Brown Rice, what to do with it?

[pedrodeshyburro]

Family genetics are getting again this time with type 2 diabetes. He is not very over weight, maybe 10 lb. Anyway we need to get all the white breads and rice and all out of our diet.

Any ideas or recipes would be helpful.

[adcooper]

dang it! I am a failure with brown rice, but whole wheat bread is pretty good. Remember I bought Bruce a bread maker for Valentine's Day, and he loves it. He makes whole wheat bread for us all the time, and it's really good. Plus it doesn't have corn syrup or sugar in it. If you start reading labels, you'll see that stuff is in many bread products. I bet your library has good cookbooks for diabetics. And ask NancyL. She'll have good suggestions.

[NancyL]

Hi!

I use the carb counting method to manager my blood sugar levels and also how much insulin to take with a meal. If you can meet with a dietician nearby it would be very helpful to and you. Even I get a tune up every few years. Find out how many grams of carbs is recommended and then track blood sugar. Most drs will suggest a number of carb grams per meal based on age, weight, activity level. Look at the labels of what you buy in the store, stick to no sugar added, For instance a can of Coke has 48 grams of carbs. Thats usually more than I eat for lunch. So I never drink it unless my blood sugar is really low. Milk actually has a lot of carbs too. It's those sneaky items you don't think about that are the culprit. Switch to 1 or 2% milk.

Protein won't affect blood sugar levels like carbs. I don't have to count my protein grams anymore since I got my kidney transplant. Protein is also helpful before going to bed so blood sugar levels don't fall too quickly. For instance some peanut butter, half a chicken sandwich, or a half cup of nuts. Just don't eat the whole bag of nuts. Be moderate and know how many calories are being consumed.

Don't panic. will be eating the same food you are used to. Trying to make drastic changes willl result in non-compliance. Instead stick to managing blood sugar levels. Find out what number your dr wants his goal to be for blood sugar. Track it a lot until you figure out how certain foods influence blood sugar. Let him have a piece of chocolate once-in-a-while. Just not after a meal and not frequently. One beer, not 2 or 3. Moderation is key. Stay aware of how many carbs you are consuming and look online for diabetic recipes. There are a ton out there. Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate so it takes longer to metabolize than white rice. But it's still a carb. So you still need to keep track of how much of it is consumed.

Here's a 30 day mealplanner for diabetics from Food Network. You'll learn a lot too!

www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_hl_diabetic_planner/0,3151,FOOD_29017,00.html



Good news: most veggies are free. Except eating lots of carrots. Cooking mushrooms for instance makes them a countable carb, but raw mushrooms are not. Carrots and root vegetables are carbs and if you eat enough carrots you have to count them.

Do you have some follow-up appts? Get an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes. They usually have all kinds of patient education resources and classes.

Ask questions. You'll be just fine.

[pedrodeshyburro]

Thanks Nancy!! It's not going to easy I know but if we can at least get started. I will be making appt with the doctor and dietician we will see if he goes

[NancyL]

Forgot to tell you. Have you tried the reduced calorie chocolate soy milk yet? It's yummie and soy protein has all kinds of benefits for us all.

[pedrodeshyburro]

I'll have to give it a try. What about coffee with sweet and low and 2% milk or even fat free milk?

[filly]

I used the South Beach Diet. It's great for reducing carbs and eating only the right one's. No breads, if bread, wheat only with no sugars, wheat pasta and very little, mostly cheeses (low fat) dairy, artificial sugars, meats and lots of certain veggies and only specific fruits. It was hard at first as I'm a total sweets junkie but I modified my diet and feel much better. It's supposed to also be a diabetic type diet if is a diet modified diabetic. Still very healthy! Oh, and drink lots and lots of water. ;D

Modified to add, the South Beach Diet books have fabulous recipes that are easy to make. The only problem I encountered is it isn't a cheap diet since there are tons of non-usual veggies, salads, etc. and my bf wouldn't eat any of that stuff.

[NancyL]

Brook,

I use the low fat Nestle non-dairy creamer in the milk aisle. The soy folks do make a creamer too. Personally, I don't like it much. Try the chocolate soymilk and tell me what you think. The reduced calorie chocolate even tastes sweet. I'll admit to putting it on cereal ;D

I like the 2% milk the best. Alas, I have a thing for real butter.

[pedrodeshyburro]

Found at Costco a really nice cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens,Biggest book of Diabetic Recipes I has really great recipes and the are really simple. It also has a section on how to plan your meals.

[bindi]

I am making this tonight. I am vegetarian so just like this will do me but if you wanted to add stirfry meat that would suit meateaters.

Sounds yum.


Mushroom and Cashew Fried Rice



If you have brown rice cooked and stored in your fridge – this meal will take around 10 minutes max to whip up!

This meal is a complete protein – combining the wholegrain (brown rice) and the cashews

Ingredients – 2 Servings
· 1 onion peeled and finely diced
· 1 large stalk of celery finely diced
· 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely diced
· 1 teaspoon red curry paste
· 250g button mushrooms – sliced
· 1 cup frozen peas
· ¼ cup natural cashews
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· 2 tablespoons rice bran oil

Method:
1. Saute onion, celery, garlic, oil. When clear add curry paste and mix well
2. Add Mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes until they are soft. Cover the pan with a lid so the mushrooms can sweat
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until all warmed up.

Serve with freshly steamed broccoli and carrots on the side!

[pedrodeshyburro]

Thanks Bindi, that sounds really good.


NancyL have not tried the soy milk yet but will soon. I did get very brave and had all my levels checked and everything was good.

[Goalie]

I'm glad your levels are good Brooks.
I tried soy milk before, and it isn't bad. this coming from a girl whose family ran a dairy. So don't be scared to try it.