Food to avoid for pre-diabetic people

[Bamaman]

There are so many angles to diabetes and nutrition. There are a few things that need to be said as this is a very serious and misunderstood subject.

My grandmother was an undiagnosed diabetic. My father and uncle (her sons) were both Type II diabetics that had serious kidney problems in their 80's. They both ended up having to go on hemodialysis. I have a 59 year old cousin is in end stage rental failure because she never visited a doctor.

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO DIABETICS IS KIDNEY FAILURE. And those that go on hemodialysis will only live about 4 years before they throw a clot to the heart, lungs or brain (stroke.) Diabetics also most often have heart disease and 2/3 will eventually receive open heart surgery.

I am a Type II diabetic. My blood sugar varied too much so my endocrinologist put me on the insulin pump--an electronic syringe. Diabetics on an insulin pump are much more stable and live an extra 2 years. It also beats giving yourself a shot every time you eat.

I check my blood sugar with the finger stick before meals. I enter the blood sugar number in the insulin pump and enter the estimated carbohydrates. It automatically dispenses the right amount of insulin. The pump also gives me a small amount of insulin hourly which is in place of a 1x per day long term insulin shot.

My goal is to remain 110 to 150 on blood sugar levels, and I'm stable. My real fear is deteriorating to the point where blood sugar varies greatly from very high to very low. If my blood sugar gets to 85, I'm very nervous and weak. A Snickers or glass of orange juice gets me quickly back to normal.

The problem with very low sugar levels is that people lose memory of who they are and they can black out. That's dangerous when driving a car, for example. Without out getting the blood sugar back up, bodily functions, like heart beats, can cease to exist and you can simply die.

Most diabetics don't even know they have it.

I have no desire to live eating a 100% diet of rabbit food. I have long since quit drinking any alcoholic beverages. The best way to approach the diet is to eat more vegetables and avoid carbs which are most often breads, potatoes, some rices and sweets of all kinds. And my downfall is midnight snacks--which should be avoided.

 

[braumeister]

I check my blood sugar with the finger stick before meals. I enter the blood sugar number in the insulin pump and enter the estimated carbohydrates. It automatically dispenses the right amount of insulin. The pump also gives me a small amount of insulin hourly which is in place of a 1x per day long term insulin shot.

Wow!
I had no idea such good technology existed. Great to know this.

 

[eytonxav]

And my downfall is midnight snacks--which should be avoided.

Good post Bahaman. As to snack comment, some diabetics have dawn phenomena (BG rises in the morning before eating), and it may help to have small late night snack like a piece of cheese or celery with peanut butter. I'm one of those types.

 

[Amethyst]

That is scary. You would think 85 was desirable. Best of luck in improving your health.

T

My real fear is deteriorating to the point where blood sugar varies greatly from very high to very low. If my blood sugar gets to 85, I'm very nervous and weak. .

 

[tmm99]

I eat pearl barley, which I believe is the round kind you're referring to. I normally soak a few cups worth in the pot overnight, rinse till clear, then boil for about 15mins with lots of water, enough so that the water doesn't all boil off. The shorter you boil it, the better sugar response, so I try to get it just barely cooked. Then I pour into a strainer and rinse well with cold water. Then let it drain well, scoop into individual portions in reused ziplock bags, then freeze until I'm ready to eat them. Reheating is simply putting into a bowl and microwaving for 2mins. I know what you mean about the slime, and cooking and rinsing like this eliminates all the slime. It also eliminates a fair bit of the nutrients that leech into the water, but I'm not worried about that since my goal is to get a low GI/GL food, not vitamins and minerals (anyways, it's still much healthier than white rice)

As for the sweet potato/yam, I believe pretty much all sweet potato or 'yam' sold in North America is actually just sweet potato. You can find actual yam, but it's very uncommon, and would never be just piled up like typical sweet potatoes, it would be a specialty item. I've tried boiled sweet potatoes, but I can't handle it. I know it's worse to bake them, but I have to have them baked, otherwise I'm not going to eat them. The key for me is to bake them at high heat (425degs) until they're just caramelized on the outside but still crunchy on the inside (about 30mins). If they've gone all soft the whole way through, it's cooked too long and you're well on your way to making a candy bar...

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation on how to cook the barley. I will definitely try your way. I like the taste of barley, but I just didn't know how to cook it right.

I was not aware that yams were also sweet potatoes. They taste less sweet to me compared to so-called sweet potatoes (the yellow kind) so I just assumed they were different. My DH bakes candy bar yams LOL.

 

[aja8888]

That is scary. You would think 85 was desirable.

Not knowledgeable on this subject and last fasting reading was 98 in April this year. No family history of diabetes. So what is the optimum level (I'm 72 years old and in "good"health)?

Thanks.

 

[Amethyst]

My Quest lab results say that normal fasting blood sugar is 70-99 mg/dL. So 85 would seem to be mid-range normal. That's all I know.

Not knowledgeable on this subject and last fasting reading was 98 in April this year. No family history of diabetes. So what is the optimum level (I'm 72 years old and in "good"health)?

Thanks.

 

[aja8888]

My Quest lab results say that normal fasting blood sugar is 70-99 mg/dL. So 85 would seem to be mid-range normal. That's all I know.

It would seem that in Bamaman's post, 85 would be OK. That's why I asked for clarification on the range.

 

[Amethyst]

Blood sugar of 85 must be a whole different thing for diabetics, if it's part of a fluctuation.

It would seem that in Bamaman's post, 85 would be OK. That's why I asked for clarification on the range.

 

[NW-Bound]

... If my blood sugar gets to 85, I'm very nervous and weak. A Snickers or glass of orange juice gets me quickly back to normal...

This is interesting. Supposedly, low blood sugar or hypoglycemia causes problems at levels below 70. Some people may not notice any effects until 50-60.

 

[eytonxav]

This is interesting. Supposedly, low blood sugar or hypoglycemia causes problems at levels below 70. Some people may not notice any effects until 50-60.

But if your BS runs high as does Bamaman's vs a non-diabetic, his getting a reaction at 85 is not surprising.

 

[NW-Bound]

OK. I did not know that one's body gets used to a higher level of blood sugar, and must have a higher-than-normal level to function.

 

[eytonxav]

OK. I did not know that one's body gets used to a higher level of blood sugar, and must have a higher-than-normal level to function.

I'm not sure I would say "must have a higher than normal level to function", but its just that diabetics are fighting higher levels than normal and trying to keep them from going even higher, and when a big drop to those levels occurs, you can suffer hypoglycemia (aka low BS) effects. Hypoglycemia is typically a problem for diabetics, and probably uncommon for non-diabetics.

 

[photoguy]

The steam processing on Uncle Ben's rice creates a hard outer coating on each rice grain that slows their digestion, hence much lower GI than regular rice.

That steaming process also forces many of the the vitamins from the bran into the starch, so it's nutritionally superior to white rice.

I had no idea that it was better than normal rice. In fact, as kids we used to joke and call it Uncle Ben's perverted rice. Now we mostly cut out simple starches and/or replaced with whole grains/quinoa/etc.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm just telling you the way I feel @ 85 blood sugar levels. Other people may feel different.

I remember my uncle having a sugar low and not knowing where he was--until he went through a ditch and mowed down a telephone pole. Any lower blood sugar and his heart may have quit, potassium levels increased and his heart would stop. This is some serious stuff.

Most people don't need to do any major lifestyle changes until they're over 120 BS levels. You can make minor diet changes and not suffer. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to go vegetarian or eat barley.

 

[tmm99]

I eat pearl barley, which I believe is the round kind you're referring to. I normally soak a few cups worth in the pot overnight, rinse till clear, then boil for about 15mins with lots of water, enough so that the water doesn't all boil off. The shorter you boil it, the better sugar response, so I try to get it just barely cooked. Then I pour into a strainer and rinse well with cold water.

Thank you very much for your explanation. I followed your steps and made curry pilaf. And it turned out AWESOME! (No more slime and it has great texture and taste).

 

[oldtrig]

Doctors can call it what they want but really there is not such thing as pre diabetes . I just call it denial

I have been dealing with this so called condition for 12 years I know of, probably more. My fasting numbers are always under 100, sometimes in the 80's. The problem comes when I eat lots of carbs and check at the two hour mark. If you do mess up and eat more carbs that you need then walk it off, maybe even four miles would help a lot. It does the trick for me anyway. I have spiked to 220 but it always comes back down after a few hours. I am betting I have been like this for over 20 years and didn't know it but I do know so I can take better control.

I learned long time ago to eat like you were a diabetic and maybe you can hold the higher spikes off for several more years. It has worked for me and I will be age 69 in six weeks and not overweight. Gets lots of exercise and watch those late night carbs. Also drink lots of water. My a1c a few months ago was 5.5 and I had been off my diet for several months. Got to get back on track soon because I know the end results. Cheers

 

[Amethyst]

Oldtrig, how do you know you're going off the rails? Do you test regularly, or do you feel different when the sugar is up?

My anxiety stems from having 2 full siblings with T2 diabetes. Although my diet/exercise lifestyle and my general frame are different from theirs, and I never feel any "off" symptoms related to eating, I do wonder if I should be testing myself.

My fasting numbers are always under 100, sometimes in the 80's. The problem comes when I eat lots of carbs and check at the two hour mark.

 

[audreyh1]

I think he means gets really sleepy at the two hour mark? It sometimes happens to me.

He finds he can walk it off - interesting.

 

[haha]

I do wonder if I should be testing myself.

Yes, it would be money and time well spent.

Diabetes is not pretty.

 

[haha]

I think he means gets really sleepy at the two hour mark? It sometimes happens to me.

He finds he can walk it off - interesting.

I think he means he checks with his meter. He is right, if you have diabetes in the family, or have had some random high sugars, you owe it to yourself to get a meter. Forget the fasting. Test after meals.

And don't think that if you are not fat you can't have it. I have never been even close to fat, and though my diagnosis is "pre-diabetes", Old Trig is right. For all practical purposes I am just a piece of pie away from high enough sugars to be diagnosed frankly diabetic

I hated the finger sticks, so I bought a very comfortable lancing device called Genteel.

My Dad was diabetic before meters. We are truly blessed that they exist for us. Dad would say, diabetes is the thinking man's disease. What he meant was that a lot of illnesses just take hold and fling you into the grave. But diabetes lets you show what you are willing enough and smart enough to do for yourself.

Ha

 

[audreyh1]

I think he means he checks with his meter. He is right, if you have diabetes in the family, or have had some random high sugars, you owe it to yourself to get a meter. Forget the fasting. Test after meals.

And don't think that if you are not fat you can't have it. I have never been even close to fat, and though my diagnosis is "pre-diabetes", Old Trig is right. For all practical purposes I am just a piece of pie away from high enough sugars to be diagnosed frankly diabetic

I hated the finger sticks, so I bought a very comfortable lancing device called Genteel.

My Dad was diabetic before meters. We are truly blessed that they exist for us. Dad would say, diabetes is the thinking man's disease. What he meant was that a lot of illnesses just take hold and fling you into the grave. But diabetes lets you show what you are willing enough and smart enough to do for yourself.

Ha

Thanks for the detailed info. I misread check as "check out".

 

[Sojourner]

I am not pre-diabetic according to my yearly blood work, although I did have a borderline high fasting glucose number (99) one year. Ever since then, I've tried to limit the obvious sources of high GI/GL foods in my diet, but I have to admit that I am kind of a "pasta-holic" and have had a lot of trouble cutting that from my diet. I've reduced the amount of pasta per meal down to no more than 2 oz. (dry), and this certainly has helped in terms of GL and also my calorie intake. But... I wonder if I need to do more. I typically prepare a pasta-based meal for myself at least 3 times/week, sometimes 4. Are there any lower GI/GL substitutes for pasta out there, aside from things like using spaghetti squash or mung-bean noodles? I had been using the Ronzoni 150 brand a lot recently (which has a lower GL due to 10 grams of added fiber per serving), but it's disappeared from my local store shelves.

 

[audreyh1]

I believe 1oz uncooked pasta is considered a serving size USDA. Yes, that's small.

We've learned to eat massive portions of pasta in the US.

 

[Sojourner]

One ounce of uncooked pasta is indeed very little. Back in the "bad old days", before I was tracking it, I would routinely use like 3 oz. or more for a typical dinner, but now I feel like 2 oz. is an amount I can live with. Cutting that in half would be very painful for me. (BTW, all the pasta boxes in my cupboard list a serving size of 2 oz.)