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Breakfast, or Sugary Dessert?
Your alarm goes off.
You try to open your eyes, with varying levels of success, and try to shut that darn ringing off.
A yawn and a stretch later, you get up, go into the kitchen and…
(Please finish that sentence in the comments below, I’m dying to hear the end of this!)
Yes, what does happen next?
Do you go straight for the coffee machine, or do you make yourself some yummy breakfast?
If it’s the latter, what is that breakfast made of? Or, could it technically classify as dessert?!
Today, I’m going to have a merciless look at some of the usual breakfast suspects, and how much sugar they contain. I’ll also give you awesome alternatives for your healthier lifestyle.
Let’s start with something pretty “harmless” – cereal.
If you’ve been following me for some time, you already know what I think about it. As I’m only looking at the sugar content, my opinion of cereals otherwise, will be suspended for the following sentences.
In a recent blog post, Ann Fernholm, a Swedish scientific journalist, specializing in how nutrition affects the body, pointed out that Kellogg’s Coco Pops contain 35 g of sugar/100 g, whereas a brand of chocolate cookies contains 33 g of sugar/100 g.
The cereal is relatively sweeter (contains more sugar) than milk chocolate cookies. How disturbed is that?!
Many cereals have more sugar than desserts do. Here is a little list of comparison of how much sugar they contain per 40 g of product:
Kellogg’s Coco Pops – 14.8g
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes – 13.6g
Scoop of vanilla ice cream – 10g
Nestle Cheerios – 8.6g
Jam doughnut – 8.6g
Even the “healthier” Weetabix doesn’t go under the radar here, even if 2 of them “only” have 2 grams of sugar in them. What you don’t see in that fact, is that 69% of the full weight of a Weetabix is carbohydrate, which will turn into sugar (glucose) as soon as you digest it
Carbohydrates are Sugar
Ok, fine. But what about a sandwich? With some nutella (because it “just tastes better”)? So, 2 slices of white bread has 3 grams of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of nutella contains 21 grams of sugar. This is truly spreadable candy, with 23 g of sugar per serving!
Oh, and add a little fruit juice to that yummy breakfast, too? Add another 13 g of sugar to that, making it almost-worth-eating-cake-for-breakfast-worthy with 36 grams of sugar.
And what about yoghurt?
Actually, there’s a very broad spectrum when it comes to yoghurts. If it’s a plain, no-sugar-added, preferably full fat, version, please, go ahead. Enjoy that yoghurt!
But let’s have a look at another one, too.
For the average light (meaning low fat, meaning chemical sh*t-storm), strawberry flavored pot of yoghurt (ca 130 g), there will be 20 g of sugar.
And what about if you have to grab breakfast on the run? (The following 2 examples should scare you off from doing that…)
Let’s say you’re running late, and run into the Starbucks on your way to work or school. You’re super hungry by this point and need something quick.
You go for a much-loved breakfast combo that you can eat on your way to work; a caffe latte and a muffin!
Let’s crunch the sugar-numbers. A Starbucks Latte has 17 g sugar (and, if you go for the pumpkin spice latte, because, hey, it’s autumn (PSL is also poisonous, though) you have 49 g of sugar In. One. Cup! And your beloved blueberry muffin has another 29 g of sugar, making it a total of 46 (or 78!!) g of sugar. In one meal.
Or, my personal favorite to discuss is the Swiss power-breakfast-combo of an energy drink and a nussgipfel (which is a croissant with a nut filling). It almost pains me to write this, as I see So. Many. People. (and mostly teenagers, too) have this in the mornings. That can of energy drink has 26 grams of sugar, and that nussgipfel has another 36 g of sugar, totaling 52 grams of sugar.
No wonder we’re getting fatter every day! Not to mention these poor people’s inability to concentrate throughout the day, if they’re only fuelled by sugar in different shapes and forms! (Which, in turn, leads on to the non-surprise that more and more children are diagnosed with ADD, ADHD and other concentration-deficits. But that’s a topic for another blog post!)
A little disclaimer: we’re not even talking about carbohydrates here, we’re talking about real, pure sugar that is dumped into these usual breakfast items.
So, what options are left!? (That’s the question I get asked most frequently when I start explaining to my clients what sugar (and carbs) does to their body.)
The answer is MASSES. There are masses, loads and countless options out there instead of these breakfasts/desserts.
One of them is a lovely nut muesli, served with coconut milk. Nuts contain about 4 g of sugar/100 g (and here, you eat about 30-40g). There’s also 3.3 g sugar in 100 g coconut milk (and you eat maybe 50 g). This makes a total of 2.7 + 1.7 = (drumroll please… ) 4.4 g of sugar per serving.
Or, take a weekend favorite of mine, Coconut pancakes. It contains: 3.3 g sugar from the coconut milk, 6 g sugar/100 g of shredded coconut, 1.1 g sugar in the egg. This makes a total of 10.4 g sugar for the whole batch, about 5.2 g sugar per serving.
(The recipes for these are available in my PDF that you get as a welcome present when you sign up for my VIP list just to the left of this text.)
Or an omelet with 2 eggs, bacon, tomatoes and cheese: 2.2 g sugar in the eggs, 2.6 g sugar in 100 g tomatoes, 2.3 g sugar in 100 g cheese. This gives you a total of 7.1 grams of sugar (if you actually use 100 g each of tomatoes and cheese…)
Now it’s your turn; what’s usually on your breakfast table? How do you go about choosing what you eat in the mornings? Let me know in the comments below!
#1 Restaurant for Healthy (Diabetes) Eating
You know exactly how it can be.
You’ve stocked up your fridge. It’s full of awesomely healthy things to make.
And the intention is there to actually make that chicken soup, the lamb and the crockpot (that’ll leave leftovers for lunch the next day, too.)
Yet, when it’s nearing dinner time, you say “eff it. Let’s go out for dinner.”
Or maybe you actually have something important to celebrate! Wohoo!
Whether you have diabetes or not, you want to continue your healthy lifestyle even if you (have to) go to a restaurant every once in a while.
But how on Earth can you do that?
What type of restaurant has the most options available to mix and match a menu that suits your individual needs?
That restaurant, my friend, is a steakhouse. (if you’re a vegetarian, I understand if you close this page now. Come back next week, though!)
And, before you want to leave me an angry comment below this post, no, red meat is not dangerous for you. At least not in the amounts you can eat in one sitting. If you follow me on Instagram, where I post a lot of what I eat to inspire you to a healthier lifestyle, you’ll see that I often eat red meat. And I’m probably the healthiest I’ve ever been!
With the usual steakhouse mix and match type of menu, it’s usually incredibly easy to find things on there that suits your particular needs in terms of food. They’re usually constructed something along the lines of this model:
1. Meat. Choose the cut, type and degree of it that you like. Usually there are also other things that would fit under this category, like chicken, fish, or some seafood dish, if you don’t feel like having red meat.
2. Side. An absolute majority of steakhouses have some type of vegetables listed under their side dishes. You might need to use the old willpower card for the fries, if you usually love those. I promise you it’s not worth it though.
3. Sauce. If you want to be extra cautious, choose the garlic/herb butter, as the Béarnaise sauce can contain wheat (gluten) and other nastiness. Or if they have a chimichurri or gremolata, that works too. Also avoid the salsa if you can, many add sugar to theirs!
The other pitfall might be desserts, but if you’re anything like me, you’re too full from the real food to even think of that kind of stuff at the end of a steak house meal. Decaf espresso please, and the bill!
And that’s about it. It might just be the easiest restaurant menu to navigate in the world.
My number 1 tip at any kind of restaurant is: Dare to ask!
Dare to ask if they have some vegetables instead of those fries, if there’s wheat in that sauce, or if they can make a sugarfree margarita (most can!).
It’s always a better option to ask than to sit at a lovely restaurant knowing that you’re going to feel not-so-great in a second, or even worse, not have any clue of it and it hits you like a wet fish in the face.
Extra tip: If you’re (ever) in Zürich, I have a golden tip for you…
Restaurant Goodmans. Holy cow (ha!), that was beyond yummy! We got a viewing of their meat cooler where they hang-dry the beef, which the quality of is so amazing at this place. Not to mention the wine, the service (thanks, Rob!), and the side dishes. They also cater for any allergies or food intolerances. Everything was so well organized and well made, I just can’t WAIT to go back to this restaurant!
There are of course many, many other types of restaurants that are flexible, willing and able to cater for your needs. What is your favorite type of restaurant to go to?
CGM – should you get one?
It was finally time.
I was nervous, noticeably so.
My hands were shaking, I had a slight sweat and could only concentrate with major effort.
I was sitting at my diabetes nurse’s office, plunger in hand, plaster sitting snuggly on my stomach.
“Come on, Hanna, you’ve done this a gazillion times before”, I told myself.
And then I just did it.
I pushed the plunger and the sensor was in. It didn’t even feel worse than a normal injection (sometimes I hate the fact that I can say that.)
So, I got hooked up to my first Dexcom G4 Platinum sensor yesterday.
I have now become a bionic woman, wearing 2 medical devices/robot parts, my OmniPod insulin pump, and my Dexcom cgm. (and yes, they have names, too.)
CGM and Insulin pump – I’m a bionic woman!
I’ve had it on for a full 24 hours, so these are really my very first impressions! And my initial reaction is that it’s beyond amazing! The results have been very accurate (ca 1 mmol/l difference) so far, and I’m hoping it will stay that way.
What is a cgm?
A cgm is a continuous glucose monitoring system, meaning that it measures your blood glucose level in your interstitial fluid every couple of minutes.
This is done by a tiny sensor underneath your skin, which you can keep there for (officially) 1 week, but sometimes longer.
The sensor is connected to a transmitter, sending data to the receiver, on which you can see pretty graphs of what your blood glucose levels are up to.
Although the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid is a few minutes delayed from the level in your blood, it’s an awesome tool to see the trends and where you’re heading, blood glucose wise.
Dexcom G4 Platinum (borrowed from the Dexcom website)
I love making lists for myself. And so also this time.
The pros with a cgm
– The Trends
Seeing the trends and where your blood glucose is heading is very handy. It takes a lot of the worry out of your daily care.
– Security
Hand in hand with the pro above comes the security feeling it brings. I swear I slept better last night, knowing I have something extra that has my back.
– Analysis
Being able to analyze my blood glucose better, being able to adjust my basal levels more exactly, instead of my usual guesstimation based on “yeah, that sounds good”.
The cons with a cgm
– Another device
It is, of course, yet another device connected to you at all times. The transmitter is tiny but bulky at the same time. And together with the OmniPod, I may look like a slighter version of Quasimodo in certain angles… For me it’s worth it, although there are certain items of clothing I should probably get rid of now…
– Micro management
The chance of starting to micro manage your blood glucose levels is, to a greater extent, a possibility. Seeing those dots on the screen whenever you want to may cause you to act sooner than you have to.
– Expensive
This toy definitely doesn’t come cheap. If you have an insurance policy that is ready and willing to take care of it, there’s nothing stopping you. But if you don’t, you need to think twice about getting a cgm.
And why, oh WHY, can no diabetes gear holders be at least a little nice? Why does the bag of the device have to make you feel sicker than you actually are? (Or is it just me?)
One more list: my top 5 reasons for getting a cgm:
1. I’ve lost my hypo awareness. Meaning I can’t feel when my blood glucose levels are (sometimes) dangerously low. This can of course be helped in other ways, but the other reasons made this a better choice.
2. Lately, I’ve gone extremely low every time I’m on an airplane. Weird, I know, as my pump definitely can’t be the reason for it.
3. Seeing the trends.
4. What happens in between the times I normally measure my blood glucose. I normally measure my blood glucose ca 8-10 a day, so it’s not like I’m slacking. But I have no idea when my blood sugar peaks after certain foods, for example. Without sounding too OCD:y, it’s to gain more control.
5. To have less question marks in my life. Life is full of sometimes quite pesky question marks anyway, so why add to them if there is a solution?
So far, I absolutely love my Dex (that’s his name, and no, it’s not very imaginative). I can definitely see that he’s going to be a huge help in my self care, and give me a little more peace of mind in the diabetes jungle. Dex passed the field test today, working at a cafe in town, with flying colours (and I did too, I’ve never seen a better graph! (blood glucose tests confirming this))
1st Day CGM graph – not bad!
As I see it it’s either a love or hate relationship with this thing. It has huge potential to help you a great deal in your self care, but it can also interrupt you if you already have a great regime going that works for you. But YES, you SHOULD get one! :-)
But boy, oh boy, we’ve come a long way since the insulin syringes needed to be boiled to be disinfected. Or from my very first blood glucose meter back in the late 80’s , that took several minutes to give an answer to the ever long question “where is my BS at?”
Do you have a cgm? What do you like about it? Dislike? Let me know in the comments!
Ps. I also have my first impressions written down from when I got my OmniPod about a year ago. Would you like to read that? Comment below!
Diabetes and the Universe (or, Why me?!)
I have something to confess to you.
I used to think in a way that was pretty destructive, both for myself and those around me. And I still can’t help but to fall back in every once in a while.
And I’m going to bet that you’ve thought this precise thought many of times.
When something has happened to you; your wallet got stolen or you get a really bad cold.
When you get food poisoning twice in one week whilst visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Rome. (True story, that was me last week.)
When you spill that glass of red wine on your white pants.
Or when diabetes shows itself from its very brightest (and most butt kicking) side.
In these situations it’s so incredibly easy to tilt your head backwards and shout out loud: “WHY ME?!“
You feel very excluded from the masses, almost chosen by some higher power to be suffering. It’s almost like Karma came up to you, tapped your shoulder and said “you’re it” and ran away, like any mature 5 year old would.
Ok, maybe I’m being a tad melodramatic.
But it feels really crappy when you’re sitting there, with a possible sh*t storm brewing right next to you/on top of you/in your hands (ew).
The biggest problem with this is that you’re making yourself a victim. This is victim thinking at its highest degree.
And what’s wrong with that, you may ask?
It’s whiny, it’s the easy way out. And frankly it’s being a coward.
It’s blaming something/one else for your own fate, when all you can do is to put on your big girl panties and knock it right on the nose.
It takes a huge shift in mentality to see this, as well as to see the other side of it. Believe me, I’ve been there myself.
I used to be the biggest “why me”:er the universe has ever met. I threw it out for anything and nothing that didn’t go My. Exact. Way.
Whether it was a failed relationship or disgusting lunch options. Being teased for something or an “unfair” grade. Or a period of shaky blood sugars. The answer was always “why me”.
It’s crucial to gain the insight that it might not always be about or because of YOU.
If it’s illness you’re “why me”:ing about, maybe your body is trying to tell you to slow down? If your wallet got stolen, stop spending as much money as you are? And what about that red wine stain on your white pants? Maybe it’s keeping you from some other, bigger disaster, or, you’ve simply drunk enough?
This is where faith comes in. And no, I’m definitely no biblethumper. But you need faith in knowing that you won’t be handed what you can’t handle. Sure, it might stretch your definition of what you can or can’t handle. But guess what? That’s how we grow as humans! Getting out of your comfort zone is what life is about.
Of course this takes a little longer if it’s a more serious issue, like, say, a chronic disease you will have for the rest of your life (read: diabetes). But it is doable.
And it is definitely worth getting past “why me”:ing.
Because what awaits you on the other side is a happier life. A life that is more worth living, when you don’t focus on your own “misfortune” every time something goes a little sidetracked.
You have the means and tools to work with, combat or embrace whatever falls in your lap. Go use them.
Green smoothies – why I don’t recommend them.
Ah, the rave about green smoothies!
Green smoothies to heal this, green smoothies to clear that infection, green smoothies for brighter and clearer skin.
The list is endless of what green smoothies can (apparently) do!
Yet, I might be the only nutrition specialist that doesn’t recommend drinking them. Especially not for people with diabetes.
Have you ever thought of the ingredients in these smoothies?
Sure, they’re packed full of good stuff like spinach, kale, cucumber, various other veggies and sometimes even spirulina and other gently detoxifying stuff.
Have you noticed that most recipes contain an enormous ratio of (high sugar) fruit, though?
So much so that it becomes closer to the American Diabetes Association’s outdated recommendation of 60% carbohydrate to every meal?
And, a smoothie should probably not even be considered a full meal! (Unless you’re doing a juice cleanse, in which case I wish you good luck if you have diabetes.)
Let’s have a look at some of the recipes I’ve seen recently:
1. Avocado Coconut Smoothie (from: finerminds.com)
1 large avocado
1 large banana
3/4 cup organic pineapple juice
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 can organic coconut milk
1 tablespoon flax seed oil3 tablespoons melted extra-virgin coconut oil.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sounds super yummy! But what’s the carb count?
1 large avocado has about 17 grams of carbohydrate (fiber 14 g), 1 large banana about 31 g (3,5 g fiber). ¾ cup pineapple juice has about 25 g crabs (0 g fiber). 1 can of coconut milk has 10 g carbs. The rest of the ingredients aren’t too carb-filled.
The total? 83 grams of carbohydrate. In one drink. Even if you discount the fiber count (which I only heard that you can do recently, and doesn’t work for me) you still get 65.5 grams of carbs.
Although this smoothie has a lot of good fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, I’m honestly surprised at just how much carbohydrate there is.
Let’s have a look at another one.
2. Pomegranate Citrus Punch Green Smoothie (2 servings) (from simplegreensmoothies.com)
2 cups spinach, fresh
1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
1 cup water
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 banana
OMG, get in my belly! And the title sounds so carb-innocent, too, right?
Well, 1 banana has 31 g (3,5 g fiber), and 1 cup orange juice 26 g carbs (0.5 g fiber). 1 cup pomegranate seeds has 32 g of carbohydrate, with 7 g fiber
This gives us a grand total of 89 grams of carbohydrates, 44.5 g per serving. Without the fiber, it’s still 39 grams of crabs per person. Yikes!
Third time’s the charm, right? Let’s take a really simple one, with only 3 ingredients. How bad can that one be, really?
3. Basic Balance (from: rawfamily.com (Victoria Boutenko))
1 mango
1 cup kale
1 cup water
1 mango has 39 grams of carbs, 4 g fiber. 1 cup of kale has 6 grams of carbohydrate, so not very much at all!
Still, 45 grams of carbs in one drink is way too much for me…
Do you notice just how much carbohydrate these drinks contain? (AND WHAT IF YOU DON’T LIKE BANANAS?!)
In comparison, a can of coke has 39 grams of carbohydrates. Granted, there’s no fiber (or any other nutrition for that matter) in a can of coke, so it’s not exactly the same. But comparing the pure carb values? And what carbohydrate, in whichever form, does to your blood glucose levels in the end? Ouch, that’s going to hurt in the morning.
Yes, the type of carb in fruit and vegetables is infinitely better than eating 100 g of pasta, as it’s more nutritious and filling. But: there are simply too many carbohydrates turning into sugar in these smoothies to be able to include them in a low(er) carb lifestyle.
With the carbohydrates, fibers and occasional fat added too, it can get very tricky to get the insulin dose right for a diabetic, as well. Let alone if you buy it from a healthy store/juice bar and haven’t even made it yourself, meaning that you therefore have very little clue of exactly how much banana (or other high sugar fruit) is in that smoothie.
It’s not all gloomy days when it comes to green smoothies, though.
I have two suggestions for you so that you can still enjoy these bombaliciously nutritious powerhouses!
My first suggestion is to make your own, at home. This way you have the best possible control of what’s in it, making sure to use the freshest and most organic ingredients you can possibly find.
There are some really neat (and cute!) carrying/take away options you can use. I’ve even seen mason jars with a special lid for straws, like this one.
My second suggestion is that you make sure it’s a GREEN smoothie. What I mean by this is that you use about 90% vegetables in your smoothie. Please avoidmaking a “fruuitie”! What I mean by that is to avoid using mostly fruit with some added vegetable and think that it won’t affect your blood glucose.
I want your opinion; am I being too harsh? Have you tried green smoothies? What are your experiences?
(Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to do a HAPPY DANCE for the first blog post with the new web page design! Woohoo! )