Bad diabetic -- the importance of an evening snack

As I mentioned yesterday, it was date night last night. We ended up going to a swanky Italian restaurant in Tulsa called Garlic Rose. It was pretty much as delicious as could be, even for our snobby Italian food standards. Mark and I ordered 2 pasta dishes to share -- one was bow tie with chicken in pesto with pine nuts, goat cheese, and spinach (these 3 ingredients combined create nothing short of taste bud ecstasy!), and the second dish was a lemon seafood bucatini that included HUGE chunks of fresh squid, lobster, scallops, and ginormous shrimp. As a seafood lover, I was in heaven...especially when such divine food is polished off with a sip of 2005 Banfi Chianti Classico..mmmm!

Now would be a good time to admit that I likely went over my carbs for the meal. However, I did skip the cookie at the RD meeting yesterday, unexpectedly, and went with a 2% mozzarella cheese stick instead.

Pasta, is a "rip off" as far as carbohydrates -- 1/3 c. cooked = 1 carb choice. I'd say I had 1 1/3 cup, or 4 carb choices worth. Not bad, right? I sure didn't think so! Because our meal started with a cheese platter with toast pointes and fresh fruit (I had 2 toast pointes and approximately a half a handful of fruit -- 1 carb), I would say my meal totaled 5 carb choices. Oops!

In counseling a diabetic who goes over their carb choices, I would recommend taking their blood sugar 2 hours after they've completed their meal. When tested two hours post-prandial, blood glucose readings should fall at 140 mg/dl or less in a controlled diabetic.

From dinner, we went to a local bar that hosts hundreds of beers from across the world. I love beer, and so I partook. I limited myself to 2 beers (Black Velvets, pictured to the left -- 1/2 cider and 1/2 Guinness) -- 1 carb choice. This was obviously not the best way to spend calories OR carbohydrates, but more importantly for a diabetic is the fact that consuming alcohol LOWERS blood glucose. When we arrived home, 3 hours after finishing our dinner, I did not have an evening snack. Firstly, of course I was not hungry. Secondly, I'm not into the mind-set yet of remembering to eat a snack before bed. And thirdly, I was pooped...it was a work day ending at midnight! Regardless, I would've told any patient that it would be of utmost importance to have had a snack after last evening's alcohol consumption. If I were a diabetic and checked my blood sugar this morning, chances are it would have been high due to a blood glucose drop mid-rest and a rebound high, compliments of the liver, as we discussed previously. So, I was a BAD diabetic yesterday! Turning the page to today and moving on!

Breakfast:

1 1/2 c. Cheerios (2 carbs)

1 packet Truvia (0 carbs)

1 c. skim milk (1 carb)

cappuccino with 2 Tbsp sugar-free International Delight (0 carbs)

     Total: 3 carbs

Lunch:

1/6th Chicken Tamale Casserole (3 carbs)

2 c. toss salad with mixed veggies (0 carbs)

1 Tbsp Light Toasted Asian Sesame dressing (0 carbs)

     Total: 3 carbs

Dinner & snack:

TBD - football party over here

Predictions: Illinois over Penn State, OSU over Indiana, Michigan over Michigan State, and Oklahoma over Miami.

Does anyone have any butternut or acorn squash recipes to share? I'm heading to the grocery store for some squash and other produce...and need a squash fix soon!

Wednesday's Hodge Podge

I just LOVE the American Dietetic Association’s quote of the week:

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness." - Edward Stanley

Could this be any less true? Along the same lines is financially supporting health and disease – putting in a bit more each trip to the grocery store can same hundreds of thousands in medical expenses down the road. That’s all I’ll say, I don’t have time to step on my soap box today!

My morning started off with a delicious smoothie to go, containing whey protein powder and flaxseed oil. As for fruit, I threw in raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, banana, kiwi, grapes, peach, and pineapple. Did I miss a color in there? Definitely started the morning off with a rainbow of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals - yum! A friend at work was asking for my smoothie recipe, so I hooked her up with a mini smoothie, too! P.S. The cup wasn't as big as it looks...I got a serious close up!

Today was taste test day at work. Some of the employees requested comfort food, so I chose a mac'n cheese recipe...made in the crock pot (but of course!). It was my first time trying this recipe and I will SURELY be making it again...it was amazing! Almost TOO cheesy, I may use 3 cups of cheese next time. It served a bunch of people, though...and all good reviews! 

 

Crockpot Mac ‘n Cheese


1 c. skim milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cheddar cheese soup

4 c. 2% cheddar cheese, shredded

16 oz. box elbow macaroni

¾ c. egg substitute (i.e. Egg Beaters)

½ c. Smart Balance butter

½ Tbsp paprika (optional)



Directions:

Start crock pot. Melt butter in crock pot and pour into separate dish after melted. In a pot, boil macaroni until almost done. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, evaporated milk, soup, and 3 cups of cheese. Pour macaroni into bowl, pour over butter and then wet mixture. Mix slightly.



Allow to cook on low for 3 hours. Pour remaining cup of cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika.



Makes 30 servings (1/2 c. per serving)

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 143 calories, 6 g. fat, 15 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein

My email was PACKED with some really interesting articles out today and of course, I would like to share them with you.

Mega doses of antioxidants such as vitamin C and E may do more harm than good in type-2 diabetics

While exercise increases insulin sensitivity, exercise also produces oxidative stress. What we know of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E is that they help reduce free radicals in the body produced by oxidative stress. According to recent research, antioxidant supplements may block the oxidative stress…but also interfere with the beneficial effects of exercise on insulin sensitivity. While exercise is a proven means for increasing insulin sensitivity in the body and reduces the risk of developing diabetes, antioxidant intake may be best advisable through whole foods and not supplements [1].

Case in point: move more and never neglect the diet; supplements are not a cure-all and not always advisable.

The changing dinner party -- cooking together in the Chicago Tribune.

This article hit close to home as the subject lives in Forest Park, Illinois, one suburb west from my home town of Oak Park. Sheridan, an interior designer and avid home cook, has switched gears for entertaining -- she asks her guests to bring ingredients with them and she and her dinner guests cook together as a team. This way, the preparation, cooking, and cost are distributed among both host and guests. A Chicago-based research firm, Technomic, states that 33% of polled consumers reported entertaining in the home more often than a year ago. With economic hardships, American’s are finding new ways to get together without stretching the budget. Sheridan states, “There’s something so earthy about cooking with other people in your home. I think people are going to do more of this [2].”

What do you think of this means of entertaining and hosting a dinner party?

I have to admit, I think it’s a WONDERFUL idea! I think there’s lots of positives that come from participating in such an event, such as:

- Trying new foods

- Learning the preparations of new foods

- Locating new foods in the grocery store – wouldn’t want to bring the wrong item!

- Increasing the frequency of get-togethers with friends

- Saving money

- Eating less (restaurant portions are huge!)

- Togetherness (the home seems much more intimate than a restaurant to me, anyways)

On a completely unrelated note…

Study links kids’ unhealthy exercise and eating habits to moms who work.

British researchers found that children of mothers who worked part-time of full-time were more likely to have bad diet and exercise habits than those whose mothers stayed home. The results were recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The children of working moms were more likely to drink sugary beverages between meals, watch TV or use the computer at least two hours a day, and be driven to school rather than walking or biking. Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician in private practice in Atlanta and co-author of a book on parenting says she worries that “parents will feel guilty about working, when most do so out of necessity…Parents shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving kids in other people’s care [3].”

Of the 12,576 5-year old children assessed in the study, 37% snacked on potato chips or sweets, 41% drank sugary beverages between meals, and 61% watched television or used the computer at least 2 hours a day. It should be noted, “In initial analyses, children whose mothers worked actually had healthier habits. But after adjusting for possible confounding factors, such as income and education, those relationships reversed.” Why was this? Likely due to the fact that most of the working women were “relatively advantaged” and had higher levels of education and incomes, according to the researchers who concluded in saying, “Health behaviors in childhood are going to be influenced by a range of factors, and this might be one [3].”

Interesting. Do you feel the children of stay-at-home-moms are at deceased risk of developing poor diet and exercise habits?

Hopefully I can catch up with DVR and watch the Biggest Loser, but it may get pushed back another night, we'll see! Catch ya tomorrow...Day #1 as a diabetic!

[1]. Neff, Barbara C. Vitamins, Exercise & Diabetes. Naperville.

[2]. Levin, Amelia. The Dinner Party Has Changed: Sharing the Cooking – and Costs – of Dinner Parties at Home. Chicago Tribune. September 30, 2009.

[3]. Fiore, Kristina. Kids May Be Less Healthy if Mom Works. MedPage Today; ABC News. September 30, 2009.

Hats off to the chef!

I have to pat myself on the back for a wonderful, healthful meal last night. We had over three friends and I made a delicious meal and a new recipe! That’s one down for the month, and it was soooo easy! Everyone loved it!

We started off the meal with romaine tossed with cucumber, tomato, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of croutons. The salad was dressed, lightly, with homemade canola oil-based Caesar dressing, sans egg and any mayonnaise. I made fresh garlic bread with a loaf of Asiago cheese bread, made with Smart Balance and garlic powder. The main course was the new recipe, chicken tamale casserole. I added sides of squash and rosemary potatoes. The squash was cooked over the stove with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and the magic ingredient: brown sugar. DELICIOUS! The rosemary potatoes were diced red potatoes tossed in olive oil and crushed garlic, topped with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and rosemary which were baked at 400F for 45 minutes and came out with perfectly browned edges. I typically have trouble getting my potatoes to look so gourmet, but I pulled it off for our guests.

Dessert was left up to my husband: cookie cake. *eye roll*. I really wanted to go with cheesecake, but he vetoed it. Ends up, he was the only one who would’ve passed on cheesecake. I mean, really, who passes on decadent cheesecake?!

Anyways, dinner was a huge success and I have met my goal for the month in trying one new recipe. And the leftovers at lunch were glorious! Though I don't have a picture of the masterpiece (I need to get better at this!), I will leave you with the recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts*: CALORIES 354; FAT 14.1g; CARBOHYDRATE 36.3g; SODIUM 620mg; PROTEIN 18.9g; FIBER 2.5g

*I have not verified the nutrition facts for accuracy.