Ketogenic Diet for Controlling Diabetes

[Kathleen]

My office has "Bagel Wednesdays" and monthly birthday cakes. The irony is that beginning in 2016, they are planning to make any employee with a BMI greater than 29 pay more to get the same healthcare benefits as everyone else. Personally, I think they're going to be opening themselves to some legal challenges by doing that but, as of now, that's the plan.

Kathleen, I've always loved pizza and bread and all those sorts of things, but I find my willpower holding strong after 2 months. In fact, the longer I go without it, the easier it is to turn it down.

I once heard a story by F. Paul Wilson where health was regulated by the government. If this were to ever happen, my new career will be a "lipid-legger." Y'all can seek me to obtain your full fat cream and butter! On a serious note, I do expect we will start to see things like government-regulated health mandates though.

As for breads, grains, and sugar, I've been able to avoid them so far thanks to everyone on this thread. So thank you!

I was very big on baking and baked goods! It has taken me a long, long time to let them go! I got to the point where I was allowing myself a treat once a month and now I don't bother, it became more trouble than it was worth. The key, for me, was finding an acceptable alternative. When everyone else is eating pizza I have chicken wings, some pepperoni and cheese or a Meat-zza. I made it through the eating season this year without a slip up by using my substitution game. My A1C this week was 6.6, not bad for an old foodie!

Aunt Bea, awesome news on your A1C! I've not had meat-za yet, but expect to try it soon. Also, thank you for the link!

I'm going to have my A1c drawn the last week of January and adjust from there. A1c going into the diet was 7.4. I think the doc missed my thyroid panel last month on my annual, so will be adding that in, too.

Not hungry this morning...guess I'll just stick with my coffee. And I got a full 7 hours of sleep last night.

I'll be having mine tested in February and am looking forward to seeing how my numbers change!

I came across this article today that I thought some of you might find interesting.
I lost weight by eating lots of bacon and cream. Here's a scientific explanation for why. - Vox

Congrats to everyone on your weight loss and great blood work

Great article! Very informative.

So I have finished one week on the diet and my pants are already getting loose. For me, the biggest challenge has been to plan my meals ahead - especially for breakfast and lunches. The fat bombs and hard-cooked eggs have saved me a few times!

Speaking of fat bombs, my biggest challenge has been to get enough fats in my meals. Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of full fat things (except for ice cream.) I like bacon, but don't want it every day. When I don't eat at least 70% fat, my morning BG is higher.

For the foodie within, I found a taco meat recipe that I changed a bit and love. I used onion powder instead of minced onion and sprinkled a bit of xanthan gum in place of the cornstarch. I also added three drops of stevia which really enhanced flavors. It was great on tacos (using Bibb lettuce for shells) and in taco salads.

Truly, for the first time in decades, I am once again stumbling about in the kitchen. It's kind of fun!

Best of all, my insulin use is down and my BG looks better each day!

~Kathleen

 

[blissful]

Steve, due to your threads on the ketogenic diet, I started on it on Monday.

I don't like soda and so that was not an issue for me, I drink coffee and green tea, now with cream. Lots of water too.

I'll eat 3 small portions of protein/cheese each day (beef, shrimp, eggs, cheddar cheese, fish or tuna, chicken) along with lower carb vegetables.

I made a marinated salad (olive oil) of peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes, capers, olives, mushrooms, and I eat a bowl full of that once a day.

I'm into broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, lettuce, spinach, celery (with cream cheese), saucing them up or with dressings (olive oil/vinegar/mustard).

I finally bought some cream, as I can't get enough fat without using cream in my coffee. I am going to try a low carb tortilla one of these days. I ordered some coconut flour and xanthum gum (sp?). I eat walnuts and almonds each day, a handful each time.

Last night we had shrimp alfredo, hubs had it with pasta and I had it with steamed broccoli, delicious, and hubs was stealing my broccoli too. He likes pizza and sadly I can't have that, BUT, I'll be able to fake a pizza on a low carb tortilla when the time comes. I cheat on my diet every day, EVERY DAY!!! I eat 6 Cheetos, I can't help myself.

I make a lot of eggs. I was watching hubs eat his eggs over easy, and dipping his toast in the yoke and I almost started crying, I wanted toast too.

I miss crunchy things, I miss bread a lot, I miss apples and fruit, but I'm only on day 7 and I don't miss that 5 lbs that fell off while no one was noticing my pain (being on the diet). I couldn't believe what the scale told me, 5 lbs in less than a week, thanks, Bliss

 

[Steve Kroll]

Steve, due to your threads on the ketogenic diet, I started on it on Monday.

I don't like soda and so that was not an issue for me, I drink coffee and green tea, now with cream. Lots of water too.

I'll eat 3 small portions of protein/cheese each day (beef, shrimp, eggs, cheddar cheese, fish or tuna, chicken) along with lower carb vegetables.

I made a marinated salad (olive oil) of peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes, capers, olives, mushrooms, and I eat a bowl full of that once a day.

I'm into broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, lettuce, spinach, celery (with cream cheese), saucing them up or with dressings (olive oil/vinegar/mustard).

I finally bought some cream, as I can't get enough fat without using cream in my coffee. I am going to try a low carb tortilla one of these days. I ordered some coconut flour and xanthum gum (sp?). I eat walnuts and almonds each day, a handful each time.

Last night we had shrimp alfredo, hubs had it with pasta and I had it with steamed broccoli, delicious, and hubs was stealing my broccoli too. He likes pizza and sadly I can't have that, BUT, I'll be able to fake a pizza on a low carb tortilla when the time comes. I cheat on my diet every day, EVERY DAY!!! I eat 6 Cheetos, I can't help myself.

I make a lot of eggs. I was watching hubs eat his eggs over easy, and dipping his toast in the yoke and I almost started crying, I wanted toast too.

I miss crunchy things, I miss bread a lot, I miss apples and fruit, but I'm only on day 7 and I don't miss that 5 lbs that fell off while no one was noticing my pain (being on the diet). I couldn't believe what the scale told me, 5 lbs in less than a week, thanks, Bliss

That's fantastic! As for missing breads, I know exactly what you mean. When our daughter was growing up, I tried to set a good example for her by baking a lot of homemade bread. Two loaves a week. I miss the flavor now, but I don't miss how it made my joints stiff and achy. Yes, little did I realize it at the time, but wheat is a major source of joint inflammation, not to mention fatigue, acid reflux, and digestive issues. You will miss it less and less as you kick the cravings and your body adapts.

Something I have yet to begin experimenting much with is alternative flours. Tonight I'm going to try to make some breaded cod with almond flour. I still have to watch the carbohydrates, though, so I won't be using a lot of it. I'm thinking a few tablespoons from time to time should be alright.

And as for pizza, who says you can't have it? Try this recipe for "meat-za."
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f157/meat-za-pizza-crust-91738.html

Just add your favorite toppings and cheese. We've had it a couple of times now, and the flavor is great!

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[Steve Kroll]

Speaking of fat bombs, my biggest challenge has been to get enough fats in my meals. Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of full fat things (except for ice cream.) I like bacon, but don't want it every day. When I don't eat at least 70% fat, my morning BG is higher.

Kathleen, for years I was brainwashed into eating low fat foods, so I also found the transition to higher fat meals kind of a challenge.

I rarely have bacon for breakfast. I like bacon and all, but not every day. I've been sometimes having breakfast sausage or I'll put some pepperoni and mozzarella into my morning omelet. If I don't want meat at all, I mix plenty of cheese in with the eggs.

Have you tried a buttered steak yet? As you've probably found by now, restaurants have limited options for this diet. Most of the time, what I end up doing is ordering my meat, and ask if I can swap the potatoes or rice for extra veggies or a side salad. Then I will order extra butter. This usually gets a funny look from the server. Especially when I start slathering it all over my meat or fish.

Speaking of salads, salad dressings are an excellent way to up the fat. I've been having blue cheese and ranch dressings a lot lately, as well as just using olive oil and red wine vinegar (with emphasis on the oil).

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My Keto Asian Dressing: Teriyaki Dressing

I ate this on shredded cabbage with pulled pork yesterday.


http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f11/teriyaki-dressing-92046.html#post1405998

 

[blissful]

Steve, I did read your meatza thread. I just can't get past the 'needing something crunchy' for a pizza. I even made some frico (?) from parmesan thinking it might be a good pizza crust but it isn't substantial enough to hold up to putting toppings on it. I can eat about 3 ounces of meat and then I realize I don't like it particularly much, I'm trying to get used to that three times a day.

I ground up some almonds yesterday, I'm planning on using some to make individual cheese cakes, as the crust. Combining almond meal with butter and a bit of spenda. I haven't eaten anything sweet in a week and it would be nice to have a little treat once in a blue moon.

I'm in my mid 50's and starting to get creaky joints in my hips, hopefully things will get better with less or no grains.

Low Carb Basics: Baking with Coconut Flour | All Day I Dream About Food
In that article it talks about coconut flour and how it absorbs much more liquid and uses many more eggs when it is used in baked goods. I might try to make a strongly flavored cheese crackers with it, to get my 'crunchy' in and to have a place to spread dips or cheese spread. The article says that the coconut flour has a coconut aroma but it can be easily masked with chocolate (of course my old friend chocolate!)

I often see in recipes with coconut flour, the addition of protein powder and xanthum gum (sp), and those just came today, so I can play. If I have any success I'll let you know.

Today's menu will have roast beef, marinated salad, left over shrimp alfredo with broccoli, a handful of almonds, and something more, I haven't decided what that will be (and 6 cheetos). I'm only going to add one item of coconut flour or almond meal per day and hope that it doesn't throw off my balance.

I'll have cole slaw, green beans, and lettuce salad this week to mix and match throughout the week.
Steve, thanks for your threads on this, and I'm glad you are having such good success with it. Craig, you too! Yeah team!

 

[GotGarlic]

Steve, you should ask the restaurants if they have compound butter.

blissful, maybe you could adapt one of these recipes for something crunchy:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cheddar-parmesan-crackers-recipe.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/jalapeno-cheddar-crackers.html

 

[blissful]

GotGarlic, nice recipes! I will give it a try, probably similar to the first recipe link. Thanks!

 

[Aunt Bea]

The compound butter is a great tip, blue cheese compound butter is good on a steak. Some of the garlic and herb combinations are nice with seafood. You can keep a log or two in the freezer and just cut off what you need for a single serving.

blissful, a couple more thoughts on CRUNCH. Commercially made pork rinds do not have any carbs and they do have a nice crunch, similar to chips. Kale chips are available commercially and are easy to make at home. You need to go easy on them though because they do contain some carbs. If it's any consolation the need for crunch does slowly fade.

Good luck!

 

[blissful]

Thanks Aunt Bea, pork rinds, on the grocery list. Yes, thank you for saying the need for crunch does fade, it give me hope. My cheetos thank you - they now have hope to live a longer life. Eating is such an emotional affair. (to me)
Hubs is being supportive, he doesn't eat the candy, saltines, cheetos that are on the table next to the bed, in front of me, only behind my back. The tell tale orange fingers are a dead give away. "Have you been eating cheetos my dear?" "no don't tell me" "I don't wanna know."

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The compound butter is a great tip, blue cheese compound butter is good on a steak. Some of the garlic and herb combinations are nice with seafood. You can keep a log or two in the freezer and just cut off what you need for a single serving.

blissful, a couple more thoughts on CRUNCH. Commercially made pork rinds do not have any carbs and they do have a nice crunch, similar to chips. Kale chips are available commercially and are easy to make at home. You need to go easy on them though because they do contain some carbs. If it's any consolation the need for crunch does slowly fade.

Good luck!

Thanks Aunt Bea, this is an excellent idea, you could even wrap some servings for yourself and take them with you when you go out to eat!

For crunch, I've been leaning towardsraw veggies. But then, I've been off crunch for a while now since I got my falsies... And I agree with the pork rinds. Have heard of, but not tried, using the pork rinds crushed in place of breadcrumbs as a coating.

I made Blackberry Fat Bombs last night...they are not as good with dark chocolate as the strawberry or raspberry, but really just fine on their own.

I have some orange blossom water, orange, lime and lemon zest...those might be good in a fat bomb, too!

Walmart had cream cheese on sale after Christmas...Fat Bombs are my way of dealing with the massive amount I compulsively purchased (it was on Saaaaale!!!. And the Fat Bombs taste better with unsalted butter.

 

[Kathleen]

Wow! Our keto-team is growing!

Like PF, I've been leaning on veggies for the crunch, but I did try a Carb Balance Whole Wheat tortilla as a sandwich wrap which has 6 Net carbs. It was surprisingly good, but I don't recommend eating more than one in a day as it starts with 32 g carbs and subtracts the 26 g fiber to get those 6 Net carbs. It made a very satisfying wrapped around sous vide pork loin, lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

Earlier in the week, I wanted a "crunch" and had tacos made with Bibb lettuce leaves. With the cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, I did not miss the shells nearly as much as I thought I would.

I have found that when I eat too much protein and/or too little fat, my bg is higher and I am prone to having some nausea. Other than that, I'm feeling better than I have felt in a very long time. My britches are looser and, more importantly, I've been able to reduce the amount of insulin! Needless to say, I'm thrilled.

When I started, I was sure I would miss pasta, rice, and bread. Surprisingly, I've not craved any of those. Mine has been potatoes. A friend gave me a recipe with cooked cauliflower mashed with butter and cream cheese. I hope they are good!

So this is day 11 for me. Less insulin, feeling better, and weight loss are ensuring I'll stick with it for a while...hopefully a long while. Today, I made more fat bombs, and also I also made some faux French Onion Soup for lunches this week.

I found some spiced orange pekoe black tea. Using cream and stevia, it has been a treat! I think it is good iced too.

Steve, PF, and others: You have all been really helpful. I would not have made it past day three without you. Totally worth the challenges.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I used a rotisserie chicken carcass, onions, celery, carrots and garlic to create a stock. I made a chicken, salsa verde, chili and lime stew, (no thickener, just reduced it way down), stirred in avocado oil when it didn't have enough fat to suit me. I got 4-1 cup servings, placed those in ziplocks, labelled and freezing flat. I will thaw, reheat and serve over steamed, drained zucchini.

There was less than 1/4 cup of stew left in the pan, since I already had the bags sealed, I put the chicken stew left in a small pan, chopped a broccoli crown into it and a little water. Brought to a boil, added a little more chili lime seasoning and simmered until the broccoli was tender. Stirred in some heavy cream...I'll never be able to replicate this fantastic soup.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I posted this in the dinner thread as well. My first attempt at making batter fried cod using almond flour. The slaw is also keto friendly and, of course, so is the tartar sauce.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Also, I was worried this meal might be a little too carby for a diabetic. I haven't actually sat down and calculated the numbers yet, but a cursory glance at ingredient labels seemed to point that way.

I checked my BG both before and after dinner.

Before dinner (preprandial to you, PF): 79 mg/dl
45 minutes after dinner: 105 mg/dl

Although a 26 mg jump is somewhat higher than what I usually see after meals, it's not terribly bad.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Also, I was worried this meal might be a little too carby for a diabetic. I haven't actually sat down and calculated the numbers yet, but a cursory glance at ingredient labels seemed to point that way.

I checked my BG both before and after dinner.

Before dinner (preprandial to you, PF): 79 mg/dl
45 minutes after dinner: 105 mg/dl

Although a 26 mg jump is somewhat higher than what I usually see after meals, it's not terribly bad.

LOL!! I'm not a stickler for medspeak, unless I can't say what I need to in 'merican.

That is a very good blood sugar for 45 minutes after a meal. Once a week would not do much harm. Looks like a really good meal.

 

[Steve Kroll]

It was good, and a fun experiment, but kind of a lot of work overall. I made the mayo (used in both the slaw and the tartar suace) from scratch, which I guess I wouldn't have had to do.

I need to play around with the batter a bit. I got the base recipe from a diabetes web site, but I don't think it was tested very well. I ruined three pieces of fish trying to get the batter and oil temperature just right.

 

[Kathleen]

I used a rotisserie chicken carcass, onions, celery, carrots and garlic to create a stock. I made a chicken, salsa verde, chili and lime stew, (no thickener, just reduced it way down), stirred in avocado oil when it didn't have enough fat to suit me. I got 4-1 cup servings, placed those in ziplocks, labelled and freezing flat. I will thaw, reheat and serve over steamed, drained zucchini.

There was less than 1/4 cup of stew left in the pan, since I already had the bags sealed, I put the chicken stew left in a small pan, chopped a broccoli crown into it and a little water. Brought to a boil, added a little more chili lime seasoning and simmered until the broccoli was tender. Stirred in some heavy cream...I'll never be able to replicate this fantastic soup.

That sounds fantastic. I love soup. All kinds of soup.

Also, I was worried this meal might be a little too carby for a diabetic. I haven't actually sat down and calculated the numbers yet, but a cursory glance at ingredient labels seemed to point that way.

I checked my BG both before and after dinner.

Before dinner (preprandial to you, PF): 79 mg/dl
45 minutes after dinner: 105 mg/dl

Although a 26 mg jump is somewhat higher than what I usually see after meals, it's not terribly bad.

The fish looks terrific. Could you tell us the recipe and how you made it?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It was good, and a fun experiment, but kind of a lot of work overall. I made the mayo (used in both the slaw and the tartar suace) from scratch, which I guess I wouldn't have had to do.

I need to play around with the batter a bit. I got the base recipe from a diabetes web site, but I don't think it was tested very well. I ruined three pieces of fish trying to get the batter and oil temperature just right.

I've been playing with food, too. Also going through my TNT recipes to see if I can turn them Keto. I keep looking at my King Arthur Cookbooks and feeling sad.

Decided I miss oatmeal the most. Cooked some for Shrek tonight, it was a struggle.

 

[Steve Kroll]

The fish looks terrific. Could you tell us the recipe and how you made it?

Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe that's TNT enough to post. I made up the batter according to a recipe I found on a diabetic website, but it wasn't a good recipe. The batter started way too thin, so I ended up playing with the amount of almond flour until the consistency seemed right.

Also, the recipe had me heat the oil to 365 degrees. I can tell you that it was WAY too hot for almond flour and burned almost immediately. I had to reduce the temp to 325 and use smaller pieces of fish in order to get them to cook all the way through.

So, in short, more experimentation is needed before I can post a recipe.