My husband is pre-diabetic and we have gone to a lower carb Mediterranean Diet. I am gluten free. When you go lower carb, it is much better not to look for substitutes for anything, just don't eat it. Check out Fitness Confidential by Vinnie Tortorich and NSNG (No Sweeteners/No Grains). You will feel better and will not miss the carby stuff. If you are really working out hard and need a carb, eat a baked sweet potato.
Pre-Diabetic level - Doc suggest no bread/pasta - What's your substitute for bread?
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My husband is pre-diabetic and we have gone to a lower carb Mediterranean Diet. I am gluten free. When you go lower carb, it is much better not to look for substitutes for anything, just don't eat it. Check out Fitness Confidential by Vinnie Tortorich and NSNG (No Sweeteners/No Grains). You will feel better and will not miss the carby stuff. If you are really working out hard and need a carb, eat a baked sweet potato.
Murph
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Keto bread is really good nowadays. Some bagels, like Sola, are really good, too. I use riced cauliflower (available in the frozen vegetable section) in place of rice often. And diced turnips and radishes instead of potatoes.
Metabolical is a very good book! I learned a lot reading it.
I have been pre-diabetic for years. Finally, I really let go and sailed into Type II territory with an A1C of 7.5. I vowed to lose weight and I did. In 4 months, I lost 50 lbs and my A1C dropped to 5.5 - below pre-diabetic. I have continued to diet, and am down 67 lbs after 6 months.
What is my diet? I am controlling calories through portion size and avoiding snacking, but the main thing I am doing is avoiding a lot of carbs. I still have a piece of toast at breakfast, but it is a single slice and 12 grain. I don't eat sandwiches anymore, I eat wraps made with Mission Carb Balance tortillas. I eat nearly zero rice, no potatoes or white bread. The reduction of carbs makes it much easier to resist snacking between meals.
I did not go on an exercise plan, but my energy level is much higher now, so I am more active without trying.
One of the techniques I use is to try to improve the taste and variety of my food so as to ameliorate any feelings of deprivation. So far, it has worked well.
I'll keep running the mags on my manure spreader, thank you.
SVHoper
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@CTRetiree - congrats on amazing weight loss results.
For those looking for a white rice substitute, try Groats. I accidentally found them looking for a "better" oats. When I cook them in rice cooker using porridge setting they come out more like soft, large, rice grains and then I use them with the world of savory toppings suited to rice.
I've only done a bit of reading, but it seems they contain soluble fiber vs insoluble which has pros and cons. I find them more satiating than rice. Sorry I haven't got any sugar data, but the satiation is a plus for weight loss for me
For those looking for a white rice substitute, try Groats. I accidentally found them looking for a "better" oats. When I cook them in rice cooker using porridge setting they come out more like soft, large, rice grains and then I use them with the world of savory toppings suited to rice.
I've only done a bit of reading, but it seems they contain soluble fiber vs insoluble which has pros and cons. I find them more satiating than rice. Sorry I haven't got any sugar data, but the satiation is a plus for weight loss for me
Retired Expat
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It is not just the carbs you eat but what you eat them with that can really impact your blood sugar. So for me a slice of toast is terrible but a hamburger open faced on 1/2 the bun is not.
Try a CGM for a month to see how your diet affects you. Pasta and rice seems much worse than bread. I don’t get it but hey that is my digestion. YMMV
Try a CGM for a month to see how your diet affects you. Pasta and rice seems much worse than bread. I don’t get it but hey that is my digestion. YMMV
Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Groats!?!?! It sounds like some adventure travel company.
On a more serious note, eating carbs in the form of what is literally a whole grain and not a pulverized grain, is supposed to be better for preventing insulin spikes than eating whole grain pulverized flour. Whether that is recommended people dealing with diabetes, I don't know.
On a more serious note, eating carbs in the form of what is literally a whole grain and not a pulverized grain, is supposed to be better for preventing insulin spikes than eating whole grain pulverized flour. Whether that is recommended people dealing with diabetes, I don't know.
sroby2020
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Not that hard
At the suggestion of our Chiropractor, we cut out grains, pastas, and anything with ADDED sugar. We concentrated on good carbs (there is a list out there somewhere). We also ate more vegetables, less fruits. That got us about 15 - 20% weight reduction, and greatly improved all of our blood test numbers.
The first 3 weeks are the hardest (getting off the sugary stuff). Then it becomes habit.
The MD's are all over the place on what you should be eating, so do your research and go with what works for you. People over 50, make sure you get enough protein each meal of the day.
At the suggestion of our Chiropractor, we cut out grains, pastas, and anything with ADDED sugar. We concentrated on good carbs (there is a list out there somewhere). We also ate more vegetables, less fruits. That got us about 15 - 20% weight reduction, and greatly improved all of our blood test numbers.
The first 3 weeks are the hardest (getting off the sugary stuff). Then it becomes habit.
The MD's are all over the place on what you should be eating, so do your research and go with what works for you. People over 50, make sure you get enough protein each meal of the day.
slowsaver
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I was trying the keto diet a while back, using keto test strips after every meal. I was really craving ice cream and tried these "Keto Pint Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream Bars" that claim to have only 2g net carbs:
https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.970011269.html
I thought they were delicious! Even my husband, who wouldn't do keto, liked them. Plus, my keto test strips showed no reduction in my ketones, so I guess it's good.
I assume this would be good for pre-diabetic diet too, if you have a sweet tooth like me.
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MomintheSouth
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https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dr-ne...VaZBoCaXsQAvD_BwE#idiq=886557&edition=4947675
My husband followed the diet in this book to the letter and lost almost 50 lbs and was no longer "pre-diabetic". The alternative (Diabetes) is a lifetime of metformin and other complicated health issues. It was a no-brainer. We haven't eaten meat in almost 8 years. The year after he went on this diet they discovered he had kidney cancer. After a right nephrectomy, he recovered and has had perfect health. No medications. Our only concession is that we eat limited amounts of fish - mostly salmon, occasionally shrimp. Cutting out white bread is only the beginning and a drop in the bucket to the dietary changes that need to be made. (BTW, his md was skeptical of this diet and shoudl have been on it as well. He never lost the weight. He is now on Metformin and still overweight.) I don't usually post but I do hope this saves someone a lifetime of grief.
My husband followed the diet in this book to the letter and lost almost 50 lbs and was no longer "pre-diabetic". The alternative (Diabetes) is a lifetime of metformin and other complicated health issues. It was a no-brainer. We haven't eaten meat in almost 8 years. The year after he went on this diet they discovered he had kidney cancer. After a right nephrectomy, he recovered and has had perfect health. No medications. Our only concession is that we eat limited amounts of fish - mostly salmon, occasionally shrimp. Cutting out white bread is only the beginning and a drop in the bucket to the dietary changes that need to be made. (BTW, his md was skeptical of this diet and shoudl have been on it as well. He never lost the weight. He is now on Metformin and still overweight.) I don't usually post but I do hope this saves someone a lifetime of grief.
Almost seven years ago, I was diagnosed as being diabetic. My (not) "helpful" doctor at the time just looked at me with impatience and said "lose weight". (last time I saw him.
I saw a nutritionist and took a class and started doing my own research.
For one thing, weight gain may be a symptom of diabetes, not the cause. I was in a very high stress job and found out that a lot of stress can raise blood sugar. And I found out that Magnesium can regulate blood sugar. Plus good fats (not vegetable oils) can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the stomach.
The enemy is NOT sugar, it is carbs (and sugar turns into carbs). The trick is to cut back on carbs AND find a way that the carbs you do eat are absorbed more slowly.
So I did the following:
1) I 1eft that toxic job (actually got a higher paying one that wasn't a circus)
2) I started walking more as in several miles a a time
3) If I have milk or ice cream, it is NOT low fat. And I do not use any other products advertised as "low fat" either (you will see that they have more carbs per serving)
4) If I have carbohydrates in a meal, I eat some protein first
5) My breakfast is high protein - no cereals, pancakes, and toast very rarely
6) I look for ways to ADD fat to my diet - extra butter on a roll, a lot of fat when I cook eggs, etc. My fats include butter (going towards grass fed only), lard, chicken fat, pure olive oil (that is NOT cut with other oils), and avocado oil.
7) I take a Magnesium supplement called "Natural Calm" every day
8) I drink about 3 liters of water a day (I live at high altitude)
9) I learned that nuts in a candy bar slow down the absorption of sugars (natural fats) so they are NOT good if your blood sugar is low
9) I have small sleeves of glucose tablets that I take with me hiking, stage by my bed, and keep one in the car. If I need it, I can get a quick acting bit of sugar and each tablet is no more than 20 calories (I take one, wait a while, and then take another if needed - never have needed more than 3)
10) I have not had pasta in quite a while. But if I did, it would either be a side dish or have a sauce with a lot of fat (cream, not tomato base). I occasionally have rice but try to "cut it" with Quinoa and/or cauliflower rice. Pancakes are a rare treat and I eat them with LOTS of butter and some powdered sugar (a LOT less sugar than syrup). I make my own full fat Greek yogurt too. I prefer mayonnaise on a sandwich instead of ketchup or mustard.
The result? Within weeks, I was no longer in the diabetic range. Seven years later, I am still in the low pre-diabetic range (although there are a few days a year that are not good). I really upped my walking last year (as in over 2,000 miles) and my LDL cholesterol dropped 60 points at my last appointment last November. I'll be interested to see how much lower it has gone. My blood sugar rarely goes above 120.
I saw a nutritionist and took a class and started doing my own research.
For one thing, weight gain may be a symptom of diabetes, not the cause. I was in a very high stress job and found out that a lot of stress can raise blood sugar. And I found out that Magnesium can regulate blood sugar. Plus good fats (not vegetable oils) can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the stomach.
The enemy is NOT sugar, it is carbs (and sugar turns into carbs). The trick is to cut back on carbs AND find a way that the carbs you do eat are absorbed more slowly.
So I did the following:
1) I 1eft that toxic job (actually got a higher paying one that wasn't a circus)
2) I started walking more as in several miles a a time
3) If I have milk or ice cream, it is NOT low fat. And I do not use any other products advertised as "low fat" either (you will see that they have more carbs per serving)
4) If I have carbohydrates in a meal, I eat some protein first
5) My breakfast is high protein - no cereals, pancakes, and toast very rarely
6) I look for ways to ADD fat to my diet - extra butter on a roll, a lot of fat when I cook eggs, etc. My fats include butter (going towards grass fed only), lard, chicken fat, pure olive oil (that is NOT cut with other oils), and avocado oil.
7) I take a Magnesium supplement called "Natural Calm" every day
8) I drink about 3 liters of water a day (I live at high altitude)
9) I learned that nuts in a candy bar slow down the absorption of sugars (natural fats) so they are NOT good if your blood sugar is low
9) I have small sleeves of glucose tablets that I take with me hiking, stage by my bed, and keep one in the car. If I need it, I can get a quick acting bit of sugar and each tablet is no more than 20 calories (I take one, wait a while, and then take another if needed - never have needed more than 3)
10) I have not had pasta in quite a while. But if I did, it would either be a side dish or have a sauce with a lot of fat (cream, not tomato base). I occasionally have rice but try to "cut it" with Quinoa and/or cauliflower rice. Pancakes are a rare treat and I eat them with LOTS of butter and some powdered sugar (a LOT less sugar than syrup). I make my own full fat Greek yogurt too. I prefer mayonnaise on a sandwich instead of ketchup or mustard.
The result? Within weeks, I was no longer in the diabetic range. Seven years later, I am still in the low pre-diabetic range (although there are a few days a year that are not good). I really upped my walking last year (as in over 2,000 miles) and my LDL cholesterol dropped 60 points at my last appointment last November. I'll be interested to see how much lower it has gone. My blood sugar rarely goes above 120.
Tuirc
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I’m not pre-diabetic, but a couple of years ago my general health numbers were not trending in a good direction. I was well over my suggested BMI, my blood pressure was higher than normal etc. I decided it was time for a change. I knew all the “right” things to do. I just couldn’t imagine me being happy long term doing them.
So, we (it has to be we if you’re married) did something radical. We changed our plate. We stopped eating a plate built around a protein, a starch, and a vegetable with or without additional things added (standard American plate). We switched to a bowl. In the bowl there’s a bed of salad greens, then some whole grain (we like ancient grains mostly like farro, amaranth, or even whole grain barley it’s not exotic, you can get most of it at your local grocery store), then we have sautéed vegetables (sautéed in olive oil), then fresh raw vegetables, some cooked beans and finally 2-4 oz of some protein in bite sized pieces. Top it off with a fresh sauce (we keep them in squeeze bottles so they are ready to go).
Both of us dropped 30 pounds in 3 - 5 months.and have continued eating this way for 18 months now. The weight has stayed off. My previously trending “unhealthy” health stats have turned into healthy stats with BP returning to normal 115/80 at last check, cholesterol in back in a good range, below my BMI at 23.6 BMI. And, best of all, we like it. We miss it when we travel to places that make it hard to eat like this.
When eating out, we’ll typically get two veg based apps and one entree and split everything between us. We find this is usually more than enough food and it’s close enough to how we normally eat to make us happy.
Good luck with whatever strategy you use.
Umm, that spinach wrap is just regular white bread dough with a VERY small amount of spinach thrown in. If you have ever seen these made, you will see that the amount of dough is the same (maybe even more) than other breads. But because it does not rise and have pockets of air throughout, it just looks less substantial. My guess is if you were to weigh a tortilla wrap and 2 slices of bread, you would find them pretty close to the same weight.
I love the "street taco" flour rounds for sandwiches. They are a lot smaller than regular tortillas and good for small sandwiches. When hiking, I may take some in a baggie filled with peanut butter and folded over (and in a plastic bag. I cam keep them in my backpack or a pocket in my jacket and are easy to hold for a quick snack.
RetiredHappy
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I looked it up, if you get the Mission CARB BALANCE Spinach Wrap, it only has net 3 gm carb, with 15 gm fiber. It is definitely a good alternative.
tmm99
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And walking right after I eat works really well, but not the other way around.
Katsmeow
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I mean why does it have to be? DH and I don't eat similarly at all. DH eats beef. I don't. For a time many years ago I was a vegetarian and he wasn't. So what? He and I eat totally differently at home. For breakfast, he has a bowl with oatmeal and fat free Greek yogurt and fruit. Sometimes he has a Kashi cereal instead of the oats. I can't imagine any situation other than utter starvation when I would eat that.
On the other hand, I often have a fresh salad for lunch or dinner. DH has a side Caesar salad quite often when we go out, but I have never seen him make a salad at home.
So, I don't understand why a married couple has to eat similarly. Wait - is it a situation where the two of you prepare food together? I forget that most people most likely do that. DH and I generally fend for ourselves at home so it is easy for each of us to eat as we choose.
I had a 6.9 A1C just over a year ago and of course the Doctor wanted me on meds. I did a lot of research and found that eating Vegan was best. I went vegan and ate as much pasta and Rice I wanted to. Amazingly after just 5 months my A1C dropped to 5.4, cholesterol dropped from 300 to 200, and weight dropped about 15 pounds. I encourage you to read "Reversing Diabetes" from Neil Bernard, and watching "The Game Changer" on Netflix. I know eating vegan isn't the easiest, but better than the drugs big Pharma wants to push on us.
euro
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Same for us. Once the kids were out of the house, we started fending for ourselves for lunch and dinner (neither of us ever eats breakfast anymore).
In 06/21 my A1C was 5.7 and in 06/22 it was 5/8. I cut out all of the candy that I was eating, except I have a small piece of 70 percent dark chocolate occasionally. I am normal BMI and always have been. However, I sit around too much and I have started walking more. I quit eating pizza and I buy whole grain pasta and bread. I am cutting back on eating both of these also.
My DH had a heart attack last month, had a stent put in and spent four days in the hospital. He has also been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. He was told that he needs to follow a low fat, low sodium diet. Unfortunately, his BMI has been in the obese category for many years. He is eating what I am fixing without complaining. He has cut down his portion size to a normal size and does not get seconds. He has lost 25 pounds since 01/22. He has not smoked around me, since 12/31/85, when we both quit. However, he has a friend that smokes and does smoke when he is around that friend. He told me that he has quit smoking for good now.
We are eating more vegetables and salads now. I was inspired by a couple of posters above and found a recipe for stir fry cabbage and he told me that it was good. We are hoping that he gets cleared for cardiac rehab when he sees his doctor 10/21.
We are 69 and 70. Bad choices catch up to you. We are trying to reverse those bad choices now. I am extremely interested in all of these health topics now and will be reading about what everyone is doing with great interest.
My DH had a heart attack last month, had a stent put in and spent four days in the hospital. He has also been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. He was told that he needs to follow a low fat, low sodium diet. Unfortunately, his BMI has been in the obese category for many years. He is eating what I am fixing without complaining. He has cut down his portion size to a normal size and does not get seconds. He has lost 25 pounds since 01/22. He has not smoked around me, since 12/31/85, when we both quit. However, he has a friend that smokes and does smoke when he is around that friend. He told me that he has quit smoking for good now.
We are eating more vegetables and salads now. I was inspired by a couple of posters above and found a recipe for stir fry cabbage and he told me that it was good. We are hoping that he gets cleared for cardiac rehab when he sees his doctor 10/21.
We are 69 and 70. Bad choices catch up to you. We are trying to reverse those bad choices now. I am extremely interested in all of these health topics now and will be reading about what everyone is doing with great interest.
Is eating small meals frequently better than eating fewer large meals? Also, did any of you quit alcohol, and did that help with your diabetes? (I’m not asking about any other benefits of avoiding alcohol.) I enjoy my pre-dinner beer or glass of wine/whisky, so that would be hard for me to give up. (I know not to drink on an empty stomach; I usually have a few nuts or something.)
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audreyh1
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No, eating many small meals is bad advice. It keep your blood sugar and insulin elevated longer. Eating fewer meals is better, and most importantly having a long period of no food overnight - no late night snacks, for example. At least 12 hours of no food or caloric drinks, preferably longer.
Read about intermittent fasting/time restricted eating to learn more. Dr. Fung is a good source and he helps his diabetes patients by using time restricted eating to reduce their A1C although he generally advises to reduce carbs as well.
cbo111
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Do you recall the name of the Keto bread at Costco? I've looked at our local Costco and do not find a Keto bread. thanks
RetiredHappy
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That is the best fairytale that I have heard in a long time!
