These are the foods that we eat. We stick with this list because it has been an excellent simplifier for our life as we work to keep our bg numbers in check. If it isn't on the list, we don't eat it. Super simple!

Of course, the exception to this is if we try a new food that we believe will 'most likely' not raise our bg numbers. We're no longer willing to push the envelope with things we know are more likely to give us bg spikes. We simply no longer want those in our life.

When we do try a new food we test our bg numbers to confirm whether those foods are indeed ok for us. Some foods have fooled us and raised our numbers more than we thought they would. Those obviously don't make it to our official Food List. Others work fine so we add them on. So while the list will vary slightly (if and when we add good foods to it), our daily eating habits include only what is on this list.

A very important note: The following are the foods that we can eat without spiking our bg numbers to unhealthy levels. Everyone's body is different. Perhaps you can eat other things without any unhealthy spikes. Perhaps some things we eat you may not be able to. That's why it's up to each person to test for themselves (with a blood glucose meter) what they can or can't eat.

Fresh Produce:

(Vegetables are listed according to frequency of our purchasing them.)

greens (lettuces, spinach, etc.), avocados, bell peppers (green, red), celery, cucumbers, radishes, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, mini onions

green chilies, tomatoes, green beans, turnips, jicama, carrots, cauliflower, celery root (celeriac), mushrooms (regular and Portabella caps)

green onions, eggplant, squash (spaghetti, zucchini), jalapenos, garlic, leeks, snap peas

~~

strawberries, other berries

cantaloupe

apples

Meats:

beef (i.e. steak, hamburger, angus burgers, pot roast, stew meat, beef ribs, meat balls, fajita meat)

chicken (i.e. tenders, breasts, whole, fajita meat)

turkey (i.e. turkey breast, slices, full turkey)

fish filets (i.e. salmon, tilapia, ocean perch, etc.)

pork / turkey 'pork' (bacon, ham)

misc. (all beef kielbasa, all beef brats, beef maple sausage, turkey sausage)

lunchmeats (low sodium nitrate and nitrite free chicken, turkey, roast beef)

pepperoni

Dairy:

eggs

heavy cream

cheeses (Asiago, Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Parmesan, Provolone, etc.)

yogurt (Brown Cow plain)

cream cheese

ricotta cheese

cottage cheese

sour cream

butter

Nuts:

walnuts, macadamias, almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds

peanut butter (natural, no sugar)

Frozen Foods:

frozen vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower)

tv dinners (usually Smart Ones 14 carbs or below)

Canned and Jar Goods:

chicken, tuna

soups (Progresso low-carb, low sodium)

spaghetti sauce (buy a large jar and use small amounts, freezing the rest in packets)

asparagus, dill pickles, green beans, green chilies, mushrooms, olives

Grains:

Wasa crackers (lowest carb ones), Dr Krackers

carb chopper tortillas (John can eat these)

Drinks:

water, coffee, tea

low sodium V-8 juice (John drinks this)

Cooking - Spices - Sauces - Condiments:

olive oil, coconut oil, Baker's Joy / Pam butter spray

no sodium chicken or beef broth/bouillon

mayonnaise (real)

mustard (French's, Dijon)

Mrs. Dash (no sodium) sauces (Mesquite, Teriyaki, etc.)

A1 steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce (eaten in extremely small portions)

lemon juice - lime juice

vinegar (cider, balsamic)

low carb, low sodium dressings

low carb salsas

dry and fresh herbs and spices: salt, pepper, sweet basil, bay leaves, chipotle, chives, cilantro, cream of tartar, cumin, curry, dill, garlic (cloves, powder, salt), ginger, lemon pepper, (dry) mustard, nutmeg, oregano, Italian seasoning, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon, turmeric

sweet: Stevia / Truvia, cinnamon, sugar-free DaVinci syrups (Note: John tried some of the DaVinci syrups but does not use them at present), and we should be able to use sugar-free extracts (vanilla, maple, almond, mint) but do not at present.

Note: John does use a little whipped topping in his coffee or tea on occasion or on top of some strawberries (which makes them taste like strawberry shortcake - without the high bad carb little cakes) and he has no bg problems with this.

Conclusion:

There are probably other things we might be able to eat, but have not yet explored. Again, each time we do try something new we test our bg numbers to see how each one affects us. It's so easy to do and we have so many good reasons not to skip this important step.

Once again, these are the things that do not cause a spike in our bg numbers. Each person has to do their own testing to find out what affects them adversely and what they can eat without bg spikes.