Pre-Diabetic level - Doc suggest no bread/pasta - What's your substitute for bread?

[Bamaman]

Different people will find different approaches that work for them, but in general, keeping carbs low is a good idea.
For those who are scientifically inclined or "just want to know", the technology of CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring), can be extremely enlightening. You get instant feedback of how high your glucose levels go when eating certain foods. You also see how long it takes your body to clear that glucose which gives you a good idea of how insulin resistant you might be.
Absolutely fascinating for nerds like myself! It's a bit pricey unless you can convince your insurance to pay for it, but if you do care about your glucose metabolism this is money extremely well spent. You would be surprised how many foods (especially processed foods, of course) will cause a glucose spike. Even some that are labelled "gluten free", "keto" low carb", etc. I'm not diabetic, but I do try to keep a low glucose diet and after a few years of experimenting, I have pretty much found what works for me and what doesn't. That said, I still double-check with a CGM for a month or two every now and then - and STILL find the occasional surprise!

I agree about using a Continuous Glucose Monitor as a great management tool. The before and after eating something is sometimes eye opening.

When I'm having a "low day" is when I can step up to something with more carbs.

Even if your insurance won't pay for the replacement modules, it's worth paying for out of your pocket.

 

[audreyh1]

Yep, if I were creeping into the pre-diabetic range I spend whatever it took to use a CGM so I could really understand what was spiking my blood sugar and how to change what I eat. There are a lot of myths out there about foods and blood sugar, and seeing what foods really do to your body will clear out a lot of those myths.

 

[braumeister]

Yep, if I were creeping into the pre-diabetic range I spend whatever it took to use a CGM so I could really understand what was spiking my blood sugar and how to change what I eat. There are a lot of myths out there about foods and blood sugar, and seeing what foods really do to your body will clear out a lot of those myths.

I agree that a CGM would be well worth the cost in that case. Evidence beats anecdote every time.

 

[eytonxav]

With your ratios the way you showed them, I would completely ignore your total and LDL cholesterol numbers.

But your glucose and A1C numbers are concerning, so I would certainly cut back on the sugar as much as possible.

I feel for you, as ice cream is also one of my big weaknesses.

I love ice cream as well and have found something I can enjoy with Keto ice cream.

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

We have simply learned to eat without bread, pasta, rice, grains. We don’t miss it.

We often use shredded sautéed cabbage instead of rice, noodles or pasta. Works well for Thai and Italian and sauces in general.

For sandwiches lettuce wraps work well, but we mostly have the fillings without the bread. Things like sliced cold cuts wrapped around various fillings work well. It’s more like eating antipasti.

We pretty much have eggs in various ways for breakfast.

A lot of our meals are meat/seafood/poultry with a non-starchy side vegetable or two. We also enjoy large salads with plenty of protein etc. added as a meal.

I recently took a picture of some of the goodies we pack in the cooler for noshing on our long road trips. Very satisfying.

Thanks for this tip! We're going to try it.

 

[Tuirc]

Turic, Can you tell what type of fresh sauces that you use on top? If you make them, do you have a recipe? Thanks

Sorry, this is probably very late. I've been travelling and then the kids came in for Xmas.

At any rate, if you do see this. We generally make it up as we go along depending on the cuisines we'll likely be eating during the week. We have a lot of seasonings/spices in the cabinet and combine with EEVO, vinegar, plain yogurt etc. for most of the base of them. Could be as fancy as a Romesco sauce or as pedestrian as a vinaigrette. Fresh citrus may appear in them as well as fresh herbs.

 

[Tuirc]

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.

Yep, we eat the same food. I'm still w*rking so, it works best for us. I don't think either of us would go through the effort or making proper nutritious meals if it were just for one person. So, we'd both suffer. I'm sure that's just us, but that's one of the reasons why we eat the same food.

 

[Tuirc]

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.

I agree with this. I'm not sure if what we're doing is considered "intermittent fasting" per se, but we eat the evening meal before 7:30 pm and don't eat or drink caloric drinks until 12 pm the following day (2 meals daily). So we're consuming all calories in that window of <8 hours. We're approaching 2 years now and have kept the weight off without really thinking about it. That was a 30 lbs weight drop, both of us are now in the healthy BMI range and 2 years without a re-gain. Whatever we want to call it, it seems to be working for us and I wouldn't want to go back to eating the way we used to.

 

[bloom2708]

https://nutritionstudies.org/whole-food-plant-based-diet-guide/

Another option.

 

[Scubamax]

A couple of comments and a suggestion...

1) Read the ingredients in those wraps. A LOT of them have hydrogenated fats/oils in them which are really bad for you. Plus for me I cannot tolerate a lot of fillers that they have like soy, guar gum, xanthan gum and the like. Oh, and I can't do cruciferous veggies either...and no dairy....but I adapt and overcome...

2) Since everyone else is volunteering their personal anecdotes, I will as welll. I was overweight (not obese) and a self-certified carb-o-holic. Loved breads and pasta. They were a cornerstone of my diet. A couple years back I decided to do time-restricted fasting and a huge reduction in carb intake, to less than 100 g NET carbs a day. I lost 32 pounds and my bloodwork came back with dramatic improvements (I never was pre-diabetic, but had high lipids).

3) Very few of the low-carb breads commercially agree with me, so YouTube is my friend. I make wheat free yeast bread every week and it toasts up great. My favorite channel is :https://www.youtube.com/@lowcarbrecipeideas She has tons of recipes that are Keto (low carb) and have ground almond, sunflower and other low carb bases. Check it out!

 

[COcheesehead]

Big fan of intermittent fasting. I was always lean, but my blood levels were creeping upward with higher sugar levels. Doc told me to limit carbs. I turned to intermittent fasting. I lost 14lbs that no one would have noticed on my body. I found out your organs carry fat too. 3 years in now, the weight loss stopped a couple years ago, but the blood levels are awesome. I limit white foods: bread, crackers, pasta, rice, potatoes, oatmeal, etc. It’s just a part of my lifestyle now.

 

[Scubamax]

Exactly! Its a lifestyle change more than just a diet adjustment.

 

[KrisQuit]

My doctor had been tracking my glucose numbers for the past year or so, and they were moving up and down — just above 100 but putting me into pre-diabetic range. She suggested I try intermittent fasting to see how it would impact my metabolism. It took about six months of consistent IF (I chose the 5/2 method), but my glucose and A1C numbers dropped well into the normal range. I have since maintained the IF regimen; it’s a good weight maintenance tool as well. Some information: https://peterattiamd.com/topics/