Trouble getting to grips with fats

[barneldu]

A week in and I'm probably doing this all wrong.

Whilst I realise I have to cut out sugars and cut down on carbs, my problem is the fats. Things like yoghurt, where most of us like to buy low fat or no fat options, are packed full of sugar so you look at the other ones and they are full of fats. How do you find a good compromise?

 

[KookyCat]

Well the short answer from me is I don't. By that I mean I don't believe that dairy fat and fat from say olives and avocados are bad so I go full fat but in moderation. i buy Greek yoghurt unsweetened but full fat and put a bit of fruit in there works for me. The current guidelines seem to assume that all fat is bad but evidence suggests that dairy fat, olive oil and plant based fats have benefits. If you're reducing your carbs a bit you should have some room to accommodate a bit of extra fat within calorie limits. Confusing though isn't it!

 

[Copepod]

Normal yogurts aren't that high in fat. Natural yogurt doesn't have much sugar, either. I buy 500g pots of budget / own brand natural yogurt - 1 lasts me about a week of breakfasts, which usually consist of a small portion of muesli and yogurt mixed together.

In milk, I choose to use mostly semi skimmed or 1%, as compromise for taste [skimmed milk too "watery" for me] and fat [only have full fat milk as an occasional treat].

You're right, it's all about compromise and considering total diet, rather than every individual item you eat.

 

[barneldu]

Thanks. I've used semi skimmed milk for years anyway and use rapeseed oil which i'm told is good. I shall stick with the full fat yoghurts then. I find breakfasts difficult. Not a great porridge lover but have been having weetabix with a small banana, soft fruit, a bit of yoghurt and milk. Need to find how to ring the changes.

 

[trophywench]

Try bacon and egg instead! - seriously - but no bread. Your brekkie is unfortunately 99.9% carbs. If you test before and after eating it you will most likely find your BG has shot up into the stratosphere, whereas if you just have protein it will not only keep you feeling full for longer, but also won't change your BG at all!

 

[Amigo]

I absolutely agree with Jenny on this. I've been conducting my own little experiment using the meter to plot BG levels according to what I've been eating and without realising, tended to be gearing more towards a low carbohydrate, high fat diet. I found that a high protein diet on a morning (with minimum carbs like bread etc.) has no impact on my levels but cereal, fruit and oats does.

Any idea of a 'high fat' diet makes people very nervous but even the scientists seem to be at odds over this now. There was a programme on tv this week which was fascinating called 'All about fat'. In it, a medically supervised experiment was conducted in which people were put onto a high fat, low carb diet and I was astounded to see they all seemed to experience a drop in cholesterol levels and weight loss.

I'd never advocate an approach for anyone and would strongly advise taking medical advise about major dietary changes but this article helped me to understand. I stress, I'm not in a position to recommend specific diets though I'm using it with some modifications because I think it can leave you low on fibre. And I'm keeping an eye on my lipid profile.

If the link isn't permitted, I apologise and I'm sure Admin will remove it. I'm not seeking to endorse or recommend this. I just find the information in it useful.

I'm not brave enough to commit to a totally high fat diet because I think I'm struggling to break free from the 'fat must be bad' conditioning.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

 

[banjo]

I,m the same bit scared of going high fat diet so i have been on a lower carb diet really. As has been pointed out your brekky is totally carbs, as was mine.
The single thing that has brought my levels down has been changing my breakfast i now have a cooked breakfast with bacon, 95 percent meat sausage, an egg and a smallish amount of beans(1/3rd of a tin). I think that northener posted a link in the news bit of the forum to show that a higher protien breakfast stabilised your bloods from spiking during the rest of the day.
Found it - http://diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=52916 so long as it works lol, - worst case at the moment it is sat on page 2 of the news.
Good luck with the diabetes dont worry too much about fats just try and be sensible.

 

[Northerner]

There was an interesting programme on ITV the other day called 'Eat fat, stay fit', which questioned the whole fat/carbohydrate issue. 5 volunteers went of a high fat diet for a week (so only a very small experiment), the results were that most saw a small weight reduction and a lowering of their cholesterol levels (including an improvement in their LDL/HDL split). Whilst it didn't really prove anything, it did demonstrate that things hadn't got any worse. The programme is available on ITV player at:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/tonight/series-17/episode-3-eat-fat-stay-fit-tonight

I changed to skimmed milk years ago (before diabetes), not due to weight issues, but the wisdom of the time was so exclusively anti-fat. Now, I find it difficult to drink even semi-skimmed in my tea, although still enjoy cream in coffee 🙂 Skimmed does actually have quite a lot of flavour once you get used to it, but does taste like dish water to start with!

 

[Vicsetter]

Why not buy yourself a yogurt maker, I've got one that makes 1ltr of natural yogurt from longlife full fat milk (cheaper than normal milk but you can use semiskimmed instead), powdered milk and a bit of the last batch you made, switch it on and 8 hrs later 1ltr scrummy yogurt.

P.S. Weetabix is probably one of the worst cereals you can have.
I make my own bread so have 2 slices toasted with Peanut butter for breakfast.

 

[barneldu]

Gosh everyone thanks. The only reason I'm having weetabix is because the nurse said it was ok to do so. Is home made yoghurt better then? I really can't believe the sugar and fat values of natural yoghurt although I have today bought this new Icelandic one they are advertising and the levels are much lower

 

[Northerner]

Gosh everyone thanks. The only reason I'm having weetabix is because the nurse said it was ok to do so. Is home made yoghurt better then? I really can't believe the sugar and fat values of natural yoghurt although I have today bought this new Icelandic one they are advertising and the levels are much lower

I was told Weetabix was OK also - discovered most cereals are dreadful and send levels skywards! 😱 Such common, and poor, advice - I would love to know what they base it on, it certainly isn't from blood test results!

 

[Vicsetter]

Gosh everyone thanks. The only reason I'm having weetabix is because the nurse said it was ok to do so. Is home made yoghurt better then? I really can't believe the sugar and fat values of natural yoghurt although I have today bought this new Icelandic one they are advertising and the levels are much lower

Home made yogurt has the same amount of sugar (in the form of lactose) as the milk it's made from, it's also probiotic so should help the 'good' bacteria in your stomach. You control the amount of fruit you add to it and of course you can use skimmed milk (the same as Skyr Icelandic yogurt uses). You can get yogurt makers that make individual pots as well, but I prefer the 1ltr model and full fat milk. The use of the long life milk not only makes it cheaper but you do not have to heat the milk up before making the yogurt.