I need some help with my diet

[Lorien]

Hi All,

I've been trying to eat as few animal products as possible, but it's been tough with my dietary restrictions and requirements. Here's what I'm up against:

SEVERELY hypoglycemic. No sugars at all, I need to avoid white flour and white rice. Potatoes don't do me much good either, and now even the brown rice is spiking my blood sugar too much. Not fun, as pasta has always been a favorite food! Tropical fruits and fruit juices are right out, too.

Too sensitive to soy to eat it in pretty much any form (which really bums me out because so many of the veggie soy products out there ARE really great these days)!

Allergic to tomatoes

My doctor wants me on a high protein diet, and I'd like to lose 10-20 pounds. Right now I'm just eating a lot of eggs and nuts because they are "safe" proteins, but I'm sure not getting thinner this way!I do get quite a lot of fruits and veggies daily, but the lack of enough protein is a real problem.

Any suggestions? :shrug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. Beans

They are a good source of protein and fiber. They come in a number of varieties with differing textures and flavors. You can do a lot of different stuff with 'em (bean burgers anyone?). I haven't tried it but I'm told that the sweet adzuki beans can even be used to fashion deserts.

If you are not adverse to using dairy products you could also use whey as the protein source in smoothies.

[Lorien]

4. My only fear about beans; when I ate them as a kid my hypoglycemia would

go haywire. Maybe it was just the varieties of beans that I was eating, but they seemed to have the same effect on me that white rice and potatoes do. Are there low glycemic beans out there?

[flvegan]

2. Are these eggs whole eggs (whites and yolks)?

Eliminating most/all of the yolk eliminates a great deal of the fat/calorie content.

How often are you eating? I've read that eating less but more often can help a great deal with hypoglycemia.

As for protein, if you're really worried about amounts, there are other easy sources. Talk to your doctor about other formats. For example, if you eat dairy, take the bodybuilder route and pick up a whey protein powder. Even better, try hemp protein (can be expensive) or pea protein, also both available in powder form. I'd be happy to recommend specific products from quality companies if you decide this route.

[Lorien]

3. I've been trying to avoid dairy (lactose intolerant anyway)

I have taken Lactaid and used whey protein before-but the mix had too much artificial crap in it for my system (fibromyalgia and CFS-I can't do artificial anything, so that rules out a lot of processed stuff). Of the powders you mentioned, which ones are very low in carbs?

I eat a big veggie omelet almost every morning; usually one egg with the yolk and two egg whites. Gets expensive because I only do organic and cage free. There is a DUer living in my town who keeps three chickens and has more eggs than she can use, so I might start hitting her up for eggs so that I can more easily go the all egg whites route.

Yeah, I know that I should be eating small portions more often, but I just plain forget to eat until I'm really hungry. If it were up to me I'd just pop a few food pills every day and not bother with meals at all, lol!

[flvegan]

5. Zero Carb Isopure by Nature's Best.

Isopure has a very good reputation, is lactose free, and can be found in almost any health food store. 50g of protein in a "serving".

Ingredient list, etc, here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/nb/lowcarb.html

[Lorien]

7. Darn, it's got Splenda in it

:-(

I'm finding Sucralose in most of the protein powders these days.Nutrasweet gives me a headache, and Splenda makes me feel like I'm coming down with the flu (I know that Don Rumsfeld is behind the approval of the former, and I think the latter's safety is questionable too). Maybe there's a clean whey protein out there that could be blended with berries to make a smoothie?

[flamingyouth]

6. Can you eat seitan at all, if you make it with whole wheat flour?

It has about 8g of carbs per serving, I think, and a lot of protein, no cholesterol. Just a shot, I don't know. I'm a little soy-sensitive myself, so we make a couple of batches of this a month.

I feel for you - wish I had some better suggestions. :(

[Lorien]

8. I don't know what it is, but I'll do a search

to learn a bit more. Thanks!

:hi:

[flamingyouth]

9. It's wheat gluten.

You can use it like tofu or tempeh in recipes. It's good in stir fries, etc. :)

[govegan]

10. Have you tried amaranth and/or quinoa?

These are the highest protein grains and can be generally found in bulk in organic form at natural foods markets.

Amaranth has become my very favorite hot breakfast food. It is fabulous and really easy to prepare. Here are the basic instructions for simple preparation:

Use a ratio of 2.5 to 3 parts water to 1 part grain, depending on the texture that you want. The smaller amount of water yields a chewier result. Using more water will yield a consistency like a mushy cooked cereal. Bring the water to a boil and stir in the grain. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

- Thanks to Nava Atlas from The Wholefood Catalog

Amazing amaranth, once the revered crop of the ancient Aztecs, is now coming back into use via the natural-food market. Native to Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia, grain amaranth (as it is often called to distinguish it from vegetable amaranth, a closely related plant) is a tiny, round seed, about half the size of millet seed. So impressive is the nutritional profile of amaranth that it has been cited as one of the world's most promising foods by the National Academy of Sciences and has been the subject of several significant conferences highlighting the so-called foods of the future.
.......
Amaranth contains 16 percent protein and is usually high in lysine and methionine, amino acids that are often in short supply in grains....It is among the grains highest in fiber and is quite rich in calcium and iron. Amaranth even contains vitamin C, a vitamin not usually found in significant amounts in grains.

(published in 1988 by Nava Atlas)

Nutritionally, quinoa is similar to grain amaranth.....It is also rich in minerals, particularly calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Quinoa als provides a wide range of the B-complex vitamins as well as vitamin E.

There are some very good pastas that are made from quinoa and corn.

Check out this info. from Dr. McDougall: http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hypoglycemia.html