Diabetes Everyday

Living your best life with diabetes. Toby Smithson provides professional guidance with personal experience.

You are here: Home / Sharing Toby’s Knowledge

Sharing Toby’s Knowledge

Is the “Keto” Diet OK For Diabetes?

By Leave a Comment

The “keto” (ketogenic) diet has been a “thing” for a while now, and its severe restriction to carbohydrates in the diet might suggest it’s a “thing” that could work for diabetes. See what Toby has to say about the “keto” diet.

Welcome to DiabetesEveryDay….I’m Toby. Don’t forget to subscribe… I’ll always give you credible guidance about managing diabetes.

So, the Keto diet is the thing lately, and because it’s a low carb thing and followers tend to show improved glucose control it seems to be a natural fit for diabetes, right? And, you’ll see claims to that effect everywhere ….reverse diabetes!! So, let’s talk about the keto diet.

To understand this diet you have to start by accepting this biological fact…. Humans are built to get our “fuel” from the glucose we get by eating carbohydrate foods. That can be a frustrating idea for people with diabetes since we have issues keeping glucose in balance, but it is true….glucose from carbohydrates is our preferred and source of energy. Got that?

OK….a good thing is that we have emergency backup systems. When necessary we can use protein or fat to make fuel. This emergency plan is the anti-starvation plan – using stored fat and protein, even protein from muscle, to avoid starvation. When fat is the emergency fuel, our body produces substances called “ketones” to substitute for glucose, and when these ketones become our major source for energy we are in a state called “ketosis.” Of course, that’s where the word “Keto” comes from…..ketosis. The “keto” diet is forcing your body into the emergency plan that uses fat as the fuel source by strictly limiting carbohydrates and protein in the diet and eating lots of fat.

Emergency plans of any sort tend to have some issues. That’s why emergency plans are never actually the main plan, right? Ketosis, our emergency anti-starvation plan has some issues too. The most serious is a slight risk for ketoacidosis, where the blood becomes acidic enough to damage organs or even be deadly. Keto dieters also report “brain fog”, a lousy feeling they call “keto flu”, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea… and in ketosis your breath will smell like nail polish remover….the ketone acetone. Supposedly these symptoms pass, but only if you remain in ketosis….eat a little too much protein or too many carbohydrates and you can start all over.

The diet itself is extraordinarily restrictive, some plans suggesting only 5% of calories from carbohydrates and 80% of calories from fat. On a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet that’s 25 grams of carbohydrate….one banana. Most people find ultra- restrictive diets difficult to sustain over time. And many health professionals are concerned about the missed nutrients so plentiful in fruits, whole grains, beans and lentils and vegetables as well as long-term health effects. Some studies show that very low carbohydrate diets are associated with higher death risk from heart disease and cancer.

Bottom line for me…..limiting carbs to some extent and spreading them out over your meals and snacks may help you control blood glucose more effectively. In fact, individualizing the carbohydrate portion of a healthy diet is a legitimate medical “standard of care” for diabetes. But, deliberately putting yourself into ketosis…a state of metabolic emergency….with all of the other risks already associated with diabetes? Find another way. At some point you might even consider working with a professional registered dietitian nutritionist, but if it’s just the thrill and challenge of ultra-restrictive fad diets you enjoy, wait for the next one….it won’t be long.

Toby’s Diabetes-Friendly Meal Choices at Chipotle

By Leave a Comment

Choosing healthy meals at restaurants is possible, but it helps to have professional assistance. Toby likes that Chipotle lets us build a meal, so adding or subtracting ingredients is much easier than many other fast-food options. And the nutrition information is included, so no guessing is required. Watch this short video, then head for your local Chipotle Mexican Grill with confidence that your meal will be friendly to diabetes and heart health.

Hi everyone, Toby Smithson here with DiabetesEveryDay. We are back with another restaurant overview of what can I eat. Remember we are using 750 calories or less; 50 grams or less carbohydrate, 750 mg sodium or less, 5 grams or less of saturated fat, and no trans fat as our guide for choosing a diabetes friendly meal when we are eating out.

We headed over to Chipotle to find out which menu items would be our best bet. The nice thing about Chipotle is that their menu is a build your own which is perfect for us with diabetes. We get to select exactly what items will fit into our meal plan. Chipotle also has a nutrition calculator so you can see which menu choices fit best and if the item takes you over the limit of let’s say sodium or saturated fat or carbs…you can swap it for another menu item as you build your meal.

Here is what I found to be the best choices for us:

2 chicken tacos on crispy corn tortillas, fajita vegetables, romaine lettuce, and fresh tomato salsa

OR you can swap out the chicken for steak tacos with the same ingredients OR you can also swap out the tomato salsa for guacamole in the steak tacos

OR

Choose a burrito veggie bowl which includes guacamole. Add black beans, romaine, and fajita vegetables  OR swap out the guacamole for Roasted chili corn salsa.

And to drink, choose a 0 carbohydrate beverage.

These are the choices to meet our guidelines-it’s really eye opening once you start looking at the carb, sodium, and saturated fat content of the foods at restaurants.  I couldn’t add beans to the chicken tacos, for example, because adding beans pushed the sodium above 750 mg. Not adding beans left the carbohydrate content around 25 grams, but there you go. Eating healthy at restaurants is possible, but to meet all of our pretty generous guidelines choices are necessary.

Thanks for joining me today. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and comment below on the restaurant you’d like me to review next time. Until then, Here’s to your health.

A Healthier Filet-of-Fish

By Leave a Comment

Here’s another healthier take on a restaurant favorite from Marlene Koch, form her latest book Eat What You Love- Restaurant Favorites. And you are going to love this.

Welcome to DiabetesEveryDay…..I’m Toby with some help from my husband Tony for today’s recipe.  This ought to be fun plus we will be doing a bit of an experiment….you’ll see what I mean.

A few months ago in my very first “Eating Out- Best Choices” video I went to McDonalds to put together a healthy diabetes-friendly meal for you. We’ve suspended that series for the last few months since many restaurants were closed, but we’ll start up again soon and I’ll link the video and playlist at the end of this one.

One of my choices for you at McDonalds was a meal that included the iconic filet-o-fish sandwich. Today, thanks to my talented fellow registered dietitian nutritionist Marlene Koch we’re going to make our own filet-o-fish. This recipe comes from Marlene’s newest book “Eat What You Love – Restaurant Favorites” and you can try this one out on the kids or grandkids. We’re going to try this in our new air fryer…..it’s maiden voyage…..that’s the experiment I mentioned. But I’ll share the skillet version too.

Ready….here’s what we need.

Now….we’ll make the tartar sauce first by combining the mayo…..yogurt….relish…..dill…and sugar.

Next, in a flat bowl combine the breadcrumbs…..onion powder…and garlic salt. Then lightly coat each filet with 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise and coat with crumbs. If using a skillet you would spray with cooking spray, heat the pan over medium-high heat, and cook the filet for 3 to 4 minutes until the underside is browned….spray the top with cooking spray and flip the filet until browned and flaky.

We are going to preheat the air fryer to 360 and cook these for about 8 minutes.

To finish, warm the buns in the microwave, add some lettuce… tomato…. the filet…. and two tablespoons tartar sauce. You can add a slice of cheese if you feel the need to be totally authentic, but the cheese is not included in the nutrition info. Which is….2 servings at 220 calories, 25 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 24 grams protein, 5 grams total fat, and 480 milligrams sodium. That slice of cheese will add maybe 80 calories, 7 more fat grams and 150 milligrams of sodium, so I recommend passing. Also note that using only half the bun can save you 10 to 15 grams of carbohydrate making room for a small serving of French fries if your meal plan fits.

I want to thank Marlene for developing this recipe. And, For those of you that don’t feel comfortable eating out and like to eat healthier versions of your favorite foods, put this recipe on your list. Cheers to your health.

Does Cinnamon Help Diabetes?

By Leave a Comment

You’ve heard it before I know. Cinnamon – a natural treatment for diabetes! Is it true?

Hi Welcome back to DiabetesEvery Day, I’m registered dietitian nutritionist and diabetes care and education specialist Toby Smithson. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and sign up for my newsletter at diabeteseveryday.com.

In today’s video we are going to talk about cinnamon and diabetes. Himmm I love the smell of cinnamon and also love using it as a flavoring in my morning oatmeal and other foods. I love the smell and taste of cinnamon!

I’ve been getting the question about cinnamon and its effects on blood sugar levels, so let’s take a look at what the science based evidence shows about using cinnamon as a treatment for managing diabetes.

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of  Cinnamomum trees.  It’s actually important to know that there are two main types of cinnamon, Ceylon from Sri Lanka which is considered a “true cinnamon” and Cassia which is a less expensive cinnamon. Here’s why…..

Cinnamon contains bioactive ingredients including antioxidants, and some studies have shown health benefits to cholesterol and triglyceride levels, to blood pressure, and modest improvements in post meal blood glucose spikes and fasting blood glucose levels. Studies looking at A1C – a measure of average blood sugar levels – have been inconclusive, however.

Things get a little tricky when we start talking about how much to take. One study showed that taking 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon with rice…..that’s about 6 grams…led to slower digestion of the rice and a lower blood sugar spike. But the European Food Agency has set the daily intake limit for Cassia cinnamon at ½ teaspoon per day – 2.5 grams – due to a compound called coumarin. Cassia cinnamon has about 250 times the coumarin as Ceylon, and coumarin is suspected of causing liver damage at high doses. Can you tell the difference between Ceylon and Cassia? Do you trust unregulated supplement labels?

My advice….use cinnamon regularly to flavor your foods….it is fantastic stuff. But, even under the best circumstances it is not a treatment for diabetes. Having some protein or fat along with that bowl of rice instead of 6 grams of cinnamon will lower blood sugar spikes too. And if you’re thing about the higher dose supplements, talk to your doctor first.,

Naturally Lower Your A1C

By Leave a Comment

Everybody like natural these days, and that’s a good thing. So here’s a completely natural way to lower your A1C, and the case could be made that it’s virtually free.

Hi I’m Toby Smithson with Diabetes Every Day. Thanks for joining me today, please remember to hit the subscribe button and sign up for my monthly newsletter at diabeteseveryday.com.

Today we are going to talk about one simple step you can take to reduce your A1C, yes, you heard me correctly. Not only will this one change help your A1C score (I’ll tell you by how much a little later), but it will also help you with digestion, constipation, and reducing your risk of heart disease. This small change can also help with curbing your appetite which can help with weight management. Have you guessed it yet?

Yes, it’s adding more fiber to your daily eating plan. On average, we are only eating about 16 grams of fiber per day. The dietary reference intake for fiber is 14 grams per 1000 calories consumed….that’s 28 grams for the standard reference diet of 2000 calories. So, we are not getting the amount of fiber we need and missing out on all the good NATURAL health benefits.

Let’s check out some of the delicious diabetes friendly food options that will help us bump up our fiber intake and provide both soluble and insoluble fiber

Chia seeds: 1 ounce provides 11 grams of fiber and 12 grams of carbohydrate. Remember to check out my chia pudding recipe. It’s a win win for getting more fiber and a chocolaty treat! Chia seeds can also be added to your oatmeal, yogurt, fruit or mixed with water for an egg substitute.

Nuts, , almonds.. At 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of carb per ¼ cup serving.  In a one ounce serving, there are 3 g fiber and 5 g carb. ¼ cup pecans 3 g fiber and 4 g carb

Sunflower seeds: 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of carb in ¾ cup serving

Beans: black beans offer 5 grams fiber per ½ cup and 20 g carb and there is some great research showing that beans can often continue to give you steady blood sugar readings hours after eating the beans.

½ cup lima beans contain 5 grams of fiber and 22 grams of carb. Limas can be served as a side dish or in soups and stews

Raspberries: 1 cup of raspberries contain 9 grams of fiber and 17 grams of carb which you can have at breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack.

Orange: 1 medium orange contains 3 grams of fiber and 15 grams of carb. Again, you can have a serving of fruit with any of your meals or top a salad with orange segments.

Broccoli: 3 ounce serving has 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of carb. Fruits and vegetables are very versatile. You can fit broccoli in your breakfast omelet, eaten raw in your lunchtime salad or roasted broccoli as a side dish to your dinner meal.

Flaxseed: 2 tablespoons contains 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of carbohydrate. You can add flaxseeds to your oatmeal, yogurt, salads or vegetables.

Lentils: in a ¼ cup serving uncooked there are 10 grams of fiber and 30 grams of carb. You can eat lentils as a side dish or main dish and serve them hot or in a salad.

 oatmeal: 1/2 cup of uncooked oatmeal has 5 grams of fiber and 30 grams of carb. I love sprinkling cinnamon and a low calorie sweetener on my oatmeal and to post the fiber further, I’ll add almonds.

Pearled Barley- ¼  cup uncooked  has 7 grams fiber and 37 grams carbohydrate

Both oatmeal and barley are “famous” for their soluble fiber.

And even this whole wheat burger bun has 3 grams of fiber at 22 grams carbohydrate

Including foods that are high in fiber has always been a message I’ve given in my role as a registered dietitian. And research continues to show benefits. Studies have consistently shown reductions of A1C by more than one-half of one percent, and a recent analysis of many studies finds significant benefits by increasing average fiber consumption by 15 grams per day to A1C, fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, body weight and measures of general inflammation.

 Little changes- BIG results