Emma – Page 10 – Diabetes Diet

Hypo or Not?

Nov 9, 2017Nov 20, 2017 EmmaLeave a comment

When do you feel the symptoms of a hypo?

The November/December issue of Balance, Diabetes UK’s magazine, reported that researchers have proposed that we need to take a fresh look at defining low blood glucose levels.

At present, a ‘hypo’ (low blood glucose level) is 3.9mmol and below (70.2mg/dL in the US), which the researchers feel isn’t all that low.

A severe hypo is one where someone needs help from another person to recover, something that rarely happens in clinical trials. Rightly so, as letting someone go so low without help wouldn’t be ethical.

Researchers suggest that there should be three levels of hypo – low, lower and oh f*****g shit. I’m kidding, obviously, but they are looking for the level that, below this point, a person’s health is seriously affected, i.e. where their brain, blood and cardiovascular systems are compromised, the risk of death begins to rise, and the level that has an impact on mental health.

Current research suggests these begin to take effect at about 3.0mmol (54mg/dL in the US). The team’s three definitions are:

Level 1: 3.9mmol or less –a hypo alert
Level 2: less than 3.0mmol – serious and important hypo
Level 3: serious hypo, requiring external assistance, even if none is available.

Like all of us, hypos are individual. One person’s “I’m fine at 3.9” is another’s “oh shit”. I sometimes feel the symptoms of a hypo coming on at 4.6, say. Other times, I’ll prick my fingers, get a 3.9 and wonder where it’s come from.

As you can see from the picture, I had a “serious and important hypo” this morning, thanks to undereating and walking too enthusiastically yesterday. Oof. It happens.

Keeping your blood sugar levels stable without going too low is a huge challenge. One of the reasons we promote low-carb eating for type 1s in particular is that the risk of hypos can be reduced because you don’t need to take as much insulin.

If the researchers could include advice about how to avoid hypos, while also achieving good HbA1c results in the long-term, we will cheer them on…

*Some good news! The NHS has approved flash glucose monitoring technology – i.e. systems such as the FreeStyle Libre. I’m off to investigate the possibilities of getting one. Also, big love to the NHS, a wondrous, wondrous institution.

This Week I’m…

Nov 3, 2017Nov 1, 2017 Emma4 Comments

Is anyone’s week of that much interest to anyone else? Blogging demands a certain conceit – that yes, your activities and opinions are either interesting or useful to others*. I’m HUGELY entertaining, but only really to myself. Sometimes, my mum and husband laugh along too, if they are feeling kind.

Nevertheless, I experimented with this blog form elsewhere and decided to run with it on the Diabetes Diet. So, this week I’m…

Trying out new recipes. Like most folk, I’ve been stuck in the same ol’ recipe rut for a while. Prawn cocktail Monday, seabass with avocado Tuesday, sausages at some point. (Well, they are so flippin’ good.) I decided to try out lots of new recipes recently, and I’ve enjoyed the process.

Some of them worked wonderfully – steaming seabass and dressing it with ginger, soy sauce, sliced chillies and sesame oil gave me something new to do with fish. And the crust-less pizza was fun too. I tried Good Food magazine’s budget-friendly pot roast recipe, using silverside of beef, carrots, celery and stock, which would have been good if I hadn’t overcooked it.

It was as tough as old boots. My jaw still aches remembering the workout it got. Still, the gravy and the veg that came with it was MARVELLOUS!

Re-discovering running. I started running 13 years ago, did it regularly, entered a lot of 10k runs and even a half-marathon, and then lost the love. It was hard, it needed a massive amount of willpower to make myself get out there and do it, and it was dull, dull, dull. Seriously, there are good reasons why runners look so miserable. Then, four weeks ago, I decided to go for a run anyway.

Just to see if I still could.

And I could! Two days later, I thought I’d try again. I still could! And here I am, four weeks later going for a run every two days, and LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

What’s different this time? I run so slowly, your granny could probably overtake me. If you take it super-slow, you don’t get that nasty struggling with the breathing thing. Or the lead-like calves. And I listen to a podcast while I do it. Anything comedic is a good bet, though you try listening to Radio 4’s News Quiz as they tear into our politicians and Donald Trump, and run at the same time. Laughing like a loon and heavy breathing is HARD.

Adjusting to the dark nights. For those of you outside of Scotland, by the start of November, it’s dark by 5pm (and it’s only going to get worse). You can do worthy things, such as making sure you do get some daylight at lunchtime if possible. On the other hand, it’s a great excuse to park your a**e on the sofa and binge-watch your way through Stranger Things 2.

*The stats for any blog serve as a great reality check, should you ever find yourself under the illusion that your opinions/activities ARE fascinating to anyone else…

Crust-less Pizza

Oct 25, 2017Oct 24, 2017 Emma8 Comments

This is based on Nigella Lawson recipe I adapted – Meatzza. Basically, you use mince to create a base, and top with the traditional pizza favourites, tomato sauce and mozzarella.

Nigella’s recipe uses porridge oats. I swapped these for ground almonds. They are there to give the base substance. I also changed the herb from parsley to thyme. Serve with a green salad, or to keep the Italian theme going you could try this Keto garlic bread recipe on the Diet Doctor website.

Crust-less Pizza

Servings: 4
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

500g minced beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3tbsp ground almonds
50g grated Parmesan
1tbsp thyme leaves
1tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1tsp dried oregano
125g ball of Mozzarella
Fresh basil

Grease a 28-cm baking tin. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.

In a bowl, mix the meat with the garlic, ground almonds, half the grated Parmesan, thyme, salt and eggs. Do this with the tips of your fingers so you don’t overhandle the meat, as too much handling makes it tough.

Press the meat into the tin. Drain some of the liquid off the tinned tomatoes. Mix with the oregano and spread it over the meat crust. Slice the Mozzarella and put it on top, along with the rest of the Parmesan.

Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Top with the fresh basil and serve.

Serves 4. 5g carbs and 1g fibre per serving.

Broccoli, Pea and Mint Soup

Oct 17, 2017 Emma2 Comments

Regular readers will know I do love a soup recipe or two… This week I made and adapted one from the Sainsbury’s magazine.

The Broccoli, Pea and Mint instructions appealed to me as the broccoli stalk AND the florets are used, so it’s less wasteful. In the magazine, the writers recommended adding fried smoked streaky bacon and crumbled goat’s cheese to the top, but I used boiled eggs instead as that turns your soup into a main course that’s really filling.

You could also add a sprinkling of grated cheddar or parmesan. And be heavy-handed with the black pepper, as the soup benefits from the warmth.

Most soup recipes you find specify stock, usually chicken or vegetable. I don’t bother unless I have some home-made chicken stock on hand. I find stock cubes or bouillon pointless. It’s just flavoured salt, right?

Anyway, I’ve also halved the quantities here. I live in a one-broccoli household, i.e. only one of us likes it and the other thinks it’s the food of the Devil. Much as this soup appeals, two portions of it this week will be fine for me.

Broccoli, Pea and Mint Soup

Servings: 2
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Half a medium-to large sized head of broccoli
1tbsp rapeseed oil
2 spring onions, chopped
125g frozen pea
1tbsp mint leaves, chopped
1tbsp parsley, chopped
500ml water
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Chop the broccoli stalk finely. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the broccoli stalk and spring onions. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Add the water, bring to the goil, turn down to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.

Add the frozen peas and broccoli florets, bring back to a simmer and cook for another five minutes.

Take off the heat, add the mint and parsley, and a decent amount of salt and puree using a hand blender.

You can top with smoked streaky bacon, fried and chopped, a good handful of grated cheese, or (as I have done in the picture), boiled eggs, some more mint and a hefty grating of black pepper.

Each serving contains 11g carbs and 8g fibre.

What to Eat in October

Oct 13, 2017Oct 12, 2017 Emma5 Comments

We’re still working our way through home-grown courgettes (!!), tomatoes and carrots, but what else is seasonal at this time of year?

At the Diabetes Diet, we try our best to eat seasonally (it’s not always easy in Scotland), as seasonal food locally grown and produced tastes the BEST. It also helps you do your bit for the environment, by cutting down on food miles (the distance food travels to reach your plate) and it benefits your local economy. Wouldn’t you prefer to put money directly in a farmer’s pocket, than add to the vastly-inflated profits of a supermarket?

Anyway, October brings many of the benefits September does. While many fruits and vegetables are now gone for the year, there are plenty of delicious other options.

MEAT

Pheasant
Lamb
Partridge

FISH

Mussels
Mackerel
Oysters

VEGETABLES

Wild mushrooms (if you’re going to pick these, please make sure you know what you’re doing!)
Root vegetables, such as celeriac and carrots
Kale
Beetroot
Cabbage
Fennel

FRUIT

Apples
Damsons

Looking for some ideas for what to do with your seasonal ingredients? Puzzled about how you can make them low-carb so they fit with the way you eat? We have some suggestions for you…

Make gluten-free gravy using carrots and onions, and serve with pork and chicken.

Our carrot and almond soup recipe is an established family favourite. If you want to make it a main course, add some boiled eggs or poached chicken for added protein (and satiety). Or make yourself a delicious salad with the recipe for a Carrot and Dill version.

Love lamb? Our low-carb, gluten-free moussaka makes the most of lamb mince (making it more affordable too). Try this African stew, also.

Jovina Cooks Italian has inspired us hugely, and this Brindisi Fish Soup uses mussels and is packed with flavour. It also uses aubergines, which are seasonal in October too.

Hate cabbage? Add bacon, cheese and sour cream, and you can make anything palatable to even avowed cabbage loathers. Try this Cabbage Casserole recipe and convince the brassica haters it’s true.

Celeriac has a very distinctive taste. Make the most of it in this braised celeriac recipe. You can use it as a replacement for potatoes to accompany your roast dinner. We also have a yummy recipe for soup.

Gluten-free Gravy for Pork or Chicken

Oct 2, 2017 Emma1 Comment

My husband likes to say he does love a nice drop o’ gravy, speaking the words in a terrible Yorkshire accent. I don’t know why. Are people in Yorkshire more associated with gravy loving?

I like to experiment with gravy-making from time to time, and last weekend I came up with this to accompany roast pork. It’s basically vegetables that have been cooked with the meat, and they and their juices then boiled up with some water and wine and pureed. I added a tablespoon of Bovril for added savouriness.

What I got a was a thick, tasty gravy – and then I twigged that I’d also made a gluten-free sauce, which happened to supply one of those magical five-a-days. Sometimes, I don’t know my own genius…

Anyhow, here’s the recipe for you. I think it will go better with pork and chicken, than lamb or beef, but you never know.

Gluten-free Gravy

Servings: 4
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

1 whole chicken or a joint of pork
1 onion, peeled and cut into thick chunks
5 or six cloves of garlic, peeled and bashed
3-4 sticks of celery cut into sticks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
50ml white wine or cider
300ml water
1 teaspoon Bovril

Add a tablespoon of oil to a large roasting pan. Put the vegetables in the pan and roast the meat until it is cooked.

While the meat is resting, scape the vegetables and the meat juices into a saucepan, discarding any that are too blackened. Add the wine or cider and bring the mix to a boil. Add the water and the Bovril.

Allow to simmer for a few minutes and then liquidise so that you end up with a smooth, thick sauce. You might need to add some more water to thin it down.

Because of the carrots and onions, this does have some carb content (and also fibre). Allow roughly 5g of carbs per serving.

Chicken ‘Cordon Bleu’ Rolls

Sep 25, 2017 EmmaLeave a comment

Deliciously simple idea for a low-carb chicken dish.

Ok, so this is basically a result of crap, what am I going to make for dinner? I had chicken tenderloins in the fridge and no plan in sight and, truth is, we all need a ‘recipe’ that really doesn’t call for a recipe at all. Something we can just throw together thoughtlessly with no fuss that we can remember off of the top of our heads. So here she be.

My kids love anything that involves ham and Swiss cheese and we had both in the fridge so I threw it all together and let’s just say I’ll certainly be making this one again.

No pounding out the chicken, no cutting slits to stuff it, nada. Just a chicken tenderloin wrapped arpund ham and Swiss in the middle. And baked until the cheese gets gooey and the chicken is cooked to juicy perfection. So stinking basic, but that salty…

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Avocado Stuffed Salmon

Sep 18, 2017 Emma1 Comment

A delicious idea for salmon and avocado!

Hey you! How can it be that we’ve been this out of touch?! Are you getting into the swing of your fall routine? This summer seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. I hope you have been enjoying this crazy, hectic time!

All is so very well over here. We are feeling like we’ve got this “new start” thing down. Georgia is literally jumping with joy about kindergarten so far. She’s been an absolute champ with all of the newness and I couldn’t feel more proud of her. Jude’s doing his part time preschool thing and is loving his own special time with a wonderful teacher and friends…he’s such a little sponge and has an amazing, curious nature. And Rocco, well, chubby, happy and the most sweet spirited little human I’ve ever known. He brings so much joy to all of us.

Having been away from blogging…

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Spicy Tomato and Lentil Soup

Sep 13, 2017Sep 11, 2017 Emma2 Comments

In need of something warm, spicy and comforting as the nights draw in? Let me introduce the spicy tomato and lentil soup.

Just as in July and August we were in un dated with courgettes that morphed into marrows because we couldn’t pick ‘em fast enough, now the green house is giving up its goodies. Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes – they keep on coming.

Nice as they are to eat in salads, I needed a recipe that would use up a lot of them so I hit on tomato and lentil soup. Yes, there are lentils in it and they do contain carbs, but they thicken the soup up marvellously and make it so delicious, they are worth it.

If you like your soup to be more of a main course than a starter, do as I always do and serve it topped with a poached egg or two. Some cooked chorizo would work too.

Spicy Tomato and Lentil Soup

Servings: 4
Time: 35 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

400g tomatoes, halved
75g red lentils
1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1tbsp rapeseed oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1tbsp ground cumin
1tsp dried chilli flakes (more or less, depending on how spicy you like it)
600ml boiling water
Salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan/stock pan. Add the onion and pepper and cook for five minutes, until softened but not browned.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, cumin and chilli and cook for another five minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Add the lentils and boiling water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cover. Leave to cook for 15-20 minutes.

Use a hand blender to puree the soup. Add salt to taste – you should be generous with the salt, as lentils can take quite a bit of it.

20g carbs and 5g fibre per serving.

“Chocolate Staves Off Diabetes” – not so fast…

Sep 8, 2017Sep 7, 2017 Emma5 Comments

Chocolate could help stave off diabetes… Another day, another sensationalist headline of the kind favoured by the Daily Express/Mail as it acts as perfect click bait.

What’s the story behind this one? Researchers have found that certain compounds found in cocoa can help the body release more insulin and respond better to increases in blood glucose levels. Therefore, this is of benefit to type 2 diabetics.

Beyond the headline is this qualifier. Study leader Professor Jeffrey Tessem from Brigham Young University said you would probably need to eat a lot of cocoa, and that you wouldn’t want the accompanying sugar that usually comes with it.

And the study did centre on cocoa and its compounds, rather than actual chocolate.

If you are looking for a healthy chocolate fix, we can help. We have plenty of chocolate recipes on our website that use cocoa powder or high-quality plain chocolate. Feel free to try them out…

Low carb chocolate fudge

Low carb chocolate chip cookies

Low-carb chocolate

Good quality plain chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids and above) doesn’t have that many carbohydrates in it – generally, about 10g per 40-50g, which is a decent portion. Don’t eat it late at night though, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, as you might find it hard to get to sleep.