Prediabetes

[littleamy]

Hi I've recently been told by my GP that I'm prediabetic and am looking for information on diet if anyone can help? Some stuff I am reading is contradictory and I'm so confused.

Thanks

Amy

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will find it helpful. Have a read around and you will find some links for the newly diagnoses and the learning zone is really useful. As you are prediabetic then some changes to diet and exercise and losing some weight if you need to will all help to get you back to below the 42-47mmol/mol prediabetes zone. Reducing portion size or cutting out some of the very high carbohydrate foods is a good start so watch your intake of things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals as well as some fruits like bananas and tropical fruits. Try to reduce snacking on crisps, cakes and biscuits as these are dangerously tempting. You should cut out adding sugar to drinks and avoid fizzy drinks if not diet version.
Ask any questions you have about what you have read. Perhaps if you explain what is confusing you. Diagnosis is a shock but at least you are in a good position to address it.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Amy and welcome

It is good that you are taking your pre diabetes warning seriously and looking to change your diet to tackle that before it becomes full blown.
The two main options are to reduce your carb intake and/or to lose weight by a calorie restricted diet. Increased activity will also help and it doesn't have to be anything overly exertive, a good brisk daily walk is ideal if you are able.

As regards reducing carbs, this will have a direct impact on reducing your Blood Glucose levels as all carbs are broken down into glucose by the digestive system and absorbed into the blood stream. As diabetics we have become less efficient at distributing that glucose to the muscles, cells and organs of the body because either we don't produce enough insulin which enables the glucose to pass out of the blood into the cells, or perhaps due to too much fat, the cells are resistant to the insulin and don't readily accept the glucose. If we don't eat so much carbohydrate then we put less glucose into our blood stream in the first place so an excess is less likely to occur.
Carbohydrates come in a number of different forms but can be broken down into 2 main groups.... sugars and starches.
Sugars can be the granulated beet or cane sugar we put in our tea and coffee and on our cereal, but it can also be the natural sugars in fruit and fruit juice, or honey or maple syrup as well as all the things which are made with sugar like sweets and chocolate and cakes and biscuits etc.
Starchy carbs are usually derived from grains or starchy tubers like potatoes. So anything made from grains like bread, pasta, rice, couscous, pastry, breakfast cereals and potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, cassava etc. Beans and lentils can also be quite high in starchy carbs.

That doesn't mean to say that you should avoid all these foods but be aware of portion size and reduce them..... so if you normally have 4 roast potatoes and 2 Yorkshire puddings with your Sunday dinner then maybe just have 2-3 roasties and one Yorkie and have more leafy/green veg on your plate instead like cabbage or broccoli or kale or cauliflower. Opt for lower carb fruits like a few berries instead of a banana or some grapes. Have some whole milk Natural Greek yoghurt with a few berries and mixed seeds for breakfast or eggs which ever way you like them instead of cereal. Swap to a seeded or low carb loaf instead of white or wholemeal bread and smaller/thinner slices or try a Ryvita style cracker instead. Have more sauce and less pasta and more curry and less rice. You can swap rice for grated cauliflower or mashed potato for mashed cauliflower. Works great with bangers or used to top a cottage/shepherd's/fish pie with plenty of grated cheese on top of course. It takes a bit of getting your head around following a low carb way of eating but it can be quite enjoyable once you get figure out what to buy and how to cook it.
The other option is to follow a low calorie diet to lose the fat which may well have developed around your liver and pancreas as well as in the cells of your body. Burning off this fat with a very low calorie short term 8-12 weeks diet can, in some cases, reverse type 2 diabetes but you need to find a sustainable way of eating after that because if you put the weight back on, then the diabetes will likely return, so if you have been a yoyo dieter in the past this may not be something which will work for you longer term.

Anyway, that it kind of it in a nutshell. The amount of carbs you opt to eat will vary from person to person and some people will need to reduce it to quite a low level for their body to cope whereas others can get away with just a slight reduction in portion size and making treats a more rare occurrence than an everyday indulgence.

We are all different with different bodies and different tastes and different gut bacteria so we all respond to specific carbs in different ways and whilst some people can get away with a bowl of porridge for breakfast, others can't or maybe don't want to. Some can manage 130g carbs a day whilst others can only cope with 40g. This is where the confusion starts to creep in and the only real way to see how your body responds is to get a BG meter and use it to measure the effect specific foods have on your system. If you are interested in doing this we can give you suggestions for reliable and economical BG meters to use and a test regime framework to help you but as you are not fully diabetic, some moderation of portion size and restriction of treats should be enough to push your levels back into the normal range. .

 

[littleamy]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will find it helpful. Have a read around and you will find some links for the newly diagnoses and the learning zone is really useful. As you are prediabetic then some changes to diet and exercise and losing some weight if you need to will all help to get you back to below the 42-47mmol/mol prediabetes zone. Reducing portion size or cutting out some of the very high carbohydrate foods is a good start so watch your intake of things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals as well as some fruits like bananas and tropical fruits. Try to reduce snacking on crisps, cakes and biscuits as these are dangerously tempting. You should cut out adding sugar to drinks and avoid fizzy drinks if not diet version.
Ask any questions you have about what you have read. Perhaps if you explain what is confusing you. Diagnosis is a shock but at least you are in a good position to address it.

I was listening to a podcast that was saying eat low fat/no fat dairy products but then I read full fat is OK in moderation? I believed I ate quite healithy compared to other people I know but I obviously don't? Or maybe others are also pre diabetic but just don't know it?

 

[littleamy]

Hi Amy and welcome

It is good that you are taking your pre diabetes warning seriously and looking to change your diet to tackle that before it becomes full blown.
The two main options are to reduce your carb intake and/or to lose weight by a calorie restricted diet. Increased activity will also help and it doesn't have to be anything overly exertive, a good brisk daily walk is ideal if you are able.

As regards reducing carbs, this will have a direct impact on reducing your Blood Glucose levels as all carbs are broken down into glucose by the digestive system and absorbed into the blood stream. As diabetics we have become less efficient at distributing that glucose to the muscles, cells and organs of the body because either we don't produce enough insulin which enables the glucose to pass out of the blood into the cells, or perhaps due to too much fat, the cells are resistant to the insulin and don't readily accept the glucose. If we don't eat so much carbohydrate then we put less glucose into our blood stream in the first place so an excess is less likely to occur.
Carbohydrates come in a number of different forms but can be broken down into 2 main groups.... sugars and starches.
Sugars can be the granulated beet or cane sugar we put in our tea and coffee and on our cereal, but it can also be the natural sugars in fruit and fruit juice, or honey or maple syrup as well as all the things which are made with sugar like sweets and chocolate and cakes and biscuits etc.
Starchy carbs are usually derived from grains or starchy tubers like potatoes. So anything made from grains like bread, pasta, rice, couscous, pastry, breakfast cereals and potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, cassava etc. Beans and lentils can also be quite high in starchy carbs.

That doesn't mean to say that you should avoid all these foods but be aware of portion size and reduce them..... so if you normally have 4 roast potatoes and 2 Yorkshire puddings with your Sunday dinner then maybe just have 2-3 roasties and one Yorkie and have more leafy/green veg on your plate instead like cabbage or broccoli or kale or cauliflower. Opt for lower carb fruits like a few berries instead of a banana or some grapes. Have some whole milk Natural Greek yoghurt with a few berries and mixed seeds for breakfast or eggs which ever way you like them instead of cereal. Swap to a seeded or low carb loaf instead of white or wholemeal bread and smaller/thinner slices or try a Ryvita style cracker instead. Have more sauce and less pasta and more curry and less rice. You can swap rice for grated cauliflower or mashed potato for mashed cauliflower. Works great with bangers or used to top a cottage/shepherd's/fish pie with plenty of grated cheese on top of course. It takes a bit of getting your head around following a low carb way of eating but it can be quite enjoyable once you get figure out what to buy and how to cook it.
The other option is to follow a low calorie diet to lose the fat which may well have developed around your liver and pancreas as well as in the cells of your body. Burning off this fat with a very low calorie short term 8-12 weeks diet can, in some cases, reverse type 2 diabetes but you need to find a sustainable way of eating after that because if you put the weight back on, then the diabetes will likely return, so if you have been a yoyo dieter in the past this may not be something which will work for you longer term.

Anyway, that it kind of it in a nutshell. The amount of carbs you opt to eat will vary from person to person and some people will need to reduce it to quite a low level for their body to cope whereas others can get away with just a slight reduction in portion size and making treats a more rare occurrence than an everyday indulgence.

We are all different with different bodies and different tastes and different gut bacteria so we all respond to specific carbs in different ways and whilst some people can get away with a bowl of porridge for breakfast, others can't or maybe don't want to. Some can manage 130g carbs a day whilst others can only cope with 40g. This is where the confusion starts to creep in and the only real way to see how your body responds is to get a BG meter and use it to measure the effect specific foods have on your system. If you are interested in doing this we can give you suggestions for reliable and economical BG meters to use and a test regime framework to help you but as you are not fully diabetic, some moderation of portion size and restriction of treats should be enough to push your levels back into the normal range. .

Thanks so much for this reply. I know I eat too many cards, I recently cut out meat and that made it worse also. I wouldn't say I eat really unhealthily though so am shocked to learn I am prediabetic.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks so much for this reply. I know I eat too many cards, I recently cut out meat and that made it worse also. I wouldn't say I eat really unhealthily though so am shocked to learn I am prediabetic.

It does make it more difficult as meat and fish are carb free so reduces your selection of foods, low fat dairy have higher carbs than the full fat version so when people refer to low carb high fat regime it really is just not low fat. Most vegetarian meals are based on pulses which some people find increases blood glucose but may be tolerated in small amounts. Eggs are a good low carb food as is cheese and fish if you eat that.

 

[Drummer]

Thanks so much for this reply. I know I eat too many cards, I recently cut out meat and that made it worse also. I wouldn't say I eat really unhealthily though so am shocked to learn I am prediabetic.

If you can't cope with carbohydrate then you can eat all the meat and fish, eggs and cheese you like, because they are low or no carb foods.
Low fat is not a good idea, as many things processed to remove the fat are then loaded up with starch and/or sugar to make them more palatable, but that is the opposite of what a type 2 diabetic needs to eat.
With advice of diet, if you don't get the 'oh that makes sense' realisation when you hear or read it, it is probably wrong.

 

[Leadinglights]

If you can't cope with carbohydrate then you can eat all the meat and fish, eggs and cheese you like, because they are low or no carb foods.
Low fat is not a good idea, as many things processed to remove the fat are then loaded up with starch and/or sugar to make them more palatable, but that is the opposite of what a type 2 diabetic needs to eat.
With advice of diet, if you don't get the 'oh that makes sense' realisation when you hear or read it, it is probably wrong.

I agree with this but I think there are a few people on here who are Type 2 and do manage to eat a veggie diet. Obviously not so much of a problem if Type 1 or Type 2 on insulin.
I have come across low carb veggie recipes which @littleamy could have a look at. I have a few recipe books which have some good low carb veggie meals.

 

[littleamy]

I thought too much cheese was bad for you? Does that not cause high triglycerides? Which I have also got.

 

[Leadinglights]

I thought too much cheese was bad for you? Does that not cause high triglycerides? Which I have also got.

There are varying opinions on whether dietary fats increase blood cholesterol, it is the ratios which are just as important as the total cholesterol. This link may help you make your mind up.

9 Myths About Dietary Fat and Cholesterol

Recent research has mostly disproven the notion that eating foods rich in cholesterol and fat may increase your risk of various diseases. Here are 9 common myths about dietary fat and cholesterol that should be put to rest.

www.healthline.com

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I thought too much cheese was bad for you? Does that not cause high triglycerides? Which I have also got.

Eating too much of anything isn’t a good idea to my mind, nor is completely trying to avoid any major food group. It’s all about a balance between good fats, complex carbs, and protein (which can be from veggie sources if you are trying to cut down on meat. We’ve been advised to cut right down on fats for a decades, but my (unqualified) opinion is that a slightly more relaxed attitude to fats, balanced with a more moderate intake of carbs and very low levels of sugars/sweet things is a better bet.

I believe excess carbohydrate intake is implicated in trigliceride levels (three fatty acids and a glycerol ’backbone‘)

“Food is one source of triglycerides. Your liver also makes them. When you eat extra calories — especially carbohydrates — your liver increases the production of triglycerides.”

Content - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center

www.urmc.rochester.edu

Glycerol is synthesised from excess glucose

Glycerol is synthesized and secreted by adipocytes to dispose of excess glucose, via glycerogenesis and increased acyl-glycerol turnover - Scientific Reports

White adipose tissue (WAT) produces large amounts of lactate and glycerol from glucose. We used mature epididymal adipocytes to analyse the relative importance of glycolytic versus lipogenic glycerol in adipocytes devoid of external stimuli. Cells were incubated (24/48 h) with 7/14 mM glucose...

www.nature.com

Sorry about the technical mumbojumbo… but my understanding is that reducing your carb intake to more moderate levels, which in turn will reduce your BG levels, should have the benefit of simultaneously reducing your trigs.

 

[littleamy]

Thank you for the info.