Our March 2016 Meeting

When we gathered for our March meeting, we had five possible new members and Tim said we had two others that were unable to attend. Tim said we would be covering topics some of us have already heard, but felt with the new members, it would be good to have a repeat of many of the topics. First, he called on Allen to discuss VA benefits. Two of the new members needed to get paperwork completed for VA benefits. After Allen finished, he set up a time for the following week to accompany them to the local VA office.

Next, we had Allison cover carbohydrates and supplements. This totally surprised the potential new members as they all admitted that their doctors had recommended at least 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. She covered that in general, the group members all consumed less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day using a low carb high fat way of eating. Allison then asked the newer members if any of them were still eating more than 50 grams of carbohydrates. Two admitted they were, and Allison said she would want to talk to them later.

Next Allison asked how many were taking supplements and all the five admitted they were. Next, she asked Tim to put up the slides and he brought up the picture of a grapefruit. She asked the five how many were taking statins and four admitted they were. When she asked which statin, we were all shocked when they answered the same one and then Allison asked if any were eating grapefruit. Two answered that they were, but not that often. At that point Allison asked how many considered grapefruit natural. All five raised their hands and Allison continued that grapefruit could make the statin toxic in their body and be serious enough to cause death. Many, but not all statins were affected by a chemical in grapefruit that causes this toxicity and grapefruit is not to be eaten if you take certain statins, heart medications, and a few blood pressure medications.

Yes, you can claim that grapefruit is natural, but many natural foods have conflicts with some medications. Barry said that even a friend of his is now dead because he did not believe this. Even some natural supplements also can cause death when taken with some medications. Allison said this is true and when doctors ask you about supplements or medications you are taking, please do not leave any out of the list you provide. You should also be tested to determine if the vitamins, minerals, and supplements are needed. Yes, many doctors will not do the tests, but members of this support group are aware of doctors that will test, so ask when necessary.

Allison said the important point for the newer and new members would be the testing in pairs. Yes, many people will need to purchase extra test strips because insurance will not cover but one or two per day unless you are on insulin, but the information you will obtain from testing in pairs is important and will help you decide what foods should be eliminated from your menu or greatly reduced to stay within your goals. She said there is a good variance among the members and that 120 to 140 mg/dl are appropriate goals.

Always test before you eat (pre-prandial) and then test one to two hours after eating (post-prandial). Many do take the extra test strips to test starting about 30 minutes and test every 15 minutes until the readings start downward. Some do this from first bite and others do this at last bite. Allison concluded that either is acceptable, but it is important to always do this consistently.

Tim asked for a vote on the potential new members after they all agreed they still wanted to join.  The vote was unanimous for accepting them as members. 

Next, Tim opened the meeting up for questions and even a few of the newer members had many questions for Allison and some of the old-time members. After about 40 minutes, Allison asked to talk to the two eating 80 grams or more of carbohydrates, and Allen and Barry had a few questions about VA benefits. Tim and Brenda had a few questions about doctors that would do vitamin, mineral, and supplement testing. Then Tim announced that the meeting was over and the cleanup started.

Allison thanked us again and said she understood why she was asked and was appreciative for being asked.