Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about carbs, both intact and stripped. What are stripped carbs? Carbs that were once intact (like wheat, rice, and corn), but which have had their fiber matrix stripped out through a variety of manufacturing processes. This means sugar, white (wheat) flour, white rice, and corn starch and syrup. Continue reading →

Many people operate under the misconception that brown eggs are more nutritious than white ones. The purpose of this week’s post is to disavow you of that notion. In fact, the color of the shell has nothing to do with the contents of the egg.

Egg shell color is related to the breed of hen that laid the egg. In general, chickens with white feathers lay a white egg, and chickens with dark feathers lay a brown egg. Across the spectrum, however, there is a significant amount of variation.

My black and white Hamburgs lay a small, relatively angular egg, more cream-colored than chalky white. Such distinctiveness makes it easy to tell these eggs from the rest. In contrast, the gold-laced Wyandottes lay a very long, light brown egg with pink color tones, interestingly symmetrical from end to end so that, at first glance, the top and bottom are not always easy to distinguish from one other. Finally, the Golden Buffs lay enormous XXL-sized eggs, warm brown in color. These beauties are gigantic, so big that many of them, at least half, don’t fit in a standard egg carton. And if I do try to fit them in, the carton won’t close.

When you crack a fresh egg, whether white, cream, pink, beige, or brown, you can expect to see a yellow-orange yolk perched high above a clear, firm white. The very deep yellow yolk, practically orange, tells you that this nutritious egg came from a chicken whose diet consists of plenty of grass, bugs and worms. The color of the shell has absolutely no relation to what’s inside.

Just like with people.

A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to a particularly determined local businessman with type 2 diabetes. We joined a mutual friend for lunch together in a local restaurant known for 1) being accommodating, and 2) their great salads with lots of fresh ingredients. What makes this guy so interesting is the fact that he decided, on the week of his diagnosis, more than 10 years ago, that he was going to keep his blood sugars under control exclusively through diet.

He said that if he finds himself at a party or dinner or some other celebration with absolutely nothing he can eat, he says “I just ate” or “I’m getting over a little bug” or something similar. When he arrives home, he eats nutritious choices that he knows won’t spike his blood sugar. He told me how much it bothered him when he went to a benefit for diabetes once and all they served was soda and doughnuts. He withdrew his support for that organization.

If you’re one of the many people whose doctor’s sole advise has been to “go lose some weight and get some exercise” then here’s something you may find a bit more helpful. You can do what my new friend does: check your blood sugars 90 minutes after you eat. My new friend keeps his sugars on track by checking them up to eight times a day. I am pretty sure that he would check them twice that many times if that’s what it took to keep them in the normal range. That’s what I mean by determined.

This man knew more about the effect of food on blood sugar than any other individual I have ever met, patient or physician. He certainly knew more than I do. No one can trick him, because he knows. He knows exactly how much oatmeal will spike his blood sugars, to the teaspoon. He’s checked it over and over, and that’s that. He knows how to construct a salad that will satisfy his appetite without having to pay the dreaded price of high sugars, and so he digs in with relish. He knows that there is essentially no safe amount of mac ‘n’ cheese for him. He knows.

I was able to share one bit of information of which he was not aware. He didn’t realize that he could increase the amount of nutritious fats in his diet without compromising his blood sugar control. I recommended olive oil on his salads, a few slices of avocado, a sprinkle or two of sunflower seeds, some almonds, and so forth.

Yes, he’s been offered medications on many occasions, and even insulin, especially in the beginning, when he showed up with a blood sugar near 500. But that’s not his style. This guy has a long reputation of delivering on his professional promises, but I would say that the one he made to himself has been the most important of all.

What drives him? Apparently he grew up in the company of family members with diabetes, and saw for himself, firsthand, the gruesome consequences of uncontrolled blood sugars. This is what he told me: “There is no food in the world that I’d exchange for my feet or my kidneys.” Okay, I get it. He’s right, the stakes are really that high.

Remember that it’s not diabetes that’s the problem; it’s uncontrolled blood sugars. If you figure out how to keep your sugars normal, no matter what they call it and no matter how you do it, you’ll keep your risk of complications low, low, low. Once you figure out how to keep your sugars normal, then you are winning.