Hearty Lunch

on October 17, 2012

I just got some blood work done, and survey says that I need to cut back on the sugar, eat more regularly, snack in between meals, and consume more protein (basically, my blood sugar sucks). You know, eating like I shouldâ€™ve been doing anywayâ€¦ Ah well. At least now I have motivation in black-and-white. Itâ€™s hard to argue with lab work.

Lentils

Crock Pot Veggies

Stir-fried zucchini and tomatoes

Isnâ€™t it wonderful to eat a meal that leaves you feeling so satisfied, energized, and healthy?

When the bebe wakes up from his nap, I am definitely going on a walk â€“ the weather is GORGEOUS. Hello, Southern Autumn. I adore you. Just donâ€™t invite Mr. Winter to come out and play, please. (Oh, Lordy. Momma talk is in full force today, isnâ€™t it?)

Between the University of Miami flag and our political yard sign, Iâ€™m pretty sure 85% of my neighborhood strongly detests us.

Thought of the Day:

Courtesy of OperationBeautiful.com:

{ 45 comments }

Nikki October 17, 2012, 2:14 pm
I just had my blood tested and had a similar experience…blood glucose levels were down, which presumably means that eating beaucoup de sugar -> boost in insulin -> drop in glucose levels.
Is that (about) what your tests results looked like? I’m wondering because my doctor didn’t say much about what it meant, so if your doctor told you anything else of interest I would be interested to know!
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 2:30 pm
  I am not sure of the specific details yet, I still have to get a complete run-down of what it all means. It’s confusing though and I definitely know I need to change the way I eat… pretty much back to the way I used to eat pre-baby. I literally forget to eat meals now because of Henry. No good for blood sugar.
Beth October 17, 2012, 2:15 pm
Way to represent with the yard sign!

I’m surprised to hear that your blood sugar is weird…doesn’t seem like you eat that much.
Molly @ RDexposed October 17, 2012, 2:19 pm
In your case your glucose reading isn’t assessing your sugar intake or your carb intake for that matter. It likely means you were up in the middle of the night, likely during the dawn phenomenon period, which may have made your blood sugar appear slightly elevated.
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 2:29 pm
  Oooo interesting! I show lots of signs of bad blood sugar though, which is why I got it tested. Oh, and it was WAY elevated.
  - Molly @ RDexposed October 17, 2012, 6:56 pm
    Hmm..my reaction is to ask a million other questions, but since you are not my patient at the diabetes center I will force myself to let it go.
    - Caitlin October 17, 2012, 7:30 pm
      Haha well maybe I will email you for your expertise!
      - Molly @ RDexposed October 18, 2012, 8:22 am
        If you’d like. Otherwise there are plenty of people to read them. Without seeing anything, I would bet you are fine. Take deep breaths…stress raises blood sugar. 😉
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat October 17, 2012, 2:19 pm
That’s an awesome start to a more wholesome diet – your choices usually look pretty good to me, though!
Sarah October 17, 2012, 2:21 pm
I get frustrated with the constant advice from the medical profession to eat small meals throughout the day. My blood work would probably look “bad” too because I very much prefer eating 3 normal sized meals with very little snacking. Oh, and when I do snack, sometimes it’s just… GASP!… a piece of fruit. I know, bad bad bad. But small meals and snacks make me sad. And hungry. All the time hungry. I’ll take 3 normal sized meals and crappy blood sugar please!

ps Your lunch looks delicious, I love zucchini!
natalie @ will jog for food October 17, 2012, 2:34 pm
You should put up a Florida Gator flag! Then everyone will love you 😉
- Kristy October 17, 2012, 9:58 pm
  NOT! I think a Seminole one would do the trick though!
Beks October 17, 2012, 2:43 pm
Re: Yard Signs. There’s a politician who lives in my town (Governer, I think?), but on his street, which is kind of a main drag, are yard signs supporting his opponent. There are NO SIGNS supporting him. I’m not sure why, but that makes me chuckle.
- Kristy October 17, 2012, 10:00 pm
  Aw poor guy. That makes me sad. If I were running for something I would hope that my neighbors would support me.
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats October 17, 2012, 3:12 pm
It’s interesting how different foods work with different bodies, that lunch left you feeling great but for me I would have felt awful – too much fiber! So sad though because I’d love to eat veggies all day… stupid IBS!
Natalie @ Free Range Human October 17, 2012, 3:17 pm
I could be completely off, but I’m pretty sure I would love being your neighbor for the yard sign alone!
Annette@FitnessPerks October 17, 2012, 3:23 pm
Eating consistent meals is a huge thing for blood sugar for sure!

Pretty leaves!
julia October 17, 2012, 4:39 pm
ahh bummer, well, i hope you can go back to eating dairy soon as I know you used cottage cheese etc to bulk up on protein when preggers.
Lesley October 17, 2012, 5:01 pm
Caitlin, I know you didn’t ask for advice, but have you considered that you may need not only *more* protein but *complete* proteins?

While lentils are nice and hearty, they need a complement like nuts, seeds, or grains for the biggest protein boost.

This simple chart along with Sweet Tater’s comprehensive post on complete proteins really helped me understand what my mostly-vegetarian diet needed to be the most satisfying and nutritious:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/images/complementary-protein-chart.gif

http://www.sweettaterblog.com/2011/01/06/beans-and-rice/

As for blood sugar issues, you may want to check out the potential benefits of cinnamon as a supplement, or simply add cinnamon to your oats or savory dishes–just an idea!
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 5:04 pm
  I am drinking cinnamon tea as we speak! LOL
  
  Everything I have read about complete proteins is that it’s a falsehood disproven several years ago – your body stores the anmino acids for up to 24 hours and matches up proteins as you eat throughout the day. So it’s not necessary to combo eat specific proteins at once but throughout the day. Any thoughts?
  - Lesley October 17, 2012, 6:14 pm
    Interesting! I’ll have to poke around and read about that.
    
    I have no background in nutrition and certainly have only a small understanding of amino acids (Sweet Tater’s Katie does have an MS in Nutrition from the same school as Kath, but I know that some nutrition concepts in academia become outmoded as findings emerge faster than curricula can realistically change).
    
    However, I think I like the protein-combining approach anyway because it guarantees that I get in as much nutrition per meal as possible in case I forget to eat or don’t have time. And the complementary meals just seem more filling and satisfying and delicious! 🙂
  - Liz October 18, 2012, 1:35 am
    You are right that you don’t need to eat the complementary foods at the same time, but within the same day. (That’s not quite the same thing as “complete proteins are a complete falsehood” but I don’t think that’s what you were trying to say.) So peanut butter at breakfast would complement lentils at lunch.
  - Courtney October 19, 2012, 3:38 pm
    I’m a nutrition professor at a med school and this is indeed correct. The myth has been dispelled that you need to eat complementary amino acids in one setting – over the course of a day is sufficient for your dietary protein needs.
Ashlee October 17, 2012, 5:49 pm
I can’t find pre-made lentils to save my life. TJ’s pleeeease come to North Texas!!
Nina October 17, 2012, 6:24 pm
Holy shit if YOU eat a lot of sugar I can’t even imagine what my blood work would say.
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 7:29 pm
  Haha I put away a fair amount of dark chocolate bars – I don’t blog everything I eat. And I think blood sugar control issues is partially genetic, I know my mom has issues, too.
  - Liz October 18, 2012, 1:36 am
    High blood sugar could also be from high carb intake, not just actual sweet sugar. (I’m in nutrition learning about this now!)
Tricia October 17, 2012, 6:33 pm
I love, love, love that quote.
Hilary October 17, 2012, 7:15 pm
Not sure what that means? Do you have diabetes? As I understand it, there is no other cause of out of control blood sugars? I could be wrong.
- Lesley October 17, 2012, 7:41 pm
  One can have hyperglycemia issues without diabetes:
  
  Hyperglycemia or HyperglycÃ¦mia, or high blood sugar, is a condition in which an excessive amount of glucose circulates in the blood plasma….A subject with a consistent range between 100 and 126 (American Diabetes Association guidelines) is considered hyperglycemic, while above 126 mg/dl or 7 mmol/l is generally held to have Diabetes. Chronic levels exceeding 7 mmol/l (125 mg/dl) can produce organ damage.
Helene October 17, 2012, 7:17 pm
I’m going to assume you have an Obama sign lol.
Chris Therrien October 17, 2012, 7:50 pm
I live in Houston, Texas so I sure as hell can’t put the sign I want to in my yard.
Jenifer October 17, 2012, 8:20 pm
Lol.. yard signs, gotta love them. My neighbor across the street pointed at mine the other day when I got out to get the mail. I thought he was going to wave, but he shot me the finger. … as if I care.
- Kristy October 17, 2012, 10:20 pm
  So American of him!
- Eliza October 18, 2012, 9:24 am
  Ahahahahhaa! I would have shot him two back…. and then yelled “Just kidding!” 🙂
  
  My neighbor has a yard sign for the candidate that I’m *not* voting for, but I would never dream of flipping him off because of it. Why create unnecessary tension between neighbors? Some people really just can’t live and let live.
  - Caitlin October 18, 2012, 10:18 am
    Agree – someone STOLE my dad’s yard sign! Can you believe that?
    - Jenifer October 19, 2012, 10:14 pm
      I think it must be a guy thing… As women, there have been a few mentions of the “yard signs” here. Nobody has said who they are or aren’t supporting outright, and there’s no anemosity. A brief discussion of politics send my dh into orbit.
      
      Just read the Voted Early post… your little guy gets cuter every day!
Kate October 17, 2012, 8:41 pm
That last part of your post really hit me- that’s why I respect you and love reading your blog so much, because you’re real and you stand up for what you believe in regardless of what other people think. I know you just through that in as a little comment, but it was awesome 🙂
Sara October 17, 2012, 8:45 pm
Caitlin,
I don’t mean to scare you, but re: dawn effect, you should follow up with your doctor to see whether you should have a glucose tolerance test. You probably had a similar test to check for gestational diabetes when you were pregnant — you chug some OJ or other sugared drink and they monitor your blood sugar. My dad is a Type I diabetic (although +age 30, usually Type II would be more common) but you should be screened if you have elevated fasting glucose. Of course, DON’T PANIC, mommyhood might have just thrown you out of whack…although I have to admit that reading your blog recently has introduced me to some healthy “convenience” foods from Trader Joe’s I hadn’t noticed there before that just any working woman could use in the repotoire!
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 8:58 pm
  Thank you so much for this comment… I will definitely look into this!
  - Kori October 18, 2012, 10:11 am
    Hi Caitlin,
    
    Sara mentioned her Dad being diagnosed Type 1 in adulthood and this is exactly what happened to me (and my Dad as well). We were both diagnosed with Type 1 at 29, which is often referred to as LADA or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults or Type 1.5, as Type 1 is most commonly associated with a disease that presents in childhood (but clearly, that isn’t always the case). With some routine blood work and a C-Peptide test they should be able to figure out if your pancreas is producing insulin (which would indicate Type 1 or 2, if it is diabetes. Type 1 and there is low production/Type 2 would be producing a lot to cover food due to decreasing insulin sensitivity), but I know many docs won’t order this test until a diabetes diagnosis has been made, so don’t let them jerk you around! A glucose tolerance test may give you some details, but I would ask them for an A1c (measures your average daily blood glucose levels over a 6-12 wk period) as it is a better indicator of the blood sugar “big picture.” If they won’t do this test, you can buy a very reliable version over the counter at Target, just ask the pharmacist to point you in that direction. It’s usually about $30-$40 for a box of two tests. It took my docs 3 months to diagnose me and I went through quite a lot of medical drama (constant recurring infections, irritability, anxiety, etc) before they were able to figure it out even with my family history and obvious signs of LADA. At diagnosis my A1c was 14% which is equal to a 360 avg daily! A non diabetic should register 6% or below (<120 daily avg). If you have any questions from someone who has been there (although I hope it's just a quick dietary shift away from being fixed for you!) I'm happy to offer up any of my experience that may be useful via email!
    
    Take care,
    Kori
    - Caitlin October 18, 2012, 10:25 am
      This was AWESOME info. Thank you so much for this Kori!!!
      - Kori October 18, 2012, 12:18 pm
        You’re very welcome! I’ve learned so much reading your blog over the years, it’s the least I can do to share a little myself!
Kristy October 17, 2012, 10:18 pm
I have mixed feelings about political signs/bumper stickers. I’m all for supporting your candidate but I’m too nervous to post MY candidates sign in the front yard. In such tense times I’m always afraid that some wacko might egg my house or key my car because I have a different viewpoint. However, it does seem like pretty much everyone in my neighborhood is on the same page as I am with the exception of 1 or 2 houses. On my running route the other day (different neighborhood, same page still lol) I saw a house with both a Romney & an Obama sign. That was comical!
- Caitlin October 17, 2012, 10:25 pm
  Haha maybe a husband and a wife support other candidates?
  
  you should never feel nervous about supporting your candidate! it’s your right to freedom of speech. i know what you mean, though.

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