Diabetic Diets

Swede a great lowcarb super food !

Americans know it as "rutabaga". The Scottish call it "neeps" and serve it with haggis. The swede, a fairly recent root vegetable, is thought to have originated around the 17th century in Bohemia. In 1620 a Swiss botanist described the root vegetable, believed to be a hybrid of the cabbage and the turnip. By 1664 it was growing in England. A good source of vit.C, fibre, folate and potassium. Low in calories and carbs..

Wash then peel thoroughly to remove the thick outer skin. Swede can be prepared and served in any of the methods used for potatoes. Swede can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Use mashed swede instead of mashed potato it has a slightly sweet taste. Swede can also be made into fritters and pancakes. Collins Gem states 2.3 grams of carb per 100 grams. Who needs BG raising spuds ?

Even our kids love swede and the grandchildren like its slightly sweet taste. Mash up with lots of butter and serve with meat, fish, other vegetables, whatever you like. It tastes great.

All the best Jan

The Battle Of The Bulge.

Despite coming under heavy attack from Generaloberst Sid Von Bonkers, eighth Army lowcarb anti divison commander, the valiant lowcarbers are fighting back. Von Bonkers highly secretive ‘Miracle’ weapon, the mark 4 Gezzafaust failed to deliver the knock-out blow, and was deemed to be very noisy, but lacked any real punch on the battlefield. Von Bonkers woes were compounded by his Army intelligence HQ, The Phoenix Centre, failing to come up with any relative information. The Carb War goes on. Welcome to the crazy world of diabetes.

Dietitians not all barking mad !

When you become a diabetic you have to come to terms with a new reality (keep new reality in your head). For many of us it is the first serious medical condition of our lives. It’s a major blow, but hey things could be worse, a lot worse. So those with an interest in self preservation and not over-keen on playing blind mans bluff, or getting the role of Long John Silver in the next remake of Treasure Island, go looking for information. Those that have a grip on reality quickly realise diet plays a massive role in the control of diabetes. So, if you want to know about a healthy diet, you go and see a dietitian, they’re the experts right ! Well, at this stage you are in the lap of the Gods. If you get very lucky, you will find a highly educated, up on the latest science, forward thinking person. Unfortunately few get lucky, far too often you are given a strict lecture on losing weight, and eat starchy carbs with every meal advice, by someone who has clearly eaten all the pies, and looks in far worse health than you. Mention lowcarb and you can sense their buttocks clenching, as they go to Defcon 1. All is not lost, as in all professions, there is good and bad. This comment came in on Grahams post below and got me thinking.

“I always laugh when I read these scientific reports. Obviously, a low carb diet will result in better BGs and HbA1c. It's just stating the obvious. But, it's still good to have a research paper to show ignorant diabetes healthcare teams.

My child's "diabetic dietician" told me he "can eat whatever he wants, as there is no such thing as a diabetic diet now days. If you want to eat McDonalds, then go right ahead." That is literally what she said. It's almost too bizarre to be true.”

From Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE

“Thanks for checking out the Low Carb Dietitian website. I'm a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator who favors a low carbohydrate, whole foods approach for diabetes and weight management.” Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE

The great Franziska Spritzler site here.

From Hope Warshaw RD, CDE

"Old Dogma: People with type 2 diabetes should follow a low carb diet. New Reality: Nutrition recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes from the American Diabetes Association and other health authorities echo the recently unveiled U.S. 2010 Dietary Guidelines (1/31/11) for carbohydrate : about 45 to 65 percent of calories. (Americans currently eat about 45 to 50 percent of calories as carbohydrate--not a "high carb" intake.)" Hope Warshaw RD, CDE

Hope Warshaw Old Dog Ma here.

Eddie