The protocol, short version

Here is a run down of what we ate on the sugar handling diet....it is not just the what, but the when and the amounts that are critical.  Eating often enough and getting enough fat and protein was a bigger challenge for me than feeling deprived.  I found out that I need more fat and my husband needs more protein....he ate lots of eggs for snacks while I went for avocados, sunflower seeds, and fried salt pork (our bacon arrived yesterday, woohoo!)

Short version:  Eat tons of LG veggies (low glycemic, lists available online) with plenty of good fats.  Carrots can be eaten raw but not cooked, as cooking raises the glycemic index.  Lots of good protein, preferably
meat, poultry, eggs from organic pastured sources.  Eat with the fat...no lean or skinless anything.  Bacon from good sources, nitrate/nitrite free.  Lots of leafy green veggies, lots!

No grains of ANY kind....anything processed or prepared like crackers, bread, etc, and no oatmeal, rice, grits, cereals, etc.  No popcorn.  (I love popcorn!  This one was the hardest for me, as my popcorn is mostly a vehicle for a half cup of butter and lots of sea salt.)

Eat fruit sparingly and LG choices like berries, half an apple.  Not HG (high glycemic) like bananas or grapes.  Eat only one or two small servings (half an apple) and always with some source of fat, like a handful of nuts (not peanuts) or seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds.  Avocados are a great source of good fat.  Coconut oil is another.  I can actually eat a chunk of it chilled in an ice cube tray.  You can fill the tray with nuts and pour lightly melted coconut oil (Stop&Shop organic section, looks like a peanut butter jar filled with white stuff) and refrigerate until firm.  It is melty, so eat fast right from the fridge.  Don't pack in a lunch, though, it might melt and get messy.

No dairy (use butter if you must, try to get Kerrygold or other good, pastured {cows live outside eating grass on pasture} brand)

Eat every 2-3 hours and within an hour of getting up in the morning.  Have 4-6 oz of protein in each of these meals.  And some veggies if possible. Raw carrots and a bit of cold chicken works great for a meal on the go.
Don't forget to salt your meat, necessary to protein digestion.

Hope I got everything!  It is very important to eat every 2-3 hours and don't skip!  You want your blood sugar to remain very, very steady throughout the day.  Eat more saturated fat from good sources if you have strong cravings, as this will sometimes satisfy them.

This is for two weeks if you are strict.  If you fall off the wagon, you will need to start the timer again.  After two weeks, re-evaluate, and if tests show you need to go another two weeks, do so.  Or add certain foods
back slowly and evaluate how you react, writing down anything new.  Keep the diet strict still...we are talking about adding dairy, maybe, for a few days in small amounts and from good sources (raw, organic).  Then if that goes well (or not, and you must eliminate for a longer time period) maybe have some properly prepared
grains (see chapter in Nourishing Traditions on grains).

Here is a lunch I packed to bring to the office on one of the days:

Meatballs, which can be eaten cold as well as hot, along with an avocado stuffed with sunflower seeds and a bowl of homemade fermented salsa, loaded with wonderful probiotics.  Not so bad, huh?