Need to eat more, but I can't eat anything.

[paquerette]

I am just so depressed about the whole food issue, and it keeps getting worse.

First, I very slightly failed the 1 hr. glucose test, and refuse the 3 hr, so I was told to eat an extremely strict low carb diet. I stuck to that for a little while, but found while doing glucose monitoring that my sugars were extremely low, and I had zero energy, was confused, dizzy, short of breath, etc. I increased things to my comfort level.

At the same time, I started eliminating wheat. I have suspected it being a problem for a while, and that had just been getting worse. I also saw that it was one of the factors causing some glucose spikes. I have had a few slips but over the past month have been mostly off it.

Last night's prenatal, I had ketones for the third time in a row. The first time, I'd been fasting for the 1 hr so you would expect to see them then. The second time, I'd just gotten the news about failing the 1 hr. and had been probably eating less in those few days. But yesterday I ate pretty normally all day, prenatal was at 7 pm. The only issues could be that I was slightly dehydrated (can't make the drive over there if I'm not!) and that I'd been sick to my stomach that afternoon and thrown up a little, but I bounced right back after that and I don't think I was deficient on food intake because of it.

So anyway, the strategy now is to try for a week to eat a LOT of food, and drink a LOT of water, and see how urine looks next Wed. Only, I'm kind of running out of things to eat! I've mostly been leaning on dairy (cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt) and meat and canned beans and some vegetables, which I really have to force myself to eat. Potato chips and corn chips, grits, millet. Some fruit. We have lousy availability of produce around here. And I'm a lousy cook. Everything is boring. All I can think about is chocolate and cinnamon rolls and Stove Top. Nothing I cook seems to have any flavor; I have no idea how to combine things in any interesting way or use spices. I used to know this stuff but I dunno if it's depression or what. And losing wheat as an option seems to have been the worst, there are so many things I can't make now. Oh, also we're broke so I can't be buying $4/box pastas or anything like that. I think I'm stuck with boring boiled grains.

[ChristieB]

I'm sorry, that's a lot to take in, especially during late pregnancy.

If you are wheat sensitive, it makes perfect sense that it would cause BG spikes. Ds has diabetes, and celiac, and we can always tell when he eats a food he's sensitive to, or when he has a gluten exposure. I'm impressed that you saw that in yourself! Good for you! Look for other foods that might be causing BG problems (they don't have to be carbs, anything you're sensitive to could do it - one of ds' worst offenders is lamb, of all things .

As for what to eat, I know having restrictions can throw you for a loop. And you haven't been eliminating wheat for very long, so there's probably still an addiction giving you problems. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but if you haven't already, you might want to try eliminating all gluten, and see if that helps.

If you're having ketones in the urine, it may be that you're not getting enough carb. I would cautiously increase your carb (while tracking your BG). It sounds like that may be your plan. Pay attention to what looks/sounds good to you, in terms quantity of carb. And make sure you're getting enough fat, too (get some butter if you can!). That should help you regulate better.

How about smoothies? If you can't find good fresh fruit, use frozen.

How about roasted chicken? You can put it on a bed of veggies (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, other roots). Salt it all to taste when you serve it. IMO there is little more flavorful than veggies roasted with chicken. To help in the flavor department, I stuff the bird with onion, garlic, and celery. If I have it, I also stuff with fresh sage or rosemary. I sprinkle salt over the whole affair. And ds likes smoked paprika sprinkled over the chicken, but any spices you like would be fine.

When we have burgers, we skip the buns. I caramelize some onions and we pile those on top. Sometimes with salsa and/or guacamole, or ketchup and mustard, or tomato and avocado slices. Sometimes I make pesto to top them with. But always the caramelized onions (ds would revolt if I skipped those!). We don't miss the buns at all! Ds eats the burgers with his fingers, but dh and I use a fork . Homemade pickles are good with them, too, or cortido or sauerkraut. I often grill some potatoes and/or sweet potatoes along with the burgers. If you don't have a grill, you can roast them in the oven.

Another favorite is taco salad. I cook up the ground meat with spices. I add cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. If I have it, I add some ground chipotle, too. We used to start off with crumbled corn chips, but ds can't tolerate corn now. My uncle uses rice, but we don't use any grain (we are grain free for the time being). Then comes the meat, and or beans. Then the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and grated carrots. Then you can put grated cheese, olives, sour cream, guacamole, whatever you have/want. I like to put an oil and vinegar dressing on, too, to moisten things up.

I'm sure there are other things, I just can't think of them ATM. I'm sure others will have ideas, too.

I took soooo long to post this (many, many interruptions ) that I apologize if someone else responded before me and I'm repeating something.

[ChristieB]

Oh yeah, what about eggs? Are they OK? To make those more interesting, you could make them into a frittata. Or add a raw egg or two to your smoothies. Or you could make custard. Yum.

You could also make chicken salad. Or the same kind of thing out of roast beef. I add plenty of veggies to mine. Peppers, grated carrot, chopped up LF pickles (this is what I meant by homemade pickles in my previous post), radishes, whatever. And I serve it with tomato wedges on a bed of lettuce. You could serve it with rice crackers, too, if you have them, but they're not necessary. Slivered almonds are nice sprinkled on top, or some other nut.

[Ruthla]

I'm not personally convinced that ketones are so dangerous, pg or not. We've had discussions like this on a low-carb forum I frequent, about how there are 2 different kinds of ketones, indistinguishable by those cheap urine tests; one of which is dangerous and the other is perfectly safe and expected when you're relying on fats and protein, rather than carbs, for energy.

Anyway, back to your menu planning woes: so for now you're just eliminating wheat? Or all gluten? What kinds of foods do you already have in the house that you can work with? Any rice flour or corn meal?

[paquerette]

Thanks.

I think by default I'm eliminating all gluten. I haven't had any barley or rye or oats that weren't steel cut in a while anyway, nevermind all the unusual wheat cousins. Perhaps when I'm not dealing with pg or newborn I'll try to figure out better.

I just acquired brown rice flour and buckwheat flour. I have grits but no cornmeal or flour. I have quinoa and millet and brown rice. I think that's it for grainy things. I think it will be better when I can get to a better store and get some pre-mixed flour blends.

Eggs are okay, they've just been boring with no toast. It's also been hard to think of things like tuna salad or chicken salad without it being a sandwich. I think I might have to get some rice crackers!

There's a lot of stuff that DH can't eat (onion, tomato, bell or spicy peppers, eggplant) but I think he can fend for himself for a while. I can't even think about making a meal that the whole family can eat now!

[Shazer]

Hmm, so your hubby can't have nightshade family veggies and onions. You can't have gluten. Here are my ideas to help you both out:

Popcorn loaded with butter is a good snack. Throw in some nuts or seeds and you have a highly nutritious pick-me-up.

Nut butters are an excellent fill-me-up, especially if you have them with fruit like apples or bananas. My personal favorite is almond butter.

Make yourself some trail mix of dried nuts and dried fruits. Eat it like cereal if you are desperate for something crunchy.

Avocados are excellent. Mush one and mix with sour cream. Put cheese on top of that.

Keep hard boiled eggs on hand. Mix with olive oil or a good mayo and mustard. Sprinkle some paprika and black pepper on that.

Have you thought about investing in Nourishing Traditions? If you're not good with cooking or being creative, perhaps you can just follow some of the simple meat recipes in there.

Last winter when I could eat no dairy, no grains, no tomatoes, and there were a few other foods I couldn't eat because of food sensitivities in my nursling, I survived on smoothies, fruits, egg custards, lots of meats (usually prepared very simply), limited nuts, salads, and homemade soups (chicken stock, veggies), and butter on everything.

From Dec-April (?), there were grain-free threads with some great recipes. Some people really got into using coconut flour to make muffins and breads. There are quite a lot of us here who are wheat, gluten, or completely grain-free so I hope we can help you.

Let us know if you need more ideas . . .

[damona]

buckwheat pancakes? cornbread? um... rice crackers with cheese or peanut butter? corn or tortilla chips with chili? corn tortillas with beans and meat? potato chips with salsa? i'm just tossing ideas out there, i'm sure you've thought of most of these things already...

i know how much it stinks to try to eliminate things while you are pg, we started ds #3 on a gfcf diet when i was pg with #4 and i couldn't think of a thing i wanted to eat that was on the diet!

you can do a lot with good old rice, white or brown. cook it in chicken broth, add some frozen corn and salt and butter. or toss in a can of red beans and some chili powder. um... brown rice with black beans is good. if you can still do dairy you have a ton of cheese options... rice with parmesan is good! if you use broth (chicken, beef, vegetable) instead of water to cook the rice you add flavor right there.

most herb jars have a few ideas on the sides of things you can put them in, or just try experimenting. i add basil and marjoram to pasta sauce, tarragon to chicken soup, bay leaves with roasted meats and veggies as well as soups and stews. garlic can go in just about everything. if you get one of those salt free seasoning blends, you can just toss a teaspoon or so into pretty much everything. don't be afraid to experiment, either.

cooked carrots are good with a sprinkle of cayenne, a tsp of dried marjoram and a bit of honey or maple syrup. i discovered that one just by saying "let's see what happens if i add this..." i do a lot of cooking that way.

my best friend had gd and she ate a lot of beef jerky!

i hope these ideas help you a bit, feel free to ask questions if you need more ideas!

[cristeen]

Wait a minute... you're told to follow a strict LC diet and then your MW is shocked and surprised that you're throwing ketones? That makes no sense whatsoever...

The main thing to keep in mind is that if you're going to eat a portion of carbs (grain, fruit, potato, whatever), then you need to be sure that you're eating an equivalent amount of fat/protein in order to prevent the problems. If you want an apple, eat an apple, but have a hunk of cheese with it (or some nuts, or a glass of whole milk, or some peanut butter, etc.), don't eat *just* an apple.

The hardest part of making this change is in wrapping your brain around it. What is usually the easiest thing to do is plan your meals for a while, until you get accustomed to the change. Also remember to plan more than 3 of them, as it's better for your blood sugar to be eating numerous small meals throughout the day than just a couple bigger ones. I would recommend staying away from the specialty foods (specialty flours, flour blends) for a while, stick to whole foods, and let your body adjust to the change, which can take 2 weeks of strict adherence.

Some ideas of meals:
A baked potato with butter, sour cream, bacon, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli, onion, etc. Or you can top it with chili, cheese, sour cream, onions.
Roast a chicken (whole or pieces), and mash some sweet potatoes with lots of butter and whole milk.
How about tacos... make some rice, some refried beans (fry in bacon grease if you have it, top with cheese), some ground beef with spices, top your tacos with cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, serve them in corn tortillas.
A chicken quesadilla (chicken, cheese in a corn tortilla) is quick and easy if you just need a mid-day snack.

If you can handle any kind of salad, whether it's a green salad, a cucumber salad, a tomato salad, any kind of veggies that you can stomach... eat a small portion of it. You don't have to eat a lot of it, but even 1/4 cup of veggies helps. And if all you can stomach is pickles, or salsa, or whatever else it might be, go ahead and get some veggies in that way.

For breakfast, some other ways to use eggs...
Omelets
Scrambled with whatever is in the veggie drawer, top with cheese
Egg custards (egg, milk, fruit, honey, baked... I make these on the weekend for weekday breakfasts)
Egg muffins - chop up some meat and veggies, drop in each hole of a muffin tin (grease really well if you're using metal, don't use papers), top with either a whole egg or a scrambled egg (1 per muffin), maybe some cheese, bake. I make these on the weekend for weekday breakfasts, too.

HTH

[ChristieB]

It does sound like you're gluten free, aside from the possible contamination in the oats. That's good!

For eggs without toast, I serve my fried eggs over refried beans (made with ghee, for me, but you could use any fat you prefer). I usually do that with scrambled, too. And I often serve them with salsa and avocado. You could try the eggs on a baked potato. I tried it but it was NOT what I thought it would be like, and I prefer the beans, hands down.

Or, like I said, I make a frittata. It's much like the egg muffins Cristeen mentioned.

If you're really wanting baked products, you could use your brown rice flour as a straight substitute for wheat flour in some recipes. I used to do that, and it worked in muffins and pancakes. Sometimes the batter looked dry, so I'd add a small amount of water. If the buckwheat flour is the dark toasted buckwheat, then I'd mix it with the rice. But if it's light colored and "raw", then you can use it straight. That's my favorite for pancakes, actually.

I agree with Cristeen, though, that sticking to whole foods for awhile is very helpful. But I also understand how hard this all must be while pregnant.

Another meal I thought of that I really liked while pg was baked potato with butter and salt, and topped with ground beef (seasoned like I mentioned in my earlier post), black beans, salsa, sour cream/yogurt/guacamole. Any time I eat a baked potato, I try to keep the potato on the small side and then heap it with toppings. My blood sugar stays more stable that way (I don't have diabetes, but I do have blood sugar issues).

People have had a lot of ideas here. I hope some of them sound good to you, and you can start feeling better about eating.

[Merf]

"Eggs are okay, they've just been boring with no toast. It's also been hard to think of things like tuna salad or chicken salad without it being a sandwich. I think I might have to get some rice crackers!"

You could wrap these with a crisp lettuce leaf for a similar idea.

[cristeen]

For eggs without toast, how about hash browns? Would that satisfy the texture craving? I usually take one small potato (size of 1 1/2-2 golf balls), shred it, and spread it out into my preheated cast iron skillet (6") with coconut oil. Let it cook until it's dark brown on that side, then flip the whole thing over like a pancake, add more oil if needed, and let it cook until dark brown on that side. It's nice and crispy and crunchy, and can really help with texture cravings IME. Top it with scrambled eggs or corned beef hash or use it as a base for eggs benedict (ham, eggs, hollandaise sauce).

[ChristieB]

Why didn't I think of that?! I make hash browns the same way, and they are so nice and crispy. They'd be great with chicken or tuna salad, too (and cheaper than rice crackers). I'll have to try that here with our chicken salad. I'm sure everyone will love it.

The only thing I'll caution about is over-cooking the hash browns. I go for a medium brown. Our family finds the darker ones too bitter (except dh - he likes them any way I make them ).

[Staciemao]

I threw ketones throughout both of my easy, uneventful pregnancies. Both my children are fine and both of my midwives were completely unworried. But I, like you, eat a diet fairly low in carbohydrates. As far as I know, a few ketones in the urine only means that your body is burning protein or fat for energy instead of carbs.

No biggie. One of my midwives suggested eating a piece of whole-grain toast a couple times a day if I felt like I needed it. I almost never did.

[paquerette]

Things are looking better. I got ketosticks and had trace, trace, negative, negative the last four days. I think it's just always been a bad time for me when I've had my last 3 prenatals.

I made some yummy soup the other night with chicken bone broth, black beans, and a frozen veggie mix, and last night I did hungarian goulash with buckwheat kasha. I had a hard time using brown rice as a thickener for the goulash; it thickens a lot more than wheat I guess.

Hash browns sound good! I bought potatoes but left them in the car so they're at work with DH right now.

[WuWei]

Eat almonds, first thing in the morning helps to regulate blood sugar all day. http://www.umdnj.edu/umcweb/marketin...fall2006/6.htm


Pat

[ChristieB]

Originally Posted by paquerette

Things are looking better. I got ketosticks and had trace, trace, negative, negative the last four days. I think it's just always been a bad time for me when I've had my last 3 prenatals.

I made some yummy soup the other night with chicken bone broth, black beans, and a frozen veggie mix, and last night I did hungarian goulash with buckwheat kasha. I had a hard time using brown rice as a thickener for the goulash; it thickens a lot more than wheat I guess.

Hash browns sound good! I bought potatoes but left them in the car so they're at work with DH right now.

I'm so glad you're feeling better about things. And it sounds like you're enjoying your food. I think that's important.

Yes, I think that brown rice flour is a great thickener (better than wheat, IMO), but I guess it does take some getting used to.

How are your blood sugars? Are they staying good with the increased carb intake? I strongly mistrust GTTs. During this last pg, my midwife's back-up dr. decided my belly was too big , and since I hadn't taken the GTT, and my fasting BGs were slightly high, 95-110, (daytime numbers couldn't have been better, though), he decided that I "likely" had GD. It caused me sooo much stress! Totally unnecessary, too.

I talked to a diabetes educator we know, and while she initially added to my stress, she helped eleviate my fears in the end (not her intention, but hey). She thought I should take insulin to lower the fasting numbers! I'm very familiar with insulin, ds has diabetes, and any amount of added insulin would have resulted in my having low blood sugars. My family doc concurred, and felt that giving me insulin would be dangerous. Anyway, this diabetes educator told me that she felt every pg woman had GD. And that the baby's growth hormones lead to some insulin resistence in the mom, especially during the early morning hours (2am-6am, or something like that). So when I told my midwife that, she said that means to her that it's perfectly normal and not a disease state at all. I totally agree with her. IMO (I'm not a medical professional, though, so take with a grain of salt ), if a pg woman's BGs are basically good, with a few off numbers here and there (fasting more than daytime), then don't worry. The stress is likely worse for you than the occasional highish fasting number.

FWIW, ds was born 5 days after his due date, at 8 lbs. 4 oz. Came out easily, only a minor tear that healed on its own by the following day. The dr. thought I should start trying natural induction methods at 38 wks. for fear of a large baby that would cause undue tearing (this dr. delivered ds1, and there was major tearing that almost required reconstructive surgery - so he was very concerned about tearing this time around - but ds1 was induced).

Anyway, a long story to say don't worry unduly. Enjoy your pregnancy and enjoy your food, knowing that it is nourishing you!

Originally Posted by WuWei

Eat almonds, first thing in the morning helps to regulate blood sugar all day. http://www.umdnj.edu/umcweb/marketin...fall2006/6.htm


Pat

Do you have a link to the study results? This article just tells about the study.

In the UMDNJ almond study, half of the participants are consuming almonds daily while on a calorie-controlled diet, the other half on a similar calorie-controlled diet without nuts. Participants in the almond group are consuming 20 percent of their daily energy needs from almonds, which is 1.5 to 2 ounces per day (35-46 almonds) for females and 2 to 3 ounces per day (46-69 almonds) for males. “Almonds have a favorable composition,” Wien explains. Not only are almonds rich in healthful monounsaturated fat, they are a good source of vitamin E, fiber, magnesium and antioxidants. “We want to focus on the quality of the calories that persons with prediabetes are consuming in addition to the quantity.” Preliminary results of the UMDNJ almond study will be released in Spring 2007.

No conclusions about whether the almonds help, though. I'd be interested in the results.

[WuWei]

Per my quick goggling, I couldn't locate a link to the study.


Pat

[mlec]

Originally Posted by paquerette

I've mostly been leaning on dairy (cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt) and meat and canned beans and some vegetables, which I really have to force myself to eat... Everything is boring. All I can think about is chocolate and cinnamon rolls and Stove Top. Nothing I cook seems to have any flavor

This might not have anything to do w/ you...BUT when I read the above words from your post they made me think of the paragraph I just read from The Mood Cure earlier tonight. Basically it said if you don't like to eat vegetables, and if you especially like a strong sweet or spicy flavor, you're probably zinc deficient. Boosting your zinc thru supplements to a good level benefits your thyroid, reproductive, and immune systems and you will have a much more sensitive sense of taste. It's p. 156 in case anyone is interested...