dietary restrictions galore!

tlee85

hi guys,
i've been using mfp for a few months but never posted in the forums. i read them a lot though and you guys seem really helpful so i'm hoping you have some thoughts for me.

i just had my doctor tell me i shouldn't be eating grains. at all. i have type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and celiacs. i had already cut out gluten but now they think i really ought to be limiting all grains. i had been eating a bit of gluten free cereal with a piece of fruit and some coconut milk for breakfast (usually shoot for about 350-400 cals). i love that i can leave it at my desk/in the fridge at work and not prep it in the morning. mornings are horrible, ha ha. without the grains though, i'm lost. here are my food restrictions:

no meat (vegetarian)
no/very limited dairy (i'm somewhat lactose intolerant)
very few eggs (cholesterol. i don't do egg whites because i won't buy them at the store. i only buy local farmers market eggs from farms i know so i can make sure i approve of the treatment of the chickens. i realize you might think this is ridiculous but that's just me )
no gluten: celiacs
no grains: type 1 diabetes
minimal soy: it messes with my thyroid
no time: ahhh! need a quick prep meal. no time for things like smoothies. i also need something i can eat at my desk. i can't eat at home because i have to take some meds that need to absorb for a while before i eat in the morning. so i take them when i wake up and then eat at work.


i was thinking of apples with nut butter. but that's all i have so and it MIGHT get old if i eat it 7 days a week. ha ha. any thoughts? i can figure out lunch and dinner a little easier (salads, curries, veggie burgers w/o buns, etc) but am stuck on breakfast.

thank you!

campi_mama

I often eat an oz of almonds and a small banana...good protein, fats & fiber.

manny_bee

hummus and lettuce?
its just chickpeas, lemon, garlic, and olive oil with lettuce. or with a gluten free bread product

tn2010

Soy or goat milk yogurt?
Cheeses made from nuts (I'm told the almond varieties are good)?
I also have high cholesterol and would like to use local eggs exclusively (doesn't always happen). I find if I hard boil the eggs it's easy and quick to peel and just eat the whites.
Fruit smoothies made with soy or almond milk.

_Jessica_

Ok... so here is my thoughts... and I dont' mean to offend you by any means, but you may want to reconsideder the vegitarian thing if you are so restricted on your intake as it is... YOu are already missing SO much with your restrictions. Otherwise, if you stick with it, I would make sure you get your protien in by loading up on beans and tofu. Eat your green vegies for sure! especially spinich to get your iron that you are missing from red meat... we put spinich in everything... salads, sandwhiches, soups....

I would also invest in a protien powder... I drink optimum nutrition chocolate. If you like coffee... try this: in a blender mix 6 oz of soy milk or almond milk, 1+teaspoon instant coffee, 1 scoop of portein powder and 1/2 cup ice. blend, enjoy... delish and very quick, and great for on the go.. lots of protien and filling and nummy!

OttawaJeannie

I just wanted to point out that you don't have to eat only breakfast foods for breakfast. You can eat anything you want

vibegirl

I have to agree with the the idea of reconsidering easing your non-meat eating concepts. I've been a vegetarian for 15 yrs..no meat or fish. Personal decision..not married to it...lol but it works for me. However I have eased up on the no fish concept over past year and now will eat some fish fairly regularly. Do you eat any fish at all? Also there are stil plenty of veggies and all kinds of recipes to choose from including veggies. As for NO grains. Do YOU agree with that? Have YOU researched the pros and cons of that or what you may be able to consume? I'd talk to a dietician or natural health person for more than one opinion. I never take one persons opinion on anything unless I whole-heartedly agree with it anyway! lol Again..just my 'opinion'! )

tlee85

I have to agree with the the idea of reconsidering easing your non-meat eating concepts. I've been a vegetarian for 15 yrs..no meat or fish. Personal decision..not married to it...lol but it works for me. However I have eased up on the no fish concept over past year and now will eat some fish fairly regularly. Do you eat any fish at all? Also there are stil plenty of veggies and all kinds of recipes to choose from including veggies. As for NO grains. Do YOU agree with that? Have YOU researched the pros and cons of that or what you may be able to consume? I'd talk to a dietician or natural health person for more than one opinion. I never take one persons opinion on anything unless I whole-heartedly agree with it anyway! lol Again..just my 'opinion'! )

ha, no, i DON'T agree with no grains!
i can agree that as a diabetic it might be better for me to try a lower grain-higher protein breakfast and that overall, i shouldn't be eating white rice by the gallon, but i don't know that i believe that i need to cut out all grains. it's hard for me to understand how a cup of quinoa or the occasional slice of gluten free bread is hurting anything. my thought was that i should try to get a plan for eating according to their recommendations for 1-3 months to see how it goes. i've obviously got a lot of medical stuff going on and i'm open to trying new things. but if i'm not seeing big changes in my weight and blood sugar, i think i'd push back pretty hard and/or look for a new doctor who's a bit more grain-friendly.

as for the meat/fish thing...i've always hated fish. even when i wasn't a vegetarian, it always grossed me out big time. i've been trying to decide if i'm willing to give meat a go again in light of how tough it is to figure out what to eat, but i don't know if i can yet. i've just lost the taste for it. anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

MinnieInMaine

Agreed - think about getting a 2nd opinion and or go see a nutritionist. At least the nutritionist should be able to suggest some daily menus for you based on your dietary restrictions.

The only solution to the egg problem I can think of is to use egg beaters. I think they're made with egg whites but the cooked consistency is like a real scrambled egg. Don't take my word for it though, check the label and maybe check with your doc too.

P.S. Just a thought on the fish - I know this sounds odd but one of my friends HATES fish but actually likes sushi. Something about how the oils in the fish convert when they're cooked changing the smell and consistency. Might be worth a try...

tlee85

I would also invest in a protien powder... I drink optimum nutrition chocolate. If you like coffee... try this: in a blender mix 6 oz of soy milk or almond milk, 1+teaspoon instant coffee, 1 scoop of portein powder and 1/2 cup ice. blend, enjoy... delish and very quick, and great for on the go.. lots of protien and filling and nummy!

i LOVE coffee and that sounds delicious!

Cnava01

I would boil some eggs up on Sunday night and bring that to work with you for the week and maybe eat 1 a day with some fruit. You can also get coconut milk yogurt, which is delicious, and eat that with some nuts and fruit.

mgravy

Recently, my doctor told that I'm insulin resistant and damn close to ending up with type 2 diabetes (on top of insanely high cholesterol), so I can sympathize with the dietary restrictions. Luckily, he works with a nutritionist who told me that I don't need to cut out carbs completely, but told me to limit myself to 150g of total carbohydrates a day. I would suggest finding a nutritionist/dietician/etc that can point you in the right direction. I've also been reading a lot of diabetic cooking magazines, cookbooks, and websites and tweaking the recipes so that they are also cholesterol-friendly--you could probably try doing something similar to alter the recipes to fit your specific dietary needs. I've learned that being creative with food really helps when you have a restricted diet. Best of luck.