I think you will find as you age (and start pushing 70 like I am), that you will need a bit more carbs. I don't think the liver can convert protein to glucose/glycogen, when we are old, compared to younger times.

I used to eat high protein, high good fat, all the time but I can't anymore. The brown rice pasta will hold me a LONG time.. it must digest slowly or something. So I usually have some for the night meal.
I eat cheese, lean meat, sometimes sausage, nuts and fish, during the day.

At night I'll have various veggies and some Tinkyada with my meat. Sometimes we get salads at Panera when we do a carry out.

I assume you feel low on energy?

Eating a piece of fruit is not the same as eating pure sugar. The fruit contains hundreds or possibly thousands of nutrients that help our bodies work better. Table sugar contains none of these. I would surely not give up blueberries because of the sugar. They are very high in antioxidants, as are most purple plant foods, and they don't even taste sweet. It would be very rare to eat a cup of blueberries, although in a smoothie it is quite easy. But the good far outweighs the bad.

As far as the original question, several years ago I started studying health and eliminated nearly all animal products, began eating many more fresh fruits and vegetables, eating less-refined carbs (such as whole wheat bread instead of white, brown rice instead of white), eliminating high-sugar drinks like soda, and exercising, eating lots of nuts. Some of my PN pains went away, but not all. Those that went away were sharp pains that I would get periodically in my fingers and toes. Still remaining are dull aching pains that I have in my feet, buttocks, and various other places where there is pressure (shoulders, ears, etc.). The pains that remain are progressing more slowly, but I must say they are progressing. I could do much better with the diet, as I have a sugar problem, could easily be called an addiction (dark chocolate, biscotti, peanut M&M's, etc.) The rest of my family does not share my interest in healthy eating and sometimes I do not resist eating their food.

In other posts, I have written much more about my situation and rational behind my diet.
Ron

Hey Ron,

The people at Diabetes UK echo your thoughts about eating fruits, here:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to...ruit-diabetes/

The article also covers fruit juices (more of a danger) and lovely veg.

Dave.

Yes, sometimes dizzy, weak feeling (hard to climb stairs), even some muscle aching at times. When extreme I get nauseous and horrible hunger pangs.

So I do include some carbs now. Just carefully though.

I am following a FODMAPS type guide to avoid GI upsets and this is working. I have had just horrible GI events all my life... and this diet includes avoidance of gluten too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP

I am finding I can tolerate a little bit of fruit... The Rainier cherries (now called Northwest by Kroger's) are just my favorite fruit. 6 a day does not upset my GI....so that is what I am doing this seasonal time (6 a day and no other fruit). But a whole banana is too much (even the small ones). And citrus flares my arthritis. But all in all I cannot tolerate much fruit at all. Apples and pears are the worst! I will try grapes soon this way... but most would spoil if I only ate 6 a day! I think I can pinch off a small cluster at the store though.

Ok, thanks. I'll watch for it. I don't think I've ever read...do you actually have sugar issues, or do you just watch your carbs to help prevent more insult to your nerves?

I'm slowly introducing more carbs into my diet, but not nearly to the extent I was once eating them. Still "low," but will be eating to my meter. I had house guests last night and bought a lot of "normal" food I know they like. Cheerios is their mainstay breakfast. For the heck of it, I had a bowl (measured 1 cup serving) with 1% milk to see what would happen. My blood sugar spiked over 165. Was not expecting that it to go that high for some reason. I know the milk didn't help, and whole milk would have been better.

Quinoa tabbouleh wasn't as bad. Between its built in protein and fat and the fact that this dish is made with olive oil, the spike was around 140.

Now I'm left with a bunch of blueberries and strawberries and will be playing around with those to see what happens. The good news is real whipped cream is on the table with those. It's relatively low carb. Happy day. I'll be trying with and without to see how the fat affects it.

Posting this here for future reference:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045621.php

"Research conducted with human patients, mice, and pancreas beta cell cultures all point to a single threshold at which elevated blood sugars cause permanent damage to your body. What is that level?

140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) after meals"




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This is some really good nerdy info about fats and other topics. But remember, if you eat only whole plants foods (not saying I do), and maybe some wild-caught animal foods, you don't have to know any of these details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOsgprH5QrA
The truth about fats...Hormones, blood sugar and health.

Ron

I really enjoyed that video, and especially the message conveyed at the end. I'd never heard about the connection between fat intake and hormones.

I have found locally an organic brown basmati rice, brand may be Full Circle, that I like a lot with my beans. Basmati rice has more flavor than just plain white rice. If I recall, jasmine rice tastes pretty good too, but something in brown is a better choice, without the nutrients (including fats) in the outer layers removed.
Ron