QuestionQUESTION: How do I reconcile these two conflicting dietary restrictions: For diabetes, whole grain breads and pastas are required. For a low potassium diet, refined breads and pastas, not whole grains, are required. What should I prepare? Thank you.
ANSWER: Hello! I hope I can answer your question in a way that will be helpful for you. Consistent intake of carbohydrates is required on a diabetic diet so blood sugar levels do not get too low, especially if medication or insulin is being used. Whole grains are recommended for two major reasons. One reason is diabetics are at increased risk for heart disease, which whole grains may help prevent. More importantly, the higher fiber content of whole grains helps the body absorb the carbohydrates at a steadier rate; insulin spikes much quicker with refined grains because the carbs are absorbed so quickly. As you mentioned, whole grains are higher in potassium than refined grains. If potassium is checked often and regularly, whole grains can continue to be a part of the diet. However, if potassium is too high or is not checked regularly, only refined grains will need to be eaten. In order to prevent the insulin spike with the refined grains, high-fiber foods which are low in potassium should be eaten with the refined grains. Low potassium foods with a decent fiber content include: blueberries, cherries, strawberries, grapes, jicama, apples, green beans, squash, and red cabbage.
Foods and recipes friendly to both a diabetic and low potassium diet can be found at: chowhound.chow.com/topics/528007
If you have any further questions, please contact me again. I wish you the best of luck combining two complicated diets.
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QUESTION: Hi, again, Do you have any suggestions for low potassium, high fiber foods that would go well with refined pasta and white rice? Am I assuming correctly that whole grain pasta and brown rice are not good in a low potassium diet? Do you know if vegetarian meat and sausage substitutes are better for diabetes/potassium control? Thank you so much!
AnswerHi Terrie! I'm glad I could help so far, hopefully I can help again. You should definitely stay away from vegetarian meats and sausage substitutes. Like most processed foods, they are high in potassium. Most meat substitutes also contain vegetables, including soy, which are high in potassium. Whole grain pastas, brown rice, and wild rice are all high in potassium. I am not much of a cook, but I would recommend playing around with stir frying vegetables to serve on your rice and pasta. Stir frying retains a lot of the nutrients because the cooking time is short, you can pack in the vegetables, and the method is cost-effective because you can throw in whatever you have around the house. (The National Kidney Foundation has lists of high potassium and low potassium foods online, but foods not mainstream in the United States...such as jicama...are not on the list so I would advise looking for lists from other countries to create a more complete list. I have heard from patients Canadian lists are much more diverse. The National Kidney Foundation also has instructions on how to leach the potassium out of high potassium vegetables so you can still eat them, something I have no experience with. www.kidney.org) Fresh mushrooms are low in potassium so, if you like them, you could try grilling portabella caps to replace hamburgers. A downside to cooking is many spices are high in potassium.
Since you should be preparing most of your meals from scratch, I would recommend investing in a renal diabetic cookbook. THE CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION CREATIVE COOKING FOR RENAL DIABETIC DIETS; COOKING THE RENAL WAY; and CARBOHYDRATE AND SODIUM CONTROLLED RECIPES all contain diabetic exchanges and are renal friendly. Most cookbooks are sold by the author or organization that created them. You could also contact a local dialysis clinic who may be able to tell you about more cookbooks or even get you in touch with a support group who's members may offer their own personal recipes.
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