R.H. asks from Whitehouse, TX on May 12, 2011
Glucose Intolerant - HELP with NO CARB Diet
So, my friend who is due in August flunked her diabetes short test yesterday and today she found out that while she does not have gestational diabetes, she is glucose intolerant and the doctor has told her absolutely no more carbs, soda or sweets! She is at a total loss as carbs were in all her every day foods. She is not big on cooking and has a 2 year old at home, and she works full time. I was hoping to help her get some simple recipes together as well as ideas for quick brown bag lunches and snacks. Anyone have any suggestions? I was going to do a day of cooking for her and put some things in the freezer. She unfortunately is not a big meat eater, but the meat she does eat is chicken and beef. Any advice, recipes or help would be much appreciated!
Featured Answers
S.H. answers from Honolulu on May 12, 2011
The Doctor, SHOULD HAVE referred her to a Nutritionist.
That is what an OB/GYN is supposed to do.
So tell her, to request that, from her Doctor.
Without a Nutritionist, and being she is pregnant, there is LOTS of chances, of doing this wrongly. And not good for her health/condition.
You cannot just approach this by guessing.
My late Dad, was Diabetic.
It is PER the person, as well... on what they can/cannot intake.
AND it depends on food combination too AND the glycemic index of foods.
WHICH a Nutritionist, can teach her about, and even make out a daily food plan for her.
A person CANNOT ONLY JUST eat protein.
That is Unbalanced, and can put her body into a bad, balance.
Even Diabetics, need some carbs. Or their blood sugar levels can drop to a dangerous, level. For example.
You REALLY need to tell her to get referred to a NUTRITIONIST.
Do not, guess at this.
Nor without knowing, EXPLICITLY, what her condition, is all about.
SHE needs to learn about it too.
2 moms found this helpful
More Answers
S.H. answers from Honolulu on May 12, 2011
The Doctor, SHOULD HAVE referred her to a Nutritionist.
That is what an OB/GYN is supposed to do.
So tell her, to request that, from her Doctor.
Without a Nutritionist, and being she is pregnant, there is LOTS of chances, of doing this wrongly. And not good for her health/condition.
You cannot just approach this by guessing.
My late Dad, was Diabetic.
It is PER the person, as well... on what they can/cannot intake.
AND it depends on food combination too AND the glycemic index of foods.
WHICH a Nutritionist, can teach her about, and even make out a daily food plan for her.
A person CANNOT ONLY JUST eat protein.
That is Unbalanced, and can put her body into a bad, balance.
Even Diabetics, need some carbs. Or their blood sugar levels can drop to a dangerous, level. For example.
You REALLY need to tell her to get referred to a NUTRITIONIST.
Do not, guess at this.
Nor without knowing, EXPLICITLY, what her condition, is all about.
SHE needs to learn about it too.
2 moms found this helpful
S.B. answers from Chicago on May 12, 2011
She really needs some professional advice from a dietitian. Her doctor should have referred her, and if not, then shame on that doctor. How absurd to just tell a pregnant woman "you can't eat any more carbs at all" and then send her home without a clue of what she CAN eat. The poor woman will end up not eating anything for fear of accidentally eating a carb and both her and her baby's health will suffer.
A dietitian can help her sort through the diagnosis, and make sense of the foods she can eat, help her with a meal plan if she would like. Also, being pregnant, she will need regular follow ups to make sure she stays on the right track. Good luck to your friend, it will be a huge lifestyle change, but it can be done with the right tools and support.
2 moms found this helpful
N.S. answers from Bangor on May 12, 2011
she needs to see a dietition!!!!! everyone needs to have a certain amount of carbs in their diet. Carbs are what the body uses for fuel...for both her and the baby.
I worked in a diabetes and nutrition medical office for 13 years...we saw on average of 6 gestational diabetics/glucose intolerant momma's every week. Its very important that your friend get some advice from a dietition.
2 moms found this helpful
B.M. answers from Chicago on May 12, 2011
Get the Atkins Diet book. There are TONS of great recipes in there and there is information on what foods (even healthy ones) have how many carbs, so she will be able to make better decisions. If her Dr really truly means NO CARBS that is going to be super tricky - really just meat. He may have said NO CARBS thinking she wouldn't know that almost everything except meat has SOME carbs. It would be easier if he gave her a gram count and said don't go over 15 carbs a day or whatever
However - when I was on the Atkins Induction diet I basically ate chicken, cheese and hard boiled eggs for 2 weeks. Which, I like all that stuff. And you can throw it in a salad for lunch and then bake it for dinner and you don't get sick of it (at least I didn't).
Tell your friend Good Luck!
1 mom found this helpful
A.F. answers from Fargo on May 12, 2011
You are such a sweet friend! You can also suggest to her to get a referral to an endocrinologist.
Glucose intolerance is more commonly referred to as pre diabetes (type 2) and there should be other ways to treat the condition without going carb free. I would be concerned that she would not be getting adequate nutrition on a protein only diet.
Is there a certain limit to the grams of carbohydrate she is allowed? Or is it strictly ZERO carbs? 15 grams of carb equal a whole carb so if she is allowed a few grams per day, she can eat vegetables and berries without too much trouble.
Best of luck to her!
1 mom found this helpful
M.H. answers from Atlanta on May 12, 2011
Hi R.,
She needs to be on a low glycemic diet. It balances the carbs for diabetes. My 92 year old Dad has been on it for 20 years and has never had to use any insulin. Se can google "low glycemic recipes" on line. She'll be surprised at what she can still eat....
Brown rice instead of white rice. Red potatoes and sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Green vegetables, many fruits, plenty of protein...etc. She should be able to find what she needs with a simple google search.
God bless,
M.
1 mom found this helpful
V.W. answers from Jacksonville on May 12, 2011
Hm. I agree with the other posters she might should see a dietician. I'm thinking she was a little out of sorts and didn't ask many questions of her doctor, maybe she should call him/her back up and ask some follow-up questions. Certainly her doctor did not say she cannot have ANY carbs. Carbs are in all vegetables too. Celery? yep. Carrots? yep. Green beans? yep. etc. If I had to guess (and it IS pretty much a total guess), her doctor told her no more simple sugars/carbs, i.e., NO soda and NO sweets. No cake, no cookies, no ice cream, no candy bars, no lollipops, no bubble gum, no jollyranchers, no white bread, no plain white rice, no plain baked potato, no simple sugars no simple high Glycemic index carbs.
She can have eggs and berries for breakfast daily and not ingest a lot of carbs/sugars. But eating a bowl of cereal would be a no-no. Eating a banana or an orange is a carb heavy breakfast. Fast food french fries are WAY not allowed.
She can eat salad and chicken, or tuna, or even burgers with only half the bun but no fries. No soda with it.
It sounds like that is going to really upset her lifestyle. But it isn't that difficult to cut out those sorts of things. She can roll up thin slices of deli ham with a piece of thin sliced cheese with a little mustard and stick a few in ziplock bags. My kids take that sort of thing to school for lunch. Just put it in with a cold pak. Cheese sticks (individually wrapped) are GREAT for packing and snacking. Peanut butter is a wonderful low-carb/good protein food. Spread it on "light" bread (light breads average 8 grams of carbs per slice--read the labels) that has been toasted. Or Pimento cheese on light wheat toast. They are yummy, easy and low-carb friendly.
Buying low-carb tortillas is an easy way to have a low carb meal: soft tacos! black olives, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, ground beef and salsa have very few carbs--all except the salsa are virtually carb free!
She should call her doctor back and get specifics about how many carbs he wants her to limit herself to, and maybe follow up with a dietician. Then she can look for some low-carb cookbooks. There are a lot out there due to the Low-Carb/South Beach diet crazes.
Any kind of nuts are great snack foods. We love almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts.
1 mom found this helpful
G.B. answers from Oklahoma City on May 15, 2011
Go to your local library and check out some cookbooks. I will say and say it loudly NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AT ALL. I think as time passes we will be told that they are horrible for the body and worse than saccharine. they cause horrible side effects in the body and are not safe.
Going on the carb diet is not hard. It takes learning what the alternatives are and how to integrate those choices into daily living. My FIL eats less than 40 carbs a day and his blood sugar is normal, his cholesterol and other blood stuff has gone down and is normal now too. He eats bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast and eats a wide variety of foods. He got all his information from cookbooks at the library and tried them out before selecting which ones had the recipes and foods he liked.
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