To Low Carb Purists – You Are Not Helping the Cause

[49er]

Another blog entry from one of my favorite bloggers, low carb RN

https://lowcarbrn.wordpress.com/2016/08 ... the-cause/

It is a more blunt version of the previous post I wrote linking to her blog entry, "More is not always better."

Great quotes that perfectly demonstrate her point:

"6g of carbs is too much sugar in a meal.”
My thoughts? Not for me…"

“You let your kids eat carrots?”
My thoughts? Sure do! Try not to report me to child protective services please."

49er

[ChicagoGranny]

First world problems, first world nonsense.

Good post, 49er.

[Julie]

Sanity, reason and common sense!

[DreamStalker]

It's not a matter of purity or fasting glucose levels ... it's a matter of what your goals are and/or the relative state of your insulin resistance/sensitivity.

She's basically making up issues (straw persons) to debate her own ideas of what is and what is not low carb.

Jibberish for the most part .... of course you can eat carrots, and onions, and almonds, and even sugar too, and still be low carb .... but do they support your goals is the question she should ask.

I've even been experimenting with resistant "starch" during the past few weeks. I managed to eat a whole pound of tater tots in one sitting and my glucose went from 86 and maxed out at 97. A couple of days later I ate 1 cup of oat meal and my glucose went from 82 to 165. The following week I made some potato salad and ate about 1/2 a pound and my glucose went from 83 to 118. My goals were basic experimentation to discover the effects of resistant starch. I've not tried an apple lately but in the past it used to have the same effect as a cup of oat meal. Why even experiment with resistant starch? .... prebiotics for healthy gut microbes while mitigating gluco-toxic hyperinsulinemia.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gut ... 766188f383

And this ...



Also keep in mind that glucose levels are not the same as insulin levels. It is the insulin levels that really matter when attempting to achieve low carb related goals. Unfortunately, measuring insulin levels is not cheap or a DYI at home measurement ... nonetheless, glucose serves as a correlative guide if one understands that glucose and insulin are NOT the same. For a simple explanation, Butter Bob tells it like it is ...



So this low carb RN blog is actually just as opinionated and guilty of not helping the "cause" as the "rigid purisits' she is attempting to put down .... whatever that cause or insanity may be.

This is the only quote she needed in her post and would have made her point without being guilty of her own accusations ....

This page has two guiding principles that I do not waiver on… 1) eat real, whole food 2) limit carbs to the point where you can maintain optimal health markers, whatever that means to each person.

[ChicagoGranny]

my glucose went from 86 and maxed out at 97

How many minutes after eating do you find peak glucose? Does it vary depending on what/how much you eat?

This is the only quote she needed in her post and would have made her point without being guilty of her own accusations ....

This page has two guiding principles that I do not waiver on… 1) eat real, whole food 2) limit carbs to the point where you can maintain optimal health markers, whatever that means to each person.

I find it a bit ironic that the only part of her blog that you accept is either not defined or is a pure motherhood statement.

Real food - no definition? Isn't anything that contains carbs or protein or fat "real" food?

Whole food - no definition? Tater tots: If you add oil or butter or salt, isn't it no longer "whole"? If the tots were peeled, isn't it no longer "whole"? If you don't eat the seeds and stem of an apple, have you failed to eat "whole" food?

"Limit carbs to (a healthy level)" Well, you can say that about anything.

[DreamStalker]

my glucose went from 86 and maxed out at 97

How many minutes after eating do you find peak glucose? Does it vary depending on what/how much you eat?

Measured every 15 minutes for 2 hours after meal (peaked about 0.75 to 1 hr after). I will disclose that I did that after fasting for two days, so my glycogen levels were fairly depleted. I also cooked the tater tots with a lb of bacon (including rendered bacon fat), about 1/2 cup of chopped red onions, and 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper .... and after cooking I let it cool down to room temperature before eating. In fact the tater tots were mostly just thawed while sauteing with bacon, onion, and peppers.

This is the only quote she needed in her post and would have made her point without being guilty of her own accusations ....

This page has two guiding principles that I do not waiver on… 1) eat real, whole food 2) limit carbs to the point where you can maintain optimal health markers, whatever that means to each person.

I find it a bit ironic that the only part of her blog that you accept is either not defined or is a pure motherhood statement.

Real food - no definition? Isn't anything that contains carbs or protein or fat "real" food?

Whole food - no definition? Tater tots: If you add oil or butter or salt, isn't it no longer "whole"? If the tots were peeled, isn't it no longer "whole"? If you don't eat the seeds and stem of an apple, have you failed to eat "whole" food?

"Limit carbs to (a healthy level)" Well, you can say that about anything.

Well I assume that real whole foods is non-packaged food. I suppose the organic uncured bacon and the of organic tater tots were indeed packaged and NOT "whole food". I think you've taken the term "whole food" to a different level with eating apple core/seeds and what not but whatever ... I tend to stay away from apples because they do not fit my goals. I suppose you could define "whole food" as solar energy which is where almost all food is sourced from but that can be difficult, don't you think?

You also spun "health markers" into "healthy level". I consider "health markers" as markers in blood tests like glucose, insulin, A1C, Triglycerides, HDL, etc. ... "healthy level on the other hand is indeed subjective and means whatever the person's goals are (feeling of well being, energy, cognitive levels, physical fitness, and those sorts of things).

[chunkyfrog]

As always, nutrition needs to be balanced DAY BY DAY with activity and one's own metabolism.
We were much better off when the calories were equivalent to the effort needed to obtain them.
If I want a cookie, I have to WALK to burn it off. A second cookie is a bad idea---FOR ME.
I just can't walk that far!

[ChicagoGranny]

You also spun "health markers" into "healthy level". I consider "health markers" as markers in blood tests like glucose, insulin, A1C, Triglycerides, HDL, etc. ... "healthy level on the other hand is indeed subjective and means whatever the person's goals are (feeling of well being, energy, cognitive levels, physical fitness, and those sorts of things).

Well, if measuring health markers is not for the purpose of eating a healthy level, what in the world is it for? Satisfying a fascination with statistics and technology?

[DreamStalker]

Metabolism is more complex than just calories in vs calories out ... and that's why hormones matter.

Insulin & Diabetes Primer

Well, if measuring health markers is not for the purpose of eating a healthy level, what in the world is it for? Satisfying a fascination with statistics and technology?

Just pointing out the difference between what the RN actually wrote and what you quoted her as writing. Health markers are objective, health levels are subjective. Does that still confuse you? I could try and simplify it further if you'd like.

[Jay Aitchsee]

I ate 1 cup of oat meal and my glucose went from 82 to 165

Interesting.

Re: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77373&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... 5#p1085249, where I talked about trying to incorporate/keep oatmeal in my diet for digestive reasons, but it spiked my BG too much, to greater than 140.

So, I've been doing a little experimenting and I think I may be able to keep my rolled oats and eat them, too.

Here's what I found: A basic recipe including 1/3 C oatmeal, 1 Tspn psyllium flour, 1 egg, a little coconut oil, 2/3 C liquid (water, almond milk, yogurt, milk, etc., or a combination), about 220 cal, 8 gr fiber, can be microwaved for two minutes or fried or baked, adjusting the liquid and fat as desired, raises my BG from 100 to 116 at +1 hr, 104 at + 2 hrs. I assume the added ingredients change the glycemic index and load resulting in a more favorable BG response.

I tried eating the rolled oats cold after soaking overnight in the refrigerator to preserve the resistant starch. Didn't work for me.

[ChicagoGranny]

including 1/3 C oatmeal

Curious about why you eat oatmeal?

[Jay Aitchsee]

including 1/3 C oatmeal

Curious about why you eat oatmeal?

where I talked about trying to incorporate/keep oatmeal in my diet for digestive reasons

To keep things moving, so to speak. I have found that even with fiber supplements a lower carb diet slows things down too much for me. Oatmeal works better than anything else I have found.

I do try to eat whole foods, i.e., minimally processed, don't come in box, bag, or bottle, don't have a label, etc. Oatmeal would not ordinarily fit this description.

[ChicagoGranny]

Jay Aitchsee

Are there 10 or fewer items that make up 80% of your diet. Unless you eat away from home frequently, this can be determined by looking at grocery receipts.

My question is not just to Jay, but to anyone who cares to respond, low-carber or not. You can use as units cost, weight, calories or metabolic effect(?) to get to 80%.

[BlackSpinner]

Jay Aitchsee

Are there 10 or fewer items that make up 80% of your diet. Unless you eat away from home frequently, this can be determined by looking at grocery receipts.

My question is not just to Jay, but to anyone who cares to respond, low-carber or not. You can use as units cost, weight, calories or metabolic effect(?) to get to 80%.

This is normal every where and every when and depends on the season.

I eat different foods right now that the garden is in full produce mode then I do in the winter. My current grocery bills are somewhat down - except that I am buying more meat when it is on special which I freeze. In the winter when a head of nice lettuce costs $5 I don't eat salad. Cauliflower has been off the menu since it hit $6 a head and my season is too short to grow them in the garden. (Though I may experiment with a frame next year)

So right now Lettuce, beet greens, carrots, zuchinni, squash, tomatoes, beans, parsley, onions, garlic, other herbs. From the grocery store chicken, beef, pork, rice, almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, dairy, eggs, coffee and tea.

[DreamStalker]

I ate 1 cup of oat meal and my glucose went from 82 to 165

Interesting.

Re: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77373&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... 5#p1085249, where I talked about trying to incorporate/keep oatmeal in my diet for digestive reasons, but it spiked my BG too much, to greater than 140.

So, I've been doing a little experimenting and I think I may be able to keep my rolled oats and eat them, too.

Here's what I found: A basic recipe including 1/3 C oatmeal, 1 Tspn psyllium flour, 1 egg, a little coconut oil, 2/3 C liquid (water, almond milk, yogurt, milk, etc., or a combination), about 220 cal, 8 gr fiber, can be microwaved for two minutes or fried or baked, adjusting the liquid and fat as desired, raises my BG from 100 to 116 at +1 hr, 104 at + 2 hrs. I assume the added ingredients change the glycemic index and load resulting in a more favorable BG response.

I tried eating the rolled oats cold after soaking overnight in the refrigerator to preserve the resistant starch. Didn't work for me.

Yes. It was your posts Jay, that got me interested in researching resistant starch in the first place. And it was also your comments re: oat meal that compelled me to give the oat meal another try ... and it did not work for me despite eating it chilled.

The potatoes on the other hand did seem to work. But as I noted earlier, lower glucose does not necessarily mean lower insulin, at least not yet with regard to potatoes. My hydroxybutyrate ketone levels did go down though which implies that insulin levels were probably affected (how much I don't know). I may try and save up for some insulin tests but not sure if it is worth it yet.

What I found more interesting was how tater tots (as I prepared them anyway w/ bacon, onion, peppers) worked better than chilled potato salad (made with quartered red potatoes + Bob's Red Mill potato starch, red onions, dried dill, mustard, and mayo). I will continue to work with potato salad recipe and see if a vinegar based dressing works better than mustard/mayo based dressing as vinegar is known to suppress both glucose and insulin levels. Both tater tot and potato salad meals kept me very well satiated for over 24 hours with no significant hunger afterwards. It was easy to go back to ketogenic diet. So for now, resistant starch is still experimental for me.

Oh, and the lower gut bacteria seemed to like the potatoes too ... kept things moving.