The Diabetic Muffin Man Chronicles

Hello all you fab DOC peops!!!  I have been thinking. No seriously, I have.  About what you ask?  Well about adding a different weekly element to "Three 2 Treat"

Something we all love!

YES, it's................Sex(y) food.

Okay all silliness aside, food is a pretty important part of our lives! So I would like to share a weekly carb friendly recipe.  I'd eventually like to do a vlog of me cooking, if I can hire a cinematographer in my house full of little people.

I have gone "Baker" crazy in the past month. Like, flour, flax, food processing, mad scientist looking nut bar crazy!! Daily, in the cooking zen mode crazy! Okay I think you get the point.

Why you ask? 

Well, my wife and I have reduced our carb intake(Gasp-I know, fad diets don't work). And trust me I am monitoring my labs every 3 months, and promise to quit if my lousy (LDL) cholesterol sky-rockets. As is one of the potential side effects according to some research studies.

The first one done by Yancy Jr and company concluded the following: 

Compared with a low fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet program had better participant retention and greater weight loss. During active weight loss, serum triglyceride levels decreased more and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased more with the low-carbohydrate diet than with the low-fat diet.

According to this one, I should be good. I mean my cholesterol that is. I underlined the cool thing, that is, my good cholesterol or HDL should go up and my sticky evil Triglycerides should drop. But no mention of LDL.

A second study by Nordmann and crew finds this:

Low-carbohydrate, non–energy-restricted diets appear to be at least as effective as low-fat, energy restricted diets in inducing weight loss for up to 1 year.However, potential favorable changes in triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol values should be weighed against potential unfavorable changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol values when low-carbohydrate diets to induce weight loss are considered.

So I shall monitor those Lipids and proceed with caution.

Now that the boring stuff is covered. Let's bring on the new muffin recipe.

Now I did not invent this. Click the embedded link below to find source.

Low Carb Flax Muffins

6 TBS Melted Butter
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
3 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Splenda(Granulated)
1 Tbs Maple flavouring
1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup flax seed meal 
1/4 cup soya flour, I substitute Coconut Flour - Find it makes for a fluffier muffin 

4 ounces chopped walnuts

Preheat Oven to 375F
Mix the wet stuff, then add spenda, mix. Then add all the rest.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Makes 18-20 good size muffin, moist, and yummy.
Total Carb = 4 minus 3 grams Fibre so the TOTAL = 1.  Crazy!!! 

Try em and let me know what ya think!!!

Trev

PS:  Don't tell anyone a really like to bake muffins.  ; )

Sources:
William S. Yancy Jr., MD, MHS; Maren K. Olsen, PhD; John R. Guyton, MD; Ronna P. Bakst, RD; and Eric C. Westman, MD, MHS. A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia.A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:769-777.


Alain J. Nordmann, MD, MSc; Abigail Nordmann, BS; Matthias Briel, MD; Ulrich Keller, MD;  Effects of Low-Carbohydrate vs Low-Fat Diets on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factors Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:285-293

What's up with the Food Guide!

Hello all you wonderful people!

As a nurse educator I am required to teach others with diabetes how to eat properly(well that's not all I do)  Yes, we have dietitian's for that during group programs.  However,  I do a lot of follow up with my diabetic patients.

I am required to cover the basics like, food choices, portions sizes, food types, fiber, etc.

So before every meeting, I must  reluctantly grab the Food Guide.  I say reluctantly for a few reasons.

The original Food Rules was designed and published in the 1940's, yes, the 40's when people were actually needing to gain weight, and suffered from malnourished diseases like scurvy, vitamin deficiencies.

Fast forward to now.  Go to the mall and look around and it is unfortunately obvious that we are no longer malnourished.

So I enter the room to advise my patient on proper eating, using a tool invented in the 40's, although it has been modified over the years.  At least now in Canada the fruits and vegetables are prioritized to the top, not starches like before. Unfortunately protein is on the bottom.

It is let's just say a professional dilemma for me to advise a person with diabetes to consume huge amounts of carbohydrate. Let's just kill the little Islet cells they have left shall we(Sense the sarcasm) Anyhow, I need a job so I have to follow the rules.

So there I am sitting across from an individual who tells me "I have been following the guide as recommended, and I am gaining weight, my blood fats(lipids) keep getting worse, and my diabetes is getting harder to control"
What do I say?  I can tell you what I want to say, which is,  stop eating so much carb, and grill yourself some lean steak and omega three eggs for breakfast instead of the 2 cups of cold cereal loaded with 80 grams of CHO(carbohydrate)

Back to reality. Don't worry, I rely on other tools.

I discuss the fact that obviously the plan is not working, so perhaps try reducing your carb intake by 10-20 grams per meal, add some lower carb vegetables, and increase the leaner proteins. I also explain the concept of glycemic index, fiber, and the role of fat and protein in satiety.

I encourage them to simply explore the literature, trial and error, and to ask themselves if their current method is actually working.

Basically I give them some food for thought, no pun intended.

I am glad that more and more people are considering lower carbohydrate diets as a healthy and legitimate weight loss strategy.  I am also glad that more and more research is being done on the effects of a lower CHO diet.

One final note: I tell them to shop on the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the inner isles where all the super-carb loaded food is stored.

Trev