 Hey guys, this is Dr. Ahmed Ergin. Today we are going to talk about what to eat, what not to eat when you have diabetes. Now, this question is very, very common. Right, I get this question all the time. Now, patients will sometimes be surprised. Oh, I'm not supposed to eat pizza? Oh, I didn't know that. I'm like, really? Or they'll say, pasta? Oh, I love omepasta. I'm Italian, oh, what can I do? Or, you know, if you're Hispanic or like, what are you talking about? Of course I'm gonna eat rice. You know, can I tell me something different, doc? Give me some medicine or something. This is the common, common inquiries that I get from patients. And I get it, look, you know, I'm not gonna tell you here, just stop everything and stop enjoying your life. Some people are, can, some people can, but really, you cannot ask an Italian to stop eating pizza. That's just not gonna happen. But we can find a solution. I'm gonna tell you right now, eat this, don't eat that. How about that? What we will do is, what you cannot eat, but what can you replace what you cannot eat? And I think that will make you a little happier than eating nothing at all when it comes to starches. Let's talk about pasta first. You love pasta, but some of our favorite comfort foods are detrimental to our diabetic care, right? So my favorite alternative to standard pasta is shiitake noodles. Yes, you heard me right, shiitake noodles. These noodles have many different names, including miracle noodle and pasta zero. The shiitake noodle is made from a type of fiber called glucomanin that comes from Japanese konnyaku yam. The noodle will take on the flavor of whatever sauce or seasoning you use with it, making them extremely versatile. The benefits of incorporating this into your diet will be tremendous. It will reduce your insulin resistance because of the fiber content you are going to be able to absorb the carbohydrates at a much slower rate. And as a result, you will not have low sugar spikes. And the shiitake noodles already have low carbohydrate content. So as a result, you can still enjoy a pasta without huge blood sugar spikes. And guess what? These amazing noodles come in a variety of shapes. It can be a fettucine, it could be a spaghetti, or it can be even rice. What else do you want, right? Okay, guys, let's move on. Okay, another big weakness, guys, is rice. Rice is something like, it's very hard to quit. If you grew up on rice, if everybody in your family eats rice, it is very hard to stay away from rice, okay? So we have to find a solution to that. Here is the solution. So, like we mentioned, shiitake rice is a great alternative to white rice. And cauliflower can also be riced in its very versatile due to its mild flavor. You can even find cauliflower in a riced form in the frozen section at the grocery store. A little-known ancient cold pharaoh can also substitute rice in your dishes. Pharaoh has a nutty flavor and a soft and chewy texture. It is packed with fiber, protein, and vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. That's what makes pharaoh a good carb versus a bad carb as a white rice. Again, as a result of high fiber content, guys, pharaoh is also a great alternative to your rice just like cauliflower rice or the shiitake rice. Okay, let's talk about potato. Not the coach potato, the food potato, all right. Food potato, guys, who doesn't like potato? The french fries, house fries. You name it. You can eat potato in any way. So potatoes is something that's hard to quit. I know. All right, so cauliflower, again, like a magic, you come start hell. But what else can you use other than that? Cauliflower also, you can kinda use mash it, do whatever you want, you know, if you like to mash potato. But I mean, think about this. There are some other things out there that look like potato and it sometimes tastes like potato, but they're not really potato. So one of them is taro, one of them is parsnip. So I think, you know, you should use to your advantage and just try, give it a try. Don't be stubborn, don't say, no, I'm not gonna eat that, I can only eat potato. No, don't do that, just give it a try and your taste buds will change and I'm not telling you to totally quit potato. Maybe have a much less potato and try some of the other alternatives that you can have as an alternative to potato. Now, another big thing is oatmeal. Now patients will tell me, I had oatmeal, they told me oatmeal is healthy, why is my blood sugar is going so high after breakfast? And if you're checking, of course, most people don't check after breakfast and when I tell them to check after breakfast, they almost have a heart attack from the high blood sugars they see. Now, the oatmeal comes in different shapes, right? So the instant oatmeal or the regular oatmeal you make, anything that's done quickly is just not gonna work. So you are looking to get real steel-cut oatmeal. That is the oatmeal that's going to help you. And also when you're preparing your oatmeal, you know, you use Siplanda instead of real sugar. Don't put a lot of stuffing on it, a lot of dressing that will drive your blood sugars. Another big problem that people have when they're eating oatmeal, they are using a lot of raisins. Now, the raisins is a problem because any time you dry a fruit, you are actually concentrating the sugars. And you don't realize, but they are like sugar bombs. So be careful with your raisins on your oatmeal. So be careful with your sugar. Even if it is brown sugar, sugar is a sugar, guys. So stick with your steel-cut oatmeal. You can put nuts on it. That's a great alternative because the nuts are going to keep you full and they're generally healthy, especially walnuts. So I'll suggest using steel-cut oatmeal with walnuts and with some sweeteners, maybe. One of the things that I like personally at the breakfast is also chia seeds. Now the chia seed pudding can be carby as well, but the good thing is it has a lot of fiber and it has a lot of nutrients. So as a result, I think that is another alternative to your regular cereal, which is horrible, and regular oatmeal, which is not great, but your steel-cut oatmeal will be your friend. Now, if your blood sugar is still spiking with steel-cut oatmeal, then you gotta do something. Either you have to cut it totally off, but if you cannot give up on your oatmeal, then you have to take some sort of medication to try to avoid those blood sugar spikes. Now, of course, bread, bread, bread. Who does not like bread? Some people don't. Yeah, some people don't. Some people may be watching right now. I don't. So what, right? But a lot of people love bread, especially that morning bread, hot, put some butter on it. It tastes good. I mean, you can't deny that. And once you become a diabetic, suddenly you're like, oh, no, you can't have that. You know, it's just kind of hard, right? So you are looking for an alternative, and I totally get it. Now, let's give you a couple alternatives, all right? So let's look at that. Now, one of the best things that you can do is multigrain, which is sprouted grain bread. These breads are high in fiber and protein, and they're very easy to digest. So don't be fooled by whole wheat bread. Not every whole wheat bread is like 100% whole wheat. So just because there's whole wheat in there doesn't mean that they are whole wheat totally. So most of the whole wheat you find in the market today, they are not 100% whole wheat. And as a result, they do not fit the bill. Now, on the other hand, the sprouted grain breads have a lot of fiber in there, and you can't miss that. I mean, this is available everywhere. Another great bread will be a zekil bread, and that's also very, very, very healthy. Now, pompernickel is also another alternative. It looks very brown, it's almost black, and you may be turned off by the color of the bread because you're used to the white bread, but I mean, come on, it tastes still good. I mean, it's an acquired taste, but if you're looking for fresh bread and you don't wanna be killed by the blood sugar spikes that come from the white bread, you can just get used to this pompernickel, and next thing you know, you're a pompernickel bread fan. I'm personally a fan of multigrain bread, but everybody has a choice, but I think you should give it a try as a kill bread, pompernickel bread, multigrain, and of course, portion control is always gonna be your friend. I'm not saying go ahead and hold bread. Maybe a slice, if you cannot resist, if you have to have a bread, a slice of multigrain bread is going to be your best bet in that situation. Guys, we're gonna talk more about what to eat, what not to eat at your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will have a series about this, so stay tuned, I will see you in the next video, and remember, subscribe, share, and like this video so everybody can enjoy.