In article ,
Janet Wilder wrote:

Dan Abel wrote:
In article ,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

"Dan Abel" wrote

Both my nutritionist and my diabetes nurse are telling me that 1/3 cup
of cooked pasta is a carb portion. Three carb portions are a meal,
depending on some other factors. A cup of cooked pasta means no other
carbs for that meal (no dessert).
Wouldn't it be simpler to just measure this in terms of
calories of carbohydrates, rather than relying on inexact
terminologies like "cups of cooked pasta" and "portions"?

I think that would be too complicated. People can visualize a cup of
cooked pasta. Some of these diabetics don't cook, and the people who do
the cooking may not be diabetic.

On my soap box:

My DH is diabetic. I weigh dry pasta on my kitchen scale. If the package
says it is so many grams of carbohydrates per 2 ounce serving, I'll be
able to tell exactly what damage the pasta will do and adjust the
serving size accordingly.

Cooking for diabetes is a serious science. I read all the package labels
and even have downloaded the USDA nutrition file so I can check
carbohydrate counts for myself when planning a meal with ingredients I'm
not familiar with, especially vegetables.

Of course most diabetics and their care-givers don't have a clue as to
how to count their carbohydrates because 1) the medical profession is
horrible at educating patients and 2) the American Diabetes Association
hasn't a clue that their dietary advice mostly works for type-1
diabetics who can cover all those nasty carbs with insulin.

Note that many type II diabetics are on insulin also (like me). It's
not a quick fix for carb intake.

Most type-2 diabetics get a diagnosis and a pamphlet along with a
prescription. Maybe a few get a meter, but most don't get educated in
how to properly use the meter testing their post-prandial blood glucose
readings to see how different foods effect their blood glucose. No
piece of paper with a "meal plan" is a substitute for one's own
metering. Trust me, I've been feeding and caring for this man for 22
years (and he's doing quite well)

That's kind of what I learned in my class last week. Listen to the
advice, read the handouts and then the meter tells you how well it's
working.

A recipe for diabetics should not just substitute artificial sweetener
for sugar. A slice of white bread and a tablespoon of refined sugar have
exactly the same carbohydrate count. Carbohydrates are found in
starches, starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash,
fruit and dairy products.

The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in the
meal.

That's currently the first recommended angle of attack, as I understand
it.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article ,
Serene wrote:

Janet Wilder wrote:

The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in the
meal.

Nope. That is, that may be the best way to feed your particular
diabetic, but mine does best on a diet with plenty of whole grains,
veggies, fruits, pasta, rice, etc. He eats between 50 and 100 grams
of carbs per meal (no sugar, very low fat, 10-20 grams of protein
per meal), and between that and regular exercise, he's taken his
numbers down to normal, non-diabetic levels without medication.


What really counts is finding something that works. Sounds like you've
done that.

And 50-100g of carbs per meal isn't outrageous. With lots of fiber and
some regular exercise, that could be reasonable, depending on other
factors.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Serene wrote:
Janet Wilder wrote:

The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in
the meal.

Nope. That is, that may be the best way to feed your particular
diabetic, but mine does best on a diet with plenty of whole grains,
veggies, fruits, pasta, rice, etc. He eats between 50 and 100 grams of
carbs per meal (no sugar, very low fat, 10-20 grams of protein per
meal), and between that and regular exercise, he's taken his numbers
down to normal, non-diabetic levels without medication.

Serene

He must do a ton of exercise!

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Dan Abel wrote:
In article ,
Janet Wilder wrote:


On my soap box:

My DH is diabetic. I weigh dry pasta on my kitchen scale. If the package
says it is so many grams of carbohydrates per 2 ounce serving, I'll be
able to tell exactly what damage the pasta will do and adjust the
serving size accordingly.

Cooking for diabetes is a serious science. I read all the package labels
and even have downloaded the USDA nutrition file so I can check
carbohydrate counts for myself when planning a meal with ingredients I'm
not familiar with, especially vegetables.

Of course most diabetics and their care-givers don't have a clue as to
how to count their carbohydrates because 1) the medical profession is
horrible at educating patients and 2) the American Diabetes Association
hasn't a clue that their dietary advice mostly works for type-1
diabetics who can cover all those nasty carbs with insulin.

Note that many type II diabetics are on insulin also (like me). It's
not a quick fix for carb intake.

My DH has a pump, but most T-2 diabetics are on oral meds or under
orders to watch their diet and exercise more. Some take that direction
seriously, most, especially senior citizen-types, don't.

We were in a buffet restaurant the other day and I saw a much
over-weight man with a plate full of cookies tell his wife that they
were sugar-free cookies so he could eat them with his diabetes. She
agreed. He must have had 200 grams of carbs in those cookies., but in
his uneducated mind they were okay because they were sugar-free.

Frankly I wouldn't care what people do to themselves, but when they are
obviously on Medicare, I'm paying part of their medical bills.
Most type-2 diabetics get a diagnosis and a pamphlet along with a
prescription. Maybe a few get a meter, but most don't get educated in
how to properly use the meter testing their post-prandial blood glucose
readings to see how different foods effect their blood glucose. No
piece of paper with a "meal plan" is a substitute for one's own
metering. Trust me, I've been feeding and caring for this man for 22
years (and he's doing quite well)

That's kind of what I learned in my class last week. Listen to the
advice, read the handouts and then the meter tells you how well it's
working.

A recipe for diabetics should not just substitute artificial sweetener
for sugar. A slice of white bread and a tablespoon of refined sugar have
exactly the same carbohydrate count. Carbohydrates are found in
starches, starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash,
fruit and dairy products.

The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in the
meal.

That's currently the first recommended angle of attack, as I understand
it.



--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

"Janet Wilder" wrote

We were in a buffet restaurant the other day and I saw a much over-weight
man with a plate full of cookies tell his wife that they were sugar-free
cookies so he could eat them with his diabetes. She agreed. He must have
had 200 grams of carbs in those cookies., but in his uneducated mind they
were okay because they were sugar-free.

Since he knows he has diabetes, I assume he's got a doctor. One would
think his doctor would have educated his mind about the sugar-free vs carb
thing.

Did you want to say something to him? I'm so nosy I probably would have
wanted to. But I wouldn't have.

nancy

Janet Wilder wrote:
Serene wrote:
Janet Wilder wrote:

The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in
the meal.
Nope. That is, that may be the best way to feed your particular
diabetic, but mine does best on a diet with plenty of whole grains,
veggies, fruits, pasta, rice, etc. He eats between 50 and 100 grams of
carbs per meal (no sugar, very low fat, 10-20 grams of protein per
meal), and between that and regular exercise, he's taken his numbers
down to normal, non-diabetic levels without medication.

Serene

He must do a ton of exercise!


We walk, on average, two miles a day, every day, but we don't go
ultra-fast or anything. He did his research, and it turns out that
moderate exercise is better for you than knocking yourself out.

Plus, we eat very little fat and almost no refined sugar.

Serene

Dave Smith wrote:

My brother's neighbour is italian and he calls all pasta macaroni. My
neighbours are Italian and usually refer to it generally as pasta or
to specific types of pasta ... lasagne, spaghetti, fettucine etc.

One of my Italian friends calls all pasta macaroni, no matter what she
is cooking. The sauce is also called "gravy". Maybe that is what her
family called it.

Becca

In article ,
Serene wrote:
Steve Pope wrote:
Default User wrote:

I don't like to eyeball it, because I often end up with a remnant
that's not enough for the purpose. I use a kitchen scale to weigh out
the pasta. It's easy and sure.

Yes, same here. When we're cooking for ourselves, we user 2
oz by weight of dried pasta per person in any of our standard
pasta dishes. Note that we include a lot of vegetables also
(squash, peppers etc.) so that makes a quite large bowl of
pasta per person.

Yep, that's how we do it. Two ounces per person, weighed on a not
terribly accurate but close enough kitchen scale.

See, I like pasta. 2 oz is a small serving for this hungry girl .

(I fridge the remainder and usually remember to eat it.)

When I am calculating for bulk cooking I actually buy 4 oz per person (if
it's not, say, mixed in as something casseroley, in which case 2 oz is
probably fine). This does allow for seconds.

(Anyway it takes FREAKING FOREVER for a huge pot of water to come to boil,
even on our commercial stove, so I'd rather cook a little more than I
think I'll need ... but people shouldn't have that same problem at home,
LOL.)

Charlotte

--

Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:
In article ,
Serene wrote:
Steve Pope wrote:
Default User wrote:

I don't like to eyeball it, because I often end up with a remnant
that's not enough for the purpose. I use a kitchen scale to weigh out
the pasta. It's easy and sure.
Yes, same here. When we're cooking for ourselves, we user 2
oz by weight of dried pasta per person in any of our standard
pasta dishes. Note that we include a lot of vegetables also
(squash, peppers etc.) so that makes a quite large bowl of
pasta per person.
Yep, that's how we do it. Two ounces per person, weighed on a not
terribly accurate but close enough kitchen scale.

See, I like pasta. 2 oz is a small serving for this hungry girl .

We don't eat *just* the pasta. The way I do it (which isn't the
right way or anything, just the way I do it), the diabetic in the
house appreciates knowing how many carbs he's eating, and then I
load the rest of the plate up with veggies and lean proteins. :-)

(I fridge the remainder and usually remember to eat it.)

James has taught me how much better life is without leftovers. :-)
(That's a bit of an exaggeration, as I sometimes do have leftovers,
but in the main, I avoid them, and so I waste a LOT less food than I
used to, and we eat a lot more fresh food.)


When I am calculating for bulk cooking I actually buy 4 oz per person (if
it's not, say, mixed in as something casseroley, in which case 2 oz is
probably fine). This does allow for seconds.

(Anyway it takes FREAKING FOREVER for a huge pot of water to come to boil,
even on our commercial stove, so I'd rather cook a little more than I
think I'll need ... but people shouldn't have that same problem at home,
LOL.)

:-)

Serene

Serene wrote:

Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:

Serene wrote:

Steve Pope wrote:

When we're cooking for ourselves, we user 2
oz by weight of dried pasta per person in any of our standard
pasta dishes. Note that we include a lot of vegetables also
(squash, peppers etc.) so that makes a quite large bowl of
pasta per person.

Yep, that's how we do it. Two ounces per person, weighed on a not
terribly accurate but close enough kitchen scale.

See, I like pasta. 2 oz is a small serving for this hungry girl .

We don't eat *just* the pasta. The way I do it (which isn't the
right way or anything, just the way I do it), the diabetic in the
house appreciates knowing how many carbs he's eating, and then I
load the rest of the plate up with veggies and lean proteins. :-)

Similarly here. 2 oz dried pasta is 200 calories. To that I
would typically add up to 200 calories worth of meatless balls
or tofu or Italian sausage, about 100 calories of legumes (frozen
peas, or kidney beans), perhaps 50 calories of tomato product and
50 calories of olive oil, and a cup or so of vegetables. This brings
the pasta course to something over 600 calories/person which
is about the target for when we're eating by ourselves.
That actually amounts to a large, one-dish-meal sort of bowl
of pasta -- just a little low on carbs.

If cooking for others I want the range to be more like 800
(as served) to 1200 (if they take seconds) calories. But then
there will probably be side dishes/appetizers included in that.

James has taught me how much better life is without leftovers. :-)

I'm in that camp too.

Steve