Dove Chocolate
 

Oh Brother! With the elimination of most alcohol from my life, I obviously have had to deal with the sugar issue. Well, I went overboard yesterday, and ate about 10 pieces of Dove dark chocolate. Ummmm....so good. But, yikes! My feet are on fire today. No exercise or stress on my arthritic back....the only cause/effect I can imagine....is that fabulous chocolate causing my feet to go into a burning...painful descent of yucky pain! Do you think? Sugar in alcohol? sugar in chocolate?

About a week ago I ate a bunch of those mini chocolate candy bars. The next day I really hurt. Also I go back and forth concerning the weather. Saturday I had a better day even though a storm was brewing and hit like gang busters that evening. Yesterday, another rain storm was brewing and I had a HORRIBLE day. Different kinds of weather pressure I wonder? :confused:

I react to both stress and weather. I haven't really pinpointed any foods causing flares though. Which is great for me! I'm a chocoholic and I'd die if I couldn't have my chocolate! :eek:

I've noticed when there's a cold front coming in my feet go crazy on me. They ache and burn like you wouldn't believe! Well, maybe you would. :wink: Anyway, extreme cold causes issues for me.

We live in a really old building and the floors are cold all the time anyway but I know it's cold when I have to wear socks inside of my slippers (which are insulated and warm all by themselves!) to keep my feet warm. My toes get sooo cold. I finally figured out a heating pad sent on low down below here for my feet is the answer. It really does help but because of numbness I have to be careful of the heat setting. I can't really feel it all that well when it's too warm. But the heat stops that deep bone ache I seem to get from the cold.

Glycemic load:
 

The glycemic load is the actual measurement of what FOOD does to blood sugar. It is the application of the glycemic index.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/help/es...-glycemic-load

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12949357

The glycemic LOAD of white bread, potatoes, bananas,
wheat pasta is higher than most candies.
(you have to watch serving sizes-- you can skew this with a large serving size).

Those here who wish to control blood sugars more effectively should look at these links.

Nutritiondata has added the glycemic load to their food lists.
It is a good resource, showing mineral content of foods and also their inflammatory potential.

Thanks for the links
 

I do know that there are certain foods that are off the charts with the glycemic index. The almost two years I adhered to the South Beach Diet, my feet were fairly quiet.
However, eating about 15 of those little chocolate gems was bordering on an overdose!

There and Mrs D you can tell me if I am wrong but things like dietary fat in a product can bring down the levels. So you may see on the list m and m's being low but it is because of the fat? Things like fiber as well but usually fiber filled foods are healthier in overall unless the add ons they put in products these days. I have a real issue with sugar so I feel your pain. I know in general it is not the best choice but if you are not diabetitc would it contribute to pain? If I am not careful though I am going to be cause my blood sugar went up a lot.
jakatak can you try dark chocolate?

The type of sugar is important.

Sucrose typically does not affect LOAD as fast as glucose does.

Then there is the MERCURY in high fructose corn syrup...a very nasty sugar. Mercury is not of course not good for your PN.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012601831.html

I find that chocolate is the only candy that does not affect my
issues.
I have been fructose free for 9 months now. And I don't eat potatoes as a rule. I reintroduce a potato every month as a test and so far I react to them every time!

I use brown rice pasta (Tinkyada) and this is far better than
wheat pasta for sugar response.
I am now experimenting with buckwheat, as buckwheat has d-chiro inositol in it and that benefits glucose control.

I tend to use vegetables mostly for dinner. I have 2 slices of Oatnut bread /day max (some days none).

I eat nuts mostly for snacks. The new Cocoa coated almonds are really good, no sugar and tasty:
http://www.samsclubmemberservices.co...onds_5268.aspx

These are just excellent for magnesium source, low carb, and satisfies chocolate cravings without the sugar.

Mrs.D the Cocoa coated almonds sound delicious! I love chocolate and nuts, so this would be perfect for me. I have to go out and get some! :)

Speaking of types of sugar...since I stopped using Splenda I've lost about 6 pounds without really even trying. Any clues what's up with that? I was gaining weight when I shouldn't have been as well. I've noticed a change in a few other areas as well since I stopped using it. In general I feel better.

OMG - could it be the chocolate?
 

I am an old / new member here having been a prior member when first diagnosed with PN 5 yrs. ago. I haven't been on for over 3 yrs. so am starting over. Many things have changed with my PN and some of them good.
But recently, I have been have a HECK of a time!

The weather (I live in the desert) turned rainy and cold in January and stayed that way for about 6 weeks. I've lived here almost since I was diagnosed and this has been the only winter that stayed wet and cold for this long and I really suffered. It was good to hear others are effected by weather.

Additionally, I added a small piece of dark chocolate to my diet 2 weeks ago and am again experiencing a spike in my pain and tingling. So, I guess I'll stop and see what happens. Does anyone know how long it will be before I could see improvement?

Thanks, all!
Doxie