Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution Book Questions and Comments

[Lessara]

I'm reading the book finally but have some questions.
Does anyone actually follow his diet? Its so low in Carbs and he says that if we eat a meal and our blood sugar does up then cut the carbs, to me that would only happen it I don't eat my veggies!
What grams of carbs do you tend to stick to?
I'm curious if I need to cut my veggies to keep my carbs down.
Thoughts?

[Lisa N]

Kassie, I do follow that WOE. Max of 6 grams of carbs for breakfast, 12 for lunch and 12 for dinner. My target is for no more than 30-40 point rise after eating and to be back at pre-meal levels or lower 2 hours after eating, which is pretty close to (if not better than) a non-diabetic response to a meal.
Also, depending on how you space your meals and how many hours you are typically awake during an average day, that carb limit could be as high as 42 grams with an extra meal of 12 grams worked in. The caveat there is that meals must be spaced a certain number of hours apart.
I know that 30 grams of carb doesn't seem like a lot, but trust me...I'm not lacking for veggies. :)

[Squid]

I can't do it exactly as he says or I go hypoglycemic - especially if I try to exercise. I eat about 10-15 gms of carbs for breakfast, 10 for lunch and 10 for dinner. I'll have maybe up to another 10-15 during the day if my blood sugar is too low. So at most I eat 50 gms in a day.

I find that keeps my blood sugar pretty good. It rarely goes over 145 any longer at its highest and by 2 hours after my meal it's always under 120.

I believe that is pretty close to what a normal non-diabetic person will experience. The only difference is they can eat a lot of carbs and stay that low and I cannot. Although I guess a normal person doesn't usually go over 120 I'm told.

I do two other things which Bernstein doesn't suggest. The first is to drink a tablespoon or two of vinegar in a cup of water sweetened with stevia about half an hour before my meal. That seems to mute the blood sugar rise. I can have a meal with 15 gms of carb and stay below 110 if I have the vinegar. The same meal without it will raise me to 145.

The other thing I've done that seems to have the same effect is to not drink with my meals. I have that cup of water half an hour before and then I don't drink again until an hour or two after the meal.

I got those ideas from reading research studies. YMMV.

Lisa

[dina1957]

I've tried Dr.B's diet for a while and did not find any difference in my BGs, moreover my FBG goes up as my carbs go too low. But having said this, I also try to stay away from high GI fruit and starches in general. I know that my Bgs spike very fast if I eat any food containing table sugar and HFCS, but they don't spike more than 30-40 points even if I eat 20-30 g of carbs in form of non-starchy vegetables, some low GI fruit and even a cup of a slow cooked oatmeal or buckwheat. Actually, I think we can eat green leafy vegetables as a free food on any low carb plan, since they are mostly cellulose (insoluble fiber). I try not to abuse starches, only if and before I do really heavy lifting. I also exercise daily, so I have to keep my carbs a bit higher otherwise, I run out of "gas" very fast. I vary my carbs, but currently try not to exceed 75 g on my carb up days (once a week) and keep around 50-60 on a regular day. I think Dr.Bernstein plan is very good to control BGs but it's way too strict for me.
HTH,
D.
Edited to add: I have to clarify that 30-40 points spike is when I test withing an hour, 2 h pp is always <100.

[Pelp]

Hi Kassie! I started cutting back on carbs when I was diagnosed a little over a year ago, and have been following Dr. B.'s WOE since early December. I stick to the 6-12-12 rule pretty closely, with another 6 g. of carbs at bedtime (I don't know that I need this physically, but I do mentally :) ). I still eat veggies with every meal (other than breakfast). It's really any form of rice, noodle or potato (and of course any and all sugary stuff) that I've cut out. I also watch what kind of veggies I'm eating. Nothing high GI.

Anyway, since I've been following this WOE I don't feel deprived at all, and I don't miss carbs the way I did when I was just limiting the amount of "bad stuff" (for me) that I was eating. My BGs have improved dramatically. I've just recently started seeing fasting numbers in the mid 80s, and I rarely go over 105 after a meal. For me personally, numbers like that are worth all of the hard work. Oh, and I'm actually eating some really yummy food, too. :D

Leesa

[Sasha99]

Dr Bernsteiin's WOE has its own bulletin board. I think this is the link:

http://www.diabetes-book.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi/YaBB.cgi

The people there REALLY know his program inside and out.

[asseya]

I read the pages that were recommended about Dr. Bernsteins book. My big problem is that I live in Cairo and can't find a copy of the book. All through the articles he kept referring to the diet, but I don't know what that really is. could someone please give me a brief run down on what is expected on the diet.

[Lisa N]

Hi Asseya and welcome!

My first suggestion would be to see if there is any way that you can order a copy of the book online because it contains so much more information that can be given on a website such as this one (not to mention copyright issues ;) ).
The basics of the Bernstein Diabetic Solution diet are this:

-no more than 30 grams of carb per day broken down as 6 for breakfast, 12 for lunch and 12 for dinner.
-Fruits (even non-sweet ones such as tomatoes) are not permitted
-Fats are not restricted with the exception of transfats (partially hydrogenated oils) which you are to avoid completely.
-Protein is not restricted except to the amount that you need to be satisfied with your meal (no longer hungry) but not stuffed.
-vegetables are permitted but should be low glycemic such as dark leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and similar choices.

So...a menu might look something like this:

Breakfast: a 2 or 3 egg omelette filled with spinach, mushrooms and cheese
Lunch: Mixed salad greens with Ranch dressing and 4-6 ounces of whatever protein you wish
Dinner: 4-6 ounces of protein of your choice and 1-2 vegetables equal to 12 grams of carb

Since you can't get your hands on the book at the moment, something you do need to find is a reliable Carbohydrate count book so that you can determine the amounts of carbs in your vegetables and the serving sizes.

This link (http://www.diabetes-book.com/book/chapter10.shtml) should also give you a good idea of the basics of the plan as well.

[tskimel]

I just read his book and it seems very strict. I feel that if I have to eat another egg for breakfast, that I may just gag. What are some of your egg-less breakfasts. I don't have a problem with lunch or dinner, just the first meal.
Thanks!

[Lisa N]

What are some of your egg-less breakfasts. I don't have a problem with lunch or dinner, just the first meal.

-Hot cereal made with ground flax and wheat bran
-leftovers from dinner
-deli turkey, ham or roast beef spread with cream cheese and rolled up
-chicken, tuna or turkey salad (meat, celery, onions and mayonnaise)
-half a low carb bagel with braunschweiger and cream cheese
-Carb countdown yogurt
-celery spread with cream cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter

[Sherrielee]

Lisa, what brand of LC bagels do you buy? I used to get Todd's Garden Bagels from Florida, but they went out of business. Thanks for all your advice.

[asseya]

Dear Lisa, Thanks for making me fell welcome. You gave me a good foundation, I will keep searching for a way to get a copy of the book. :D Hope this diet does the trick , because the meds aren't keeping my BS normal.I'm looking forward to wearing a pair of stretch jeans, be a swinging mama at 55. Thanks again

[Lisa N]

Lisa, what brand of LC bagels do you buy? I used to get Todd's Garden Bagels from Florida, but they went out of business. Thanks for all your advice.

Sherrielee, I get Natural Ovens Bakeries brand. Here's a link (http://www.naturalovens.com/Our_Stores/Florida/index.html) to their site so you can check for stores in your area that carry their brand.

[SadLady]

Asseya, you can read the book online. Here is the link.

http://www.diabetes-book.com/readit.shtml

[SadLady]

Lisa N, are you on any medication for Diabetes, or do you control it only with the diet?

Thanks.

[Lisa N]

Lisa N, are you on any medication for Diabetes, or do you control it only with the diet?

Thanks.

Currently controlled with low carb and exercise alone.