TypeOneGrit!

     Earlier this year, I was able to participate in starting an awesome new Facebook group with R.D. Dikeman, Derek Raulerson, and Debbie Theriault  called TypeOneGrit.  It is my absolute privilege to be a part of this amazing community.  My blood sugar management has done a complete 180 because of these people.  Here are some FAQ's about TypeOneGrit.  

GRIT FAQ:

1.      What is TYPEONEGRIT?

TYPEONEGRIT is a FB group for type one diabetics who follow Dr. Bernstein’s approach to normalizing blood sugars. The group includes dietitians, endocrinologists, researchers, CDE’s, famous low carb chefs and type one diabetic low carb practitioners. This approach

1.      Centers around the restriction of carbohydrate – no grains, sugar, fruit or starches.

2.      Allows for the use of small, predictable doses of insulin.

3.      Nearly removes the possibility of hypoglycemia.

4.      Allows for the normalization of blood sugars and removes the threat of hyperglycemia and thus the complications of high blood sugars.

5.      Reduces the threat of DKA because blood sugars are normal.

6.      Minimizes the cognitive load required to manage the disease.

2.      What type of results do you see? 2/3 of GRIT members have an HbA1c of 5.9% or less:

Results are shown here: http://www.pinterest.com/typeonegrit/typeonegrit-graphs/

3.      What kind of food do you eat?

There is a low carb option for everything. Pizza. Ice Cream. Bread. Rice. Pasta. Carbohydrate is neither required for nutrition, nor for the joy of eating. Fat is flavor. This way of eating relies on proteins and fats: meat, cheese, fish, nuts, eggs, creams, etc. and non-starchy vegetables. GRIT members remark that this is, in fact, a luxurious way to eat. Fun recipes are here:

http://www.pinterest.com/typeonegrit/grit-recipes/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0988512483/

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/

This slide illustrates some of the food:

4.      What books do you recommend ?

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surprise-Healthy/dp/1451624425

http://www.amazon.com/Cholesterol-Clarity-What-Wrong-Numbers/dp/1936608383

5.      I or my child has just been diagnosed with Type One diabetes. Why have my doctor and dietician put me/ my child on a high carbohydrate diet when this is the strongest cause of blood sugar fluctuation?

Diabetics die at 4 to 5x the rate of cardiovascular disease as non-diabetics – where it is the number one killer - for an obvious reason – they have elevated blood sugars. Nevertheless, the myth of dietary, saturated fat causing high cholesterol which causes heart disease has persisted in the medical establishment. This myth has been debunked and is no longer a serious idea in academia, but persists in the medical community. You are caught in the middle and have been put on a high sugar diet.

6.      Don’t I need to eat carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are not a necessary macronutrient. The Dr. Bernstein way of eating advocates for carbohydrate in fibrous vegetables to obtain phytonutrients. Grains, starch, fruit, and added sugar are not required for life. The picture below shows what carbohydrates are – chains of sugar molecules. The bonds of these chains are already being broken down by the salivary amylase in your mouth. Spit turns bread into glucose.

Since diabetics cannot metabolize sugar and carbohydrate are just chained sugar molecules it makes no sense to eat them.

7.      Really? Fruit is bad?

Yes. Fruit has been engineered to be maximally sweet, not maximally nutritious via agriculture to be far different now than it was with our ancestors.

8.      Don’t people need carbs for energy?

No. The body relies on ATP for fuel. ATP production relies on glucose and amino acids which are obtained through dietary protein. Protein can make the glucose the body needs through the process called gluconeogenesis. ATP production and gluconeogenesis are detailed below in the diagram of the citric cycle.

9.      Are there any videos you recommend?

Yes:

Videos by parents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfEswff-oEs&list=PLs_TA02I6IvW8FolFOegsXUexj3PSRkxJ

Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes University:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNGdKSXx64&list=PLs_TA02I6IvV6-1s2pL4BPhvMo0Ck_lcY

Dr. Troy Stapelton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR8rc_AF6XU

10.  What about athletics? Don’t we need to carb up or carb afterwords to ‘replace glycogen’?

No, this is a myth. Carbohydrate is going to require insulin, which can result in hyperglycemia and/or hypoglycemia. TYPEONEGRIT has world champion endurance athletes, triathletes and marathon runners. If you do athletics and carb up, you are just going to spike your blood sugar.

11.  What is the perfect blood sugar?

100 mg/dL is an abnormal blood sugar. The blood sugar for a healthy non-diabetic adult is 83 mg/dL. Healthy children run in the 70s. Pregnant women run in the 60s.

12.  What about ketones?

Ketones are a by product of burning either dietary or stored fat. High levels of ketones when coupled with high blood sugars are a concern and may be a sign of DKA or ketoacidosis. With normal blood sugars, ketones are not a concern. This information can be easily found on the internet. Why is your health care provider so utterly confused? Found out in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xdlzHyysNk

13.  Im not bothered by high blood sugars, why should I care?

High blood sugars – even an A1c in the mid to high fives, are known to cause a myriad of health problems. High blood sugar, not total cholesterol, is the fundamental predictor of total health.

14.  My doctor said a normal A1c is dangerous from lows. Aren’t normal A1c’s unhealthy?

Diabetics have the right to the same blood sugars as non-diabetics. This way of eating does not cause more hypo’s it causes LESS hypos than the diet prescribed by your doctor because that diet is high carb. High carb diets require more insulin and therefore cause unpredictable blood sugars. This is pure common sense.

15.  Isn’t this way of eating depressing?

No. This way of eating is delicious. Normalizing blood sugars returns the feeling that one is ‘The Captain of His Own Ship’ since you can control blood sugar. Normal life, optimism and hope return.

16.  My child is little. Can’t we do this later?

Not if you want to avoid the complications of diabetes. Neurocognitive effects exist already at diagnosis. For example, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969580

17.  What does GRIT mean anyway?

http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint." -Angela Lee Duckworth

18.  Why doesn't this situation change?

It is changing, but the establishment is not keeping up – they still advocate a diet high in carbohydrate, which is just sugar. This makes no sense. See this article -

 http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007%2814%2900332-3/fulltext 

19.  What is the group like?

The group is not typical. There is no drama in TYPEONEGRIT.  The

 true spirit of helpfulness and comradery marks the group. Many members have formed life long friendships.

If you're interested in joining us, send a join request here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/660633730675058/ and send a message to one of our admins telling us about yourself and your current regimen.  Make sure to check your, "other" folder as messages tend to get lost there.  

Cholesterol and My VAP test results.

     So I am way behind on posting this but I wanted to put it out there for anyone who might be doubting this way of eating.  Some of the things you might hear from family or friends, "won't all that fat clog your arteries?" or "surely eating butter, bacon and coconut oil will raise your cholesterol!"  The simple answer is, "NO!".  Well, not like you think anyway.

     If you are a follower of this way of eating ie low-carb high-fat, Paleo, Primal or ketogenic you probably know this already,  but here is a refresher.  Half a century ago, this guy named Ancel Keyes proposed a theory.  It is commonly known as "The Lipid Hypothesis".  He published this study of 22 countries that associated saturated fat with heart disease.  The problem with his study is that it was completely bogus.  It was cherry picked.  He started with 22 countries but many didn't jive with his theory so he just threw out that data.  He only ended up with 7 countries that fit his criteria.  This became known as "The Seven Countries Study" which seemingly showed that there was a strong correlation between serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality.  When this study was repeated by other scientists, including all the countries, the correlation disappeared.

     In 1960, Ancel Keyes was sitting in the American Heart Disease Committee that advised a low-fat diet for those at risk for heart disease.  As we know, things just went down-hill from there.  The public was blasted with advice that has since led to obesity, diabetes, stroke and yes-heart disease!  "Eat a diet low in saturated fat and eat these healthy vegetable oils instead!  Eat plenty of whole grains,  starches, fruit and vegetables!"  We can see how that turned out.   Obesity rates have skyrocketed.  As of 2011, 25.8 million people are diabetic-8.3% of the population!  79 million people are considered, "pre-diabetic". (http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/) Two-thirds of the US adults are overweight or obese.  Heart disease is the NUMBER ONE cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.  today. (http://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-disease-statistics/)  Yeah, this plan worked out great.

        The tide is turning however albeit slowly and painfully.  In the past ten years a myriad of studies have come out showing NO correlation between saturated fat and heart disease.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648  "Twenty-one studies identified by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and secondary referencing qualified for inclusion in this study. A random-effects model was used to derive composite relative risk estimates for CHD, stroke, and CVD. 

CONCLUSIONS:

A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat."  Has this changed the recommendations?  Not so much.  It would be kind of difficult for the experts to just admit, "oh wow, we've been wrong for the last 50 years and gosh we must have killed a lot of people.  Whoops."  


     So back to cholesterol.  When asked about their cholesterol, most people just think about total cholesterol, but this is just a teeny tiny part of the picture.  Did you know that 50% of people who were hospitalized with coronary artery disease had "normal" cholesterol and that 75% of patients who had heart attacks fell within the current guidelines set for LDL?(http://www.atherotech.com/content/thevaptest/pdfs/vapbrochure.pdf)  Sounds like we're missing something huh?  

     We have "good cholesterol",  "bad cholesterol", triglycerides, VLDL and that's just on a basic lipid profile which is almost certainly all your doctor is testing.  This still is only a small portion of the total picture.  Yes, we want high HDL, "good cholesterol" lower LDL (bad cholesterol) low triglycerides and VLDL but an important factor that most doctors are overlooking is the LDL particle size pattern.  A diet that is low-fat and grain based results in small, hard dense LDL particles or "pattern B" which is harmful-a heart disease risk factor, high triglycerides and VLDL whereas a grain-free, low-carb diet high in saturated fat (think animal fats, butter, coconut oil and dairy fat) results in large buoyant benign LDL particles known as "Pattern A".  Most likely your doctor will say, "your cholesterol is high, lets put you on a statin" or "your LDL is higher than I'd like, lets start a statin" no matter what your LDL pattern is, completely ignoring the fact that if your LDL is pattern A, your LDL is benign, even beneficial.   Going beyond LDL particle size patterns we have lipoprotein classes and subclasses.

     A VAP test covers all these.  So why isn't this test routinely done?  I begged and pleaded for my doctor to run one for over 3 years and was always given the same explanation, "it won't change the outcome, there is no point".  There absolutely is a point!  I'm not taking a pill if I don't need to.  Finally, I convinced him to run it.  

     So enough of the explanations.  Here are my results:

     As you can see they are awesome!!!  My HDL (good cholesterol) is 93.  They want it above 40.  I'd like to see a grain eater with an HDL that high!  My LDL is 119.  Some would consider this on the high side but if you look down to Real-LDL size pattern, my LDL is Pattern A!!!  Large, buoyant fluffy LDL, the good kind.  My triglycerides are nice and low at 44, my VLDL is 13, my APO B 100 is 82, 11 and my real LDL C is 101.  LPA is 11, HDL-2 is 35, HDL-3 is 58, VLDL-3 is 7.  My total cholesterol to HDL ratio (preferably under 5) is 2.42- VERY LOW CARDIOVASCULAR RISK!!!  My triglycerides/HDL ratio is 0.69 (preferably under 4, ideally under 2).  

     These numbers are terrific!  If I had only had a basic cholesterol test however, a doctor would say, "oh my, your total cholesterol is 225!  That is high and you need to be put on a statin immediately!  This is why the VAP test is so important.   So many people are needlessly taking cholesterol medication.  The other major point here is that I obtained these awesome cholesterol numbers by following a very high fat (80% mainly saturated) low carb meal plan!  I am not clogging my arteries!  Here is the proof.

Make your own almond flour!

     I love almond flour.  It is so useful for baking and is low carb and  paleo.  It's so versatile.  You can make breads, cakes, pie crusts, all kinds of stuff.  The downside?  It is hard to find and is expensive.  I'm lucky to live in a city where there are a few places to find it but at my local Target, it is $11.50 a lb.  I could drive across town to get it for $8 a lb but that is a pain and I'm using gas money.  My solution?  Make my own!

Ingredients:

Two 10 oz bags of almond slivers
A Magic Bullet or Food Processor


Pour slivered almonds into the Magic Bullet and in short pulses (I did around 10 seconds at a time to avoid overheating the bullet) process until you have almond flour!  Easy peasy.  Why didn't I think of this sooner?  For a couple minutes of my time, I get almond flour for $6.40/lb.  I might even be able to get it lower if I can find cheaper almond slivers.

     Now off to my Saturday baking!

Staying on track during vacation

     Friday before last was the last day of school for the kids.  Matt and I decided spur-of-the-moment that it was time for a vacation.  We discussed a few ideas, but ultimately decided on Colorado.  Matt was raised there and in the 13 years we've been together, I had never visited.  It was in fact as awesome as he had told me.

     Staying low-carb during vacation can be a feat.  A lot of people "fall off the wagon" either deliberately or just end up giving in due to the lack of choices but I'm here to tell you it can be done!  My weight was up a couple lb due to water retention and I was determined to not let it go any further.

     The first day I actually did a correction day.  On vacation.  Yep.  I brought the stuff to make Bulletproof coffee and had that for breakfast, had boiled eggs for lunch (I brought them in a cooler) and had a giant Porterhouse and salad for dinner at a local restaurant in Denver.  Total carbs:  3.   I dropped 3lb.

     The next day we had breakfast in the restaurant in our hotel.  It was amazing.  And expensive.  Me being me decided I would get my money's worth so I loaded up.  Along with my coffee and cream (they had stevia in the raw!) 4 chicken and apple sausage links, 5 slices of thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs and a handful of pecans.  After breakfast we took a tour of Parker, the town where Matt grew up and visited his old homes.  We by chance ran into his best friend from childhood's mom and had a nice visit with her and her husband.

     For lunch, a grilled chicken Caesar Salad from Costco.  Yeah we are awesome.  We go to Costco on vacation (we needed bottled water).  For dinner, Red Robin.  I had a Guacamole Bacon Burger with no bun and broccoli on the side.  Daily carb total: 21.

   Day 3 I had coffee with cream and boiled eggs for breakfast (we went to Starbuck's for breakfast since the buffet was so expensive).  We went to the zoo after this.  It was really fun for everyone.

     For lunch we found this awesome place called "The Uber Sausage".  It was basically a shack on the side of the road.  It was amazing.  All their produce was organic and meats free-range.  They were a sandwich place but had the option to make any sandwich into a salad.  I had a Club.  Organic arugula with chicken apple sausage (my 2nd experience with it in 2 days!)  bacon, avocado and aioli.  ZOMG.

     After lunch we met up with my friend Breea from my online mommie's group.  We went to the Museum of Nature and Science.  They had some really cool stuff and it was really neat to meet one of my online friends in real life.

     We joined my friend and her hubby for dinner at a really cool place called the Berkshire Restaurant.  This was another place that really caters to paleo/gf etc.  I got duck breast with something called broccolini which is a mix of broccoli and asparagus, micro greens, and a hazelnut vinaigrette (no sugar).  Absolutely delicious. This place is known for specializing in pork and had bacon everything.  Even bacon doughnuts.  No I didn't eat any but we got one for the kids.  They weren't especially impressed.  Carb total for the day: 27 (18 net).

     Day 4 we went to IHOP for breakfast.  I did a "build your own" breakfast of bacon, sausage and fried eggs with coffee.  I was so stuffed I couldn't eat lunch.  I had a few pumpkin seeds for a snack.  BTW pumpkin seeds are awesome.  Low in carbs, packed with nutrients and just about every gas station has them.  

     

     After breakfast we went to Target to get sunscreen and some other necessities.  I also got a new swimsuit!  Isn't it cute?

     We took the kids to the children's museum and they had a wonderful time.  We've been to a number of children's museums on various trips and this though not the most awesome, had some pretty cool stuff like a "bubble room".  

Diana the firefighter

Firefighter Adrian

Big bubble!

He loved the trains.

Inside a bubble!

Going shopping.

     After the museum we decided to check out the mall.  The really expensive mall where stuff on clearance is $100.  As we were walking along a lady at a curling iron booth stopped us and offered to curl Diana's hair and straighten mine.  It was impressive but there is no way I could justify spending $300 on a curling iron and flat iron.  Diana was happy with her curls though.  

    We met up for dinner with one of Matt's old friends at Casa Bonita which is definitely an experience.  You wait in line and are given a limited option of food choices which are served kind of cafeteria style.  Given my limited options, I chose a taco salad and didn't eat the shell. The restaurant is known, not for their food, but for the show.  They have a pirate show, a 30 foot water fall, cliff divers, fire jugglers, a puppet show, a gift shop and arcade complete with ski-ball and 80's arcade games.  Matt had gone as a child and loved it.  The restaurant was also featured on an episode of "South Park" a few years back so I was curious to experience it.  Everyone had fun and the kids were enthralled.  Carb total for the day: 14

     Day 5 we did Village Inn for breakfast.  I again loaded up on bacon, sausage and a spinach and bacon omelet and was again too full for lunch.  We did have an early dinner though.  We went to a very cool place called Garbanzo's Mediterranean Grill who also offered organic/gf/free-range stuff (noticing a pattern here?  I did not realize this going in either.  Love Denver).  I tried my first Falafel before realizing it had beans in it.  They said no grains so I bit.  It was tasty but didn't need to load up on those.  I had a scrumptious Greek salad with steak.  I did indulge in 8 homemade potato chips.  Still paleo but not low-carb.  It was all good though as my carb total for the day was only 30 (24 net).

     After dinner we headed out of Denver and on to Colorado Springs.  We ate breakfast at the hotel and I had some breakfast ham and scrambled eggs.  We went on to Garden of the gods after breakfast.  At the beginning I was disappointed.  I was expecting a garden with flowers and this was definitely not that.  After experiencing it, I was not disappointed however.

          After that we went to Steak 'n Shake for lunch.  California Steak-burger sans bun and a side salad.

   
     We discovered Colorado Springs had a Whole Foods so we took a trip there and I found some Fage Total full fat greek yogurt!  I was so excited as I have been looking for it for like 3 years and finally found some.  Most stores carry Fage but it is always non-fat or 2%.  Bleh.  I mixed it up with some coconut oil and stevia and it was awesome!

     We enjoyed a nice afternoon, strolling through downtown Colorado Springs.  We found a cool used book store, along with a toy store, a spice shop, and even gasp, a candy store!  I got a sugar free almond butter crunch and it was soooo good.  

     For dinner we took the kids to Cici's Pizza.  It used to be a family favorite when we lived in GA.  Back then I would eat to my heart's content and then bolus 25 units to cover the hundreds of carbs I was eating.  Not this time.  Get this.  Cici's offers a low-carb bowl!  How cool is that?  A bowl with toppings, cheese and sauce.  That's all you want anyway right?  The crust just holds all the yummy stuff.  Carb total for the day: 29

     On the last day we ate breakfast at the hotel.  Had sausage patties with cream cheese on top, an omelet with American cheese and coffee with cream.  

     We were on the road for lunch.  I just grabbed some stuff from a gas station.  More coffee, some pumpkin seeds that I barely touched because they were so salty and an Atkins bar.  Not my proudest moment.  I rail and preach about the evils of Atkins bars.  They are full of crap and keep you from breaking the sugar/grain addiction.  It was convenient and available at the gas station so I ate it.  By dinner time we were pulling into El Paso and it was storming so we stopped at Golden Corrall.  Being a buffet of course I stuffed myself.  Sirloin steak, Bourbon street chicken, Chipotle chicken, cottage cheese, egg salad, sugar free jello and sugar free blueberry pie.  Total carbs for the day:27.

     So there ya go.  7 days and I never went over my 30g max.  I got to eat yummy delicious food and didn't go off plan (not badly anyhow).  We had an awesome vacation and I can't wait to go back!