My Diet (On a “Good” Day)

May 15, 2015 by Frank 17 Comments

I’m sorry, I just couldn’t get myself excited about this post. The thought of documenting my day’s food sounded a bit boring. I really needed some inspiration in order to actually get this post up and running. So here goes…

I’ve never really been one to document my every move on Facebook or Instagram my every meal. I just don’t think people would find it interesting. And I think its pretty hard to be honest on social media when all we are really thinking about is the number of likes and “OMG babe” comments that photo will get. (Then again, I suppose I am seeking some form of attention through this blog – contradictory?)

Diabetes Blog Week has been a real challenge for me, because I would never be able to write 7 posts in 7 days – let alone quality ones! So in order to continue to stretch myself creatively, I’ve gone with something I would never do – a photo blog. This would represent a normal work day for me – I hope its not too boring!

Here goes…

When you have to be at work by 6am, the only thing that gets you out of bed is the thought of a good coffee (coffee machines are, like, the BEST thing EVER invented!)

Followed by a quick bowl of cereal. I was eating Special K (pictured) up until recently. However, I’ve recently switched to WeetBix because it has virtually no sugar and the same nutritional benefits of good breakfast cereals like Iron, Protein, Fibre etc.

Screen Shot 2015-12-27 at 10.56.01 pm

By 10am I’m starving – time for morning tea! Its usually an apple and a muesli bar. Carman’s Muesli Bars are fantastic because they are Low GI, don’t taste overly sweet and have significantly less sugar than most other brands.

Lunch time and nothing beats a ham and cheese toastie! Plus its super quick and easy to prepare in the morning! I always use Burgen bread as its Low GI and high in nutritional benefits like Iron, Protein, Fibre etc. Its worth the extra cost. And, of course, a nice strong cup of tea (Twinings English Breakfast) – makes for the ultimate comfort meal! Only problem is that by 2pm I don’t want to go back to work!

The best thing about working is that you have a set routine. You get up at the same time. You eat the same foods at the same time. You don’t have time to open the cupboards and snack, so your blood sugar levels are quite often the same.

That is, until home time hits. I’m usually home by 3pm, giving me a few spare hours to open the fridge and cupboards several times before dinner and snack. Sometimes there’ll be leftover desert if there’s been a special event – that will be an absolute must. Other times it’ll be nuts, chocolate or potato chips from the cupboard. And a coffee, tea or Coke Zero to drink. I’m still struggling with this part of the day. Badly.

I’m pretty lucky to have a home cooked meal on the table at dinner time (thanks Mum!) I’m a pretty good cook myself and help out when I can too. Its usually things like pasta dishes, chunky soup, meat and veg to name a few. We also have stir-frys, tacos, rice dishes and frittatas too. Coming from an Italian family, my diet is a pretty traditional one and I don’t have much exposure to other cuisines (gasp!) or spices (gasp!). My friends couldn’t believe that I’d never eaten a curry until a few years ago! Still not a big fan.

I’m quite good at avoiding after dinner indulgence. I always remind myself of the delayed blood sugar spike that comes from eating junk food that’s high in fat. I don’t want to wake up with a reading of 15. Plus, I go to bed fairly early, so I want a clear indication of my blood sugar levels with most of my rapid acting insulin gone.

Anyway, you now have a good insight into my diet for the day. I hope you’ve found it useful. I’m really interested to see what everyone else writes on this topic today!

I’ve written this post as a participant in Diabetes Blog Week 2015. Follow #dBlogWeek on Twitter for the latest on the event and participants.

I Can…Better Understand My Food Choices

May 11, 2015 by Frank 14 Comments

If there’s one good thing that’s come from my friend Diabetes, its the fact that its made me better understand my food choices.

Growing up, my parents had junk food in the house for us to snack on. We had biscuits in the morning and potato chips, lollies, chocolate, ice cream and soft drink after school (not all in one hit!). I can still remember politely asking Mum if it was okay to open “something special,” which is what we used to call junk food. Don’t get me wrong, its not like we were an unhealthy family. We had home packed lunches during the day and home cooked meals at night. Its just that we never had any restrictions on junk food from Mum and Dad.

And ever since, I’ve had to have “something special” in the afternoons. Its become a subconscious habit that’s been impossible to break away from. Whether I was home at three, four or five o’clock, I still had to open that cupboard and grab a packet of chips. That is, until Diabetes came along.

I never used to even think about junk food, or any of the foods I was eating and its impact on my health. And yet now, diabetes has opened my mind to the food choices I make. I liken it to this particular episode of How I Met Your Mother. Everyone had their annoying habits – Lily crunched loudly, Ted over corrected people, Marshall sang about everything he was doing, Robin overused the word ‘literally’ and Barney spaced out when people spoke to him. And nobody ever noticed these habits until an outsider pointed them out, ‘shattering’ the gang’s perfect illusions of each other.

Diabetes has made me far more aware of my food choices than I ever was before. I actually read the nutrition information on the products that I buy in the supermarket. I understand the effects that carbs, fat and sugars in my food will have on my body and blood sugar levels. And after lots of experience, I have learned how to respond appropriately.

Now I only eat salad and drink water. The fridge is full of fresh fruit and veggies and there is no junk food to be found in the house. Ha! Yeah right!

But I really do think about my food choices now. I’ll still open the cupboards most afternoons and stare at the tempting goodies in there. But I’ll also think about the repercussions afterwards – like feelings of guilt and depression, being too full for dinner, and delayed blood sugar spikes by bedtime.

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve overcome thanks to diabetes is the junk foods that I used to eat on a daily basis. Potato chips and ice cream, that I used to eat every day, I might have about once a week. Now, I’ll do my best to satisfy the urge for an afternoon snack in ways other than junk food. Sometimes I’ll have a nice coffee or cup of tea to keep my mouth occupied. Other days I’ll have crackers and cheese with a handful of nuts.

But I’m certainly no Saint. I still nibble on chocolate most days (my biggest weakness), and I buy my lunch from the food court every Friday. I still end up overdoing it on special occasions like morning teas, eating out and on lazy days. More than I’d like to admit.

But I understand what I’m eating. I know how to react. And that’s all that really matters.

I’ve written this post as a participant in Diabetes Blog Week 2015. Follow #dBlogWeek on Twitter for the latest updates from the event and participants.

Ryvita Crispbread

May 3, 2015 by Frank Leave a Comment

When lunchtime hits in my household, you can probably place your bets on how long I will spend opening and closing the cupboards and fridges looking for something different to have. I take forever to make a decision, because I’m not the kind of person who can just eat the same thing every day.

If you’re looking for some lunchtime inspiration, Ryvita Crispbreads should do the trick. Dense, grainy crackers served with the topping of your choice – mine being Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Smoked Ham and Spinach – should make for a satisfying light lunch or mid afternoon snack.

There are currently three varieties on the supermarket shelf including Original Rye, Sesame Rye and Multigrain, full of wholesome-sounding ingredients such as Wholegrain Rye Flour and a variety of wholegrains and seeds.

The nutrition information ticks all of the boxes for me. The fat and sugar content is suprisingly low for a processed product. Meanwhile, the dense flours, seeds and grains embedded into the crispbread help beef up the protein and non-carb energy in the product and lower the overall Glycemic Index. The end result is a satisfying snack that will release energy and glucose into the bloodstream slowly and will help you feel fuller for longer.

In the same way that wholegrains and seeds make breads more interesting, the dense, grainy composition of Ryvita gives it a point of difference from most other crackers. Although it doesn’t have a strong flavour, its meant to be had with toppings such as ricotta, cheese, lean meats or fresh vegetables. It also doesn’t leave a salty aftertaste, which I think is a good thing.

Ryvita can be found in Woolies, Coles, IGA and other major supermarkets. At around $3 for a packet of 22 crispbreads, I’d say its pretty competitive with other products in the cracker/biscuit aisle. Writing this post has made me re-realise the goodness of Ryvita, and I would like to be buying these more often than I currently am. Ryvita is probably one of the best diabetes-friendly products in the cracker aisle of your supermarket.

Nutrition Information

Carbohydrate:

11g to 13g per serving of 2 crispbreads

Sugars:

1g to 2g per serving of 2 crispbreads
3g to 7g per 100g

Fat:

0g to 2g per serving of 2 crispbreads
1g to 8g per 100g

Protein:

2g to 3g per serving of 2 crispbreads
9g to 12g per 100g

Dietary Fibre:

3g to 4g per serving of 2 crispbreads
15g to 18g per 100g

Glycemic Index Estimate:

Low (less than 55). NB: While there is no GI data specified for this product, I would estimate a low GI rating based on its ingredient list of wholegrain rye flours, seeds and grains.

Product Overview

Varieties:

Original Rye, Sesame Rye, Multigrain

Price:

Around $3 for a packet of around 22 crispbreads.

Where to buy:

Woolworths, Coles, IGA and other major supermarkets.

Official Website:

ryvita.com/en-au

Falling Off The Wagon

April 21, 2015 by Frank 5 Comments

In all honesty I have kind of fallen off the wagon in the past few days, which I could put down to a couple of things.

Temptation. Mine was in the form of 25 cent Malt-Easter chocolate bunnies and Cadbury Marvellous Creations Easter eggs (seriously, if you have not tried these, what are you even doing with your life?) And even though I had the best of intentions to share them around, not all of them made their way to the chocolate basket at home.

Cooler weather. If there’s one thing I do love at the moment, its the cooler nights and being able to get cozy in front of the telly. But sadly, its also the perfect climate for being lazy and comfort eating. On Sunday I settled down in front of Despicable Me (how have I not seen this sooner?) and ended up chowing down a whole bag of Red Rock Deli Chips (Honey Soy Chicken, of course).

Exhaustion. Mostly work related and just feeling run off my feet all day. By the time I get home I’m ready to flop and can’t really be bothered with much else. Cue the lotto Gods (yeah right). But more realistically, I am perservering with my blog and want to make some sort of career from it in the future.

On Sunday morning I woke up to a beautiful blood sugar reading of 21.0. Not really a suprise considering all the fatty junk food I had eaten (fats raise your BGLs several hours later), but still a scare. I knew I’d gone too far. My blood sugar had been sitting at that horrible level for the past 8 hours (probably more) that I’d been sleeping. I absolutely hate when that happens. Nothing annoys me more. Then cue the feelings of guilt, followed by scary thoughts of possible diabetes complications from the damage I’d done to my body. How could I have been so irresponsible, so stupid?

I hastily jabbed myself with some insulin, before heading to the kitchen. My mouth was left dry from all of the sugar and sodium I had consumed the day prior, and I was dying for a refreshing cup of tea. I refused to eat until my levels went down, although I can’t say I was feeling very hungry anyway. Damn shame too, because weekend breakfasts are my favourite time of week. The two days where I can actually take my time and enjoy something better than a hasty bowl of cereal. And I’d ruined it.

There’s not much of a point to this post other than to tell you that I’m not perfect. Nobody is. And I’ve no doubt you’ve found yourself in a similar situation at some point. Which is why I felt it was so important to share this. While I truly regret what I did, I think it was also the perfect wake up call (or in my case, scare) that I needed to start being sensible again.

Please tell me I’m not alone in this – have you been in a similar situation before?

Four Ingredient Muesli Nut Bars

April 15, 2015 by Frank 6 Comments

I’ve been experimenting with muesli bars for some time. And there have been some disastrous results along the way. In the past I’ve had trouble getting them to stay together when cut up. I even tried doubling the honey in one recipe, which only resulted in a sickly sweet batch of muesli crumble. Yuck! Recipes also tend to make a huge dish that lasts me way too long, especially if it doesn’t turn out great.

Inspired by my last couple of posts, I have only used one source of sweetness for this recipe in the form of honey. The peanuts also add their own distinct flavour to the mix, as well as some protein – perfect fuel for beating the mid afternoon slump!

I have opted for an egg to bind it all together rather than any glucose or syrups. It does the job perfectly, and I promise it won’t fall apart when you go to chop the bars up.

This recipe makes 10 bars, which is perfect for me because it won’t last for ages and I can try something different in a few days.

And its really simple to make! Just combine your four ingredients in a mixing bowl, press the mixture onto a baking tray and bake!

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

1/4 cup honey
1 medium egg
1 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
1 cup rolled oats

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a small baking tray with paper.
Place peanuts in a plastic snap lock bag. To crush, hammer with a meat tenderiser (meat mallet).
Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Place mixture onto baking tray. Press firmly against the bottom of the tray using a spoon (or fingers!)
Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until mixture is golden.
Take baking dish out of oven. Cool.
Chop muesli bars into 10 pieces and store in an airtight container.