What's Diabetes?

Diabetes is a problem with a person's Insulin system (i.e., the Pancreas).  The Insulin system processes & digests glucose, which in layman's terms is basically sugar in its purest form.  Glucose is the fuel from which all human cells derive energy for their work, including both the muscles, and also the brain.  But not all glucose comes from sweet or sugary foods.  Starches, which tend to taste savory, are multiple glucose molecules bound together.  Glucose is found or can be extracted by your body from carbohydrate (carb) foods, and carbs tend to come from plants.  Animal products like meat and cheese are basically composed of protein and fats.

How Important Is Gluose?

Human food is composed of at least one (usually a combination) of three "Macro-Nutrients":  Either Proteins; Fat (/Oils); and/or Carbohydrates (carbs).  If it doesn't contain at least one of those three, it isn't food.  Things like vitamins and minerals and enzymes, are "Micro-Nutrients".  You need them to survive, but only in small quantities.  The substance of your food is proteins, fats, and/or carbs.  Glucose (derived from carbs) is the fuel of your body's cells, but in very high concentrations it becomes toxic to your cells.  On the other hand, if you don't have enough glucose, your cells stop functioning (including your brain or important muscles like your heart).  Glucose moves through your body via the bloodstream.  Insulin makes sure the glucose goes where it's needed.  Since a diabetic has problems producing Insulin, she must walk a delicate balance.  She can't fall too low on glucose or else her body stops functioning.  But due to the Insulin problem, she can't process and eliminate glucose as quickly as a non-diabetic.  She has to make sure her blood glucose doesn't "spike," in other words, when a large amount of glucose hits the bloodstream all at once.  Or else the glucose acts like a toxin on her body.  Whereas the Insulin system of a normal non-diabetic person can process the extra glucose before it becomes toxic. 

Glucose is derived from carbs, and carbs can vary from "Simple" to "Complex" carbs.  This trips up a lot of people, but I don't think it's difficult.  Try not to over-think it.  What that means is, how fast does the glucose in the carb hit your bloodstream?  Sugar hits your bloodstream instantly and gives you quick energy, or even a 'sugar high'.  Yet it takes a long time to digest fiber, right?  But still, sugar and fiber are both from plants.  They're both carbs, but different kinds of carbs.  Fiber is a "Complex" carb.  Sugars and some starches, (which tend to be white in color) are "Simple" carbs and hit your bloodstream almost instantaneously.  "Refined" carbs are also carbs which were Complex in the raw ingredient... (like say, whole grain wheat), but have been processed in order to make them into "Simple" carbs (like say, white bleached flour).  So refined white sugar, and starches such as white (refined) flour, potatoes, rice, and corn -- these are all "Simple" carbs by the time you buy them, and they are all bad for a diabetic to eat.

By contrast, "Complex" carbs take many minutes or even an hour to hit your bloodstream.  They hit your bloodstream so slowly, that they're safe for a diabetic to eat. 

What's the Problem with Glucose for Diabetics?

Americans eat too many Simple / Refined carbs, and that's all there is to it.  Unscientifically, unofficially, many people believe that Type II diabetes (a.k.a. "Adult Onset Diabetes") occurs when your pancreas gets "burned out" from eating too many simple/refined carbs for too many years.  (Type I diabetes is a congenital problem with the pancreas/insulin -- in other words, you're born with it.)  Insulin is a hormone, and hormones vary greatly from person to person.  Also the same person's hormone systems perform differently as they age. Some people with a robust insulin system can eat Simple Carbs their whole life and never have a problem.  However, for a lot more people, their Insulin hormone system slows down as they age, and doesn't perform as well as they used to.  Maybe you could gulp down sugar and junk food starches like a maniac, when you were younger, and you still stayed thin at that time.  Partly because you were more active (muscle activity, exercise, burns off glucose, that's its function).  Nowadays you're an adult with a sedentary job, you are gaining weight and your doctor doesn't like your blood-work -- MAINLY because you're getting older and your hormones are naturally changing, while you also haven't given up your junky carbs.  Secondarily, because you're not as active.  (There is a lot of evidence that one cannot "exercise your way out" of a bad diet of junk food, processed / refined / Simple Carbs.  But that's a huge discussion in itself.  Don't count on exercise to save you without the foundation of a very healthy diet.)

Since there are only 3 basic Macro-Nutrients, and a diabetic must eat less carbs, that means she has no choice but to eat more protein, and/or more fats.  It's a zero-sum game.  Eating fewer carbs means eating more of the other two.  A "keto" diet puts the body into a state of ketogenesis, which digests fat.  Every normal human goes into ketogenesis, typically at night when you're sleeping.  Your body's ketogenesis system digests both dietary fat, and stored body fat.  Which is why a lot of people lose weight/fat on a Keto diet.  Body fat is composed of multiple glucose molecules bound together. (Some are called "triglycerides," three glucose molecules bound together.) A Keto state is nothing to be afraid of; only if it gets far out of balance. 

How does a "Keto" Diet help?

The point of a Keto diet is not necessarily to eat _more_ protein, but to eat less carbs, and to "rev up" the ketogenesis system.  If a person eats tons of protein, their body starts converting the protein into glucose, which has the same problems as eating too many carbs.  So in fact, the _real_ point of a Keto diet is to eat more fats.  Some fats are healthier than others, but in general dietary fats have gotten a bad rap due to bad science from the 50s.  Emerging science suggests that eating fats doesn't necessarily cause heart disease.  In fact, emerging science also suggests that simple carbs cause heart disease, via inflammation.  But the medical establishment is over-cautious and very slow to change course, so you still see "Low-Fat" foods everywhere... (avoid them!)  and many doctors still tell you to cut down on eating fats.  A diabetic person _NEEDS_ to eat healthy fats (which tend to be natural plant-based fats). An example of a plant with a lot of healthy fat is an avocado. 

Foods rich in proteins and fats, such as meat & dairy, tend not to have any Micro-Nutrients (like vitamins and minerals).  You only get those from plants.  So even a diabetic _MUST_ east "some" carbs.  A diabetic needs to eat "the right" healthy carbs, in order to be sure her limited carb intake delivers enough Micro-Nutrients.  Also Americans never seem to eat enough Fiber, and Fiber counts as a carb (albeit a Complex Carb).  So, some vegetables (which deliver nutrients & fiber) are better for a diabetic to eat than others, and so there is a "spectrum" of vegetables (see the next section) that are better or worse for a diabetic to eat.

The "Virta" diet is a good example of a keto diet for diabetics, and some of my recipes come from there.  The Virta diet wants you to eat _only_ 30g of Carbohydrates per day, whether they're simple or complex carbs.  30g of vegetables is something like a large plate of salad greens -- _NOT_ including any sugary dressings, nor bougie add-ons like cranberries or croutons.  That plate of greens is all the carbs they recommend you eat in a whole day, so you've got to make sure the carbs you eat _COUNT_ , and pack a large bang-for-the-buck in terms of nutrients.


This is often difficult to do because, you might notice, if you walk into a typical American grocery store, what you see is something like 80% carbs, and most of those carbs are Simple / Refined Carbs.  Americans eat a lot of sweets.  Fast food and even a lot of restaurant food tends to emphasize Simple / Refined Carbs.  There is some evidence that Simple / Refined carbs are literally addictive, so that's why companies offer them so much.

• What Is a "Keto" diet?    A Keto diet seeks to put the dieter in a state of "ketosis" for as much time as possible. Your body has an order of preference. Remember (from above) that there are only three basic components of food. If Simple Carbs are available in your stomach, your body GREATLY prefers to digest those, because they give you quick and easy energy. If there aren't many Simple Carbs available in your stomach, your body will "make do" with Protein and convert it into glucose. If neither of the above is easy at hand, then your body moves to a process of digesting fats, which is called Ketosis. (The same Ketosis process digests both dietary fats in your food, and also gets rid of body fat.) Fats, as mentioned, store glucose. So fats are a source of a lot of energy. But your body is loath to burn them, because those are your long-term reserves, to be saved for emergencies like famines. Your body puts glucose into your body fat stores pretty easily, (if your Insulin system is robust), but your body doesn't want to burn up those body fat stores unless there's no other choice. Americans eat too many Simple Carbs, which get stored into body fat. Having too much body fat & simple sugars, hanging around for a long time, stationary, stale, stagnant... in your cellular reserves, in your muscles, in your bloodstream... instead of circulating in and out as you use it and burn it... _that_ causes the health problems which we all hear about.

  
  

• So how do we put your body into a state of "Ketosis," where you burn fat instead of accumulating it? First, you cut out the Simple Carbs, which get transformed _READILY_ by your body into fat. If your body is busy transforming simple carbs into fat, it DOES NOT activate the system that digests fats & oils. Your body cannot do two opposite things at once. hen you cheat and eat Simple Carbs, your body switches to digesting those Simple Carbs and never goes into Ketosis. Second, there's evidence that your body "revs up" whichever of the three digestion processes, matches the food that you're eating. So, if you eat a lot of healthy dietary fat, your body "revs up" the Ketosis system, and you burn that fat out of your storage.

  Keto diets recommend you add extra dietary fat to any food that can accept it. Garnish or season your meals with Guacamole, sour cream, mayo, butter, and other fats.

• But don't you burn fat with exercise?  Yes, BUT.  I just mentioned that your body has an order of preference. When you exercise, your muscles burn glucose -- yes. But if your diet is primarily Simple Carbs... even supposedly "healthy" simple carbs like, say, wheat, potatoes, rice, corn... then your body NEVER goes into Ketosis and you never burn up your reserves of body fat. Not even during exercise. And as mentioned, if you keep building up your body fat reserves and never burn them out and get rid of them, it causes the health problems that all Americans hear about constantly. Exercise has tons and tons of medical benefits. But if the fuel you burn for your exercise comes from a constant intake of simple carbs, you can exercise all day long and STILL NOT burn the stored fats. And that causes the health problems.

  
  

• Is "Gluten-Free" good for a diabetic?  Not really.  Gluten intolerance / "gluten-free," versus diabetic, are entirely separate issues and have nothing to do with each other.  Gluten is actually a protein, so cutting out gluten doesn't help you cut carbs.  Gluten is a protein which binds carbs together and gives bread-type products a better structure (more spongy, cake-like) and better mouth feel.  There isn't any point for a diabetic or Keto dieter to avoid Gluten, unless of course you are intolerant/allergic to it.  Note that a pinch of "Xanthan Gum" helps keto/diabetic bread-type products (for example, muffins made from almond flour instead of wheat) to feel more spongy and cake-like.  Other tips are found on this page near some bread recipes.
  

• Can a diabetic or keto dieter be a Vegetarian?  Yes, but it's pretty darn difficult.  A diabetic needs to eat extra protein and healthy fats, whereas vegetables are composed mainly of carbs.  An "Ovo-Lacto" Vegetarian (eats eggs & dairy), or a "Pescaterian" (eats fish in addition to vegetables) has a much easier time with diabetes/keto than a strict vegetarian.  Beans (including tofu) contain a lot of protein, but some people advise avoiding beans & legumes like peanuts -- because they contain phytic acid and lectins.  These compounds block your absorption of certain other nutrients, so some people refer to these as "anti-nutrients".  Nuts contain a good amount of both protein and healthy fats.  But they also contain carbs, so a diabetic shouldn't eat them to excess.  Yogurt is a good source of protein, but a minority of vegans don't consider yogurt to be vegetarian.  Spirulina algae is a good vegetarian source of protein.  Most vegetables contain _some_ protein, just not a lot.

  
  

• Note that there is _NO_ official "international standard" or "committee" to decide if a commercial food product is "Keto" or not.  Unlike "Organic" foods, where at least there are laws and standards.  Some processed food products on grocery store shelves which are labeled "KETO" are most definitely _NOT_ Keto.  It's ideal to cook for yourself so that you know exactly what you're eating.  But when buying processed foods, be sure to check the nutrition labels and look for excessive carbohydrates _even_ if the food is labeled "Keto".

  
  

• That being said:  Several different store-bought brands of "Keto Sandwich Bread," buns, and "Keto Tortillas" are now available.  And they seem to be 'benign' so far, and those are a HUGE help to living with a keto / diabetic diet.  Because so many normal recipes rely on some kind of a starch like bread or tortillas to hold food together.

  
  

You could eat healthy by making most of your meals as a plain grilled chicken breast, lightly oiled and seasoned, and throw in small servings of healthy veg like kale for vitamins and fiber.  But you don't need me to tell you that.  AND you're not going to stick to that. Even those cutting carbs need to eat some healthy veg, for nutrients which meat & dairy don't provide.  It's a trade-off or a ranking or a compromise.  The spectrum that appears here, is loosely based upon work found at Low Carb Diets , and some of this is my personal results. 
---- Best veggies are at the top:

• Sprouts: bean, alfalfa, etc.
• Greens: lettuces, spinach, chard, etc.  Radicchio and endive count as greens.
• Hearty Greens: collards, mustard greens, kale, etc. 
• Herbs: parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• Bok Choy
• Celery
• Radishes
• Sea Vegetables:  Nori, etc
• Cabbage or sauerkraut
• Mushrooms
• Jicama
• Cucumbers, or pickles without added sugars
• Asparagus
• Green Beans and Wax Beans
• Fennel
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Water Chestnuts
• Scallions or green onions
• Bamboo Shoots
• Leeks
• Spaghetti Squash
• Summer Squash
• Peppers: both hot peppers, and Green / Red / colored Bell Peppers
• Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans
• Brussels Sprouts
  
• Tofu, soy in various forms (e.g. tempeh), edamame
• Nuts & snack seeds: cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc. etc.  These tend to contain carbs as well as fats & protein, the "hat trick"
• Zuchini
• Snow Peas (pods)
• Lentils (there is debate over their rank)
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Avocados
• Olives
• Beans (of virtually all types)
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes
• Artichokes
• Okra

 ---- The "least best" veggies are at the bottom... 
But note, these are still acceptable.  The REAL worst, the things a diabetic should try hard to avoid, are found at the upper-right of this spectrum as "starchy vegetables" and grains and breads and fruits, and other categories over there.

Some other FAQ:  Store-bought Kombucha tends to be sweetened and store-bought is generally not recommended.  However, homemade or locally made high-quality kombucha frequently doesn't contain much sugar -- because the yeast during the brewing process has naturally consumed the sugar.  These low-sugar kombuchas are tart and vinagery.  I recommend homemade or locally made small-batch kombucha.

The short version is,

• + Meat, cheese, and yogurt are good for diabetics and keto dieters. And they don't have to be lean meats or 'Skim Milk' Mozzarella or low-fat yogurt. In fact, they shouldn't. Fat is a diabetic & keto dieter's friend.
• + Coconut oil & avocado oil are recommended for sautée and cooking recipes.  Olive oil is healthy but only at low temperatures.
• + Keto dieters and those who cut out processed foods & carbs need to consume a bit more salt, as opposed to most Americans who need to cut down on salt.
  
• - Cow's milk isn't great for diabetics & keto.  Recommend oat milk & flax milk instead.  Here's how to make your own Plant-Based Milk with nuts of your choice.
  
• - Limit breaded meats such as McNuggets®, veal cutlets, fried chicken, etc. Keto substitute recipes are available.
• - Avoid sugary sauces such as barbecue sauce, orange sauce, etc.  Keto substitutes are available. Check how much sugar is in your salad dressing.
• - Avoid margarine and artificial creamers.
  
• - DON'T go on a "Carnivore" diet like Jordan Peterson.  Many vital nutrients are found only in plants.
  

For more detail, click here.

ARTICHOKE SCRAMBLED EGGS BENEDICT

JAPANESE CABBAGE PANCAKES Okonomiyaki (with its distinctive sauce)

KETO CHILAQUILES!  Also good for Nachos

KEV'S IMPROVISED CINNABON® MUFFINS
These are only "halfway" keto, but you can share them with a friend who is accustomed to Cinnabon

CANTONESE-STYLE EGGS
These scrambled eggs are trendy in restaurants right now, because they are extremely smooth & creamy.

EGG & KALE BREAKFAST QUICHE

MUSHROOMS & EGGS (Czech recipe Houby S Vejci)
Caraway seed is a spice commonly used to flavor sausage, so this recipe "tastes" a lot like it has sausage in it.  However, there is no meat, it is "ovo-lacto".

GARLIC FRENCH TOAST

GRITS SUBSTITUTE (Baked Cottage Cheese & Eggs)

LO-CARB APPLE CINNAMON SCONES

SHAKSUKA (and a few other breakfast ideas from KWOOK)

KETO WAFFLES & PANCAKES

ASPARAGUS SAVORY CHEESECAKE

ROAST ASPARAGUS WITH PISTACHIOS

GOLDEN CRUSTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS (also worked for scallops)

CRAB ONION GRATIN

BACON WRAPPED DATES

UNUSUAL DEVILED EGG RECIPES

CZECH GARLIC SOUP

PECAN CRUSTED ZUCCHINI FRIES

PLANTAIN BREAD;

         NOTES ON GLUTEN, & OTHER KETO / SUBSTITUTE BREADS

MUSHROOMS ROASTED WITH PINE NUTS

THAI KALANKA SOUP

MILES' CLASSIC TOMATO SOUP

TUNAFISH SALAD IN RAMEKINS

GARDEN VEGETABLE PATÉ a.k.a. "Vegetarian Foie Gras"

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

ARTICHOKE / SPINACH / MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

HUNGARIAN  GOULASH / GOULAJ

CREAMED KALE (healthier than creamed spinach)

SPAGHETTI SQUASH LASAGNE (and recap of notes on pasta)

SPINACH-PEPPER ENCHILADAS

PAN FRIED TOFU (also air-fryer tofu)

TOFU-SPINACH FLAN (OR AN UNUSUAL CHEESE-LESS PIZZA)

GUMBO FILÉ

MAGICAL MYSTERY TACOS

MUJADARRA (Eastern lentil pilaf) with mint yogurt sauce

CHICKEN OR EGGPLANT OR TOFU PARMIGIANA

QUINOA CHARD PILAF

TOMATOES (or other stuffed vegetables) WITH "FORCEMEAT" (an old term for fake/vegetarian meat)

ZUCCHINI BOATS

BLACK GARLIC AIOLI

Sylvia's CHOPPED OLIVE "GOODIE"

UNUSUAL FONDUE RECIPES

ROASTED GARLIC
Baking heads of garlic in an oven reduces its sharpness and causes it to "melt," so it can be used as a spread or garnish on crackers or other dishes.  Rub off excess paper skin from the garlic -- but you don't need to separate the heads into cloves -- Use a scissors or a sharp knife to snip the very upper tips off of each garlic clove.  This opens up the cloves from their paper shells.  Then spray or rub with some cooking oil.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 60 minutes.  When done, the cloves should be golden brown, but not burned.  The garlic cloves should now be semi-liquid and you can usually squeeze them out of their paper shells easily and spread them like butter.

HIPPY SLOPPY SAUCE (a Miso-Tahini sauce)

UNUSUAL PASTA SAUCES (and recap of notes on pasta)
 
CZECH DILL SAUCE

CREAMY MISO MUSHROOM SAUCE

RAITA AND/OR TADZIKI SAUCE WITH CUCUMBERS

SNAP PEA AND EGG SPREAD

CREAMY THAI COCONUT LIME SAUCE

THAI PEANUT SAUCE

AVOCADO MOUSSE, which can also be made as ice cream, or a pie

BAKED BRIE

FLOURLESS "BLONDIE" BROWNIES with nut butter

CHESS PIE (a simple egg custard pie)

BABA'S CHEESECAKE

MULTI-PURPOSE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

KETO DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

FIG PINWHEELS

KETO "FUDGE"

KEY LIME COCONUT ENERGY BITES

POT DE CREME

SPAGHETTI SQUASH COCONUT PIE

HOMEMADE REESE'S & SNICKERS a.k.a. "FAT BOMBS"