Gettin' by with a Little Help From my Fiber
by Elizabeth "BJ" Woolley (03-02-2002)

Having trouble eating right - especially now that the baby has taken over your life? Read about how I've tried to get more fiber into my diet.

After the birth of my adorable little baby boy, it became harder to control my blood glucose levels. It was hard enough getting up everyday and making sure he was fed, watered, changed, clean, happy, rested, played with etc. During my pregnancy, I had maintained excellent control of my levels. In fact, lab tests showed that I averaged levels on the low end of the spectrum. I felt sure that since I had learned to control my levels while I was pregnant, it would be a cinch to keep doing it for the rest of my life. I have now learned that is easier said than done. While I was waddling around, I sure had a lot more time to plan and prepare my meals. I had the luxury of being able to pull out a book, sit down, and evaluate the nutritional value of not only that meal but for my day overall (while sipping on a nice glass of iced tea no less - ah, those were the days!).

OK, lets fast-forward to the present. First thing in the morning I get up and try to rake a comb through my hair and go potty as fast as I can. I put my cute 10-month-old down to play in hopes that he will entertain himself for a bit so I can accomplish something (anything!). Instead, he wants to be held and entertained. Next I strap him into the high chair and place little finger foods on the tray in an attempt to keep him entertained while I make our separate breakfasts. I start my egg cooking, mix up his cereal and pick out some soft fruit for him. This is usually the moment my son has had his fill with the high chair. Now he is kicking, screaming, and crying. I do anything I can to prevent a meltdown and keep him happy until I can get his food to him. I dance, make goofy faces, sing songs. Now his food has become the number one priority. I fix it and feed him. When he's done, I have to take him out of the chair immediately or he'll get too upset to play or nap. In the meantime, my poor little egg has gotten cold and shriveled in the pan.

I am still hungry so while I am (1) cleaning off the baby, (2) cleaning up his dishes, (3) cleaning off the high chair, (4) watching and entertaining the baby, (5) etc., etc., I am cramming whatever I happen to pass that is edible into my mouth. Many times my meals are what have fallen and are left over in the high chair. My breakfasts usually consist of an assortment of leftover veggie or fruit purees, cheerios, chips, graham crackers, dinner leftovers that taste decent cold, and sometimes a cold little shriveled up egg. Somewhere in there I was supposed to check my sugar and take my insulin. In case you are wondering, yes, I do have a husband (and he even works at home), but many times he works from the moment he wakes till bedtime.

A few weeks ago, I decided that since I don't realistically have time to plan like I did before, I was going to make sure that most of the foods that do make it into my mouth are full of nutrition and would actually help lower and stabilize my blood sugars. I also decided to start using my crock-pot for simple recipes that would keep well so I can stock ready-made food in the fridge for easy access. I started to consciously replace what I was currently eating with high-fiber foods and get more good-quality fruits, vegetables, and beans in my diet.

I have been putting an extra emphasis on fiber in my life. I can't stress how important fiber is. Fiber should be a whole new food group! Fiber not only slows glucose absorption, it lowers cholesterol, regulates bowel movements, and reduces the risk of colon cancer, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and appendicitis. There are two types of fiber (soluble and insoluble), and you should get a fair amount of both. Soluble fiber foods include fruit, beans, oats, barley, rye, seeds, and vegetables. Insoluble fiber foods include brown rice, wheat bran, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

The recommended daily value for fiber is 25-30 grams of fiber, dependent on how many calories are in your diet. To many nutritionists, this figure is too low and they agree more with the World Health Organization's recommendation of a daily intake of 27 to 40 grams of fiber. In the US, the average person takes in about 14 to 15 grams of fiber. This is too low!
Since I've been paying more attention, my glucose levels are getting better and I feel so much better. I notice I have more energy and actually feel younger. I've even lost a couple pounds in the past two weeks.

While researching good-quality, high-fiber foods, I ran across a website for Native Seeds/SEARCH which is located in the town I live in (Tucson, AZ). They are a non-profit seed conservation organization dedicated to conserving traditional agricultural crops of the southwestern US and northern Mexico. The crops in their food bank are the "result of generations of indigenous peoples' knowledge and efforts, a legacy from dozens of native cultures." Because studies have shown that the traditional desert foods of the O'odham people help control diabetes, they established a program called the Diabetes Project. This project promotes use of traditional foods from native beans to prickly pear cactus pads and fruit to modern substitutes. They offer an info packet, recipes, videotapes, etc. You can order foods and books online. You can even order seeds if you want to try your hand at growing them fresh. This program is aimed at all diabetics regardless of heritage.

I visited their store recently and purchased some beans, mesquite meal, soup mix, and the diabetes packet. The diabetes packet was $5 and is basically a collection of articles on the subject and some history and recipes. Last night I made their Southwest Heritage Bean Soup Mix. It is a 1-lb mixture of native beans, barley, lentils, and split peas. Mexican oregano, a small dry red pepper, and a bay leaf are included. You add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stewed tomatoes, chile powder, lemon juice, and parsley. Instead of following the directions to a "T," I just threw everything in the crock-pot (FYI: Soaking beans and draining out the soaking water helps reduce gaseous side effects). I also added garlic salt, onion powder, and a little of Emeril's Essence spice. By lunchtime, I had a really yummy soup. I threw it in a mug and that made it a really portable meal. The mix made a lot of soup, approximately 10-12 servings, which will last my hubby and I a few days. I realized the flavor was reminiscent of the mulligatawny soup made in Al's International Soup Kitchen in New York (the soup nazi to you Seinfeld fans). I experimented by adding a mixed nut and dry fruit mixture I had on hand (peanuts, almonds, orange-flavored and regular cranberries, bananas, apricots, raisins, etc.). I also added a couple cups of cooked rice. Surprisingly it tasted a lot like Al's soup, just needs some tweaking. Even more surprising is that although I had eaten a couple bowls of the stuff at lunch, I actually had a low blood sugar reaction close to dinner which, to tell you the truth, hadn't happened since I was pregnant. Was it due to the soup? Who knows? I can only offer you anecdotal evidence, but I think it helped!

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