[Diabetes-talk] Need Tips for Lowering A1C

[Debbie]

Thanks for all the informative and humorous posts.  I think feeling deprived 
makes most shun what they might be told to do; kind of like the doc saying 
"This won't hurt at all!"

One more thing pertaining to sugar vs. artificial sweeteners, and diet soda 
as opposed to regular soda-which is best?

Debbie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 11:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Need Tips for Lowering A1C


> Hi, Debby.
>
> I have a PDF file of an article from the November, 2010 issue of "diabetes
> Self-Management Quarterly" which describes an altermative to the orthodox,
> strict approach of most diabetes experts that I think makes more sense 
> that
> your friends might find congenial and that I will send you -- and yes, 
> it's
> accessible. The article is entitled "Intuitive Eating" and involves an
> approach advocated by a dietitian, Linda Bacon,, associated with the 
> Health
> At Every Size (HAES) movement that your friends might find easier to 
> adjust
> to than following the usual food-police regimen. But before describing 
> this
> approach, I think it's appropriate to mention the obvious: no one is going
> to make healthier eating choices unless he/she *wants* to do so -- enough 
> to
> stick with it for more than a few weeks or months. Without such desire,
> nothing will work in the long run.
>
> That said, the Intuitive Eating Approach doesn't place *any* foods
> off-limit. Rather, it assumes that those wishing to try this regimen are
> intelligent, motivated and willing to put some effort into the approach. 
> The
> Intuitive Eating approach involves being extremely aware of *why* one eats
> -- real hunger or to satisfy cravings or emotional needs. Intuitive eating
> for the diabetic involves strict monitoring of bg levels before and, say, 
> an
> hour or two after eating, to determine the effects of particular foods on
> blood glucose levels and also a willingness to experiment with healthier
> choices as well as reducing quantities of yummy but overly-high-carb 
> foods.
>
> This approach is easier to handle on insulin but also works for those on
> oral meds. For instance, your friends might start out by noting that after
> breakfast, their bg is out of their desired target range so they might 
> first
> try eating *one* Egg McMuffin rather than two or taking a long walk after
> eating the two Egg McMuffins. Or if one finds that eating a KFC meal with
> mashed potatos and corn and biscuits drives bg through the roof, perhaps
> cutting out the corn and biscuit might do it as well as perhaps 
> substituting
> a baked potato for the mashed potatos. In other words, one concentrates on
> making choices and observing the consequences rather than on cutting back 
> so
> far that one feels deprived. Also, one learns to eat *only* when one is
> hungry -- not when it is socially expected.
>
> On the other hand, one doesn't beat oneself up for eating a slice of
> birthday cake; one takes a long walk to burn off the excess bg.
>
> I'll send you the article via private email and I'll send it to anyone 
> else
> who wants it. It's the sort of article that gives traditional CDE's and
> diatitians indigestion but has a surprising amount of empirical data on 
> its
> side.
>
> I'll say no more as this isn't the forum to conduct diet wars. But this
> might be an approach that would ween your friends off high-carb foods
> without them feeling like one lady's husband did when she was trying to 
> get
> him to eat more vegetables with dinner and he came home, saw what was on 
> the
> menu and remarked: "Hmmm ... seems like we're expecting *goats* as dinner
> guests!"
>
> Mike Freeman
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debbie
> Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:43 AM
> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
> Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Need Tips for Lowering A1C
>
> A couple of friends of mine have extremely elevated a1C readings, well 
> above
> the preferred range.  How can they transition from a fast-food mentality 
> to
> healthy eating without feeling deprived?  One friend eats two
> sausage-and-egg biscuits from a well-known restaurant every morning.
>
> None of them are on insulin yet, and I want to do what I can to encourage
> them to alter their eating habits.  I found one product called sunbutter, 
> a
> peanut butter substitute.
>
> Please send comments either through the list or via personal email.
>
> Debbie
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