e60b1168b39184cbc181fdd5236a89ad" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://chriskresser.com/why-hemoglobin-a1c-is-not-a-reliable-marker/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The last important test was an RA Factor test for Rheumatoid Arthritis or other autoimmune conditions. It did show a fairly high level of RA or autoimmune issues. I guess that would account for my degenerative disk disease and my "bad" knees although it doesn't seem to slow me down at all. I guess I will need to address this with some additional anti-inflammatory nutrition and supplements and also look into what else I can do for this.<br />
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Overall I am pleased. Besides good lipid results and a reduced A1c, I learned more about my body and can address the deficiencies. I never feel depressed by any negative test results. Instead I always feel empowered! You can't fix something if you don't know it's broken!<br />
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If it were not for the Wellness exam I would have never had these tests. It was nice that they were done at no cost to me. Now I think that it may be worth the cost in the future to be able to address any deficiencies. <br />
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I hope this blog post is helpful to you. Feel free to comment!<br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-44700527342021008242015-04-18T16:20:00.000-05:002015-04-18T22:57:17.164-05:00It's All About You! <div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
There seems to be a tendency among human
beings in general to follow the successful ideas of others. We
know that because there are so many successful "do as I do" courses,
classes, get rich quick seminars, etc. Look at the way that product
sales soar if Dr Oz recommends it on his TV show! An unknown herb or
supplement can become high in demand overnight!</div>
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Of course it is also this way in the diabetic
community. A new diabetes drug is approved and advertised on TV,
marketed to your doctor and the next thing you know either your doctor is
giving you a sample or you are asking him about it yourself. When
somebody posts a cinnamon "cure"or an okra in water "cure"
on facebook every one lines up for it. When someone else posts on a blog
that their blood sugar goes down by 40 points when they walk a mile or pull
weeds for 30 minutes you may think that you should try it yourself.
Another diabetic may post that their morning blood sugar is always lower
when they eat peanut butter before bed. You want to try that too!<br />
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Disappointingly you may have found that you've tried many of these things that are working for others and instead of
lowering your blood sugar it raises it or does nothing for you at all.
That bottle of Bitter Melon capsules is now sitting unused in your cupboard because it raised
your blood sugar even though Dr Oz told you how successful it would be at lowering
it! It can be so frustrating! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why isn't this working!</td></tr>
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We are all individuals! Let's not forget that! Your body is not Bob's body or Sue's body. Your liver function is not the same as Bob's and your cortisol (stress) hormones don't respond like Sue's.<br />
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Sue can eat peanut butter and you can't. Bitter Melon worked wonders for Bob but it worked like a placebo for you. Someone posted a perfect blood sugar reading on facebook after eating a 10 oz steak with a heap of onions on top. At the same time you're upset because you just had a 30 point rise from your 3 oz piece of "plain Jane"chicken thigh! It's no wonder you are ready to throw in the towel! <br />
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Well, don't do that! Instead take some time to focus on learning how YOUR body works!<br />
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How do YOU respond to stress? How does YOUR body respond to a one mile walk or raking the leaves?<br />
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What is the meat or vegetable portion size that YOU can tolerate for steady blood sugar control? Maybe you can eat a tomato or perhaps you can't. So how do you know?<br />
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"Nothing worth while is ever easy and nothing easy is ever worthwhile" as the saying goes. This is true or it wouldn't be quoted often. You are your own N=1 experiment. (N meaning the number of people in the experiment). <br />
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You may want to stock up on an extra inexpensive meter and additional strips like the Reli-On meter and strips from Walmart. It costs about $16.00 for the meter and only $9.00 for 50 strips. You will need to use these for your experiments.<br />
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Here is a helpful article to get you started in checking your personal responses to exercise, stress and carbs or other foods. Believe it or not, some people get a high blood sugar from beef but not from chicken so you may even want to do testing of various proteins on your N=1. <br />
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Click on the link below to see some examples of how to run some personal tests on yourself. These are examples but you can think of more. <br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/articles/64-/12214-what-you-can-do-to-stop-the-blood-sugar-rollercoaster" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">What You Can Do to Stop the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster - </span><b style="font-size: small; line-height: 17.6000003814697px;">By Sheri Colberg, PhD</b><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.6000003814697px;"> </span></a></span></h1>
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Dr. Brian Mowll of <a href="http://www.sweetlifecenters.com/" target="_blank">Sweetlife Diabetes Center</a> has a short 9 minute video above on how to test your own responses. He also explains some common terms. </h4>
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To finish this up I want to encourage you to make this a journey of discovery of yourself. In the case of blood sugar control, that is, YOUR personal blood sugar control; it is all about you! It is not about the other guy!<br />
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Do not follow the leader! Become the leader of your own journey! <br />
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-74128800477280911222015-03-26T17:17:00.003-05:002015-03-26T17:18:43.867-05:00Bye Bye Meter! A few days ago I made a change in my daily routine that has given me a feeling of freedom from bondage. <br />
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I have stopped checking my blood sugar! Yup! You heard that right! Let me clarify though. I am randomly checking once a day or once every other day to make sure that I am remaining on track. <br />
A few weeks ago I posted a nice chart of my steady blood sugar readings. It was only a two week snapshot. I looked back over the last 5 months and realized that I had met some major goals in my nearly non-diabetic life. The goal met is to have basically normal blood sugar from 65-110. The 110 a post meal goal. <br />
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For five months I have mainly met that goal. That is not to say that I haven't had a few higher numbers. I do when I am ill or when I do strenuous exercise or I have a very high amount of stress. Those highs are short lived and not very often. Perhaps once or twice a month at best and an occasional 120 isn't really even a "high" sugar. <br />
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After 27 months of a ketogenic diet, (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CVV2AE?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B005CVV2AE&linkCode=xm2&tag=revdiamyketjo-20" target="_blank">The Art & Science Of Ketogenic Living, Volek & Phinney</a>)<br />
I have learned what to eat for my own personal body. I no longer need to test post meal spikes because I don't eat foods that are questionable. I no longer need to adjust portion size because I have learned MY OWN personal portion size. I have learned what kind of snacks are best for my metabolism. Along the way my liver and pancreas have begun to dance well together again.<br />
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So I have a new found freedom to not have to think about my meter at every meal and not to think of myself as a diabetic every time I see my meter laying on my bathroom counter. I have put it in a drawer now. It waits for my random test and I go happily about my days not focusing on what was nearly an attachment for me. Happy Day! <br />
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What is in this post for you, my readers? Don't think that your body is someone else's body. Do not mistake your insulin resistance for someone else's insulin resistance. Do not think that someone elses portion size should be your portion size. You are unique. Your Diabetes management is unique. Learn your own body. Eat to YOUR meter. You will get there! This all takes time and effort but your day to put the meter in the drawer may also come! <br />
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<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-29673009172242543742015-03-14T00:17:00.000-05:002015-03-14T00:23:18.262-05:00The Art And Science Of Using Food Logging Apps For Eating LCHFMany who begin the Ketogenic LCHF way of eating find that in the beginning they need to use a food logging app. It is a helpful tool to keep you on track and it aids in the learning process of how to do the Ketogenic diet correctly especially when the main goal is to reverse high blood sugar and insulin resistance.<br />
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It may be helpful to weigh your protein portion sizes in the beginning so that you learn what 3 ounces of chicken or a 3 ounce hamburger looks like. As a general rule, meat that is 3 oz raw will be about 2 ¼ to 2 ½ ounces ounce cooked and a lot depends on the amount of fat in the meat. The more fat, the more it will shrink. Keep this in mind as you log cooked foods too!<br />
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In the past few years I have often offered my help for those who have struggled to understand why the diet doesn’t seem to be working as well as they had hoped. I find that in many cases the ratios of fat to protein to carbs is off and a few simple changes make a huge difference for many people.
In helping others I have also seen a lot of food diaries from various food tracking apps like FitDay or My Fitness Pal. I have noticed that many of these food logs are not really what the person is actually eating and a lot of things are missing or short cuts are made for time sake. It leaves a lot of questions about whether or not the food portions and ratios are correct. <br />
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The question on how to log foods seems to come up regularly in my groups so I thought that a bit of a tutorial might be helpful. I will provide some sample daily food logs to show that it makes a difference when you take short cuts in logging your food items and meals. <br />
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Tips for logging your food items:<br />
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1. If you eat something often like a ham & cheese omelet and you always make it the same way then use the recipes tab. Create your recipe and then save it. You can quickly enter it.<br />
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2. Enter all of your ingredients separately rather than pick an item that seems close to what you have eaten. For example, don’t pick ground beef patty-1 patty from the list. What does this tell you? Is it a 3 oz patty? 1/3 pound? Does it have fillers? If you are making it yourself at home you need to know the portion size so look for something like ground beef patty, homemade and make sure that you can enter ounces or grams. Don’t pick “scrambled eggs”. The carb count may include milk when you didn’t use any. Choose the actual items you used.<br />
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3. Don't pick restaurant items unless that is what you are actually eating. If you made a BLT salad from scratch don’t pick “Applebees BLT Salad”. You have no idea what they put in it!<br />
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4. Don’t skip items due to time constraints. It is okay to skip a spice or a sprinkle of lemon juice but don’t skip added items like sauces, condiments or fats. Yes this takes time but you may not see your total carb count or fat content.<br />
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5. Pick the right portion sizes. You can be easily led astray here! If you ate ½ of an avocado make sure that is what you enter. You may have to change it to 0.5 of 1 Avocado.<br />
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6. If you ate at Subway and bought a sub but ate it without the bread you can’t just enter “6 inch Subway Turkey & bacon Sub”. This is going to completely ruin your food diary and there is no way that you will know what your true carb count is for the day. Try to calculate how much meat, lettuce, condiments etc. were on the sub and enter them separately as best you can.<br />
<br />
I have made up two sets of examples here. In each set of examples the first one shows how to log correctly and the second one shows the incorrect logging of food. I hope these examples are helpful.<br />
<br />
Example 1<br />
<br />
Correct<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRybmRlSXVVOUc0akk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRybmRlSXVVOUc0akk/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
Incorrect<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyUE5PTm1aOEV6bWs/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyUE5PTm1aOEV6bWs/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
Example 2<br />
<br />
Correct<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyemM0M3haODRXTEE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyemM0M3haODRXTEE/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
Incorrect<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyVkk5c1NyX0djSzA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1U4qilB3SRyVkk5c1NyX0djSzA/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
I do hope that this is helpful. I have had many requests for this type of help. Thanks for reading! Your comments are welcome!
Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-22522620858303922632015-02-25T14:17:00.000-06:002015-02-25T17:04:39.883-06:00My Issues With The New Proposed Dietary Guidelines <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">The media is touting the positive changes made in the "new" dietary guidelines for Americans. They have not really recognized what the real goals of these new dietary guidelines are. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$3:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">The new proposed guidelines have a few good changes. They suggest that we can eat more cholesterol from eggs, and they suggest limitations on sugar and sugary drinks suggesting that water be offered more often in school cafeterias and vending machines. </span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is one of those mainly positive reviews that I have read:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/new-dietary-guidelines-bring-back-saturated-fat-cholesterol-why-experts-dont-owe-323038" target="_blank">http://www.medicaldaily.com/new-dietary-guidelines-bring-back-saturated-fat-cholesterol-why-experts-dont-owe-323038</a></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you look into the new dietary guidelines further however; you will find that they have have also doubled down on their recommendations to increase polyunsaturated fats and reduce saturated fats and even reduce red meat consumption or to avoid it altogether. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new guidelines lean towards vegetarianism and the DGAC has suggested the reduction or elimination of red meat consumption for mostly environmental reasons. This has been ignored by many of the writers reporting on the new recommendations. </span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">Here are a few articles that explain: </span><br style="color: black; line-height: normal;" /><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150219-dietary-guidelines-sustainable-environment-ngfood/" target="_blank">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150219-dietary-guidelines-sustainable-environment-ngfood/</a></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/02/19/major_dietary_guidelines_report_recommends_decreasing_meat_consumption/" target="_blank">http://www.salon.com/2015/02/19/major_dietary_guidelines_report_recommends_decreasing_meat_consumption/</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">I find that the consideration of the environment (green house gases) in determining our consumption of meat to be suspect. In the same recommendations there is no mention of the effect of GMO crops or ingredients or the use of pesticides, round-up (glyphosate) and other poisons on our fruits and vegetables. There is also no recommendations to label GMO foods products. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$11:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$12:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">The recommendation that 50% of the American diet continue to be made up of whole grains will remain as the core of the diet. They suggest increasing fruit and vegetable portions even higher than previous guidelines have suggested. As for dairy, low fat and skim will continue to be recommended to the masses. They continue to suggest very little use of fats, oils or butter on vegetables. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$12:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnHrcHACCTg/VO4s4wg1maI/AAAAAAAAAQA/T_TP7R_3SDg/s1600/whole%2Bgrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnHrcHACCTg/VO4s4wg1maI/AAAAAAAAAQA/T_TP7R_3SDg/s1600/whole%2Bgrain.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$13:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$15:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$16:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Although the new guidelines will now list sugar as empty calories they have lumped sugar together with saturated fat from meats and tropical oils like coconut oil. It's new recommendations now state that sugar and saturated fats are both "empty calories" providing NO nutritional value.</span><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$17:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><br data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$19:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">I beg to differ! Saturated fats from meat and coconut oil,etc. provide essential nutrients called fatty acids that are needed for the continuation of life and for brain function! </span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The continued suggestion for low fat high carb whole grain diets while suggesting that meat and saturated fat needs to continue to be curtailed even seems almost to be criminal to me! <br /><br />In my opinion the proposed dietary guidelines do not properly address the health crisis that we are facing in this country. They suggest the same song and dance as before. Beyond that, they are suggesting food policies that will continue to make our children fatter and sicker. <br /><br />Their report acknowledges major vitamin and mineral deficiencies in our population.</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the report:</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">DGAC determined that vitamin D, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C were shortfall nutrients and that there may be a high prevalence of inadequate dietary intake of these nutrients. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">Of the nutrients with an AI (vitamin K, choline, dietary fiber, and potassium), the DGAC determined that a low proportion of the population had fiber and potassium intakes above the AI and so potassium and fiber were therefore considered to be under-consumed."</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dietary suggestions to address these deficiencies is to eat more "healthy" fortified whole grain breads and cereals in place of non-whole grain breads and cereals. They will be suggesting that the food companies put more effort into making more fortified whole grain products and put more money and effort into marketing them. </span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/06-chapter-1/d1-2.asp" target="_blank">http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/06-chapter-1/d1-2.asp</a></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They propose that food companies, stores and other vendors change to lower sugar and higher healthy grain products and that our schools cafeteria's increase fruits & vegetables while decreasing meat and fat. It's no wonder that our children's little brains can no longer function and we are facing an epidemic of ADHD and other brain problems that affect a child's ability to focus! </span></span></div>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have read these new guidelines in depth. I realize that most don't want to go through pages and pages of dogma so here is an overview of the proposed guidelines:</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><a href="http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/04-integration.asp" target="_blank">http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/04-integration.asp</a></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Comments are being taken on the guidelines and will be considered. I find this comment from a physician to be a good one: </span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"> </span></span><a href="http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/readCommentDetails.aspx?CID=1339" target="_blank">http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/readCommentDetails.aspx?CID=1339</a></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comments will be taken through April 8th, 2015. Comments from health providers with proven benefits of diets including meat and saturated fats may sway the committee although that seems doubtful.</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once these new guidelines are approved and implemented we will have 5 more years of the continuing failed experiment of high carb low fat diets on our children and grandchildren. We will also have five more years to continue our fight to restore dietary sanity to our world! </span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may submit or read comments in regard to the proposed guidelines here:</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/" target="_blank">http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/</a></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".42.1:3:1:$comment920167331357338_920274248013313:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-65351117821996297592015-02-14T17:43:00.000-06:002015-02-14T17:59:15.261-06:00Why Isn’t The LCHF Ketogenic Diet Working for Me? Common Mistakes- Part Two<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First here is a summary of Part 1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of the most common mistakes that are made while following a LCHF Ketogenic diet are: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1- Not being aware of hidden sugars. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2- Too many carbs or using “net” carbs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3- This must be good for me because it is healthy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4- Portion Sizes and timing issues. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See part one here: </span><br />
<a href="http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working.html" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working.html</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Disclaimer- I am not a doctor or a science writer. I blog about my experiences and the experiences of others. This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now let’s move on to the next and perhaps the most common two mistakes made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Not eating enough fat! </span></b></span><br />
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That is the most common mistake made and I find myself addressing it with newcomers to the diet on a regular basis. For most it is very hard to get this part down without using some kind of food tracking app. At least that is the case at first. After a while you get a feel for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order to lower blood sugar and lower insulin resistance fat needs to be as high or higher than 70% according to "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CVV2AE?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B005CVV2AE&linkCode=xm2&tag=revdiamyketjo-20" target="_blank">The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living</a>”, a book written by Steve Phinney and Jeff S. Volek.
They point to some studies including one of Dr. Phinney's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A small study of insulin resistant patients showed that insulin resistance (high blood sugar) was not improved until fat in the diet was at least 70% and carbs were less than 20 gr. per day. At lower fat percentages (35-60%), insulin resistance DID NOT improve!
This is key for diabetics to really see good control! They discuss this in their book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Here are some tips to add more fat to your diet every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Add butter, lard or bacon drippings to bone broth, chicken broth, etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Add extra melted lard or bacon dripping to ground beef before cooking or making your burger patties or meatloaf, etc. You can add ground flax to meat patties too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Add heavy cream and butter to chicken broth to make a cream soup </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Pour pan drippings over a side salad and over vegetables </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Mix coconut oil into almond butter and make a dip for celery sticks </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Mash avocado into your scrambled eggs or omelets </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Use an extra yolk with your eggs, toss the extra white or use it elsewhere. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Top eggs and meats with sour cream or mayonnaise or avocado ranch sauce. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Top steaks and chops with a seasoned cream cheese spread, feta or bleu cheese </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Add cream cheese and lots of butter to mashed cauliflower or make a cheesy creamed cauliflower dish
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Cream your veggies-creamed green beans, creamed spinach, creamed brussel's sprouts, etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Drizzle extra fats or flavored oils over your meats and vegetables. Garlic, tuscan, lemon, etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Roast vegetables in the oven with oils rather than cooking </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Add avocado and olives or egg yolks to your salads<br />*Make a sour cream gravy by adding a few Tbsp. of sour cream to the meat drippings in a warm pan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Coconut oil in coffee, tea or in warm homemade lemonade </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Fat bombs made with coconut oil, butter, almond butter and some stevia </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Flax cereal/pudding with butter and cream. Add a few berries if you like. (breakfast or a snack)
*Make a creamy berry ice cream. I use a small custard cup and just make up one serving. Mash a few berries, mix in 1/3 cup cream, 1 tsp melted coconut oil and stevia. Freeze and stir regularly until nearly frozen. Eat this while still semi soft and creamy.
<br /><br />I hope this is helpful! Now, let’s move on to my final point. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Protein! </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
The most common mistake in regard to protein is either eating too much protein per day/per meal or not considering the amount of protein that may be in high fat foods like bacon or avocados.
This is often the final thing that has to be tweaked and sometimes it needs to be tweaked several times because it is so easy to eat more than your body needs to provide your essential amino acids and repair tissue. This part of the equation is so individual that your really can’t follow someone else’s ratios. Do not listen to others tell you what works for them. You must figure this out for yourself. I like to use this calculator as a beginning point to determine protein levels.<br /><a href="http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/page/KetoDiet-Buddy" target="_blank">http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/page/KetoDiet-Buddy</a><br /><br />Do not make the mistake of under-calculating your BMI. Here are some tools to help you. <a href="http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/page/KetoDiet-Buddy#bodyfat" target="_blank">http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/page/KetoDiet-Buddy#bodyfat</a><br /><br />I find it works best to take the minimum requirement and subtract 10%. Make that your starting point. Personal testimonies from others in my face book groups seem to indicate that blood sugar issues do not resolve completely by using the standard protein requirements suggested. <br /><br />The requirements for non-insulin resistant people seem to be too high for diabetics.
Many diabetics or insulin resistant people who are eating low carb seem to be more adept at converting protein to glucose. Often the body is stubborn and wants to continue to use glucose for fuel rather than change over to fat burning. You will continue to be a carb burner rather than a fat burner as long as you have excess protein available to be stored in your liver.<br /><br /><a href="http://authoritynutrition.com/5-most-common-low-carb-mistakes/" target="_blank">http://authoritynutrition.com/5-most-common-low-carb-mistakes/</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You
should also consider your activity level.
Body builders, runners or those doing extreme exercise may need to allow
for a bit larger protein portions in this case but according to Volek &
Phinney that is not necessarily the case.
Volek himself seems to limit his daily protein requirements to below 60
grams. <a href="http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2011/04/14/steve-phinney-low-carb-preserves-glycogen-better-than-high-carb/" target="_blank">http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2011/04/14/steve-phinney-low-carb-preserves-glycogen-better-than-high-carb/</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Tips for avoiding too much protein: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weigh your meat portions until you learn to eyeball portion sizes or limit to the size of your closed
fist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If
your carb and fat ratios are good and you have adjusted them well but your
blood sugar is still higher than you like and you seem to be seeing your bloods
still rising at 2.5 or 3 hours post meal this may be a sign of excess protein consumption. <br />
<br />
Make sure that you add up ALL of the protein on your plate! Two eggs and 3 slices of bacon may be too
much. Bacon can have up to 50%
protein It is not pure fat! Add the protein from avocados and even
vegetables and cheese sauces or sour cream. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stick
to easily calculated meals at first. It
is difficult to determine totals of LCHF casseroles or hot dishes. It is easier to count meat, fats and salads
or hot vegetables and the oils you use on them. <br />
<br />
Use a calculator like Fit Day, My Fitness Pal or even Spark People to get the
total of your meals. Do this before you
eat, not after. You may find that you
need to cut something out in the meal that you have planned.<br />
<br />
You will not need to do this forever!
You will learn these things as you go and soon you will no longer need
to be as vigilant once you will learn the LCHF ropes! </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9TtESZ__RWU/VN_Z5kS6KpI/AAAAAAAAAO8/OUmGtVzOSXY/s1600/sfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9TtESZ__RWU/VN_Z5kS6KpI/AAAAAAAAAO8/OUmGtVzOSXY/s1600/sfa.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://profgrant.com/2013/07/05/how-ketogenic-low-carb-high-fat-diets-work/" target="_blank">http://profgrant.com/2013/07/05/how-ketogenic-low-carb-high-fat-diets-work/</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back
to Part 1 of “</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Why Isn’t The LCHF Ketogenic Diet Working for Me? Common
Mistakes” </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 15pt;"><a href="http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working.html" target="_blank">http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working.html</a></span></div>
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-22102354054867248882015-02-05T15:00:00.000-06:002015-02-05T15:05:37.144-06:00Just One More Travesty Of The FDA and the USDA- Almonds In The USA<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Metformin, the most used diabetes drug is now being promoted as a cancer preventive drug. The drug companies are urging doctors to give it to patients at pre-diabetes levels to not only help with blood sugar control but also as a cancer preventative. It is an inexpensive drug and therefore affordable to even those who do not have insurance.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2012/2/Can-Diabetes-Drug-Prevent-Cancer-Death/Page-01">http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2012/2/Can-Diabetes-Drug-Prevent-Cancer-Death/Page-01</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no doubt that there are some studies that show the effectiveness of Metformin. It works somewhat in the same fashion as a LCHF diet or caloric restriction does. It activates AMPK which kills or inhibits cancer cell growth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.cavemandoctor.com/2013/01/01/an-introduction-a-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/">http://www.cavemandoctor.com/2013/01/01/an-introduction-a-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course because Metformin is a drug and the pharmaceutical companies can make money selling it, it will be used as a "cancer" preventative in order to make more sales. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A vitamin called B-17, also known as </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.8571434020996px;">Laetrile, is a naturally occurring vitamin that has been shown to be very effective on cancer. It</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is banned in the U.S. because the drug companies can not profit from the sale of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is so wrong! Vitamin B-17 used to be in our B Complex formulas before they banned it in the 1970's. It harmed no one but because it was such a successful cancer treatment it was made illegal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just discovered yesterday that almonds, a top source of B-17, have to be pasteurized in the U.S. Pasteurization makes the B-17 and the other vitamins and minerals mostly unavailable to the body. Did you know that even raw organic almonds are pasteurized? In most cases a chemical process called PPO (toxic fumigation treatment with propylene oxide).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.livingnutz.com/2011/04/the-truth-about-almond-pasteurization-methods/">http://www.livingnutz.com/2011/04/the-truth-about-almond-pasteurization-methods/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The FDA claimed that the pasteurization was needed because some people were sensitive to the small amount of Aflatoxins and could cause Salmonella. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aflatoxins can occur in other foods, such as groundnuts, tree nuts, (hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.) maize, rice, figs and other dried foods, spices and crude vegetable oils, and cocoa beans, as a result of fungal contamination before and after harvest. Any of these foods can potentially cause a Salmonella outbreak as well but they are not pasteurized to "protect" us. These other foods do not have high levels of Vitamin B-17. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In September of 2007, the F.D.A. claimed that raw almonds had been linked to two salmonella outbreaks in five years, and that all almonds needed to be pasteurized, because they were suddenly a danger to the nation's health. These salmonella outbreaks were not due to any organic almonds. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/251-forbidden-fruits-whatever-medicinal-foods-the-fda-forbids.html">http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/251-forbidden-fruits-whatever-medicinal-foods-the-fda-forbids.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> Aflatoxins can occur in foods, such as groundnuts, tree nuts, (hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.) maize, rice, figs and other dried foods, spices and crude vegetable oils, and cocoa beans, as a result of fungal contamination before and after harvest. It is also found in animal feeds if the grain was damp at harvest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the aflatoxin concern was truly the case, why aren't figs, other nuts, rice and these other foods pasteurized as well? Main reason? They don't have high levels of the illegal vitamin B-17 as almonds do. In fact almonds are the second highest source of B-17. Other seeds containing the highest sources are apricot and peach seeds and apple seeds. Many cultures do eat these seeds. They open them up and take out the soft center of the seeds. We in the U.S. throw them out so there is no reason to make them illegal or pasteurize the fruit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Another popular Almond now illegal to sell in the U.S is the Bitter Almond and bitter almond trees are now illegal in the United States. These bitter almonds have a higher concentrate of B-17 than regular almonds and were a very popular alternative cancer treatment being used in the United States until they were banned in 1995.</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">According to the modern FDA., bitter almonds are poisonous, but somehow bitter almonds became a serious health danger just after it was also discovered that they contain the cancer destroying vitamin. Coincidence? Bitter almonds had been eaten by humanity unimpaired during the previous 9,000 years of history.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Europe the batches of almonds and other foods are simply tested for the level of Aflatoxins in all tree nuts ,including nuts that are imported from other countries. They also test animal feed. They do not pasturize almonds as the U.S does and therefore if you live in Europe you have the benefit of the B-17 vitamin that is cancer protective. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aflatoxins.htm">http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aflatoxins.htm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I need to reconsider the use of chemically processed almonds in my diet unless they are steam pasteurized. Very few places sell the steam processed almonds as it is more expensive process. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks FDA for ruining one more food that I thought was actually good for me and may have prevented cancer in the masses! But heh, I guess I can buy some Metformin instead!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a website that gives some links to find truly unpasteurized almonds in the U.S.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://ducknews.oneluckyduck.com/2012/11/09/the-raw-deal-on-almonds/">http://ducknews.oneluckyduck.com/2012/11/09/the-raw-deal-on-almonds/</a></span><br />
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-87120495944316172952015-02-04T22:09:00.000-06:002015-11-17T21:01:15.417-06:00Why Isn’t The LCHF Ketogenic Diet Working for Me? Common Mistakes- Part One<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Part One </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must get this question at least 10 times a week. It is a common issue that diabetics wrestle
with. They really believe that they are
doing everything right but in most cases I can spot the problem pretty quickly
if I get to see a day or two of menus.<br />
<br />
Here are the most common mistakes that I see being made.<br />
<br />
1- Not being aware of hidden sugars. I will put a link to hidden sugars below.<br />
<br />
If you are buying products off of the grocery store shelf be aware that just
because it says sugar free or gives a low carb count that is not always
correct. There are certain “sugars”
that do not have to be counted as a carb or a sugar on the label. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t sugar! It just means that the FDA and the USDA has
allowed some rule bending for the sake of the food companies profit line! Look for ingredients that end in “ose” or “tose”
or “dextrin”. These are sugars that will
raise a diabetic’s blood sugar higher than table sugar and the food manufacturers
do not have to tell you! You will also
find these sugars in vitamins and other supplements. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch out for marketing gimmicks like Glucerna “diabetic friendly”
shakes, Atkins bars and shakes or other things that make claims that they will keep
your blood sugar balanced. They will
keep it balanced all right! Balanced sky high! Check ingredients in all store bought
products! Don’t fall for these marketing
hypes. They love to put this stuff right
over there where you are purchasing your meters, test strips and other diabetic
devices. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is the Glycemic Index of common sweeteners. The higher the number the more that it raises
blood sugar. <a href="http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html">http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2- Too many carbs or
using “net” carbs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a common mistake.
It’s all over facebook low carb groups and the Atkins diet and other low
carb diets suggest using a formula that allows you to subtract fiber from total
carbs and get net carbs. This makes it
seem like you will be able to eat it without much of a blood sugar rise. You may find yourself sadly
disappointed! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While some diabetics can use this formula successfully I wouldn't recommend it for the majority of insulin dependent people. It is another marketing trick and companies
like Dreamfields Pasta company and the
Julian Bakery have gotten fined by the USDA or sued for false advertising. There are many breads and wraps on the
market that claim to be low carb because you can subtract the fiber. Don’t fall for it! Fiber will slow down the digestion of carbs
and you may find that your blood sugar will not only go up but it may stay up in
an unhappy range for as long as 24-48 hours.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In order to be successful on a LCHF diet you should
initially count all carbs. Perhaps later on in your Ketogenic journey when
blood sugars have stabilized you can test some of these other items.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3- This is good for
me because it is healthy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it really? Remember
that your primary goal is to reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance. It doesn't matter how healthy a food is if
it keeps you diabetic! I hear this from
someone every week! Even too many
servings of salad greens could potentially add up to too much! I hear things like:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I’m trying to get some yogurt into my diet because it has
good healthy probiotics” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I need to eat a half of a banana because I need the
potassium”. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I’m drinking green smoothies for the healthy vitamins and
minerals.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
Others make the mistake of eating allowed fruits like berries but eat them with
abandon or find that they can’t stop putting them in their mouth. You need to know what pushes your carb
craving buttons and get it out of your pantry or refrigerator. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You are not going to be healthy if your blood sugar and
insulin levels are up and you will not have success on the Ketogenic diet by
eating foods that will not allow your body to be running in a fat burning state of ketosis. This
is what we have to aim for. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are plenty of healthy “super foods”. They don’t have to be high carb or high
sugar. Avocados are a power food packed
with potassium and other good stuff! Greens
and green vegetables pack a punch and they also add fiber. We were never meant to “eat” our vegetables
juiced! Our ancestors didn't have
juicers in the woods now did they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consider carefully how many carbs you want to allow yourself
for something that seems to be healthy but in your case may not be because it
will keep you from your greater goal! <br />
<br />
Please use this handy guide to find nutrients in foods! <a href="http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php">http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4- Portion Sizes and timing issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you simply eating too much food or eating food too
often? We have had it pounded into our
heads forever that we “need to eat often” to stay satisfied and keep our
metabolism going. That is a bunch of nonsense! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our ancestors didn't graze! They hunted all day, maybe even two days,
then dragged the animal home and everyone sat down to eat it. The remaining was often eaten for breakfast
the next day and then off they went again to find more. The women gathered seeds, nuts and berries
in season. They were not the big luscious
sweet berries of the modern world. They
were tiny wild berries and sharing them it probably didn't amount to a
lot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Small portions of meat, greens, nuts and berries
or small portions of cheese a few times a day are fine. Eating
a half a block of cheese and telling yourself that it’s adding to your fat
totals is not going to work out well nor is chomping down on a full cup of
nuts! <br />
<br />
There is a side of broccoli or there is a plateful of broccoli. The plateful is going be too much and can
keep you from attaining the blood sugar control you want and may hinder weight
loss that you are trying to achieve. If
to you a 12 ounce Sirloin is a portion you are not going to see the results you
want. <br />
<br />
I will discuss how protein can inhibit ketosis in part two. I will address the mistakes made eating fat
in my next post too! For now, take a
bit of time to consider if any of these four mistakes are hindering your LCHF
journey to health! <br /><br />Go to part two here:<br /><a href="http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working_14.html">http://ketodiabetes.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-isnt-lchf-ketogenic-diet-working_14.html</a></span><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
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<!--[endif]-->Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-86067642110782859332015-01-14T22:39:00.000-06:002015-01-21T21:59:38.570-06:0025 Months On A LCHF Ketogenic Diet- Update! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been two years and one month since I read Dr. Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney's book called "The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living". I will state without any hesitation that it was the pivotal turning point in my diabetic life! It changed my entire concept of health and it also changed the lives of countless others who have joined my "Reversing Diabetes" facebook group since then.<br /><br />At the time that I read that book I was eating a low carb and low fat type of diet and had about 500 members in my facebook group. I remember one of my admins in the group at the time, a great guy and a mentor, Geoff S. would post about eating a ketogenic diet. I kind of thought it was on the extreme end of the scale and didn't promote it much. I have to admit that It actually scared me a little bit!<br /><br />Fast forward two years later! Geoff was a very wise man and he knew of what he spoke! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He helped me along in my early days of eating this way!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I am forever grateful to you Geoff! <br /><br />Today I eat a fully ketogenic diet as Volek and Phinney write of and my facebook group now has more than 5200 members and a countless number of successful LCHF participants! I have since added two more successful facebook groups with an additional 1500 members or so.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After reading Volek and Phinney's book, I began my own experiment which I documented for about 5 months. I upped my fat intake, I lowered my protein intake, experimented with portion sizes and foods even using a food scale for a while! It was a lot of work in the beginning but now it is simply my way of life!<br /><br />Within days I was blown away by my blood sugar numbers and I have never turned back! Now in Jan. 2015 it has been 25 months of this way of eating along with thousands of others doing this with me! It is humbling to say the least! <br /><br />I just had my yearly "preventative" exam. I say that because I no longer have to have diabetes follow-up exams. My doctor has declared me to be no longer diabetic "on paper" as she says. She was completely blown away by my recent labs and could hardly believe my numbers! </span><br />
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Fasting Blood Glucose on day of testing was 74 (4.1 mmol),</div>
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<br />
A1c 5.3</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
Vitamin D level is stellar at 74, which is up from last years 52 (most people are under 40!)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />
Homocysteine is down to 9.8 from 11.8 in 2013. This is a marker for heart disease. Below 10 is fine. Over 13 or so is concerning although most physicians don't seem to take much notice until you have a reading of 15 or higher!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />
All of my liver enzymes are improved over the past 3 years. So much for the propaganda saying that a high fat diet causes fatty liver!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Total Cholesterol of 222 is BORDERLINE (225 last year) Of course it is higher due to the higher "healthy" HDL<br />
<br />
LDL of 106 is NEAR OPTIMAL (down from 144)<br />
HDL of 92 is OPTIMAL (UP 40 points from last year)<br />
Triglyceride level of 120 is NORMAL (145 last year)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
RATIOS:<br />
Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio is: 2.41 - (preferably under 5.0, ideally under 3.5) IDEAL</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />
LDL/HDL ratio is: 1.152 - (preferably under 5.0, ideally under 2.0) IDEAL</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />
Triglycerides/HDL ratio is: 1.304 - (preferably under 4, ideally under 2) IDEAL</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The calculator I used to figure my ratios is here. <a href="http://www.hughcalc.org/chol2013.php">http://www.hughcalc.org/chol2013.php</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I am so happy to share my results after 2 years of eating a LCHF Ketogenic diet and my hope is that it will inspire others and take away some possible fear that you may have about how a high fat diet affects your lipids!<br />
<br />
For those of you who read this post whose life has also been changed by using the ketogenic diet for your health I would love it if you would comment on this post! </div>
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-29943703471870487702014-02-16T17:30:00.002-06:002015-01-19T16:56:11.066-06:00My Experiment With First & Second Phase Insulin Response"Huh, what?" you ask! What are you talking about? Well it's a bit complicated and you can read about it for yourself at Jenny Ruhl's "Blood Sugar 101" web page here: <a href="http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046621.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">"</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">How Blood Sugar Control Works- And How It Stops Working"</span></a><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
I was reading Jenny's hard copy "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z8RXQW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004Z8RXQW&linkCode=as2&tag=revdiamyketjo-20&linkId=AWFASS54GA3INPAG%22%3EBlood%20Sugar%20101:%20What%20They%20Don%27t%20Tell%20You%20About%20Diabetes%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=revdiamyketjo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004Z8RXQW%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20%3E" target="_blank">Blood Sugar 101</a>" book for the second time through and I just wanted to wrap my head around this and try to understand it. I also became very interested in what my own responses were. <br />
<br />
Most of us type 2's don't follow our blood sugar too closely. We may test in the morning or perhaps after a meal so we have a general idea of what our average blood sugar may be. The quarterly or twice yearly A1C gives us another indication. But what is really going on with our insulin response. What happens in those few hours after a meal when we aren't testing? How good or bad is out insulin response?<br />
<br />
These were the questions I wanted to answer about my own body. Do I have impaired phase one insulin response? Failed phase 2 insulin response? Both?<br />
<br />
I was surprised after doing both experiments. A bit disappointed too! <br />
<br />
The first picture is one testing my 1st phase insulin response by taking 1-1/2 tsp of sugar right after testing my fasting blood sugar. This is equal to about 7-8 grams of carbs which was certainly not carb loading. It mimicked an average carb meal for me. I started out with a nice 76 mg/dl (4.2 mmol). In the picture you can see the rise at 15 minutes. At 30 minutes it is already on it's way down. At 90 minutes my blood sugar it is back nearly to where it started at 80 mg/dl (4.3 mmol). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lWVBdwxlZXQ/UwE8X6kEsgI/AAAAAAAAAH4/c77YeRpULWM/s1600/chart_1+(2).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lWVBdwxlZXQ/UwE8X6kEsgI/AAAAAAAAAH4/c77YeRpULWM/s1600/chart_1+(2).png" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlU4qilB3SRydFh2QkNpVlN5MTdaRzVWcHFrRGlKX3c&usp=drive_web#gid=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go to the larger Google Drive chart here.</span></a><br />
<br />
This was shocking to me! Looking at this you would question if I even was diabetic! This is exactly the way a non-diabetics blood sugar would respond in 90 minutes or so. The increase to 96 a half hour later may have been due to a glucose dump by the liver after blood sugar went below 80.<br />
<br />
Exciting news, right! But here is the not so exciting news. My other experiment didn't fare so well. <br />
<br />
Here is a chart of two meals eaten yesterday. These were both usual meals for me. I weighed the protein portions to be exactly 3 ounces since that is what I have determined is the right amount for my diet. Both meals were LCHF ketogenic meals with added fats. I stopped taking all of my supplements for this experiment as well so that I could get a true picture of how my body handled the meals without help from anything else.<br />
<br />
Lunch was a salad with sour cream chipotle dressing , vinegar, macadamia oil and 3 ounces of Kielbasa sausage. Supper was 3 ounces of baked haddock with butter and lemon olive oil with 7 spears of roasted asparagus. I also had 3 ounces of V-8 juice (3.5 grams carbs) at the beginning of the supper meal thinking that it might get the insulin going faster. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-3rJAkd5C0/UwE_vIf4eyI/AAAAAAAAAIE/1ZsoJ0mvZGs/s1600/chart_1+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-3rJAkd5C0/UwE_vIf4eyI/AAAAAAAAAIE/1ZsoJ0mvZGs/s1600/chart_1+(1).png" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlU4qilB3SRydEZGeFBfLVg2V0RoSXktOFlPNG9NcUE&usp=drive_web#gid=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See full chart in Google Drive here</span></a><br />
<br />
Normally, I test before and after a meal. Sometimes only after the meal. I was making an assumption that my blood sugar would rise mostly the first hour to 45 minutes and then start coming down. When I usually do my post meal test at 2-1/2 hours it is around 105-115 or so. Sometimes it is lower, which is nice!<br />
<br />
What I didn't realize is that my blood sugar is only first peaking at the 2 hour mark! This was shocking to me! When I test at 2-1/2 hours I am only just beginning to come down from my "high". Granted my peak is still below 130 which is certainly not anything to be concerned about but this whole experiment now leaves me with more questions to be answered! After both meals my blood sugar didn't come down to a "normal" range below 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol) for over four hours! <br />
<br />
What does this tell me? Well, I guess I am diabetic for one! I knew that already! (smirk) I show a very slow and impaired secondary insulin response. I also wonder why it seemed like there was no 1st phase insulin response to the meals. Is it because it took that long for my pancreas to recognize that I ate carbs? I don't have the answers to these questions so on to more research! <br />
<br />Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035814757609619778.post-44352779726364966342014-02-07T22:26:00.000-06:002014-02-08T10:23:07.996-06:00Protein Is My Nemesis! <div class="MsoNormal">
I belong to quite a few low carb, meat eating Facebook groups.
Some of the members are diabetic and have adopted a Ketogenic eating
plan to normalize blood sugar. Others
are eating a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet for reasons like weight loss or
because they feel more energetic or it
solved gastrointestinal problems, etc.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I eat the diet mainly for controlling my diabetes and it
really has pretty much normalized my blood sugar. I also feel great eating this way. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I have this one consistent
problem with the diet that has become my nemesis! It is the thing that keeps tripping me up
over and over again! It is protein! Yup, protein! </div>
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<br /></div>
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I am not like any other diabetic and another diabetic isn't
going to be exactly like me so I want to say that first! Everyone has to find out what works or
doesn't work for them by the use of their blood glucose meter and a bit of
experimentation.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as some are more carbohydrate intolerant than others I
have found that we all seem to handle different levels of protein too. Some of you reading this are already
scratching your head and wondering why in the world protein would even be at
issue. It is a long story that I will
not go into in this post but to explain simply, a certain amount of protein
converts to glucose and can raise blood sugar as do carbohydrates. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I began my Ketogenic, LCHF diet about 15 months ago, I
had to experiment to get my protein low enough so that my blood glucose would
normalize. The amount of protein also
seemed to affect my next morning’s fasting blood sugar as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still find myself in a battle to keep protein at a level
that I long ago determined was the right level for me. When they bring a big steak to my table at
Texas Roadhouse I long to devour the whole thing and often I do! Leftover steak eaten the next day just isn't
the same! I am also used to big 1/4 or
even 1/3 pound hamburger patties. We've been taught to eat large portions of
everything because of the size of portions in restaurants, in commercials and
food magazines. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have found that keeping to my personal protein portion
sizes of about 2.5 oz. (70 g) in a meal I will have a much smaller after meal
blood sugar rise than if I allow myself a larger portion. My blood sugar may be at 97- 3-3 1/2 hours
post meal if I eat the smaller protein portion.
When I increase this even by 1 oz I see a very different blood sugar of perhaps
115. An even larger portion of protein
means an even larger rise of up to 125 or 130.
This is just from protein itself with no added carbs in the meal. I have
to add additional fat for calories and to make sure that I am full. Hunger doesn't ever seem to be a problem for
me and I am much happier with a post meal blood sugar of less than 100 than one of 125! </div>
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Although blood sugar control is mainly about eating a diet
low in carbs and sugar, don’t forget to adjust the protein to a level that
works for you. If you are one of the
lucky ones who do not have to restrict protein then eat up! I envy you!
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
(<span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px;">I didn't really address carbs in the above blog post. I don't want anyone to think that protein is what they need to focus on for initial blood sugar control. Protein is kind of the final nutrient to be adjusted after blood sugar has been normalized by reducing carbohydrates but is still on the higher end of normal. I eat less than 20 grams of carbs a day most days.)</span></div>
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Sandy Bahrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03191073127635586561noreply@blogger.com2