- Food Storage and the Diabetic

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Food Storage and the Diabetic

Every now and then an email comes in with a specific request for information that sets me off searching for answers and it turns into a blog entry. That's how today's message came about.

Here's the core of the email I received:

Do you know any guidelines, website, that talks about storing food if you are a diabetic? ....

And excerpts from my response:

I've haven't found anything that specifically addresses diabetes and food storage. After reading a variety of sites, here's what I think: she could store a variety of beans and whole grains such as hulless barley, bulgur, whole & cracked wheat, kasha, oats (whole or steel-cut not 'rolled', 'quick', or 'instant'), popcorn, quinoa, sorghum, whole rye, triticale, basmati rice, brown rice, and wild rice.

Canned meats, dehydrated or freeze-dried eggs, dehydrated or freeze-dried cottage cheese, canned cheese, canned butter and canned fish. The foregoing protein/fat sources are all good for long-term storage and would make for a more diabetic-friendly menu.

Also, dehydrating and storing a broad cross section of veggies . . .veggies are so good for diabetics. Don't forget you can buy frozen foods that are on sale and dehydrate them - it can dramatically enlarge the variety available to be stored.

And let's not overlook the increased nutritional value of sprouted grains and beans.
There are a number of sites that have glycemic index charts. It would be prudent for her to become familiar with the chart if she isn't already and incorporate into her daily diet those foods which are good for diabetics and also store well.

• http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
• http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/
• http://www.carbs-information.com/gi-diet-whole-grains.htmhttp://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-Canned-Meats%2C-Cheese-%26-Butter/Categories
• http://www.homegrownharvest.com/

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In the search for long-term storage foods suitable for diabetics I came across a few tidbits that might prove useful to some of you. Even if you don't need this information perhaps you know someone who does, and let's remember, people with hyper- or hypoglycemia will also benefit from paying attention to the types of food that impact blood sugar levels.

A number of people with special needs are discouraged about food storage before they even begin; let's see if we can change that.

What follows is a cross section of promising odds and ends for people dealing with blood sugar issues.

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Glycemic Index (GI) Food
and Specialized Food Storage

Grains on a Healthy GI Diet

Most whole grains have a low GI value as their natural fiber and germ are still intact, thus making it difficult for digestive enzymes to break it down into glucose. Whole grains consist of the entire grain seed (the kernel) which is made of three components - the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. However, refining and food processing techniques applied to whole grain foods in order to make them "quick cook" or "instant" varieties can raise their GI value considerably, as it strips away much of their fiber and converts them into refined grains. So, as a rule of thumb, the best grains for a healthy GI diet plan are those that take longer to cook. This is the cost of achieving healthy blood glucose levels.

GI Diet Advice on Eating Grains

To maintain stable blood glucose levels and healthy diet nutrition, choose unrefined whole grains high in fiber. See below for specific GI diet advice about grain foods.

Best Grains To Eat on a Healthy GI Diet Program

Foods with a lower glycemic response in the grains/rice food group include:

Barley, buckwheat, bulgur, whole-grain corn, cracked wheat, kasha, whole oats/oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, sorghum, whole rye, triticale, basmati rice, brown rice, wild rice.

Types of Grain To Avoid on a GI Diet Program

Foods in the grains/rice food group which raise blood glucose levels more rapidly, include:

Couscous, grits, millet, semolina, any instant rice, short-grain rice, sticky rice, regular white rice.

Relevant Links

http://www.carbs-information.com/gi-diet-whole-grains.htm

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/

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The following excerpts come from MyDiabetesCentral.com

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/

by David Mendosa

Lately I have been eating a lot of beans. They are an almost perfect food for people with diabetes, because they have a lot of protein and so little effect on our blood glucose level.

But beans aren’t perfect because the protein they have is incomplete. They lack some essential amino acids.

Eating some grain with the beans gives that perfect balance. If you have diabetes, the only problem is to decide what is the best grain.

That best way to get that grain certainly has to be a certain form of barley. That’s partly because barley has by far the lowest glycemic index of any grain ever tested. Barley has half the glycemic index of the grain that we eat the most, wheat. Researchers have tested barley in five separate studies and came out with an average of 21 on the index where glucose is 100. That means we can eat twice as much barley as whole wheat kernels and five times as much barley as glucose for the same increase in our blood glucose.

Barley is also a great source of fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium. Like oats, it is an excellent source of soluble fiber, which probably helps to lower cholesterol levels.

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Stevia, the Glycemic-Friendly Sweetener

There are those who want something sweet every now and then but hesitate due to health concerns. There is a natural, zero calorie alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners . . .Stevia.

Here are some extracts from what Azure Standard's* website has to say about Stevia http://www.azurestandard.com/product.php?id=SW076:

Steviosides are the sweet glycoside constituents of the stevia leaf. They are 250-300 times sweeter than sugar but contain no calories. Research indicates that Stevioside may be used by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. Stevioside has been approved for sale in the United States only as a dietary supplement. . . .

Stevia is a small green plant native to Paraguay, which bears leaves that have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. . . .

Because the human body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the leaf or any of its processed forms, the body obtains no calories, from Stevia. Processed forms of pure Stevia can be 70-400 times sweeter than sugar. Whether these products are called Stevia, Steviosides, Stevia Extract, or Stevia Concentrate, if they are in their pure form, they do not adversely affect blood glucose levels and may be used freely by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. For people with blood sugar, blood pressure, energy or weight problems, Stevia is the desirable sweetener.

In all of its current forms, Stevia has a taste unique to itself. Along with its sweetness there is also a bitter component. The poorer the quality of the leaf the more bitterness is evident in the taste. Unlike artificial sweeteners, the sweet glycosides do not break down in heat, so that makes Stevia an excellent sweetener for cooking and baking. Since 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon replaces a full cup of sugar, applesauce or [something] similar should be used as a bulking agent.

Here's a bottle of Stevia I bought from Trader Joe's along with the 1/16th teaspoon scoop that comes inside. I've placed it next to a dime for size comparison. One scoop of Stevia equals about two teaspoons of sugar. The bottle contains 1120 one-scoop servings and cost just under $10.

Our family has used Stevia for years and it's the primary sweetener in our home.

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*You do have an Azure Standard account, don't you?!

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Stevia - Let's Grow Our Own!

Now that's an intriguing idea! Just a little looking around turned several sources of heirloom seeds.
http://stevia.homestead.com/grow.html
http://www.cherrygal.com/herb-stevia-heirloom-seeds-2010-p-5137.html

According to the suppliers these subtropical plants can be grown year round indoors.

What a great preparedness project for the coming year.

Here's a site that tells how to grow and harvest the Stevia leaves. http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm

Information on using the ground leaves as a sweetener is available here: http://stevia.homestead.com/recipes.html

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Elder Merrill J. Bateman

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

The physical body is one of the great gifts of mortality. The scriptures teach that the body is not only important for this life but also for eternity. During mortality the body can be a temple of God in that it may house the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit leads one to the celestial kingdom. The body is so important in the eternities that Christ gave His life to overcome physical as well as spiritual death. In so doing, He made possible a resurrection for everyone.

CES Fireside for Young Adults • March 5, 2006 • Brigham Young University

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