First up – a little baseball
Last stop – a trip to the flying club with a couple of planes.
Haven’t seen George for a long time.
Then some flying between the raindrops
This is what happens when you fly upside down a little too low
Not to worry – preflight check for the little biplane
No more dodging raindrops
Raindrops on one of our trees
Hope you all had a wonderful Father’s Day.
A little over a year ago, I made the decision to chuck the advice my doctor at the time was giving me (the standard advice given to all diabetics – 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal) and do what had worked so well for me in the past – a low-carbohydrate diet. It took all of two days for my blood sugar to come down below 200 and stay there. Since then, both my hemoglobin A1c, my blood pressure, and my lipid panel have all normalized nicely. My last A1c was so good (5.3) that my current doctor exclaimed, “It’s like you don’t even have the disease!” Yep! And that’s the way we’re going to keep it. No more thinking I can eat carbohydrates just like anyone else, or even like a diabetes educator would tell me to do. Nope. I’ve found out that throwing drugs at the symptoms (high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides) leads to a lot of frustration and worsening of all three problems. Instead, by making one serious lifestyle change – removing as many carbohydrates as possible from my diet – I’ve actually normalized all three problems. It makes me wonder what kind of medical system we have that is so focused on treating symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes of disease.
There’s a reason I’ve gotten so drastically serious about eliminating the carbs from my life. My parents and I were talking recently. They also have diabetes. I asked them when they were diagnosed, and they both figured sometime in their mid-50′s. That gives me a 15 year head start. Or looking at it another way, I’ll likely start accumulating complications like toe amputations, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, gastroparesis, and vascular damage leading to stroke and heart disease 15 years earlier than they will – unless I keep the blood sugar under control. So when my doctor says it’s like I don’t even have the disease, that’s one more year that I delay that lovely list of complications.
I’ve accumulated quite a collection of low-carb recipes in the last year. Favorite recipe sites include:
http://grace2882.wordpress.com/
http://holdthetoast.com/blog
http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/
http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/
http://www.primal-palate.com/
There’s more, but those are the ones I always look forward to trying new recipes from. And the almond flour cookies that I posted last year are still my favorite. Here’s the picture again. Click on last year’s post for the recipe.
My doctor’s advice this time? “Keep doing whatever you’ve been doing.”
Birds have eyelashes
I never realized that before we got Spunkmeyer. Sometimes I can see them in pictures of birds, but most times not. Not only do they have eyelashes, but they like them to be very gently rubbed, or at least Spunkmeyer will tilt his head right over upside down and backwards in order to put his eyelashes right by the finger you’ve been stroking his neck with. Don’t know if birds can show emotional expressions or not, but if they can, then Spunkmeyer is in pure ecstasy when he’s having his little eyelids rubbed.
Why do I go to church?
Riding to church this morning, and a really neat song by Keith and Kristen Getty came on the radio – See What a Morning. The last words of each stanza are “For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!” I thought, “That’s why I go to church.” I suppose there are all kinds of reasons that going to church might be a more or less pleasant experience (I tend to like it), but that’s the “why do I do this” answer and the only one that really matters.
However, it is my goal to someday belong to a church where THIS song is sung:
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.
Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
Dear Green Giant:
Really? Is it really necessary to DOUBLE the sugar in a simple vegetable in order to sell it to people? Seriously. Just what is the purpose of adding more sugar to an already sweet vegetable like sugar snap peas?
Exhibit A – Nutrition data for normal, unprocessed sugar snap peas: 5 grams carbohydrate less 2 grams fiber equals 3 grams net carbs.
Exhibit B – Box of Green Giant Frozen Sugar Snap Peas: 10 grams carbohydrate less 2 grams fiber equals 8 grams net carbs
Exhibit C – Ingredient List of Green Giant Frozen Sugar Snap Peas
As a type 2 diabetic, the single most effective way for me to control my blood sugar (even more effective than the 3 drugs my doctor had me on at one point) is to limit my intake of carbohydrates and sugars. With that careful management of my carbohydrate/sugar intake, I’ve been completely off all medications for more than 6 months. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing things a little bit lower, I’m well within standard guidelines, and that’s a blessing.
One of the primary ways I limit carbohydrate/sugar intake in a healthy way is to eat lots of non-starchy vegetables. Sugar snap peas on their own aren’t too bad; 3 grams of net carbohydrates per serving is fine and doesn’t raise my blood sugar significantly. On the other hand, after you gentlemen (or gentlewomen) have loaded all that nutritious goodness with another 5 grams of added sugar per serving, I can no longer eat your product. Thanks a lot.
Sincerely,
_________________________________
I seriously started looking at labels this summer after I realized that even products labeled “sugar free,” varied widely in the amount of sugar and carbohydrates they contain from one brand to the next. I did finally find one brand of sugar-free preserves that really doesn’t have any added sugars, but it was a job. My solution to that? After I ran out of that jar of preserves, in the last week, I crushed some fresh berries that I had on hand for my “preserves” and even to top my low-carb almond pancakes. Mmmmm….. Hmmmmm……
Since then, I’ve found added sugar in some places where I would least suspect, and other added ingredients in things I expect to just have one thing in them, like cream, or VEGETABLES. I’m not exactly sure what the purpose is of stuffing everything we eat with all this sugar and starch, but it certainly isn’t making us healthier.
I suppose it’s one thing to pack a “convenience food” with a bunch of stuff that isn’t needed, but I’m starting to get positively offended by all the extra stuff in what is supposed to be whole, nutritious food – especially when I can document the detrimental effect on my blood sugar control.
Are you listening manufacturers? I’m already changing the way I shop in response to some of my recent discoveries. Based on tonight’s discovery, I expect more changes to come.
And big brother governmental officials . . . this is NOT a call for tighter regulation of the food industry or, heaven forbid, another 2,000 page bill. I’m a big girl and can read labels for myself and make the choices that are right for me. We’ve got enough regulation to keep everybody drowning in it for the next few centuries. Just make sure products are labeled accurately, and then let us make our own choices. Thanks.
Aunt Mimi is home now. I’m glad she didn’t have to struggle through a long rehabilitation or linger unresponsive for a long time. I’m glad I got to spend time with her twice this year. I’m glad she told me when I was a rotten teenager that God had a plan for my life. I’m glad I know where she is right now.
The song that was playing on the radio when my mom called to let me know about her stroke was:
‘Til we meet, ’til we meet, ’til we meet at Jesus’ feet . . . . See you there Aunt Mimi.
What does a carbohydrate addict do when all her favorite foods are off limits? I now literally walk down the bread aisle telling myself, “Poison, poison, poison . . . ” because that’s the effect all those wonderful goodies have on my body. So here’s how I’ve been managing the desire for certain foods that used to be the biggest part of my diet:
Potatoes – Oh boy, do I love potatoes, but at 60 grams of carbs for 1 that’s way beyond what my body can handle without a bunch of medication. Enter Blaine’s Low-Carb Kitchen from FitTV with a vegetable I had never heard of before – a Daikon Raddish – and something remarkably similar to boardwalk fries (cooked in olive oil of course which is also good for diabetics) – 3 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber for 2 net carbs. I’ll have to see if there’s anything else I can do with these things to satisfy the potato tooth.
Spaghetti – I had spaghetti and meatballs tonight, but not with pasta. That stuff has over 40 grams of carbs for just a little bit. Enter Shirataki noodles made from tofu. I don’t normally care much for tofu, but the shirataki noodles soak up the low-carb tomato sauce (read labels – some brands don’t load it up with sugar) the same way a pasta noodle does for next to nothing in the way of carbs.
Bread – I’m a bread freak. I love bread of any kind, the fresher and hotter, the better, but when 1 slice, even the whole grain stuff I favor, has an entire day’s carbs, well, it’s just not worth it. Enter all kinds of homemade quick breads made with flax meal, almond meal and/or soy flour. Very low carb, very high in fiber, but satisfies that need for something to throw a slab of lunchmeat on. I’ve also made muffins, cookies, pancakes, and the like with these three flours or various combinations. I noticed that both wheat germ and wheat bran are pretty low in carbs, so may be adding some of those to the mix. Still looking for a good yeast bread recipe, but the quick breads do fill the bill nicely in the meantime.
Tortilla chips. I probably have diabetes (besides the genetics on both sides of the family) because I raised myself on Doritos and Coke and never kicked the habit until after I was diagnosed. Enter low-carb tortillas. Again, very high in fiber. Not only do these make great sandwich wraps, but they can also be cut into triangles and baked or fried (in olive oil) for my chip fix, although I really don’t have too many chip cravings anymore (a side benefit of eating a low-carb diet).
Ice cream – Homemade freezer ice cream with real heavy whipping cream, splenda, and vanilla. Sometimes I shave a little Lindt 85% cocoa bar over the top (low carb, high fiber). I discovered way in the beginning of the diabetes journey that ice cream (even the sugared kind in the stores) was not nearly as bad on my blood sugar as a single bagel.
People who don’t understand what low-carb eating is all about are put off by all the “fat” that people say they eat, but that’s totally not what low-carb eating is all about. No, all the things I’ve mentioned above increase the dietary fiber while reducing the carbs. Yes, I use real butter and cream. Yes, I eat bacon, meat, eggs, and cheese. But if you look at my diet, it’s actually much healthier than what I was doing before. I’m eating LOTS more vegetables, but no corn, potatoes, rice, wheat, or oats. I cook exclusively with olive oil. I get lots more fiber. Blood sugar and triglycerides are right where they need to be WITHOUT medication, and for me that’s the point. When this most recent doctor had me on the 3 medications, my blood sugar was going up and down like a yo-yo from hypoglycemic to the 300′s. Too crazy. If I learned anything working with Dr. Schaefer all those years, it’s that metabolic diseases are best managed by avoiding the foods that the body can’t process properly. And if there’s any disease that falls into that category, it’s diabetes. When I follow that approach, I maintain a nice even level that’s near normal and doesn’t vary much throughout the day. I start overloading myself with stuff my body can no longer handle, and I’m back on the blood sugar roller coaster and heading for insulin.
Sometimes there’s just no other perspective than the one that has you flat on your belly, face in the grass making friends and strangers alike wonder what in the world is so compelling that you’d make a fool of yourself in public like that. Nothing wrong with the end of the fence shots. Nothing wrong with the through the fence shots. But then I noticed this little piece of fence that was lifted up off the ground just enough for me to poke a lens through . . . .
All this must have reminded my husband of the first time he witnessed me lay down by the side of the road in the Appalachians in order to get the shot I wanted. 
At least Craig Venter is honest in saying his team didn’t create life from scratch, even if some of the media are getting carried away with it. He has an interesting result, for sure, but even the statement that they have synthesized man-made DNA is a little suspect to my mind. Everything I’ve read says quite plainly that their genetic code is based on information contained in already existing genetic databases. The experiment gives a little more understanding that “life” is more than a specific sequence of DNA instructions, but what exactly is it? The instructions (the operating system) or the machinery (the computer) or something else? Neither the DNA nor the cell structure can “live” apart from each other, but Mr. Venter has definitely proved that, at least in this case, with a little tweaking you can switch Windows 7 for OS X and still have a working computer.
I still remember one of the first Christian radio programs I was exposed to after the miraculous radio station change in December 1997 – R. C. Sproul’s Renewing Your Mind. The very first series that came on the next time I was driving to work for a total of 6 days (Monday through Friday, then Monday – I could hardly wait for that weekend to be over because I wanted to hear the “clincher” of the argument so bad) was called “Creation or Chaos.” The question R.C. asked that still rings in my mind was, “How do you get life from nonlife?” In all my years as an atheist, I had either ignored that little detail or naively swallowed the primordial soup line. Craig Venter clearly hasn’t gotten life from nonlife, and he admits that (someone clue in the news media). He has taken an existing living cell and changed it’s instructions by removing the original set, modifying the information contained in the instruction set of another living cell, and inserting the new instructions back into the first living cell. He has created a new arrangment of already living organisms, but he hasn’t touched the underlying problem of secular science - How do you get life from nonlife? Reminds me of a joke -
One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.
The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost.”
God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this, let’s say we have a man making contest.” To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!”
But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”
The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!”
Oh, yes. It took 15 years of research, $40 million dollars, and a whole lot of intelligence to cook up this little switcheroo?
Will scientists get closer and closer to figuring out the specific “stuff” that makes one thing alive and another not? Yes. Will they every be able to create “life”? Not without borrowing something from something else that’s already alive.
The 211 reading highlighted is my fasting blood sugar the morning I restarted a low-carb eating program. This morning, my FBS was 104 with two post meal readings below 100 yesterday. Not quite a cure, and I am still using 2 grams of metformin per day, but definitely encouraging. And with things like those almond meal cookies I already posted, I’m not feeling at all deprived. I almost can’t wait to go get more blood work done to see how far down the triglycerides have come.
I got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes just in time for my 40th birthday (happy birthday to me!). The first two doctors I had were pretty good. Each of them would spend half an hour to an hour per appointment explaining what I needed to know, going over test results, explaining medications and their side effects, and, most importantly, asking questions and listening to what I was telling them was going on in my body. They both also were relatively familiar with different dietary approaches to diabetes and natural remedies. As long as my hemoglobin A1c and lipid numbers stayed within goal, they were encouraging and supportive. Funny that though they lived in different cities they had gone to school together and knew each other well. After a few years, A1c was 5.5 on 2 grams of metformin and 2 grams of cinnamon per day. The following year, I missed my follow up and ran out of metformin, but when I finally went back in, A1c was still well below goal at 6.3 with just the cinnamon. At the time I was doing a somewhat modified Atkins Diet.
Fast foward 2 years. That last good A1c on just the cinnamon must have produced a certain amount of over confidence. After we moved this past summer, I went in to get established with a new physician, and A1c was now up to 11.8 and triglycerides were 590. Wow! What happened? This doctor, though, was quite a bit different from the first two. The first thing that disturbed me was the 15 minute appointment model – even for a new patient visit. How do you address a brand new patient with an extensive history in 15 minutes unless you’re running a sausage factory? I mentioned the cinnamon, but got the impression that the doc wasn’t a big fan of home remedies. She also wasn’t a big fan of the Atkin’s approach and recommended a diet with 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal and not so much concern about fat or protein. At first I misunderstood and thought she said 60 grams per day, which would have been closer to what I had been used to on Atkins, but no–it was 60 grams per meal.
I tried her approach for a couple of months until the next appointment. Blood sugars were all over the map – but consistently high – still in the 200s to 300s, seldom below 200. Next appointment, still only 15 minutes in length, two new meds prescribed with no time for explanation, and reinforcement of the 60 grams of carbs per meal, and a brief indication that if these medications didn’t do the trick then her next step would be insulin, and come back in 8 weeks. The numbers in the 300s all the time and the reference to insulin had me a little freaked out, so I figured I’d better try to do what she said. The patient information sheets for the new drugs made me a little uncomfortable, though. I already had occasional mild problems with a couple of the prominent side effects of these two meds, and I wondered how my body was going to react. But lots of people are on this very same combination of 3 medications, so it must not be that bad. Right?
Well, within days, my occasional leg swelling at night turned into constant swelling in both my hands and feet, and my occasional indigestion turned into 2 big bottles of Tums gone in the space of about 4 weeks. After a while, I stopped both the new meds, and both problems disappeared within days.
A brief period of discouragement followed, and then I was flipping through the channels one day and came across a program called Blaine’s Low Carb Kitchen. Bingo! It had worked before, maybe it would work again. After looking up some recipes, I went out the next day and bought some flax seed meal, almond flour, and soy flour to make my breads with and a bunch of veggies and went back on Atkins in earnest. Fasting blood sugar the morning I started was 211 (normal less than 100). That was a week ago, and I have yet to have another reading over 200. In fact, the last two days, all my checks have been in the 140 range. I even had a 126 before dinner today. Wow!
Thoughts? First off, I’m not fond of the 15 minutes and out model I’ve experienced here. I know doctors are under a lot of pressure to make their clinics profitable, but 15 minutes for a new patient visit? I don’t think so.
Secondly, If something was working for a patient previously, why not let them give it a try again. Does diabetes really get harder to control, as this doctor told me during my first visit, or is the standard advice really just overloading the body with something it can’t handle?
Third. For 5 years I worked in a genetics clinic at a major teaching hospital. One of the doctors I worked with specialized in metabolic disorders. The approach for those childhood metabolic disorders is not to keep feeding the substance the kid can’t process, but rather to restrict it severely. If the major malfunction in diabetes is that the body no longer process carbohydrate properly, why overload that process? Sorry if I’m being simplistic here, but if I can get my blood sugar where it needs to be in less than a week simply by changing what I eat . . . .
The picture above is of the very yummy low-carb cookies i made tonight. Instead of white flour, they’re made with almond flour. Instead of sugar, Splenda. If I keep finding recipes like this one, I might just do okay this time – even if I do disobey doctor’s orders.
1 cup almond flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp. almond butter
2 eggs.
Preheat oven to 400. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Creeam butter with Splenda. Add vanilla and almond butter, add eggs. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until mixed. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes until lightly borwn. Remove from oven and let cool on rack. (makes 24 cookies – about 1 net carb per cookie)