Might as well keep track of the food list, as it will most likely keep changing as my sugars fluctuate.
Protein -
Beans & pulses, meat, fish, eggs, cheese, quorn - only thing is....
Beans/Lentils/Pulses - In a real switch, now that I don't produce insulin in humongous doses, I don't count these as good carbs any more, they are now my best protein sources. Excellent. SO beans all the time now!!! Am building up to it so that I can just eat them as my main food. Chickpeas, kidney beans, haricot beans, butter beans, sprouted beans and dhaal or khichuri are my favourites. I think my parents may well make me assorted lentil products (pakoras, piyaju and whatnot) if I ask nicely ... I'll have to watch out for oil and calories ... but normal portions should be fine. We'll see, I am to rely on my trusty blood sugar monitor for data after all.
Meat should really be quite lean, and I can't have too much as I need to not have too many calories.
Fish needs to be chosen carefully (mercury levels etc).
Cheese needs to be mature and hard or similar (check has less than 1% carbohydrate on the packet .. ie should be 0.2 or 0.1 or even 0.5 gms carbohydrate per 100 gms as this will ensure there is literally no lactose in it).
Eggs must have the lion stamp on it.
Quorn can't be breaded, so that ruins it for me as I love the Southern Style Quorn Burgers ... for that matter, no more fish fingers either. No breaded meat. Too much Quorn or Soy makes me sick anyway, so won't have much of any of that.
Peanut butter - I know I can try other nut butters too ... but am sticking with this for now. I have it on oatcakes, on bread, on celery or with banana or apple, sometimes with cheese on the side with the apple.
Nuts - I am to have these, and I do. I also have seeds sometimes. I don't have huge amounts (calories), too many make me feel odd anyway.
Marmite, Bovril etc - I do use these, but, again - very limited now! I also put pickle in my cheese sandwiches when I have them ... and have chilli pickle with rice, when I have rice - but those are carbs!!
My best Carb/Protein mix complete meals are - soup that I've made and balanced perfectly; scrambled egg, maybe with salmon in it, on toast; oatcakes and cheese or apple and cheese; beans & friends that I have made; khichuri - which is rice and lentils cooked together; and chickpeas cooked with potatoes.
Carbs -
Fruit - apparantly a good source for me as fruit sugar won't hurt me - I am sceptical about this ... we'll see what the blood sugar monitor tells me. I am keeping an open mind.
Bread - the dietician was very keen on me eating bread, and pitta bread ... Ok, some bread is practical, and I'm all for keeping a wide range of food in my diet ... but I can't see what's so good or nutritious about it. I'd rather have oatcakes or oatmeal.
Oatcakes/oatmeal - I love this stuff and it loves me ... as long as it's not breakfast. So I'm basing a lot of meals/snacks around oatmeal or oatcakes and cheese/peanut butter.
Vegetables - the dietician was not concerned about my veggies, and I do try and eat a lot of them. So far they are not a problem. I focus on green leafies, broccolli, cauliflower, mushrooms and tomatoes, and I have some peas, some carrots, and some root vegetables sometimes. Rarely I have potatoes too. The exception is crisps. I do have them when I have access to them, but I have cut down a lot.
Rice - the hospital sanctions all Basmati rice. I do have brown basmati every 10 days or so, and sometimes (less often) I'll open some ready made rice from a Tilda packet. I could have more rice. With stir fry vegetables perhaps?
Noodles - I buy wholeweat wok noodles for emergencies - I'm sure they are HUGELY carby, plus they are oily and most calorific. However they are nice, and they make a meal (with stir-fried meat or veg, or in soup). I do love Ramen, but am sure can live without it for a few more months.
Pasta - I do buy pasta, it's cheap, quick and not that bad GI wise. However I do have to have a lot less of it now - I can have it every day, just in a tiny amount, and who wants a tiny bit of pasta?? I'd rather not waste my carbs on pasta.
Cereal - Even porridge is tricky depending on what else I have eaten recently, what time of day it is etc ... so other cereals are obviosuly much worse. I can get away with some Weetabix, or Shredded Wheat, or even Bran Flakes or Shreddies - all of which I love - sometimes. But again, why bother - they are all full of a load of extras like sugar or malt ... (apart from Shredded Wheat, but then that is just wheat ... big whoop ... what's so great about that considering all the other, far superior foods on my list). Again, not really worth it. I will have them again when baby gets here I think. Safer then.
Milk - I am still on Lactofree (will stop in August at the earliest so the milk clears my system before the baby gets here. Will stop cheese then too.) This is very low in carbs of course, and I am so pleased about that! I do use sugar free Crusha every now and then.
Spread, Jams etc - Am using Pure, and St Dalfour. Am happy with that for now. No more marmalade or other jams.
Drinks - Am sticking to no added sugar squash (blegh), the occasional decaf coffee, fruit tea, sparkling water, water and the occasional diet coke. It's not fun and I should be drinking more.
Fats -
I use olive oil and sunflower oil, and Pure to cook. I use sesame oil too in stir-fries.
Most fats are out because most foods are restricted.
The NO list
NO corncakes or rice cakes
NO fruit juice
NO sugary drinks
NO white bread (unless absolutely no better choice because I am out)
NO pastry
NO cakes, biscuits, chocolate, puddings, sweeties
NO sugary cereal
NO milk, cream, yoghurt
NO pizza
NO ice cream
NO jam, marmalade etc - just fruit spread (carefully)
NO full fat, full sugar, caffeinated drinks like cappuccinos - again, I choose alternatives and negotiate compromises, I don't make myself miserable after dinner or at Starbucks by abstaining totally. I'd be jumping off the nearest cliff ...
NO fizzy (sweet) drinks
AVOID fizzy (diet) drinks
AVOID potatoes, pasta, rice, couscous etc - I think Quinoa would be the best alternative, along with brown basmati rice.
AVOID tropical fruit - very sugary. Some is fine, be careful when you have it
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