Hello everyone!

[Renmer]

I am so happy to have found this website as I have been told that I have pre-diabetes. I am 83 and do my best to keep fit by going to the gym three times a week. My membership was frozen until last week, so it's good to be back there again. I want to learn all I can to stay healthy and the best way of eating. I have to go for another blood test this coming week.
I have started taking plant stanols in the form of the little drinks. Has anyone taken these and do they help?

 

[trophywench]

It's more likely to be helped to normalise again by making some dietary changes alongside the exercise Renmer. What I mean by dietary changes is cutting down on how much carbohydrate you eat. That is, all dietary carb, not only sugar!

 

[Renmer]

Thanks so much for the very interesting information. Yes, it was Benecol that I was referring to.
I have already cut right back on carbs, but sometimes have porridge, grated apple and cinnamon for breakfast or whole grains such as Oatiflakes, which do contain a small amount of sugar.
I am looking forward to learning more about diet. I do have Dr Michael Mosleys books now.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

If you're talking about Benecol I don't believe they're claimed to reduce BG

I've never seen that claimed either. (They do apparently reduce cholesterol; I'm not sure they've been shown to improve actual outcomes (CVD, etc.) so I'm not sure how much of a sales incentive that should be. So long as they're acceptably priced and not unpleasant to consume I doubt there's much harm.)

 

[Renmer]

My cholesterol is 5.7 which is higher than it should be. I had a reaction to a couple of medications so I'm trying Benecol to try to lower my cholesterol level.
Is it safe to have no carbohydrates at all? I realise that there are small amounts of sugar in fruit so that should be limited.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Is it safe to have no carbohydrates at all?

As far as I'm aware. It's difficult enough that I'm not sure it would be worth the effort. I suspect you're better off trying for lower rather than none, if only because that gives you some room to have things like fruit (variety is almost surely good in a general nutritional sense).

 

[Ditto]

Hello Renmer. 🙂 My Mum is 86 and she's pre-diabetic too. She hasn't a clue and laughs at me, she thinks I'm hilarious with some of my ideas...she can think what she likes she still ain't getting any prunes.

 

[grovesy]

at your age I would just reduce the carbohydrate slightly.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Renmer

Sorry to hear you have been told you are at increased risk of diabetes, but glad you have joined us, and great to hear that your are active and able to attend the gym again 🙂

As others have said, reducing the total amount of carbohydrate in your menu is a very helpful strategy. Diabetes is generally a pretty slow-moving foe, and any changes you make need to be sustainable long term, so it certainly isn’t that you will necessarily have to completely change your way of eating - but shifting slightly away from carb-dense meals (eg a bowl breakfast cereal) to something more varied (eg unsweetened greek yoghurt with some berries and a sprinkle of toasted almonds) can have a huge impact on your blood glucose levels, and will often be a far more nutritious meal.

It can be helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two - be brutally honest and note down everything you eat, drink and snack on, along with adding up or estimating the total carbohydrate amount for each.

This will help you spot any unexpectedly high carb things you are eating and may allow you to consider some swaps and tweaks that keep the meals essentially the same, but reduce their carbohydrate content - eg 3 eggs scrambled on 1 slice of toast, rather than 2 eggs on 2 slices.

Good luck and let us know how you are getting on 🙂

 

[Renmer]

Good morning everyone!
Thank you for all your helpful advice!
Yes, I can see that I need to change my breakfast to something more healthy, so a bowl of Greek yoghurt, fruit and nuts will be fine. I don't eat bread, cakes or pastries and prefer savoury foods, so it won't be difficult to have a few changes. My late night snack, so that I can sleep, is either Ryvita or oatcakes and only have two.
Yes, I will definitely start a food diary.

 

[Drummer]

As you are in the prediabetes range then cutting down on the carbs is probably going to do the trick and get you back to normal levels, but you might find a blood glucose meter helps you ferret out anything which causes spikes in levels, if you get one cheap to use.
If you check the carbs in anything that comes in a packet is might be quite an eye opener as to where they are coming from.

 

[Renmer]

Hello Drummer.
Yes, I had vaguely thought of getting a blood glucose monitor, so I'll go ahead a get one. Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I will carefully be checking carbs. My breakfast this morning is Greek yogurt, satsuma and nuts, so a good start I hope.

 

[Renmer]

Hello Renmer. 🙂 My Mum is 86 and she's pre-diabetic too. She hasn't a clue and laughs at me, she thinks I'm hilarious with some of my ideas...she can think what she likes she still ain't getting any prunes.

Hello Ditto! What a struggle you're having with your mum! I do understand why she needs her prunes though!! Luckily, I have always been interested in reading about nutrition, so not too difficult for me fortunately.