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.

Searching For the Holy Grail — what low carb ingredients are in my future?

REPOST from former blog My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

February 17, 2020

I grew up in Texas.  From the the time I could sit up in a high chair, my palate was refined through consuming delicacies made with white flour, lard, whole milk, and bacon grease, and usually made in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Low carb wasn’t even a phrase when I was growing up.      

I love all things carby, fattening, and flavorful.  Saturday morning breakfasts included things like biscuits and sausage gravy, pancakes, biscuits and jelly with a side of pork bacon or a slab of ham,  fried eggs, breakfast casseroles, and of course boxes of sugar coated cereals and whole milk.  

Lunch might be a sandwich with super soft and fluffy white bread slathered with mayo, some greasy potato chips (because “fat is where the flavor is,” right?), and of course something sweet to top it off.

Dinner was usually a meat and potatoes thing, because my dad was a meat and potatoes guy.  I hated iceberg lettuce (still do to this day) because of a certain daycare that I attended as a very small child.  (That’s a story for a whole different blog, so I’ll just leave that one alone.).  Family meals included yummy things like squash, green beans, peas, and other vegetables.  Along with a healthy dose of pastas, breads, fried foods, gravies, and lots of sugar filled desserts like cakes, fried pies, baked pies, and homemade ice cream.  

Here’s a recipe that I found in my grandmother’s old cookbook – a prime example that nutrition wasn’t at the forefront of cooking when I was a kid. 

Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©
Old recipe from my grandmother

I have been on the hunt for all things low carb (and low sugar, but I’ll save that for another day and focus on carbs in this post), whether it be some sort of low carb flour substitute, or vegetables.  

The big question is how to decipher the carbohydrate content of all these foods I love, and also to figure out what I can eat, and what I should limit, as well as what I should stay away from.  I am learning what causes my blood sugar to spike, and what doesn’t, by testing a couple of hours after I have a meal.

I’ve learned from the Mayo Clinic Diabetic Diet how my plate should look at a meal.  It hasn’t looked like that in the past.  (Especially if we went out to eat, where so many times, a meal was served on a serving platter, rather than on a dinner plate!)

Diagram of how a Type 2 Diabetic’s Plate should look.
Image:  The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet Book

I also often look at the American Diabetes Association website for ideas of what to make for our meals.  Here’s a nice list that I found from the ADA that lists healthy foods for diabetics.

Best food choices for diabetics. (1 of 2)
Images:  American Diabetes Association

Best food choices for diabetics. (2 of 2)
Images:  American Diabetes Association

Flour is one source of carbs that I have to really watch. There are so many different types of flour that claim to be low carb.  I am working my way through them to see which ones that I like. I’ve had to make myself some charts so that I can see what I should try and what I may want to steer clear of. 

Flour comparison chart 
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

So far, I have tried coconut flour, almond flour, flax meal, and cauliflower flour.  One thing is for sure.  They are NOT CHEAP like your typical all-purpose white flour.  I’m spending $7 to $10 for a 1 pound bag of these, as opposed to $3-$4 for a 5 pound bag of all-purpose white flour.  The nut flours seem good for baking things like cookies and dessert breads – they help add a sweetness and allows me to use less Truvia (stevia/sugar substitute).  However, so far, I think I like the cauliflower flour the best for making things like pizza crust and garlic breads for dipping.

Flours that I might try
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Even though I really didn’t cook very often with white flour, I did use it for things such as thickening graves, and the occasional batch of cookies or cakes.  But we were still consuming it though eating various fast foods – pizzas, hamburgers (love those soft buns!), sandwiches, and such.  We also love pasta – and I really do miss it – which is also made from white flour.  All these were adding lots of carbohydratesto our meals, which translates into higher blood sugars.

There are many other options that I will be looking to try out.  Here’s a chart that I’ve been using to give me ideas of which alternative flours I want to try.  There’s even a flour made out of ground CRICKETS!  Yes!  And GROSS!  No thank you.  But if you’re into eating bugs, let me know how that turns out for you.

Flours that I’ve tried
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Fresh herbs make spaghetti taste so much better!
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

I have recently learned how to cook a spaghetti squash in my Instant Pot, so that we can eat spaghetti with meat sauce – one of my favorite foods. I love adding fresh vegetables and herbs to my sauce, as well.   Whenever we make this, my glucose levels are always in the low range of normal – 70s – 80s.

Spaghetti squash with ground turkey meat sauce is delicious!  I was planning to add some tasty diabetic friendly garlic bread sticks, using cauliflower flour.  It was a fail.  Let's just say that I can cross off the cauliflower flour for now.  It really didn't have any taste to it, and it made my kitchen stink.  So I'm still experimenting, and when I come up with a good recipe for some low carb garlic breadsticks, I will post how I made them.

I tried to add my recipe, but it wouldn't format correctly.  If you'd like it, just comment below, and I'll try to get it to you.

In the meantime, 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.   

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. 

A Southern Girl Learning to Cook – All Over Again

REPOST from former blog My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

February 5, 2020

My grandmother and her sisters, in their childhood kitchen.
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

As I mentioned in a previous post, I learned to cook from some of the most fabulous Southern cooks around!  My grandmother could make a chocolate pie with a magnificently beautiful meringue on top!  When it was cut, you could hold a piece of it in your hand without it falling apart!  And it was as delicious as it was beautiful! 

Me and my grandmother
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

So I grew up eating all things Southern – chicken & dumplings (put some extra butter in that while it’s cooking!), turnip greens with cornbread dumplings, fried cornbread, baked cornbread (add some sugar to it before you pour it into the hot skillet!), chicken fried steak, new red potatoes in a cream gravy, pan fried chicken, mashed potatoes with full cream whipped in them, turkey and dressing, chicken and dressing, brown sugar and Coca-Cola glazed ham, hot rolls or white bread with every meal.  Peach cobbler, fluffy yellow cake with chocolate icing (FROM SCRATCH!), that chocolate pie… You get my drift, right?  

I never read labels on boxes – and in fact, it wasn’t until 1990 (after I was already an adult) that nutrition labels became mandatory.  I didn’t even really read them then, either.  I glanced to see how much salt was in something, maybe.  Or if there were weird words of ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce, but I never looked for carbohydrates or sugars in anything that I bought.

And let’s face it, like most of America, my family was eating things that came out of a box. It was convenient and easy for a household that had two parents who were both working.  It was easy to throw in a pound of hamburger meat and packets of seasoning and noodles that came out of a box.  BAM!  Dinner was served and the kitchen cleaned in less than an hour.  The rest of the evening was spent grading papers or later, going through office discipline referrals for the next day of work (teacher and school administrator 🙋‍♀️), while watching Netflix or Dancing With the Stars.  And part of the time was also given to our kids, helping them with homework.  (How I hated science fair time!)

As I said before, when my kids got into middle school and high school, we actually started working out at the YMCA.  It was fun and I felt like I was living a healthy life.  We were eating pretty well – even though we were still eating out frequently, because as a high school administrator, I had quite a few night time activities, and didn’t get home to cook all the time.  So when we went out, I would order something like grilled fish or chicken and veggies.  

But after I retired, instead of thinking I have more time to cook at home, my husband and I, as empty nesters, fell into the habit of “let’s go out and grab something because it’s easier and will give us more time to do something fun like binge watch something on Netflix or Hulu.”  When I did cook, because I had more time to do things, I would cook heavy, high calorie dinners – Southern Style and TexMex Style.  (See the list of foods in paragraph 1.). 

So fast forward to this past November, when I am diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  Suddenly, I felt this urgent need to learn all I could about reading nutrition labels, and figure out how I could apply that knowledge to my cooking.

No more going out to eat, and no more boxed foods for convenience.  We are now trying, as much as possible, to use all fresh ingredients when we cook.  And as I said before, we also have eliminated refined sugar in our diet.  No sodas, no cakes or cookies.  I use Truvia in my coffee – it’s made from the stevia plant.  No calories, and it does not spike my blood sugar.  

I am learning to look at recipes and substitute things like Truvia in place of sugar, and almond flour or flax meal in place of all purpose flour.  I do a lot of research about how to cook low carb and low sugar.  Then I just try to revise recipes that I have liked over the years, or even when I know what I want, look back at all my grandmother’s recipes and work on recreating them using my new low carb food products. Yesterday I saw a bag of cauliflower flour and I got giddy – until I saw the $10.00 a bag price for a 10 ounce bag! I’ll continue to use the fresh riced cauliflower for now, until the cauliflower flour goes down in price!

Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life

So with all this being said, I’m going to share with you one of my family recipes that I have adjusted.  I took a banana nut bread recipe, and have created banana nut bites.  Small, cookie size bites that can be a small part of breakfast, or a healthy snack. It’s like bite sized cake.   

And the very best part of the recipe is that it is low calorie, low carb, and low sugar.  (Remember that Truvia baking blend?)

And here’s the nutrition label for this recipe, created on Very Well Fit. 

Happy baking everyone!  If there’s a recipe that you’d like to see on here, let me know in the comment section, and I’ll see if it can be reworked to be diabetic friendly.

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.