I've been lowcarbing since February. I don't have a working scale at home, but the last time I checked a couple of weeks ago, I lost 36 pounds. I also cut out table salt about the same time. In two weeks, my blood pressure dropped 40 points.
Low Carb & Mediterranean Diet
by UnConfused 19 Replies latest social physical
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StAnn
UnConfused, I'm getting ready to start the Paleo Diet this weekend, after I get a good menu and grocery list made up. It's low carb. If you try South Beach, we should compare results, say every other week, etc. I need my A1C to go down as well as my waistline.
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StAnn
Londo, on this Paleo Diet I'm embarking upon, there's no added salt. I'll keep you posted if it helps my blood pressure. I'd love to go off my blood pressure meds!
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TotallyADD
For Band on the Run. I am a master gardener in our area. I to have Type 2diabetes. I have found one food that is diabetic friendly. That is Jerusalem Artichokes or commone name Sun Chokes. They are part of the sunflower family. The tubers are narly looking. You may have seen them in the produce section. The reason they are diabetic friendly, when eaten, instead of turning into sugar they trun in insulin. They have a nutty taste. They can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked. If you grow them make sure you have a space in back of your garden. They grow real tall. Let them grow until a good hard frost or freeze hit them. At this point they are ready to dig up. Dig up only what you want to eat. They are not real good keepers. Best to keep them in the ground through the winter and dig up only what you want. Throw some hay over the area where they had grown so it is easy to dig up during the winter. You almost never dig all the tubers up and those left behind will start your new crop for the next year. This is one of the healthy foods we can all enjoy. This plant has a long history with the native indians. In modern times Jerusalem Artichokes lost favor because they are not good keepers and sometimes hard to control in a garden. Totally ADD
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Band on the Run
Thanks so much. This is why I love forums rather than mds and books. My jaw opening is restricted a bit b/c of the neuralgia pain. Are Jerusalem Artichochokes hard to chew? I don't think I've seen them --even in gourmet shops. My local grocery store has such a revolting looking vegetable that it gives me shudders to walk past it. Perhaps they are the Jerusalem Artichoke. I am going to ask in specialty stores in NY and also the local vegetable and fruit person.
I was so good with no effort. Stray a little,,,,,,,,,
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TotallyADD
Band on the Run. Raw they are like eating a radish. Cooked and mashed they are like eating mash potatoes. Good Luck in finding them. Totally ADD
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jgnat
Something didn't sound right so I looked it up. Jerusalem Artichoke has the carbohydrate inulin, not to be confused with insulin.
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TotallyADD
Ignat I got my imformation from my Botanica's Organic Gardening book. I quote "The tubers have particular value for diabetics as they store their carbohydrate in the form of insulin rather than the sucrose and starches that are found in most tubers." That is the imformation I am using. My wife is looking into her medical books on this right now. Maybe the gardening book did a misprint. Although they did say it has value for the diabetic. Totally ADD
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Reopened Mind
TotallyADD quoted correctly from the book he referenced. However I believe the book is wrong and should read inulin, not insulin, as jgnat said. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that controls the metabolism and cellular uptake of sugars whereas inulin is a carbohydrate found in plants that yields fructose in the presence of water. (Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 20, pp. 1117, 1136)
Below is the Wikipedia article from which jgnat quoted:
The artichoke contains about 10% protein, no oil, and a surprising lack of starch. However, it is rich in the carbohydrate inulin (76%), which is a polymer of the monosaccharide fructose. Tubers that are stored for any length of time will digest its inulin into its component fructose. Jerusalem artichokes have an underlying sweet taste because of the fructose, which is about one and a half times sweeter than sucrose. [ 4 ]
Jerusalem artichokes have also been promoted as a healthy choice for diabetics. The reason for this being the case is because fructose is better tolerated by people that are diabetic. It has also been reported as a folk remedy for diabetes. [ 5 ] Temperature variances have been shown to affect the amount of inulin the Jerusalem artichoke can produce. When not in tropical regions, it has been shown to make less inulin than when it is in a warmer region. [ 6 ]
When all is said and done the Jerusalem artichoke is a valuable addition to the diabetic diet. Hope this helps to clarify.
Reopened Mind
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StAnn
My dad used to raise those. I ate them growing up. I still see them growing on the side of the road, wild. They can easily take over a garden! But they are good. We ate them like potatoes, mostly fried. (My mother fried everything, she's from SE Kentucky.)