Prof Tim Noakes and low carb diet benefits

[Miserere]

I hope it's ok to attach a link to this Q&A session - it's clarified a lot for me and low carb is how I reduced my blood sugar when I was in the pre-diabetic range. He also explains that diabetes is a more serious disease than people believe. I found it very interesting.

facebook.com/thenoakesfound...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

His concept is much the same as ours on low carb - except his is far more restrictive I think.

[Miserere in reply to PMRpro]

I think his own personal diet is very restrictive because it needs to be but he talks about this and agrees that different levels of restriction suit different people.

[phebamom]

right now if it was not for carbs I would starve. Have PMR/GCA 20/12 years. Kidneys began to fail this summer. Diagnosed 3 weeks ago with MGRS, a kidney disease related to Multiple Myeloma. Placed on vegetarian diet. A1C is 5.7, down from 6.5 on a meat based diet. I would starve without home made bread and potatoes. Creatinine dropped from 1.88 to 1.55. GFR went from 30 to 38. For some reason it works for me. I think a lot of this is genetic and not everyone can be painted with the same nutrition brush. Also on low sodium, which is a huge challenge, thus the home made bread. I do use white whole wheat flour to make my bread, so it is not devoid of nutrients Right now it is working for me, and is keeping me alive. The Multiple Myeloma has no connection to diet in any way. I have always eaten a healthy diet. This is just one of those things there is little control over. If low carb works I say go for it. For me, it is the opposite, low protein. If you are an aging person and go high protein, i.e., lots of meat, make sure your doctor keeps an eye on kidney function, mainly GFR number and creatinine level.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to phebamom]

The low carb approach to eating we talk about is not high protein though. It is normal protein levels and substituting other carbs for high carb foods, especially processed foods. Renal failure diet is another matter altogether,

[phebamom in reply to PMRpro]

True, and there are good carbs and bad carbs. Honestly at this point, the renal diet has me afraid to eat much of anything.

[Miserere in reply to phebamom]

One diet never suits all - I raised it for interest as I know that a number of people on this forum have found low carb eating of benefit; I certainly have but appreciate that with your problems it will not suit you. As PMR says, I do not eat a high protein diet - that may also suit some people but not all - but I do keep carbs to a minimum as going on to Prednisolone pushed me into the pre-diabetic range. Eating low carb has solved that problem for me and I am glad you have found a way of eating that works for you.

[phebamom in reply to Miserere]

Just curious, what do you eat? I am doing a smoothie several times a week with yogurt, milk and frozen raw fruit. Seems to suit my system well. The renal diet is very challenging. I have a hard time with veggies as my hubby does care for them, and I have to be creative from the beginning to get him to eat vegetables. Your typical meat and potatoes or bread sort of guy.

[Miserere in reply to phebamom]

I appreciate that it must be hard for you - and men are never easy to please, are they?

Breakfast: I have things like a small piece of smoked haddock and a poached egg on some spinach; or smoked mackerel or smoked salmon slices on a salad of half an avocado, chopped tomato and red onion; or two rashers of bacon on half an avocado and a poached egg; or two boiled eggs and a small piece of gluten free bread or any sort of two egg omlette, i.e. mushroom etc.

Main meal: I try to have some fish at least three times a week - two of them oily, i.e. mackerel or sea trout or salmon or even tuna. Otherwise a chop (lamb or beef) or a homemade burger with mainly green vegetables or salad, or a meat/fish/chickpea curry with cauliflower rice, or a casserole etc. I don't have dessert usually - maybe a little yoghurt and some berries with a spoon of ground flax seed. I also make flax seed rolls - recipe on Dr Sarah Myhill's website.

I avoid sugars of any sort, including fruit sugars, so I only eat a few berries and perhaps an apple or pear and I keep my carb count as low as possible. There are no carbs in protein but I do count the carbs in vegetables - hence mainly green veg with an occasional beetroot or carrot. I avoid potatoes, rice, bread, pasta etc. - hence the cauliflower rice. I don't miss these things now, either.

However, if your husband is not pre-diabetic or diabetic and not overweight then he's probably OK. I'm sure you have enough to think about with your own diet.

Wishing you well.

[Freshairfiend]

michael Mosleys blood sugar diet ma6 interest yo7. It’s low carb, low sugar, high fat, high protein. There are books and a website.

[Miserere in reply to Freshairfiend]

I use all his books - the recipes are great, flavoursome and quick and easy. I thoroughly recommend them.