Arthur Eats Healthy

Last December of 2010, I had to go in for a yearly check up from my doctor that was about three years past due. After seeing the doctor, I was called back for some additional tests. My doctor called me in a week later to tell me that I had type 2 diabetes. I knew this was a possibility but to hear the words, the reality of the matter started to sink in. I was hit with the news and was in utter shock. I wasn’t even really sure what diabetes was, even though my mother had been type 1 before she passed away. My doctor tried to explain to me in a very simple manner of how my body was reacting to insulin. I was immediately started on metformin to help my body adjust. He also said that losing weight and exercise would help in the process.

The American Diabetes Association defines diabetes as:

“Diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus), or simply, diabetes, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin” “In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.”

For several days after I found out, I felt very confused and had a deep feeling of sorrow and guilt about the news that I had just received. I knew that I had to find out more and started reading everything I could online. I found articles, prayed and learned from others that had gone through similar situations. I felt guilt and wondered if I had done this to myself. The more I read about it, I realized that genetics plays a large role in whether or not you will get it. Now, of course you can have certain factors that will increase your risk and several things you can do to delay the onset. Having a family history of this was already a strike against me but as I came to terms with it, the guilt went away. The more I read and learned about this new challenge in my life, the more I started feeling better about it. I knew that having a plan to lose weight was going to be a key in managing my glucose levels.

My weight at the doctor was 223 pounds and that was several pounds down from a few years ago. I knew it was time to change my eating habits, and I needed to find out how different foods were affecting me. The easiest way to do this was with the glucose meter that my doctor gave me. My first few readings were very high, but I started changing my diet and found that this number started to drop.

Being active in any form, I found out is key. I work in an office all day and sitting down and not moving is not a good recipe for a healthy life style. I started taking short walking breaks during the day to keep my body moving and active. The parking spot at the end of the parking lot is one that I now look for as every step is a step that keeps me active and going. Get up and get moving. Even on a weekend, I try to get out and take a short walk. This will not only make you feel better but it gets you going and helps your body all around.

Diet, here’s where I can only share what worked for me. I am in no way an expert and would advise someone to always first consult their doctor before trying something new. Here was my simple plan, remove as much sugar from my diet as possible. This on the surface my sound easy, but as I learned even a cup of skim milk has as much as 12 grams of sugar. That’s enough to push my (glucose)numbers up and I didn’t want that to happen. My first trip to the grocery store, took me over 2 hours, pouring over nutrition labels and find that most of the food that I thought was good for me really wasn’t. I had an enemy and that was called by two names, carbs and sugar. Carbs will turn into sugar and that would affect my glucose levels. I wouldn’t use the word diet; this became more of a life style change and an adjustment of what I was already eating.

Let me walk you through a day of what I was eating versus what I’m eating now. You’ll see a series of small adjustments, but it was effective enough.

Breakfast

So, my typical breakfast used to be a bowl of cereal and milk. As I mentioned earlier just a cup of milk has 12 grams or more of sugar. So, let’s say a typical bowl of cereal with a ½ cup of milk would be at least 20 grams of sugar and 45 grams of crabs.

The substitution:

Milk: I switched to sugar free almond milk. I found this not at a high end grocer but at my local big box store. The vanilla flavored “milk” has zero sugar and tastes great Cereal: I now have ¾ cup of old fashioned oatmeal. This is a great source of fiber and is enough to keep you full during the morning. I’ll also add a small packet of artificial sweetener, cinnamon and almonds.

Snacks:

Yes, you must not fear this word. Try the word healthy snacks. It is better to keep your glucose level constant during the day and eating smaller snacks between meals is a good way to keep everything in balance. About mid morning, and mid afternoon I have one piece of string cheese. This not only maintains my glucose levels but it helps hold me over till lunch. I sometimes replace this with roasted peanuts or almonds. If you keep your body fueled then you won’t have hunger pains that lead to unhealthy urges to grab a bag of chips or candy bar.

Lunch:

Lunch, this is where I thought I was doing ok. I used to bring a sandwich on white bread, chips and a coke. Just two slices of white bread would amount to 30 grams of carbs, 4 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fat.

The substitution:

I now have found a low carb, whole wheat wrap that only contains 10 carbs and zero sugar. I top this off with a little cheese, meat, mustard and I’ve got a healthy lunch that keeps me full until my afternoon snack. This along with a diet beverage to satisfy my sweet urges helps round out the noon hour.

Dinner:

My wife and I typically make two meals a week and have leftovers for two nights. Our typical first two nights would be chicken, corn and potatoes. This sounds like a good thing. As I learned, potatoes and corn are full of starch and carbs. We would also make a batch of spaghetti and sauce. As you can imagine regular spaghetti is full of carbs and most prepackaged sauces contains sugar. For example a typical jar of sauce would contain 11 grams of sugar and 19 total carbs and that’s before you add the noodles. So, this had to change.

The substitution:

I’ve now switched to green beans, squash, and even sweet potatoes. Yes sweet potatoes, in small amounts seem to not affect my glucose levels. Steaming the other veggies helps bring out their natural flavors to make a filling meal.

Portions, for every meal this is very important. I used to eat really fast and eat as much as I could. I could really put away food at the buffets. The more you eat the harder your body has to work to break it down and in my case the more glucose in my system. An easy approach is something called the plate method. This is a simple way to break down your plate. Divide your 9”plate in half, the take one side and divide it again. The largest half of the plate is now ready to be filled with fruits and non starchy veggies. The other ¼ is for meat of protein and the last ¼ is for grains or starches. Now I took this a step farther and cut out the ¼ of carbs and starches and replaced that with a small salad. As, I mentioned before, sometimes you have to test out certain foods to find out how they affect you.

For the spaghetti, I now use whole wheat pasta and make the sauce using all natural tomato sauce in a can. This new sauce only contains, 2 grams of sugar, and 4 total carbs. I add garlic, onions and other seasonings to add to the flavor. This new sauce tastes great and after a few tries you can spice it up to meet your needs.

Finding out that I had diabetes in some ways was a blessing. It’s given me the motivation to change my eating habits and to work to lose weight. The change is a daily battle, but every day it gets easier. A box of donuts at work used to be an easy snack and I wouldn’t stop at one. I even made joke that, that box of donuts was “killing me”. Well in a basic sense, with diabetes it was. I now can look that box of donuts in the eye and say “not today my old friend, not today”.

I would hope that this in some way might help someone out there either lose weight or to help them get motivated. Several weeks after this all started, I had a friend of mine pass away. He was type 1 diabetic who had heart surgery, but had complications afterwards. It was a reminder to keep on track with my plan and keep up the motivation. I also, could not have done this without the support of my wife, who learned as much as she could about what I was going through and what foods I could and couldn’t eat. Her support along with many prayers, my great friends and putting my trust in God brought me from guilt and sorrow to a peace with what I was dealing with.

I’m down now almost 30 pounds and am still losing weight. We are all given daily challenges but it’s how we react to them that makes the difference. Taking a line from Star Wars, “Your focus determines your reality”, so decide on what you are going to focus on makes all the difference.

Lunch with a King

There are days when you just can't decide what to eat, it's at this time that I think to myself "What else is out there'. That's about the time I remember a great little Egyptian place down on Magnolia Ave on Fort Worth's South Side.

This is a place for lunch and along with that is a daily lunch special that's not to hard on the wallet. My recent favorite is the chicken shwarma but I will have to admit that they also have a great gyro. One of the other lunch specials that will satisfy your taste buds is the chicken macaroni. This dish is piled high with a seasoned pieces of chicken and topped with cheese.

If you are with a group of friends be sure to order a dish of humus. Their humus is one of the best around and I always make sure that the plate is scrapped clean with the last slice of pita bread.

I can never go to this place without hearing the Steve Martin SNL skit song "King Tut". I always scrape off all the humus while humming "He coulda have won a Grammy, buried in his jammies, King Tut"

If you have ever driven by and wondered if you should try it, then pull over and ask for some humus.

Slow Burn

During the week, I try to bring my lunch, except for Friday. Friday is my special day to venture out of the office and hopefully find a great place for lunch. This Friday, March 5th, around 10:00, I started thinking about what sounded good. I’ll have to admit it was earlier than 10:00 in the morning when I started thinking about lunch, but who can really admit that. So, I started running through some of my standard places, buffets, fast food and the regular local spots. Thinking of some of my favorite place brought me to the hunger for Mexican food. Yes, that can only lead me to try and narrow down to one that I was in the mood for. The sun was shining, the weather was great and it was time to pick a place to eat.

A place that I sometimes forget, suddenly hit me like as if I had just smelled the aroma of a fabulous meal. I stood up and said “La Familia” sounds good today. So, I left with some co-workers and headed down to La Familia.

I’m not sure when they opened but several years ago this restaurant was located in building that used to “super size” their meals. I know what your thinking a Mexican restaurant that used to be in a fast food building. Well, since gaining a reputation as a great restaurant, they were able to move to their current location off of 7th ave and Foch in Fort Worth.

So, in this very unique shopping center, is the home of a great lunch. It’s almost as if they found a place to fit in with, other unassuming retailers. Once you open the doors, you are able to leave your day behind. As soon as you enter the main doors, you are aggressively greeted with a firm handshake and asked how many. It’s a long narrow space, with large photos on the wall as art work; heavy textured walls give this space a very warm feeling. The lighting is a little dimmer, so when you walk in from the outside your eyes adjust to the ambiance of this little gem. Directly on the wall to the right, are three large rolls of butcher paper. They each contain the special of the day and a bell at the end of the paper. The specials are delineated by a letter, A, B and C. Today’s special were as recalled.

A. 3 Pork Tacos, choice of soup, rice and beans.
B. Chicken Flautas, choice of soup, rice and beans.
C. 3 fish tacos, choice of soup, rice and beans.
I would suggest looking these over, before you are seated. Even if it looks like a full house, they are quick to turn a table over. Sometimes, you are walking to the table as it’s being cleared off.

Now back to the specials. They only make so much of each, everyday. I don’t know how they decide, or how they even know where to start. It’s like making a calculated guess everyday. I mean who wants to be left with too many fish tacos at the end of the day?
Here’s what’s interesting, once they are out of one of one of the specials, it over. Like a heavy weight champ being knocked out in the last round. The bell is rung, and the paper with the special on it is torn off the holder and if you just sat down, then I hope you have a back up selection. I’ve been here before when my favorite special was already gone when I got there. Don’t make this mistake, get there early and save yourself the heartbreaking sorrow of finding out that the lunch you have been thinking about all day is not available.
Once you are seated, your drink order is taken and the chips and fresh salsa are delivered with almost the skill of a magician. If you turn your head you’ll miss when they put them on the table. Now, lets move on to the salsa and chips. I’ve heard from a good source that this salsa is made fresh everyday. The simple ingredients make it spectacular. It’s chilled and not runny, almost a thick paste but not quite. After ordering your meal, grilled jalapeno peppers are delivered to the table. I would advise to take it slow. I was able to slice mine and put it on a few chips, slowly watching the heat.

I had made up my mind before entering, what my order would be. I was hoping for the pork tacos, meal A. Let me tell you why I like it so much, if your still reading this, it’s a little late to stop reading. You’ve already invested this much, why now find out why I like the pork taco.

The pork taco’s, are filled with pork, onions, peppers, a special sauce, and a fried slice of jeaolpean. The plate is then garnished with bean, rice and a single piece of bacon. Did you hear me, “BACON”? I’m not sure who thought to include this but they will forever have my respect. Everything taste better with bacon.

The tacos, I will have to warn you are spicy. It’s a slow heat that will catch up to you, just about mid second taco. Don’t worry, drink some water, eat some chips and wipe off your brow. Now that you’ve recovered, dig back in.

I slowly worked my way through the heat and enjoyed the delightful flavor of the spice and the sauce. I haven’t found any other place that has a plate that comes close to this one. Maybe that’s why I like it so much, because it’s not like anything else.

So, next time you are in Fort Worth and are in the mood for some good authentic Mexican food, try out La Familia. Get there early and order one of the specials. If the pork tacos are already gone, then maybe I was already there. Good eating out there stay full my friends, until the next time, that Arthur Eats.

Cooper's Bar-B-Que Fort Worth Texas

Last Friday, a group of my co-workers gathered up to head out to lunch. They asked me if I wanted to join them but I had already made plans for lunch. They mentioned they were heading to a new barbeque place in the Stockyards. I didn't think much of it as they left. When my co-workers returned it was as if they had returned from a pilgrimage to a holy place. They started spouting "That was some of the best BarBque I've ever had". That, my friends, made me stand up and listen. I mean in the heart of Cowtown, those are some mighty strong words to throw around on a Friday afternoon. So, I asked "Where did you go for lunch"? They replied "Cooper's Barbeque". They went on about how the meat was seasoned, how you could order the meat right off a pit and that they offered free beans and bread. Let me repeat that, "free beans and bread" with your meal. I vowed at that moment that I would make my visit on the following week. Now I have been thinking about going to Cooper's all week. I woke up this morning and could almost smell it. Now, it was my turn to find out if this could become one of my favorite places for barbque. So, I headed out on a cold drizzly day down North Main Street. It wasn't hard to miss the large, red barn on the hill just north of Billy Bob's. The parking lot was already packed when I arrived at 11:30. I entered and was immediately greeted by a man working the pits. He was explaining to everyone how you select your meat and then go around the corner. These large barbeque pits are the holding area for the fresh meat. Just in the next room is where all the magic happens with the actual fire pits. I went with the pork chop special, which includes a baked potato. The pit master stabs your choice of meat and then puts it on a red, plastic cafeteria style tray. You can get the meat by the pound, so I added a beef rib to my order. You take your tray around the corner where it's wrapped up, weighed and then they put the price sticker on it. Makes you feel like you're at a meat market ordering up all the meat for the family.Now once you proceed down the line, you can pick up any sides, prepackage or your fix'ins for your baked potato. The last area is the cobbler station, where you can pick up a side of hot cobbler. I was already loaded down so I had to pass.The interior reminds me of the inside of a barn. The décor is very simple, red metal panels, exposed ductwork and large picnic style tables. You feel like you are having lunch with your 200 closest friends. Now after, picking up a bowl of beans, glass of water and a few slices of bread, I found a seat at the end of a table. I unwrapped my pork chop, beef rib and baked potato. I went right after the pork chop. Now I'm used to thin pork chops that I get from the grocery store. This pork chop put all others to shame. At over an inch thick, this might be the thickest pork chop I have ever had. The outside was seasoned with salt and pepper. This is why Cooper's has been elevated above all the other places. The meat is not cooked and drowned in sauce. This allows for the taste of the meat and seasoning to come alive with every bite. The sauce that they do have is vinegar based not sweet seasoned ketchup like many other places. In fact the only ketchup here is in the bottle on the table, not in the sauce. Now I get their motto "It's all about the meat".I sliced away at the mammoth pork chop, the size of my fist, savoring every chew, just thinking how this tasted like I was at a barbeque at a friend's house. The pork chop had flavor that makes your eyes roll back in your head and I couldn't believe it. The beef rib was large and the meat fell off the bone. The baked potato was just what I expected, so no surprise there. Now, here are a few suggestions as you plan your trip. Order the special of the day, adding meat by the pound can add up quickly. My one beef rib was just over four dollars. I even thought it would be fun to go with a few friends, buy a pound of brisket to split. You could then make several sliced beef sandwiches with the free bread and sauce. Be sure to get there before noon. The place was almost full when I arrived at 11:30. Don't be afraid if you see a line out the door. It's worth the drive and worth the wait.I can't think of a better place for Cooper's, it's just across from Billy Bob's, and in the heart of the stockyards. I'm glad to have found an authentic pit barbeque place. I think this place is so good that it could even turn a vegetarian into a carnivore. So, get out of your lunch rut and try "the best" barbeque in Cowtown.