Marjorie R. Wilcox
Senior member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2007
- Messages
- 661
- Diagnosis
- 10/2007
- Country
- US
- State
- New York
- City
- Richmondville
Rick is a diabetic and has a MND supposed to be ALS...because of his slow progression, we want to think his diet could have something to do with it. He is 63.. has great blood tests except for the CPK, has healed a leg almost lost in an explosion + 8 surgeries as a result, and maintains an A1C of 5 and cholesterol count of 100. His blood pressure is normal. All these things without medication of any kind. Before the diet he was on meds for high blood pressure.
The diet.... He eats protein at every meal and every snack... along with one carb item and any amount of vegs he wants (at least 5 servings a day) He eats 3 fruits a day at meals or with protein as a snack.
The proteins are all kinds of lean meats and fish, dairy products, eggs, nuts and whole grain bread. Legumes would be very good also, but he won't eat them because he doesn't like them. Peanut butter is good too, but without salt or sugar.
He eats potatoes once or twice a day, matching up in proportion with the same amount of protein alongside. Sweet potatoes are good also. If he wants peas or corn, then that is the carb for the meal, and that also must match up in the same way with the protein.
On an empty stomach he has a homemade eggnog or PB on apple, or a handful of nuts, or some cheese, or a glass of milk. As a diabetic he never has a glass of OJ and that's all. He drinks 3/4 cup of OJ a day or has a naval orange with his breakfast with protein.
He never has fruit or juice without protein to match.
He avoids the 4 white poisons.... salt, white flour, pasta, and granulated sugar. Let's talk about each one one at a time.
Salt: no canned or packaged foods or added salt on the table. Nuts are purchased without salt, he doesn't eat chips or salty things. I do put a little in foods.. only sparingly
as I cook them.
White flour: I thicken the gravies with whole wheat flour. I make homemade bread in the breadmaker and have an excellent recipe that also uses shredded wheat bisquits besides the flour. We add raisins and cinnamon and an egg. Rick eats maybe 3 loaves a week (with protein alongside in proportion) All store bought breads are half white flour. If it says enriched or bleached, don't buy it. Corn flour is bad also, as well as cornstarch or other starches.
Pasta is very bad. The semolina is as white flour, and the "colored" kinds make his diabetic numbers go up as well. He eats absolutely no pasta, but I make a stir fry with water chestnuts and all kinds of fresh vegs and put my rich homemade spagetti sauce and cheeses on it instead.... or use spagetti squash. He doesn't eat rice... not even brown.
Granulated sugar: If sugar is in the ingredients before the 6th one listed, he doesn't eat it. He never eats artificial sugars. They make his diabetic numbers go up. I use frozen apple juice concentrate instead of sugar. He loves my homemade banana bread, my whole wheat waffles (we use allfruit jellies melted in the microwave for syrup.) He doesn't eat honey, molasses, or maple syrup because they need insulin to digest just like sugar. He doesn't eat ketchup because of the sugar content The same goes for hotdogs. Look for a brand without. Corn syrup is the 2nd ingredient in most hotdogs. Make your own salad dressings or use oil and vinegar. Mayo is okay..sparingly.
Read your ingredients on things and buy only sugar and white flour free. I make an excellent sausage gravy with unsweetened sausage and whole wheat flour. He eats it on his whole wheat bread with eggs. Anything ending in "ose" is a sugar.
Rick eats a lot of butter. It doesn't seem to affect his cholesterol count.
Say he wants popcorn with parmesan and butter on it. He gets 4 cups of it, but before he eats it, he has to eat 2 boiled eggs, or a cup of cottage cheese, or a chicken breast or 2 slices of roast beef. Two hours later his blood count is wonderful because of the protein. Choose your own protein.
Say Rick wants a snack of my banana bread in the middle of the afternoon. He has to eat a serving of protein first..... and then have one nice sized slice of the b-bread w butter on it.
Doctors have wanted me to publish this diet for all to have...especially diabetics.
Rick doesn't crave. He doesn't have to measure his portions, just make right choices and combinations. He can eat every 2 to 3 hours if he wants, but if he doesn't get to eat because he is busy, he can go say 6 to 8 hours without getting shaky or ravenous.
This diet does go against the usual medical diet that is promoted in the general public. While in the hospital for his surgeries I had to argue with the dietician every day. The surgeon put me totally in charge of Rick's diet even in the hospital because he wanted Rick to maintain his wonderful health and blood counts, and avoid infections. They marveled at how healthy he is... especially controlling the diabetes. ALS is what it is.
At least he has very slow progression.
I have revamped recipes for him to have most everything he liked in the past, including
ice cream. Believe me, he isn't suffering. He eats like a king. We even have a way to make pizza that we all eat because it is so delicious.
You can't entice Rick to cheat on his diet. He knows it does him good to stick to it.
There isn't room here to tell it all. Please ask your questions and I'll be glad to answer.
I don't want to forget seltzers! He drinks no calorie seltzers... one a day... sometimes two. You can buy all different flavors. But don't get mixed up with energy drinks or added mineral drinks... only O calorie seltzers.
He has one on ice anytime of day.
Rick doesn't take any meds, including vitamins. He does need to lose some wgt... and was less in size a year or so ago, but gee, he loves to eat! He is 6"1" and about 245.
The diet.... He eats protein at every meal and every snack... along with one carb item and any amount of vegs he wants (at least 5 servings a day) He eats 3 fruits a day at meals or with protein as a snack.
The proteins are all kinds of lean meats and fish, dairy products, eggs, nuts and whole grain bread. Legumes would be very good also, but he won't eat them because he doesn't like them. Peanut butter is good too, but without salt or sugar.
He eats potatoes once or twice a day, matching up in proportion with the same amount of protein alongside. Sweet potatoes are good also. If he wants peas or corn, then that is the carb for the meal, and that also must match up in the same way with the protein.
On an empty stomach he has a homemade eggnog or PB on apple, or a handful of nuts, or some cheese, or a glass of milk. As a diabetic he never has a glass of OJ and that's all. He drinks 3/4 cup of OJ a day or has a naval orange with his breakfast with protein.
He never has fruit or juice without protein to match.
He avoids the 4 white poisons.... salt, white flour, pasta, and granulated sugar. Let's talk about each one one at a time.
Salt: no canned or packaged foods or added salt on the table. Nuts are purchased without salt, he doesn't eat chips or salty things. I do put a little in foods.. only sparingly
as I cook them.
White flour: I thicken the gravies with whole wheat flour. I make homemade bread in the breadmaker and have an excellent recipe that also uses shredded wheat bisquits besides the flour. We add raisins and cinnamon and an egg. Rick eats maybe 3 loaves a week (with protein alongside in proportion) All store bought breads are half white flour. If it says enriched or bleached, don't buy it. Corn flour is bad also, as well as cornstarch or other starches.
Pasta is very bad. The semolina is as white flour, and the "colored" kinds make his diabetic numbers go up as well. He eats absolutely no pasta, but I make a stir fry with water chestnuts and all kinds of fresh vegs and put my rich homemade spagetti sauce and cheeses on it instead.... or use spagetti squash. He doesn't eat rice... not even brown.
Granulated sugar: If sugar is in the ingredients before the 6th one listed, he doesn't eat it. He never eats artificial sugars. They make his diabetic numbers go up. I use frozen apple juice concentrate instead of sugar. He loves my homemade banana bread, my whole wheat waffles (we use allfruit jellies melted in the microwave for syrup.) He doesn't eat honey, molasses, or maple syrup because they need insulin to digest just like sugar. He doesn't eat ketchup because of the sugar content The same goes for hotdogs. Look for a brand without. Corn syrup is the 2nd ingredient in most hotdogs. Make your own salad dressings or use oil and vinegar. Mayo is okay..sparingly.
Read your ingredients on things and buy only sugar and white flour free. I make an excellent sausage gravy with unsweetened sausage and whole wheat flour. He eats it on his whole wheat bread with eggs. Anything ending in "ose" is a sugar.
Rick eats a lot of butter. It doesn't seem to affect his cholesterol count.
Say he wants popcorn with parmesan and butter on it. He gets 4 cups of it, but before he eats it, he has to eat 2 boiled eggs, or a cup of cottage cheese, or a chicken breast or 2 slices of roast beef. Two hours later his blood count is wonderful because of the protein. Choose your own protein.
Say Rick wants a snack of my banana bread in the middle of the afternoon. He has to eat a serving of protein first..... and then have one nice sized slice of the b-bread w butter on it.
Doctors have wanted me to publish this diet for all to have...especially diabetics.
Rick doesn't crave. He doesn't have to measure his portions, just make right choices and combinations. He can eat every 2 to 3 hours if he wants, but if he doesn't get to eat because he is busy, he can go say 6 to 8 hours without getting shaky or ravenous.
This diet does go against the usual medical diet that is promoted in the general public. While in the hospital for his surgeries I had to argue with the dietician every day. The surgeon put me totally in charge of Rick's diet even in the hospital because he wanted Rick to maintain his wonderful health and blood counts, and avoid infections. They marveled at how healthy he is... especially controlling the diabetes. ALS is what it is.
At least he has very slow progression.
I have revamped recipes for him to have most everything he liked in the past, including
ice cream. Believe me, he isn't suffering. He eats like a king. We even have a way to make pizza that we all eat because it is so delicious.
You can't entice Rick to cheat on his diet. He knows it does him good to stick to it.
There isn't room here to tell it all. Please ask your questions and I'll be glad to answer.
I don't want to forget seltzers! He drinks no calorie seltzers... one a day... sometimes two. You can buy all different flavors. But don't get mixed up with energy drinks or added mineral drinks... only O calorie seltzers.
He has one on ice anytime of day.
Rick doesn't take any meds, including vitamins. He does need to lose some wgt... and was less in size a year or so ago, but gee, he loves to eat! He is 6"1" and about 245.
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