My Visit To The Nutritionist

[browngirl]

My nutritionist's appointment actually was really awesome and very useful. So of course it's taken me days and days to write up her advice, and I hope I haen't forgotten all the nuances.

The nutritionist was a very nice and personable woman who set out to work with what I like to eat, and phrased things in terms of portion and balance, protein-with-healthy-fats and fiber, instead of do's and don'ts. She understood that I like to cook and wanted to make my diet work with my roommates' (including the Joshlet), and agreed that I should avoid "low fat" products where the fat is replaced with fillers like corn syrup. (Note to self: I can subtract fiber grams when counting carbohydrate grams.)

First off, I need to eat breakfast. Two, really: a piece of fruit and/or a few nuts (1/4 cup or so) or a chunk of protein-rich bar, as soon as I can after waking, and then at around 10 AM some combination of these:


Column One
cashew butter
nuts
eggs (3 yolks/week)
cottage cheese (1 or 2 %)
plain yogurt
cheese (1 slice)
soybeans
Column Two
whole wheat english muffin
whole wheat toast
steel cut oats (cooked with 1 tbsp ground flaxseed per serving.)
fruit
kashi waffles, granola bars, cereal
7-grain flake cereal, heart to heart (Kashi brand)
Nature's Path, Smart Bran, All Bran (erk)


Some sample combos:
hard boiled egg + 2 whites + wheat english muffin + fruit
1 cup yogurt + 3/4 cup fruit + 2/3 cup smart bran
8 oz oatmeal + fruit + 1/4 cup nuts
wheat english muffin + cashew nut butter + fruit
wheat toast + scrambled eggs (1 egg 2 whites) + 1 slice cheese
2 kashi waffles + 1 tbsp maple syrup + yogurt + fruit

Dinnertime: the usual 1, 1, 2 (1 meat, 1 starch, 2 veg). 1 cup starch. Peas, corn, winter squash, potatoes, pasta, rice, bread all are starches. (Duh.)

So. Wolf kindly bought me big bags of dry frozen fruit, and Tigerlily gave me a lunchbox; I need to find one cup containers to carry yogurt and oatmeal in, but I can do this. I really feel like I can do this kind of thing, that it's not a punishing diet.

And now to implement this by finding some breakfast!

Comments

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

My visit to the nutritionist was less than helpful. I am very glad that yours WAS helpful. I know that you can do this!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I was, to be honest, delightedly shocked. Since we live pretty close to each other, do you want her info?

What are you eating for lunch?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

The same as breakfast? (By the way, all of those choices look quite nice. My husband is an LPN, and he sees a lot of diabetics eating dinner. You're getting much more appetizing food than they do in the hospital!)

Re: What are you eating for lunch?

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

For lunch? A smaller dinner, or at least that's what I'm trying to have.

And yeah, the goal of all this is not to *go* to the hospital. :) Also, give your husband an extra hug for me; nurses are heroes.

Yay for good diet!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

My hubby empathizes too much with his patients. Most of his patients are over 70. He's working in an extended-care facility, which bridges the gap between full ICU or other intensive nursing and home care. These are folks who aren't sick enough for that, but aren't well enough to go home, mostly. Fortunately, most of them go home feeling a lot better than when they arrived.

The ones who manage, even late in life, to solve diabetes-related problems, suddenly find that they have much freer, happier lives. He comes home feeling much better when his patients are doing well.

He walks five miles a night, which means I sometimes have trouble getting him to go for a walk for fun with me, though. :(

[cheshyre]

Tangent I've been meaning to share with you from Mark Evanier:

dLife is a weekly TV talk show that airs on CNBC and deals with Diabetes and the complications thereof. You can view excerpts from the show over on the dLife website and even if you don't have that problem, you might enjoy this brief chat with Broadway legend Elaine Stritch.

Those are his words, not mine, but if you've still got ubercable it may be worth watching for ideas and inspiration. [May also be worth showing to WD to ease his fears.]

[gingicat]

There's also a dLife TivoCast or podcast (forget which, just that we can get it through the Tivo).

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Have I told you recently how shiny and wonderful you are? Because you really are. :) Thank you, a lot!

[hanseth.livejournal.com]

I am so incredibly glad that your visit with the nutritionist went so well!

For what it's worth, I've been eating a diet pretty similar to this one (more or less) for at least the past two years, just because it makes me feel awesome, and not because I have any long-term health issues that require a special diet. Steel-cut oats for breakfast are so, so good, especially with flaxseed, or maybe some wheat germ.

You might also try substituting homemade granola in place of a granola bar (which often contain high fructose corn syrup and other nasties). Alton Brown's got some good recipes for both regular granola and granola bars. I've been making my own granola for a while now -- it's much cheaper and I actually like it better than what I can buy in stores. (I make mine with less sugar.)

I'm sure the inclusion of All-Bran (which always looked just like dog food kibble to me) in that list has more to do with fiber than anything else, which of course helps your body process sugar more slowly and avoids blood sugar spikes. You might (depending on your particular needs) be able to avoid the horrors of All-Bran just by using more whole-grains in your cooking. I'm using at least half whole wheat flour in all of my baked goods (especially since the pancake incident (http://hanseth.livejournal.com/92419.html)) and it's amazing the difference it makes in my mood.

ANYWAY. This was a very long comment just to say how AWESOME I think it is that this new eating plan sounds feasible. Also: breakfast rules, especially when you get to eat two of them. :)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Ok, that icon is pure hilarity in a 100 x 100 square.

FWIW, I really appreciate your long comment. I've put your advice in my Folder of Info and Dealing. :)

[hanseth.livejournal.com]

P.S. speaking of whole grains, you know about quinoa, right? I could write epic poetry about quinoa.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*giggle* I would like to see that.

I found it a little soapy tasting myself, but I'll try it again.

[hanseth.livejournal.com]

Soapy! that's interesting. I seem to recall that you've found cilantro soapy-tasting as well, I wonder if it's the same taste receptor. (Though Barb is cilantro-avoidant as well, and she loves quinoa as much as I do.)

Sometimes I make quinoa with part water, part chicken stock -- 1 part quinoa to roughly 1.75 parts total liquid. Chicken stock might help with the soapiness?

[(Anonymous)]

try rinsing the quinoa before you cook it. the seed coat of quinoa does contain saponins - in fact you can actually make soap out of the saponins from some kinds of quinoa. it's rinsed before it's sold, but i've seen many recommendations to rinse it before cooking to get off the last of the residue, and when i cook it myself i do notice a difference in some batches if i rinse first - although the taste difference is more bitter than soapy, to me.

another big quinoa plus is that you can make it in a rice cooker. i use slightly less water than for brown rice b/c i like it big and fluffy.

[rebmommy.livejournal.com]

So glad your visit to the nutritionist went well. She is very wise to look at your food preferences, your love of cooking, and your lifestyle with roommates. This will make it easier to stick to your food plan, I'm sure. I send love and support - we all want you healthy and happy!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beam* Thank you. :)

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

yay! healthy foods in moderation! I'm glad you have a plan you can work with! Sounds like good stuff. Yeah, i've also been meaning to learn to make my own high-fiber soy protein bars with nuts & dried fruit, cause just about all the ones you buy (besides being expensive) have either too much nasty Splenda or too much nasty corn sweetener.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Alton Brown's recipes for various bar foods? They're good, as well as good-for-you.

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

This sounds an awful lot like the GI book I lent you too. Good luck with all this, hopefully it'll help you feel well and in control of things.

*hugs*

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you, sweetie. *hugs you back* And thank you a lot for the book.

Here's hoping. :)

[ilthit.livejournal.com]

I've been led to understand that the number one rule is avoid sugar and wheat - not so much fat, though one should be reasonable about fat. Oh, dieting would be so much easier for me if I enjoyed cooking. Or had a spine.

Good luck!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Mmm, what a cute icon!

I think I'd go mad if I told myself I could never have X food again, but I can cut down, so that's what I'm working on at the moment.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Very cool to find a nutritionist who can tailor a diet around your needs and your cooking habits. I think I'm eating more balanced meals now but I still wonder how it would check out with a nutritionist.