Starbucks, given its almost McDonalds-ian views on efficiency and low Cost of Goods Sold, does work a bit more “backhanded” than other coffee chains. To elaborate, Starbucks is all about making you pay more for the “experience” of the sit-down area (despite how most of them are tiny), and the “convenience” of the drive-thru (also despite the fact that there are usually 5 SUV’s in line).* In addition, Starbucks has tried to make what they have to purchase to make coffee as cheap as possible.

One example of this is their chocolate syrup: Starbucks employs “sugar-free” syrup (think sugar-free pudding, essentially), for their hot chocolates and mochas. From there they add vanilla syrup to the mix as a “sweetener”. Other places will use either Hersheys or CocoRico brand pre-sweetened chocolate syrup.

In essence, my point is that counting carbs is much harder to do with coffee (and alcohol), as there are many ways to customize your beverage.

The Starbucks Web site lists their flavored syrups under one nutritional fact chart. There is nothing remarkable about it, save the fact that each “flavor pump” contains five grams of carbs and sugar.

In the “Starbucksian” language, tall (small) drinks contain TWO flavor pumps, grande (medium) drinks contain THREE flavor pumps, and venti (from venti, the number “20” in Italian, as in 20 oz.  [large]) drinks have FOUR flavor pumps: the “fixings” for a large vanilla latte include TWENTY grams of both carbs and sugar. This is before you add in the carbs from the milk.

Using our Vanilla Latte as an example (as it’s simple: Espresso, steamed milk, vanilla syrup), we’re looking at the following for a large/venti:

And THEN we may add on the carbs from any sweeteners or powders we use. Now makes that morning run seem less thrilling, doesn’t it?

So you then ask, “What can I do?”

If you’re like me, and argue with your doctors that there is too much blood in your caffeine system, go for a medium (grande) latte, (18 grams of carbs, 17 grams of sugar). From there, take your cup to the “fixing station” and put in a few dashes of cinnamon, vanilla or chocolate. Unless you’re going heavy-handed, you should be under 20 grams of each, which leaves you anywhere between 10-20 grams of carbs for a sensible breakfast.

YOU ALSO GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE. STARBUCKS ONLY USES TWO SHOTS OF ESPRESSO FOR BOTH MEDIUM AND LARGE DRINKS.

*No, I don’t have a personal vendetta against Starbucks. I’m more against their marketing and pricing, and the apparent mind-numbing that occurs when any customer steps foot into one.

** The same information can be used at any Barnes & Noble Cafe (BN is licensed to use Starbucks’ coffee and methods). I also assume this same “counting” method can work at any Seattle’s Best (also owned by Starbucks)

*** In full disclosure, I’ve worked at a Panera and a Barnes & Noble.

While a Coca-Cola product, (editorial note: I prefer Pepsi, but to each their own!) Truvia is much closer to a sugar than Pepsi’s version, Purevia. It is sold in 20 and 40 count boxes. You can find this at most chain stores and Wal Mart. At this time, there are no plans for a granulated bag (like Splenda’s baking bag).

Truvia is a stevia based sweetener, made from the stevia plant, but doesn’t measure teaspon-to-teaspoon to sugar (like most sweeteners). Below is a table based from the Truvia Web site.

Unlike Splenda’s chemical aftertaste, Truvia has a more “herbal” aftertaste (most refer to it as like “licorice”). I find that in my coffee, two packages should

work to make even the most Starschmuckian of coffees taste okay.

Taking from WebMD’s article on Truvia, “Those studies, published in the advance online edition of Food and Chemical Toxicology, show no signs of the possible health issues — such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and reproductive effects — that have been noted in some, but not all stevia studies done mainly on animals.”

Further, “In the Cargill and Coca-Cola funded studies, Truvia didn’t affect blood pressure in healthy people or blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Further tests in rats show no effects on reproduction, fertility, or other health problems.”

Truvia’s contents include erythritol (a fruit-based sweetener found in pears and grapes [the latter of which, has been found to help diabetics when made into red wine]), rebiana and “natural flavors”.

Truvia also is used in a Truvia-based dark chocolate.

My rating: Five Stars out of Five!

Picture taken from fitsugar.com

Splenda

I apologize for the lapse in posting, but I’m trying to figure out the logistics for a taste test for sweeteners. In the interim, I will be blogging about specific sweeteners.

Splenda, those little yellow sweeteners popping up next to the blue and pink packets in restaurants, is a low-calorie (according to the FDA, a “no calorie”) sweetener, is the second-newest fad in diabetic sweetening. Splenda kicked Equal’s reign as the top artificial sweetener.

Splenda comes in a number of sizes, from single-serving size found in restaurants, to large bags for baking purposes. It is a sucralose brand (and therefore does contain dextrin and/or maltodextrin). It is said to be 600 times sweeter than regular sugar.

While Splenda’s label is essentially zero (with carbs having, “less than 1g”), the FDA has said any food having less than 5 calories can be labeled “calorie free” (technically, the maltodextrin and dextrose have about 3 grams of calories per serving).

Splenda & Daily Life

(In light of full disclosure, I haven;t baked with Splenda, yet.)

Splenda is a great substitute, granted the user knows what they’re getting into. As Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar, less is more. Having too much Splenda can lead to a very “artificial” or “chemical” aftertaste. Coming from someone who would put near 6 or 7 sugar packets in a medium latte, I go with about .5 to 1 packet of Splenda.

Splenda, as with most artificial sweeteners, doesn’t mix well with cold products. I haven;t found anything that does, so it isn’t a bad thing for me.

The cons…

As I’m not a medical expert, please take the following with a grain of salt.

After eating too much Splenda (my limit ranges from one packet, to three and up), I have fallen ill to “Splenda Sickness“. Splenda sickness is essentially gas/bloating/diarrhea (go go pepto bismol.. if only the pink stuff could help!) amplified to an extreme (no, the link isn’t graphic, but very funny). I’m assuming that this is a reaction to the concentrated dextrose or maltodextrin, which suggest a corn/corn syrup allergy. Nonetheless, caution should be heeded whenever taking more than one packet of Splenda–besides, it’s 600 times sweeter than sugar, what do you need all that for?

Overall

Unless you want to carry your own sweetener-of-choice with you wherever you go, this is a safe alternative. If by chance you go to an IHOP, or someplace that serves coffee-by-the-cup, milk one packet as long as you can.

Out of five stars, Splenda gets four.

______________

Let me start out dispelling the following myth:

You cannot eat out with Diabetes and have any sort of decent food.

THAT IS WRONG!

YOU CAN enjoy eating out with Diabetes. Please note though that I’m not a doctor or a representative from the FDA. These things worked for me, they may not work for you, but should be a good starting place!

Typically, diabetics can have veggies, proteins, SOME dairy products and high-in-fiber products

Typically, diabetics can NOT have fruit, excessive starch (carbs), sugar, etc.

NOTE: If you don’t see what you had in mind, look at the bottom, please read the miscellaneous section for drinks, sides and other menu items.

With that in mind, you should have:

Just, No.

FISH entrees are very good, both with the vitamins/oils and the protein. Stay away from breaded fish, or eat sparingly. In my experience, tilapia dishes are generally a good non-fishy-tasting fish (Ruby Tuesdays’ “New Orleans Seafood” or “Chesapeake Catch” are good entrees).

STEAK is also a very safe choice with these restaurants. I personally like a medium-well temperature as it still has some juices and natural flavors, but you don’t look like Fred Flintstone (or Barney Rubble) with a freshly killed brontosaurus leg. Look for grilled steak, or steak tips. Avoid country fried steak (as the breading is bad). Fajita platters are good as they give you the veggies and the meat. Taco shells in this form (small, limited) are okay.

CHICKEN is a GREAT food to eat at these places, they usually come prepared decently, and in a multitude of fashions (pan-seared, stuffed, broiled, etc). Once again, avoid fried or breaded. If there is a layer of skin anywhere, peel it off.

AVOID dishes with BBQ sauce, this includes Friday’s Jack Daniel’s entrees. Even a tiny bit will dramatically raise your levels.

Oh boy, we’re screwed! Italian food was one of my favorite types of cuisine.

SALADS are decent, but dressings can kill you. Olive Garden offers a lite version of their signature dressing. While you can taste a slight difference, it isn’t bad. Check other places for lite versions of their dressings. If they don’t know or hesitate, ask for some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix your own. Depending on how serious you are and how serious your diabetes is, you might want to avoid croutons and the breadsticks the server will leave. If you don’t want to fully give it up, or don’t feel strong enough to give it up, ask for one breadstick only, or take half of that chunk of bread you get at Macaroni’s or Carrabas and wipe your keys over it; set it aside and pat yourself on your back. If other people stare, just shrug and laugh (or tell them you have diabetes, it’ll help you get over it that much faster, and will put them in their place).

PASTA: is generally a no-no. Even whole grains or whole wheat pastas should be avoided. On a personal note, the whole-wheat pasta Olive Garden serves didn’t affect me TOO badly.

Try soups or salads at Italian places, generally individuals eat far too many carbs at Italian places anyway. If you still cant kick the pasta habit, box half of your pasta and take it home for the next day/someone else.

Once again SEAFOOD and STEAK dishes are okay, just make sure it doesn’t come on a bed of pasta.

Another biggie. This would tie Italian cuisine for my top spot. There are only a few tips here:

AVOID RICE! Spanish rice is essentially white rice with a hell of a lot of seasonings in it. NO!

Avoid burritos (or any dish with LARGE tortillas, some tortillas are the same carb-wise as THREE slices of bread!)

CHIPS & SALSA: Really depends on the individual. If even the SMELL of chips shoots you up 20 points, avoid it. If you want, take some of the salsa onto your fork and eat it that way.

SPANISH DESSERTS are generally heavy in carbs, avoid at all costs.

These places are devils in disguise. Avoid sandwiches and croutons at all costs. Soups are generally okay unless they have a large amount of carbs (potatoes) in them.

SALADS: Greek and Caesar salads are generally okay, as with house/classic salads. Ask to make your own and be charged at the cheapest salad price.

SOUPS: Clam chowder is okay, depending on the potato content, as is a number of “cream of”.

Essentially, these restaurants are geared towards the latest Neo-hippy/liberal (and this coming from a Democrat!) fad. These restaurants should have a nutritional binder with information online or in-store. Check it before you eat it!

Fun times to be had by all! Here are some general guidelines, these stores should have nutritional facts on their Web sites.

AVOID buns, or eat half of a bun.

SNACK-WRAPS are generally decent, if you do get one, go for the grilled.

GRILLED is better than CRISPY

ANOTHER interesting factoid I read is that spicy food burns more calories than “mild” food. While this has little to do with diabetes, it might increase more than the metabolism. If there is a grilled spicy sandwich, it might be worth a shot! Besides, you’ll get some flavor in your diet!

SALADS at fast food restaurants can be proverbial “wolves in lamb’s clothing”. Chipotle’s salad dressing adds TWELVE GRAMS OF CARBS per dressing tub. Skip it and put some spicy (red) or medium (Green) salsa instead. You get veggies and the fiber that counteracts the carbs.

Let me start with another myth here. In diabetes-land, skim milk is NO BETTER THAN whole. The pasteurization and other preservative processes add the same amount of carbs whether we keep the milkfat or not.

ADD ALERT!

But… lyke…. what about SOY milk!? -head tilt-

Soy milk is processed from soybeans in some magical transformation (I actually haven’t a clue, so we’ll call it magic) into milk.
Lactose free, it is safe for those with lactose intolerance (those who don’t have the stomach enzyme to break down the fat in milk).
While there is a noticeable difference in taste, soy milk by itself is better than regular milk:

Soy Milk

Anyway, I still prefer 2% because of taste and price (usually there’s a $0.20 to $0.50 charge for soy at coffeehouses).

SYRUPS: Avoid. Period. Some may have sugar-free syrups (usually caramel, vanilla and hazelnut), but they end up making your coffee taste flat and “fake”. If you can deal with that taste, by all means, go ahead.

ICED TEA: A note here: Sometimes we all have sugar cravings. I hate unsweet tea. I just do. I order it anyway because it gives me some semblance of taste (i.e. I hate water more than tea). With that said, Starbucks’ sweetened large iced tea gives you SIX PUMPS OF SUGAR WATER (otherwise known as “Simple Syrup” to those bar aficionados and “Classic Syrup” to those Starbucks aficionados). When you just CANT STAND IT, go ahead and take a large iced tea and tell them to make it “half sweet”. This still gives the tea some taste, but allows you to splurge a little.

I’m not much a fan of diners, despite sometimes needing the greasy goodness of someplace. See my Miscellaneous section below and follow the tips in the Americana section and the Side Dishes section below.

95% of the time, side dishes will come with fries. It’s the inevitable part of eating out and fast food.

WHEN EATING AT A “SIT-DOWN RESTAURANT”: Try to replace fries with broccoli (my fav), mixed veggies or a salad (minus croutons). That way you aren’t even tempted. Some places will serve bread or breadsticks with your meal. Typically any starch will screw you over, but Ruby Tuesdays (dark bread they use for croutons) and Longhorn Steakhouse (grained bread) are okay enough for you, just don’t splurge on these.

You’ve read my suggestions, and your head is spinning. No problem, let me paraphrase:

• Potatoes bad, bread bad
• veggies good, salad (depending on the dressing) good
• BBQ sauce BAD
• Diners bad
• Proteins are great, cheeses, meat and fish fill you up and don’t spike your sugar
• SUBSTITUTION and MEAL PLANNING!
  • If you want to have a burger, have broccoli instead of fries and eat half the bun.
  • If you want to hit McDonalds for breakfast, and need everything there, eat half the hash brown and only eat one end of the muffin/biscuit/mcgriddle
  • Get a Soup and Salad deals, they fill you up, and some places have never-ending salad.

Finally, bring your meter with you, check before you go eat and TWO hours afterwards. This difference is how your pancreas and kidneys are working. I’ll cover sweeteners in my next post.

GOOD LUCK!

“Trying to manage diabetes is hard because if you don’t, there are consequences you’ll have to deal with later in life. -Bryan Adams”

Approximately two weeks ago. I went in for another checkup and to get my A1c done again.

BIOLOGY MOMENT!

A1c is the Average sugar level over three weeks. See the first post for more info on A1C levels.

END BIO MOMENT

I ended up surprising a number of nurses and other staff at the place

• I lost 20 lbs in the 3 months (Had to be weighed twice)
• My BP was 100/80 (They couldn’t measure it the first time with the cuff)
• My doctor couldn’t figure out how I managed to keep myself low (that in another post)

After much ado, my A1C was 5.5, which meant my average sugar level was approximately 110! I more than HALVED my A1C.

I’ll leave with this Quote (Which some days I absolutely love, other days I hate it with every fiber of my body)

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” -Schuller

Background: Given as a freebie from my PA at the office. Easy to use, easy to designate control from real measures.

Pros: Simple to use, easy to read. No coding.

Cons:  No backlight, higher blood sugar levels take longer for the meter to decode, separate lancet. If you’re saving money by not changing lancets with every prick, it goes bad after about a week to two weeks. Pricks are more painful and draw less blood.

Overall: 4 stars. Sometimes the strips can be “finicky” on how much you have to put on the strip/where on the strip.

Other: If you want to use this, make sure you have the proper test strips, the difference between Freestyle and Freestyle lite is small, but the two aren’t compatible with the other.

Freestyle Lite (Left) and Regular Freestyle (Right)

I  have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes. I have diabetes.

All together now.

LESBIAN!

(Sorry, Boston Legal reference there, couldn’t help myself)

Diabetes is a bitch. The thing is, it was worse admitting it than doing something about it.

I knew I had it about a month before I finally said enough. I got insatiably thirsty, urinated all of it out (and then some), then drank more water. Rinse, lather, repeat. I couldn’t even drive 10 miles without having to stop at a mcdonalds and down a couple of sweet-tea Styrofoam-cup fulls. The next morning, at desk job, my boss said I looked greener than Kermit, and banished me back home.

That afternoon I went to the doctors, saw a physican’s assistant (PA) (If somehow you read this, Jennifer, I LOVE YOU!) and told her what I thought.

Against her advice (I love surprising doctors), she took my blood for an A1c test.

Let’s stop here for a biochem lesson.

When you eat sugar or carbs, the stomach breaks down the sugar (REALLY easily) and the starch (A HELL of a lot harder) into sugar. Carbs are known as “complex sugars”. From there, the sugar (now officially “Glucose”, but sugar is easier to type) slips into your bloodstream into the plasma.

Plasma is a yellowish liquid that carries blood cells. It’s essentially a soup of all the proteins, sugar and other molecules you produce or eat.

An A1C test takes a sample of your blood, distills it down to the plasma, then checks to see how concentrated your sugar is. A1C comes in a numerical quantity ranging from zero to (let’s say) 20. Normally, anything BELOW seven is awesome, anything below 6 is even greater (see chart).

So this means if you have an A1C of 6, your average blood sugar level is approximately 126. Normal, after-eating levels should be anywhere from 100-120. Fasting, no food, levels should be 80-100. Disregard the mmol/L column, I believe that’s metric system.

Anyway, back to moi, end the lesson. When I received my results, I had a 14.2 A1C. That roughly translates to a 345 blood sugar level (All together now, LESBIAN!). My PA was shocked, I was -facepalming-, all was fun in the world of this Son of a Prick.

ADD Moment

“Uhm, Like.. WHY Is this called Son of a Prick?!”
-insert Valley Girl head tilt here-

Typically, you prick your finger to test your blood sugar. While I use my arm, (it hurts less)
I’m the lucky genetic lotto winner to have received my Diabetes from my father. He pricks his finger.
DA DAH!

P.S: Let me know if you like this kind of thing.

I leave you now (to go write the next post) with this comment:

“I have an erection. That’s a good sign. I’m ready to go to trial.“
-Denny Crane, ‘Boston Legal’