It’s Not Im•pasta•ble!

REPOST from former blog My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

March 4, 2021

Who doesn’t love pasta?!  Lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, cannelloni, penne, fettuccine.  You name it, I love all noodles!! 

The problem is that pasta is high in carbohydrates. It tends to spike my blood sugars – all night long, and even into the next morning.

I have found some pastas that do not spike my blood sugar, and actually taste like pasta.  I have experimented with whole wheat noodles, and those are pretty good. 

We’ve tried the chickpea pasta, butternut squash spirals, zucchini spirals, and spaghetti squash.  I wasn’t too keen on the chickpea pasta.  The veggie noodles are ok, but the zucchini and butternut squash spirals tend to get mushy. 

What works for me ~ 

BUT… I have found some pasta that I really love, and it doesn’t create an outrageous blood sugar spike, so I can work it into my Type 2 diabetic diet.  The pasta that I really like the most is called “carba-nada” by a company called al dente Pasta Company.  

Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

These noodles are high protein, high fiber, with lower calories and carbohydrates.  Amazingly, there are 14 kinds of fettuccine! Additionally, al dente offers pappardelle, bonnet, farfalletti, linguine, and some plant based pastas. 

 

Some of their pastas have gluten.  Al dente also offers plant based pastas, so if gludent is not right for you, fortunately, you. still have options.

I thought that life as a Type 2 Diabetic would limit me to never eating pasta again. The best part is that I have discovered (with a lot of trial and error) it’s not IMPASTABLE!  (See what I did there?) 

Recently, I made a delicious meal of chicken scaloppini with carba-nada roasted garlic fettuccine tossed in basil pesto.  It was super delicious!  

Carba Nada Noodles Nutrition
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Got your skillets ready? 

It’s very easy to make.  You just split a chicken breast in half, and pound it out with a your meat mallet. About 1 – 1½ inch thickness is good. 

Dip the breast in a beaten egg (or not, if you don’t like or can’t eat eggs). Lightly coat it with Panko bread crumbs.  Heat a skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 

Cook the chicken breast for about 4 minutes on each side, on a medium to low heat. (It should be 165° in the center, to be fully cooked. Be careful not to overcook, or it will be tough.) Place the cooked chicken on a plate to rest while the noodles finish cooking.

The carba-nada noodles should cook for 4 minutes in boiling chicken broth, a nice little trick to give the pasta more flavor.  

Save that broth to use in the next step!  Using tongs, take out all the noodles. Place in a low to medium heated skillet, with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  

Get ready for delicious!

Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

I use basil pesto that I get from Whole Foods Market. Toss the fettuccine around in the skillet (using tongs), adding the pesto a spoonful at a time. I totally eyeball it, as some people like more pesto, others like less.  

Add a quarter cup of the broth at a time. It will keep the pasta and pesto from drying out in the skillet.  This takes all of about 3 minutes.  Don’t toss it too long in the skillet. I’m sure you’ll agree with me, that you don’t want to overcook your pasta.  

Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Put about a cup of the pesto pasta on a plate. Place the chicken breast on top, and garnish with a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  I like to serve this with a small spinach side salad.  

This is a great way to satisfy my craving for pasta, without sabotaging my blood sugars.  

 

Finally settled in… 

I know it’s been some time since I’ve posted.  I’ve been pretty busy, but also have had a writer’s block.  Now that things have found their place in our new house, I’m able to sit down to think and write more.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the blog post, and that you’ll take a look at all the pasta options that are out there.  

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I love to get comments and hear what you have to say. Feel free to leave me a comment below.  I hope that you’ll subscribe – top right corner of the page if on a desktop, and bottom of the post if using a mobile device.  

In the meantime, live well, and be well! 

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Intelligent Eating: Carbs, Fiber, and the Glycemic Index

REPOST from former blog My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

February 24, 2020

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art” is attributed to the 17th century French nobleman, François de la Rochefoucauld. 

Many days I feel like I need to go back to college and get a PhD in advanced science or biology, in order to make a grocery list! It’s complicated trying to figure out what raises my glucose levels, and how I should fashion my plate with carbs, protein, fruits, and vegetables. 

Humanity has been breaking bread together since time began.  But between counting carbs, reading for fiber, and trying to understand what a low glycemic load means, and if I am following it correctly, I am left wondering what, if anything, I should eat!   

It is so complicated when trying to understand glycemic index and glycemic load.  You may or may not have even heard the term glycemic index.  Before my Type 2 diagnosis, I had heard of it, but had no idea what it meant until I read up on it.  

Image:  Le nozze di Cana, Michael Damaskinos   1561 – 1570

It is so complicated when trying to understand glycemic index and glycemic load.  You may or may not have even heard the term glycemic index.  Before my Type 2 diagnosis, I had heard of it, but had no idea what it really meant until I read up on it.

The lower the load, the less carbohydrates a food has, the higher the load the higher the carbohydrates.  The good people at the University of Sydney created a detailed rating system by assigning a number to foods that contain carbohydrates, according to how much each food increases your blood sugar.  I know that I have to eat some carbohydrates, because carbs are what my body converts to use as fuel. And by eating foods that have a lower glycemic load, the result is that my body will be much less likely to have large (and/or sudden) spikes in glucose. 

Glycemic Index ratings are:

• Low GI: 1 to 55
• Medium GI: 56 to 69
• High GI: 70 and higher

Click HERE for the Glycemic Index of foods. 

There are three types of carbohydrates that I need to understand, so that I can learn to “eat intelligently.”  Starch, sugar, and fiber are what I need to consider when making food choices.  

Types of carbohydrates
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Fiber is a "good carbohydrate" because your body doesn't break down and digest fiber, so it does not turn into glucose.  Learning this has helped me in my daily carb consumption and counting.  When reading labels while shopping, I can subtract the fiber from the total carbs listed, in order to determine the net amount of carbs that could affect my glucose.  To help me remember which fibers are "good fibers" I created a visual to remind myself of the good carbs, so that when I make my shopping list, I don't stray, and end up eating something that will make my glucose levels skyrocket.  (As you can see, I like graphics and charts.  🙋🏼‍♀️   Visual learner here.)

Good Fiber infographic
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

I am working very hard to test my glucose levels before I eat, and then a couple of hours after I eat.  This way I can determine if something I am eating is causing my glucose to spike. I still am having issues with random spikes, though on days when I drink lots of water, it seems to help. But some foods just really spike my glucose levels.

I know this is a lot of information to DIGEST.  (Yes, that’s a pun!)  But learning about glycemic load and about fiber as carbs, has really helped me.  I got on the scale this morning, and since November 13th, I have lost a total of 23 pounds!  None of my clothes really fit anymore, but in a good way!  

Thanks for stopping by to read the blog.  I would love for you to subscribe and follow along, as I document my journey.  If you have questions or comments, please post them in the comments section below.  Live well!      

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.