Welcome to the forum
@UpsAndDowns
Great username
😛
Since you‘ve been told you are at increased risk of developing diabetes, it can help to start making changes as if you’d had a full-blown diagnosis to give your body the best chance of pulling back from the brink.
Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can often be managed well with a few changes and adaptations. And it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. It’s best to make changes to your menu gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels can actually cause problems with some parts of the body including eyes and nerves. Many people later reflect that their diagnosis was a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.
If you’ve not already found it the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information -
useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes
Members her frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.
One of the biggest questions is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to food are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which forms and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself. But the good news is that it is possible to check this for yourself and tailor your own ideal way of eating that suits you and your BG levels. You can use a BG meter, checking before and after meals, and checking what the differences are. Then identify any foods that seem to be causing you difficulties and try varying or reducing them (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference)
If you are interested in using a BG meter to find out how different foods affect you, you may find
test-review-adjust by Alan S helpful.
One of the most affordable meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the
SD Gluco Navii which has
test strips at around £8 for 50
Good luck, and keep asking questions!
