Ellyloo wrote:Hey everyone!
This is my first day (again) , and this time I want to do it right.
I am researching and 'owning' my eating instead of just kinda winging it.
I'm still learning, so forgive my questions.
I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and so I'm highly interested in my sugar levels all the time. I feel like I want to SEE this diet in action!
My husband is also type 2, and his medication (metformin) has stopped lowering sugars.
I'd love for him to be gung ho about it but he's got to 'own' it for himself so he believes it. I'm not going to force him.
If he eats a pile of starches for supper and then has meat the next day for lunch, will this do more harm than good?
I have no problem making food for us both and having him eat it, UNLESS it will cause harm later if he's wishy washy about it.
ALSO: about me, I have no sense of smell. I never have, and the drs say it's 'likely' that my olfactory nerves are scarred or damaged somehow. This means I taste only the basics, and combos of the basics.
A LOT of the foods on the diet are "blank" to me, and not even the least bit appealing. Squashes of all sorts, greens, etc... have no taste. The only food reward i get is the texture .
curry's etc just are painful foods to me, and the only reason I like franks .hot is for the tang and saltiness of it.
A baked potato with no butter or sour cream makes me sad.
Does anyone else have this problem, and how did they overcome their aversion to seemingly unexciting meals?
How can I get "INTO" it if i can't say "mmm delicious!"
With your lack of sense of smell, giving advice is hard, because it's such an individualized problem--finding the textures you like. So I'll mention a few I enjoy, and you can try them if you want.
1)Oat groats. I really like the texture, if I cook them very well. That gets them a little creamier than using the standard directions. I soak them for 4 hours (no boil), then cook in the instant pot for 22 minutes. Those are standard. Then I let it sit on "Keep Warm" for several hours. I like them with stewed apples, cooked separately. You can get more texture if you leave the apple skins on, or just a few of the skins.
2) Microwaved corn chips. Use a microwave bacon rack. Put whole corn tortillas, or tortillas cut into 6 or 8 pieces flat on the rack. In my microwave, it takes 2 minutes per 2 tortillas. If you get the timing right, they come out crunchy. If you don't, they come out burned or soft. It varies with your microwave, thickness of the tortillas, how many you do at once, etc. These are good as dippers for beans and salsa, or just crumbled into the bowl with the beans.
3) Another crunchy thing that is McDougall compliant is rye crackers. I use Wasa brand; I've never seen any oil in this brand's varieties. Good with very low-fat hummus on top. My husband also likes sliced jalapenos or pickles on these.
4) Water-sautéed mushrooms have a meaty texture. I saute them until all the water is evaporated and the mushrooms are getting dry to get that good texture--not slimy. Use in spaghetti sauce or mixed into grains or beans.
5) Carrots that are diced and just barely cooked have a nutty texture. You could mix them into rice with or without some other veggie you like.
Good luck! This diet will really help with diabetes, and also many other common health problems that you may have even though you don't know it yet. I throw that last in, because that's what happens to so many of us, we aren't motivated because we don't know yet that we are sick.
As far as your husband being on then off the diet, even partially eating this way will help, and not be dangerous in and of itself. However, it won't give nearly as much benefit as following the guidelines all the time.
