So, because I didn't have enough health problems....Let's hear it for borderline diabetes!!!

[shadowknows69]

Any nutritionists out there with any suggestions I'd like to keep from crossing that border. My doctor was of little help in the way of advice.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Low GI food

Swap high GI for low Gi foods. Exercise every day and you'll be fine in no time!

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

[shadowknows69]

2. thanks for the link.

[Cronus Protagonist]

6. You're welcome!

And it works too! I used to eat a tonne of potatoes every week.. reasoning that it was a vegetable and therefore I could eat as much as I want... NOT! They're high GI, so I swapped them with brown rice, which is WAY better than white rice AND is low GI. Now I prefer brown rice over potatoes, which is quite a shift for a Scotsman, let me tell you!

:P

[shadowknows69]

8. My main diet, mainly because of financial woes, is rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.

And cheese, but at least my bad cholesterol numbers are fine. Mostly everything else too. Would be nice to get that affordable health care President Obama promised us. Could use it any day now.

[DJ13]

10. Carbs

Carbs convert into sugar in the bloodstream during digestion.

Watch the carbs, eat more protein.

-Husband of a diabetic

[shadowknows69]

14. Would that include peanut butter, because I can eat volumes of PB

Plain yogurt and fruit jam is good stuff too. Need the wife (a baker by trade) to bring me home more whole grain stuff and bran muffins.

[DJ13]

18. Peanut butter is mostly protein

Its low in carbs, so its a great food for diabetes.

[shadowknows69]

20. Can you spread it on your wife's body and eat it off? nm.

I like sticky sex but that could get ridiculous.:evilgrin:

[DJ13]

26. Im not telling!

:spank:
:rofl:

[Hannah Bell]

36. 1 oz of PB = 6-7 g. carb, more if it's one of the added sugar varieties.

carb content is approximately equal to protein content, & most of its calories come from fat.

[old mark]

33. White rice is one of the worst things for diabetics - carbs convert

slowly, keep your sugar level high for hours - you are better off with candy than with sugar.

I'm diabetic, too, probably was for years before anyone diagnosed it.

Get to a better doctor - there asre man who really know about diabetes andmany who do not, and the latter can really kill you.

It's not as bad as your fears.

Good luck.

mark

[Cronus Protagonist]

51. White rice = high GI Brown rice = low GI

White rice gives the opposite effect you report. White rice causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and consequently triggers a high dose of insulin. Low GI foods are absorbed slowly over a longer time and therefore contribute to stability.

[librechik]

34. switch over to whole grain everything--and to yams from white potatoes

costs the same, but the GI goes down low.

Read about the GI diet, so you understand the principles. For Po Folks like us, it's a matter of smart substitutions.

Like, instead of saltines, get Ry Krisp. Ry Krisp and low fat cheese (such as fat free cottage cheese , reduced fat cheeses, or part-skim mozzarella) are my number one and two diet items for bkfst lunch and dinner. They are my new version of fast food.

It's a bit complicated, but it can be done. For example, swithc to brown rice with your beans, and change the proportion to mostly beans instead of mostly rice.

Pasta is usually made from a hard wheat like semolina, so it takes longer to digest than say bread or potatoes, so it's better for you than either of those two.

Most important of all, STOP EATING WHITE SUGAR. My doctor says substitute Splenda. Stop getting soft drinks with sugar. White bread is just as bad as sugar.

My dad died of diabetes after diagnosis at 70. He refused to do much about his diet, cuz he was already old. That was a mistake. Believe me, you don't want to go that way. I sure don't.

[shadowknows69]

35. I can't do splenda, I hate artificial sweetners and frankly don't trust them

Is honey an acceptable sub does anyone know?

[prolesunited]

41. Try the new stevia substitutions like Truvia

It's plant-based. Honey is just liquid sugar.

[noamnety]

52. I was also going to suggest stevia

If you have a spot for a veggie garden (or herb garden) plant some of that. The leaves are soooo sweet, someone gave me a fresh leaf once, just a little leaf not even as big as my thumb, and I had to have a little nibble, then save the rest for later - it was really like getting a mouth full of pure sugar.

Also, if you have a garden space and like potatoes, try growing sunchokes. I don't personally like them raw, but cooked I love them, they are like spuds but richer and creamier. The main thing though is that they store their energy as inulin instead of regular starch, which is better for blood sugar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin

[librechik]

48. honey is not better; it is only unrefined--

in fact it probably metabolizes almost as fast a refined sugar, and has just as many calories w no vit prot etc for nutrition--it is empty calories. There is some merit to using local honeys to protect the immune system from pollen allergies--Molasses is rich with B vits, a good substitute for sugar, but rather strong tasting, you have to get used to it in tea and coffee, but it's an improvement over sugar or honey. Get it as close to unrefined and natural as you can get it.

I would say switch to stevia (a zero calorie substitute) if you can't do splenda, or do without sweeteners entirely. It's vexing. Watch for sweeteners in prepared food items, too, they are listed in the ingredients and as part of the Carbohydrate number in the legend on the label.

There's also a sweetener named whey-less you might explore--it's made from milk products.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Brown rice contains mannose... go figure.

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/Rice/Fried_brown_rice
“Fried” brown rice

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: approximately 10 minutes
Standing time: 7 minutes

This recipe was developed by Tami Ross, a Diabetes Nutrition Specialist and Certified Diabetes Educator in Lexington, Kentucky.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128
The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Fully milled and polished white rice is required to be "enriched" with vitamins B1, B3 and iron.

[bananas]

21. It works for high cholesterol, too

Here's another useful website: http://www.mendosa.com/

[annabanana]

3. jeez shadow... you can't catch a break, can you..

DH is diabetic.. He restricts his sugar & carbs (his two favorite food groups), takes his meds, allows me to bully him into exercising occasionally...

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Exercise is the most important thing you can do. And follow the regular nutritional advice.

More raw fruits and vegies.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Lose weight, drop some fat out of your diet, lotsa fiber, avoid white flour

I have the same issue.

Lotsa fruits and vegetables.

No candy.

Lotsa fruits and vegetables.

Lower your carb intake.





Here's the bottom line ... eat a good diet and walk a lot. A tiny (emphasis on**tiny**) bit of cheating is okay.

[shadowknows69]

7. Excercise is a problem

Due to a nearly useless spine. Been doing daily reps with small hand weights and trying to eat better. Actually I've been losing an average of 4lbs a month for about a year now. Still way overweight but getting back to "slightly overweight" as opposed to "grossly obese" which is where I was heading thanks to this one round of medication I was put on for a while.

[dustbunnie]

11. If you haven't already, you might see a good physio to help prescribe -

a stretching and/or workout routine that won't harm your back. Often, physios will advocate doing cardio on the stationary bike as there is virtually no back stress involved. A mix of that plus a light weight training routine (using free weights, as you are) could be really helpful.

[shadowknows69]

16. No insurance, specialists aren't an option right now.

[dustbunnie]

28. I know it's often a problem.

I mentioned the physiotherapist as it's usually good to have a knowledgeable person assess us before we go ahead and wreck ourselves. But I did used to work at a physio center administering training routines, and the stationary bike was pretty much 99.9% a go for people. If you're looking for additional ways to exercise and walking, etc... is painful, that could be a good option. Even if you just join a gym for one of those less expensive three-month stints. It could be a good segue to other exercise options. Good luck!!!

[eShirl]

15. would you be able do these kinds of seated exercise?

http://www.collagevideo.com/exercise-videos/seated-exercise-videos-47&pp=40

or if you can, would you want to?

[shadowknows69]

19. Possibly, Hell I chair dance like a MFer already.

Fred Astaire couldn't out chair-dance this one. B-)

[DeepBlueC]

17. can you walk?

a brisk walk daily will help you. If your spine is a problem look for regular access to a pool...swimming is good.

[shadowknows69]

22. No not far. I do more stairs than I use to because we had to move to an upper.

Mom's got a pool, definitely making more use of that this year.

[prolesunited]

44. Keep walking a little farther each day

It gets easier. Do two 15-minute strolls and start increasing it. Exercise is a big key.

[Stinky The Clown]

53. I feel for ya ....

.... (Not being the lest bit judgmental here)

There are exercises you can do sitting. The point of exercise is cardio, not strength training. That's the good news. While walking is a near-perfect exercise, anything that gets the heart rate up is good - and helpful. Swimming, if you can do that. Is there a Y by you? They have pretty reasonable rates. In fact, if your Y has a gym, you can probably get some pointers from one of the coaches/trainers.You don't need constant attention, just a person to put you on the right path. After that, its up to you.

I dunno if you smoke. If you do .... don't. No bullshit. Quit now. Or you could die. I'm a former smoker and the furtherst from being a smoke nazi, but you're where I was. Smoking will kill you.

If you can do 3 days a week of about 45 minutes to an hour of cardio exercise and eat healthy, you actually can reverse a lot of this. Not stop it or maintain .... but actually, honestly reverse it.

This isn't hard. You need only be honest with yourself (ie: cheating on a regimen hurts you and no one else) and persistent.

Good luck, brother.

:hug:

[Dappleganger]

9. My husband was just diagnosed with this.

From what I've observed it is definitely something which should be taken seriously throughout your day, but can be controlled. He is doing much better and not losing weight as fast as he was before. He is controlling it through consistent monitoring, medication, diet and just walking for now. It's been about 4 months since he was diagnosed but I am sure he had it for much longer. You can look up diabetic recipes on the internet (and foods to avoid) so you really don't even need to buy a book. I think it helps to have not just a daily plan but a weekly plan of how you are trying to make small decisions to get this under control. BTW his mom has it too so it was no surprise.

[Warpy]

12. Exercise and weight loss

have enabled a lot of people with borderline and early Type II diabetes to get their blood sugar down to the normal range.

In the meantime, following a low simple sugar diet would be a prudent thing to do. It won't hurt you and will also help to get that number down.

Here's the Mayo Clinic on the subject: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

For now, what you need to do is start getting used to eating nothing white: white rice, white flour, refined sugar.

It's really not as bad as it looks. Just read your labels.

[madmom]

23. Carbs, carbs and LESS carbs.....I am diabetic also, I receive a weekly

newsletter with recipes and info about low carb diets. About.com/low carb diets ,Laura Dolson. Hope this helps and good luck!

[grasswire]

24. nobody told me to do this...

...I had to learn it by myself the first month of my diagnosed diabetic life last year: carbs are not your friend.

Even complex carbs will drive those sugars up. For me now 75 carbs in a day is a LOT. 15 for each meal and snack is high, for me.

My day starts with a glass of low fat milk and a handful of almonds.

Lunch is usually tuna salad, egg salad, or sliced turkey and cheese and 1/2 slice bread.

Snack is a low fat yogurt, or half an apple with peanut butter.

Dinner is meat and salad and low-carb vegetables. If the family is having something megacarb, I have an omelette.

Snack is milk and something else. Maybe a couple of crackers with cream cheese and a slice of cucumber. Something that feels like a real food but won't do damage.

Lots of water. NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (I believe that's why I was diagnosed type 2 last year -- I had been drinking gatorade every day for a couple of years, for the electrolytes).

And I take supplements: coQ10, omega 3, alpha lipoic, vitamin e, vitamin d, magnesium-calcium-zinc, among others. I keep meaning to add turmeric, cinnamon, and green tea.

I bought one book after diagnosis. Dr. Bernstein's. His regimen is even more strict than mine regarding carbs. It's pretty interesting stuff.

I have lots of energy. I worked in the garden and laundry for six hours yesterday, walked a mile and carried groceries, cooked dinner, scrubbed the bathroom floor, ironed shirts, and felt generally quite good.

Good luck to you! Kick it now.

[shadowknows69]

25. You guys rock!

No matter the bloody battles we have on here sometimes, when a DUer is in need, y'all stand up and rush to the rescue (internet metaphorically speaking). Thanks everyone.
Nothing but love
-S

[JuniperLea]

27. I have the same issue...

Diabetes runs in the family, and I was showing signs of being insulin resistant.

I'm on...

The Modified Hobbit Diet

That's what I call it anyway.

Hobbits, if you read any Tolkien, have seven meals a day.

Breakfast

Second Breakfast

Elevensies

Luncheon

Afternoon Tea

Dinner

Supper

Eating small amounts very often keeps your blood sugar steady, and your metabolism revved up.

Low fat, high fiber, low sugar, whole grains... same old story we all know so very well.

The thing that saves me is having a crazy amount of veggies every day. I'm talking two to three cups of veggies... and a cup and a half of salad greens. I eat a tomato every day, and at least a cup of cottage cheese.

I had two Smithwicks and a plate of stew boxty on Saturday... I splurge like that at least once a month. But I used to eat like that all the time, so... I look forward to my one splurge day a month:)

I loved the boxty so much I think that next month I'm going to spend my one splurge on bean boxty like granny used to make;) And a Guinness... mine's a full pint!

[shadowknows69]

30. Hobbit diet ROFL. I knew there was a reason I liked you JL.

Actually that is a consistent piece of advice my Dr. (just a PA really) has been giving me and I've tried it. I have had some success with weight loss, only one pound down this month, but I'm trying. That's what makes it frustrating. I should have had diabetes years ago considering my...ahem..lifestyle in the past. Now that I've been making a conscious effort to be healthier I start to fall apart. My karma must have run over someone's Dogma somewhere along the way.B-)

[JuniperLea]

49. Slow and steady is good...

You're more likely to keep it off by going slowly. I know you can't exercise much, but from what I've read, diet and losing weight is really 90% what you eat and only 10% exercise.

I would suggest pigging out on all the good stuff. That's what I did for the first month, and I lost two lbs a week without really trying. The challenge became... how the hell am I going to eat all this food!

Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: 1 cup of whole grain cereal & 1/2 cup low fat milk (or 6 oz low fat yogurt)

Second Breakfast: A piece of fruit

Elevensies: A piece of fruit and a yogurt (or 6 oz cottage cheese)

Luncheon: Small portion lean meat; something whole grain or brown rice; a leafy salad with low cal dressing

Afternoon Tea: Tea! 1 oz of low fat cheese (I love string cheese)

Dinner: A cup of broth based veggie soup (I like the Progresso soups; anything that has a WeighWatcher's "0" on it is perfect) Small portion lean meat; something whole grain or brown rice; and at least 1 1/2 cups non-starchy veggies

Supper: Cottage cheese, or 1 oz low fat cheese; slice of sprouted grain toast

The main thing is to eat as much as you possibly can. I'm serious! Zucchini, green beans, onions, garlic, sprouts, bok choy, celery, cauliflower... there's a huge list of non-starchy veggies that you can eat all freaking day long and as much as you like!

I try to fill up on the healthy stuff first, or have a cup of the soup before a meal. When you shift the focus from, oh I can't have that, to oh, I have to eat all of this food, it's amazing how you can get into the groove with this kind of eating.

Celery and salsa... you can eat that forever by the gallons and it's nothing but GOOD for you!

I bought a new wok this weekend... now to dig through my recipes for Asian sauces that are low-fat and low-cal... this will open me up to a lot more veggies!

There will always be cheesecake and chili fries, and I know I'm going to splurge on them once in a while, but I plan for those days now instead of giving into them.

I wish you all the best with everything. Here's hoping we BOTH avoid the needle! *shudder* I used to give my granny insulin shots... I just can't see myself doing that to myself.

I gotta go now... I have three little tangerines I need to eat;)

[amborin]

29. Mayo Clinic web site is the best!

[amborin]

46. and lots of EXERCISE! and lose weight!

[watrwefitinfor]

31. Eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from your diet.

My relative did, and went within two weeks from newly diagnosed type two diabetes, insulin dependent, to absolutely normal blood sugar without any meds at all. Holding steady for a year now. Amazing.

Wat

[shadowknows69]

32. What things are likely to contain that?

Other than the obvious like soda and such, which I actually rarely drink. A lot of sugar in my iced tea though. Would honey make a difference?

[SoCalDem]

37. Use lemon..no sugar in your tea.. It will grow on ya

:)

and just about EVERY "processed" food has HFCS in it :grr:

I am sort of convinced that the drug companies have a lot to do with all the "borderline" diabetes diagnoses these days.. 120 used to be "normal"..and recently it was lowered to 100..so someone whose "normal" was always 105-110, now all of a sudden is a candidate for drugs...which often produce side effects that precipitate the need for ANOTHER drug..and of course they have a drug for THOSE symptoms too.. Before you know it, you're on 6 meds and feeling crappier than ever..

[shadowknows69]

40. I wonder that too. I've been right at about 98-100 my last few tests

Suddenly I get a 105 and they send me for a two hour glucose test, which came back as 106 I guess. Now they want me to do a blood test a month for 3 months and then they'll figure out what to do with me I guess. I asked my Dr. if I should be getting a home test to monitor and she didn't seem to think so. She said if it's still high after 3 mos. then they'll get me monitoring it. So much for preventative analysis.

I'll make this prediction now. In three months I'll still be above 100 and LOW AND BEHOLD, they'll have a new drug for me to try. Read my journal entry titled "Lab Rat" for more medical cynicism.

[this_side_up]

45. These sites might be helpful

http://www.netrition.com/dreamfields_pasta_page.html (pasta)

http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/dietary/brand.jsp


http://www6.netrition.com/tova_carbquik_page.html (pancakes)


http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/index.html?s_kwcid=glycemic%252520index%252520of%252520foods


http://www.worstpills.org/listing.cfm#druginduced

http://www.raysahelian.com/

http://nephron.com/cgi-bin/MDRD_NKF.cgi

Opps...I meant to reply to OP. Sorry.

[dustbunnie]

38. Everything it seems, from canned soup to bread.

Read labels, and you should probably forget about the honey. :) If you need something sweet like that, you could mix a tiny bit of fruit juice in reg or sparkling water. Industrial iced tea is full of chemical additives and sugar, which is bad. A good alternative is to make a big batch of tisane to replace the regular iced tea. I personally love mixing CS Almond Sunset and a bunch of fresh mint leaves. Refrigerate for a bit and voila. It's naturally sweet 'n delish, needs no sugar.

[Hannah Bell]

39. 1) If you're overweight, lose 5#. 2) Increase your movement/exercise.

3) Increase consumption of less processed foods, decrease consumption of more-processed foods.


I'm an RD. Weight & inactivity, in my experience, are the primary factors in *most* cases of Type 2 diabetes, not specific ratios of nutrient intake.

[shadowknows69]

42. It's the inactivity factor that I don't have much control over

I suppose I can start walking laps of my apartment but I'm only good on my feet for about 1-4 minutes tops. Thank you again to those idiot drivers that ruined my spine and shoulder.

[Hannah Bell]

47. Even the 5 minutes every hour or so would help. Seriously. If you don't move, your body

thinks you're dead. That's hyperbole, but immobility = detrimental hormonal changes which impact metabolic paths.

I set a timer if i'm doing long stretches at my desk, reminder to get up, walk around, do some stretches, etc.

[MorningGlow]

43. Ohhh yeah baby it's my life

Good suggestions here already. I say "no white food" (like you, those types of food were my main diet, so getting off them is tough). Lots of protein, a handful of low-fat nuts (like almonds--raw is better) a day. Some fruit is okay (not bananas) in moderation and always alone, not with other foods. Stevia is a good sweetener but some brands have a bit of an aftertaste, so you'd have to experiment to find a brand that appeals to you.

Also eat five or six small meals a day to keep your blood sugar steady. And yeah, exercise is important--that's the part I always hate. x(

Good luck with it. PM me about it if you'd like!

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. Low Glycemic index food as you saw above

INSIST that they send you to see a DIABETES Educator

oh and exercise, anything that will get your long muscles going has a tendency to regulate blood sugars

Oh and a sense of humor helps

[cpompilo]

54. My husband is pre-diabetic.

and our dinners consist of meat and green veggies or a salad. I make my own salad dressing as commercial brands have way too much sugar or other undesirables in them. Stop eating processed and fast "food". Convenience food turns out to be not so convenient in the long run. Cook from scratch with real ingredients. I bake muffins for my husband to take to work - I use Agave nectar in them for sweetener, it's low glycemic, and I bake them from almond flour, not wheat flour. Make sure you take a good multi vitamin, and especially Vitamin D3, taken with calcium-magnesium for best absorption (ratio of cal to mag is 2:1). The Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us.

[dogman]

55. Cinnamon.

My BS was 123. My Dr. said lose weight and exercise or I would be going on meds. I lost weight and exercised, no change. My sister told me about an article about the benefits of cinnamon. I began 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon on my bran flakes at breakfast. In thee months my BS was 93. About a year ago I raised it to 1/2 tsp. and my last BS was 83. This was close to my BS 10 years ago, 81. You can also get cinnamon in capsules at nutrition stores or pharmacies. It can't hurt and it tastes good. My story is only anecdotal, but I believe in cinnamon. Best of luck.

[historian]

56. im in the same boat as you are

I have hepatitis c, second stage and am becoming a border line diabetic. Your other health problems could produce other symptoms so im just telling you what i do. First of all one of the main symptoms of diabetes is abnormal thirst, peeing too often and a craving for sweets (depending on far you have gone and whether you will need insulin).ti
In any case, my liver specialist at ucla told me to lay off the sodas (which i did years ago anyway)lay off the junk and fatty foods (thats for me because my liver cant breakdown fat very well any more) stick to fruits and veggies, raw if possible. He also said to be careful because if your other illness, like mine, causes fatigue, the tendency is to lie around all day and you will lose muscle mass and that is a no no.
So he recommended eating just enough to fill up, raw fruit and veggies if possible (especially the yellow and greens) exercise (even if only walking around the block) at least 8 large glasses of water per day and to avoid gloom and doom people. He said is currently involved in a study of people who have hepatitis at all levels and the ones who spend the day with people who are always gloomy and pessimistic (they hired actors for this) tended to show an increase the progression of the disease as well as bad signs in blood work. Those who were always surrounded by optimist and cheery ones and who went out as often as possible showed signs of progress.
So thats all the advice i can give. Hope it helps and good luck.