How to Find Great Food!

I eat to live, not live to eat! Food is now my medicine because I have Type 2 Diabetes. My goal is not to control the disease or slow it’s progression. My goal is to reverse the disease and live a long, healthy life! I’m a Crimson Rider!

Getting your diet down to 130 (I’m at 135) carbs is not easy if you eat typical American food. A five carb scoop of ice cream looks like a joke! We’ve all seen the MyPlate Food Guide. It recommends that the two largest portions on the plate are dedicated to whole grains and vegetables. Whole grains are great for you as they contain fiber that lower cholesterol and help control sugar levels. Vegetables are high in nutrients. But some vegetables and some whole grains are high in carbohydrates! That leaves us with the question, what foods should we eat?

Let’s deal with the MyPlate Food Guide first. It isn’t radical enough. It’s great that the graphic does not include dessert. If you have Type 2 Diabetes, forget desserts! I know, there are well meaning dietitians out there that are calling out “NO! You can have dessert in moderation!” I’m sorry. I know you mean well. But that approach makes Type 2 Diabetes a progressive disorder. We’re not trying to slow down the destruction caused by this disease. We’re trying to reverse it! No dessert! Spend your few 130 carbs on foods that fight Diabetes and make you stronger!

The MyPlate Food Guide includes a portion of whole grains that is too large! It should be the smallest portion on the plate. A small red potato has 30 carbs. That’s the entire carbohydrate portion for the entire meal! A slice of whole wheat bread is around 15 carbs. Butter doesn’t affect sugar levels but it does affect cholesterol. There are good butter substitutes that do not include hydrogenated oils and have only 5 carbs. That leaves you 10 carbs for your drink and vegetables. You’ll probably need them for those portions. For your protein, find lean cuts and let’s lower that cholesterol.

All of that sounds good but it looks like we’re going to be hungry and eating bark! NO! That’s not true. I am not a physician who recommends this stuff and eats pizza. I’m a man with Type 2 Diabetes who is actually following these guidelines on a daily basis. So let’s be clear, I’m not hungry! I like my food! I enjoy lots of good things! I’m not deprived and I’ve maintained this approach for over a year! My A1C is 5.7 and I don’t take any Diabetes related medications!

This site will soon include recipes for tasty, healthy foods like the Crimson Rider 15 Carb Chocolate Shake and Crimson Rider soup! But for now, let me show you where we found the ingredients for this wonderful food!

Researchers have identified 31 “Super Foods” that lower cholesterol, fight sugar levels, raise energy levels, fill you up, and generally make you feel fantastic! We’ve integrated them into all of our meals. In fact, we have a copy of them and what each does on our dining room table so we don’t forget. I’ve linked an article that discusses these 31 Super Foods on this site!

Now, how to use them! Go through your favorite recipes and replace high cholesterol and high carbohydrate ingredients with the super foods! Almond Flour pancakes are delicious! The goal is to revise your recipes so that each meal is approximately 30 carbs and each snack has approximately 10-15 carbs total. If you need help, here is a food calculator that will allow you to enter your ingredients, adjust the portions, and determine the carbohydrate amounts.

Now, it’s your turn. Look up the 31 foods. Create fantastic new recipes. Enter them into the calculator and then post those recipes on this blog! We’ll try them in our Crimson Rider Test Kitchen (my house) and if they are fall within the guidelines we’ll post it and acknowledge you as a true Crimson Rider!