Pre Diabetic Veggi

[Dragon58]

Hi. I have been told by my GP that I am pre diabetic.
I was told to cut down on pasta, rice and potatoes and cakes/biscuits etc but I am not sure what foods I can have.
can anyone recommend any good books that explain what is safe to have and any vegetarian cook books that would be suitable.
I have got a lot of recipe books but most of them have pasta or rice in them.
I have another blood test in July and would like to have made some progress.
thank you.

 

[Leadinglights]

I use Edamame bean or black bean pasta which is much lower carb than standard pasta about 15g carb per 100g. Many people use riced cauliflower as an alternative. Celeriac is a good alternative to potatoes or used as a mixture. If you look for low carb or Keto vegetarian recipes there are quite a few books or internet sources around. Pulses are something to be careful of but a suitable portion size maybe fine for you. Using just one higher carb food in the meal and bulking up with other veg, cheese, eggs, salads, nuts maybe all that is needed as you are prediabetic.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Dragon58

As a general guide @SB2015 often posts that vegetables which grow:

below ground are highest carb
above ground are medium carb
on the ground are lower carb

There are exceptions, obviously, but it’s not a bad starting point.

Many people find that the way the carbohydrate is structured in pulses/legumes means that some of it passes through without being absorbed (which is why beans have a reputation for giving you wind). So you may find that pulses only count for approx half of their stated carb content.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. And make a reasonable estimate the amount of total carbohydrate (not just ‘of which sugars’) in the meals and snacks you are eating. This will give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu, and where some lower-carb swaps (eg cauli rice for rice, or celeriac mash), plus a little portion control might make a really big difference.

Over many years members have been comtributing meal and menu ideas to the ‘what did you eat yesterday’ thread, which might give you some inspiration and pointers

What did you eat yesterday?

@rosie1 my go to low carb meal is bacon and eggs, tastes divine and always fills me up. :)

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[SB2015]

Hi @Dragon58

Welcome to the forum. I am another person who uses Black Bean or edamame pasta. It means I can also have a good serving to ‘carry’ the yummy sauces, and still keep to lower carbs, which for me helps to avoid big spikes after a meal.

I am not sure that there is any ideal recipe book, or diet to follow. Each of us needs to find what works for us in managing our Diabetes. The common factor is that any carbohydrates that we eat will be changed into glucose (unless they pas through which some find happens with sweet corn, or some beans). Any glucose in our blood needs some insulin to get is taken up by the muscles.

A diary of what you eat and the amount of carbs if you can find that out, will help you to make decisions about swaps and/or changes to portion size in order to reduce the carbs to a level that you can process. This will be different for each person.

Keep in touch on the forum, read around and come back with any questions that you have.