supplements

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bev

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Hi all!

I was just wondering if any of you take any supplements? Do you take anything to help prevent any long term complications of diabetes? Do you eat any specific 'health foods'? :)Bev
 
I was prescribed sanatogen gold multivitamins when I was diagnosed, although that might have had something to do with the state I was in at admission - I don't think diabetics are routinely prescribed multivits.

Apart from that I don't eat anything particular - just try to follow a healthy and varied diet (which does, admittedly, involve a lot of sausages...!)
 
I take a one-a-day multivitamin, not sure it does anything for me and certainly didn't hold my neuropathy at bay.

Otherwise, I just try to maintain a healthy and balanced diet and do as much exercise as I can manage.

Unlike my learned colleague from the 'other county' I don't overdose on sausages, but am rather partial to my chilli vegetable soup/stock which I make in bulk and I think two bowl fulls give me most of my five-a-day and the chilli that nice kick!
 
i take a 1 a day multi vitamin and also i take cod liver oil capsule (1 a day) but not on any kind of medical grounds.
 
I sometimes take a miltivitamin, i should take them all the time, as I definatly don't eat enough fruit and veg. My nan buys me them sometimes, whenever i get sick it's always because I haven't been taking my vitamins- according to her!
 
So far I have resisted the urge. I take 2 tablets for high BP, one statin and recently my pharmacist wanted to give me cod liver oil (yuck) which I politely declined! I dont really want to take any more tablets just in case I start to rattle :p
 
Personally, I don't take any dietary supplements, but prefer to rely on a very varied diet, including home grown vegetables and whatever is reduced at supermarket in the evenings (and sometimes unusual things like a shot Canada goose and rabbits, our cat's dry food, 5 year old chocolate that has been to Antarctica and back, plus whatever my parents bring back from working in the Middle East!)

When going on expeditions, from 6 weeks to 4 months, with sometimes restricted rations, I asked several dieticians for their advice (both before and after diabetes diagnosis) - the general consensus was that it takes longer than 4 months with absolutely no vitamin C (water soluble) to get scurvy, and that developing a clinically significant deficiency of other vitamins, particularly fat soluble ones, takes much longer.

It is possible to overdose on fat soluble vitamions, which is why tablet doses of B vitamins were reduced a few years ago.

With minerals, menstruating women are more prone to anaemia, but most get enough iron from meat or green leafy vegetables. For pregnant women, there are recommended supplements, which I would take if pregnant or trying to become.
 
Copepod,

You lead a very interesting and varied life dont you? Makes mine seem positively boring - actually it is a bit - being a housewife etc.. I am looking to do some voluntary work - maybe for DUK.:)Bev
 
Bev, well, if you want a bit of excitement, start by nicking your pets' food! Actually, we only tried the different types in our cat's dry food mix to find out why she was leaving the plain brown ones.

Good time to start planting things in garden or pots - chives and garlic are a good start, assuming you like eating them, as they're easy to grow. How's the geocaching?
 
Hi!

We dont have any pets - so bit of an obstacle there!
Actually, regarding the geocaching, i posted your link on another forum i am on (caravanning) and loads of people do it and tell me how much fun it is - so we are investigating buying a gps at the moment! Alex and his sister love the idea of doing it - so do i - so thanks you may have started something!:DBev x

p.s. i did have a go at growing some veggies last year - but they all got eaten by slugs! Will try again this year though - its a lovely feeling eating your own home grown things isnt it? Bev
 
Bev - If you are unsure of what are particularly good foods nutritonally, then you could always try Quentin Grady's rather excellent "Nutrition for Blokes"
http://www.phlaunt.com/quentin/

Quentin's well known around web diabetic circles and has been giving out valuable advice for a long time.
 
Bev, I take one zinc with vit c every morning. Only had one very mild cold in the last 12 months, (not sure if its connected, but i like to think it is). my partner has had bad colds/sore throats this year and i only had my cold for 3 days? :D
 
Copepod said:
Bev, well, if you want a bit of excitement, start by nicking your pets' food! Actually, we only tried the different types in our cat's dry food mix to find out why she was leaving the plain brown ones.

i really dont know what to say about this?:confused: you do make me laugh.

did it affect your bs?? lol :D
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Tracey: Three tiny pieces of dry cat food - probably about 10g in total. I didn't notice any effects on my blood sugar, nor on my partner is any way - but the cat looked a bit bemused. She was right, though - the brown ones don't taste as nice as the other colours! Helpfully, nutritional information on cat food is almost as good as on human food - but I don't think I'll be eating enough to make it worth considering!

Bev: Slug attacks on our veggies was one of the reasons for getting ducks - they're pretty good at eating slugs and snails.
 
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When I heard about the research at Warwick University (people with diabetes having much less Vitamin B1 in their bodies) I started taking Vitamin B Complex which includes 100% of your RDA vitamin B1. I've recently started buying them online, it's way cheaper than the shops.
 
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Used to take multivitamins. Stopped many years ago and rely on a healthy and balanced diet.

Tried to work out the lactose and carb count of my normal medication - only 16 tabs and 2 inhalations a day. Gave up trying. Missed out on the supplement to enhance my grey matter

Happy that all seems under control; diabetes, AF, COPD, and after affects of many bone fractures and strokes.
I did get cross sometimes with my son in the USA who insisted on stuffing my perfectly fit grandchildren with enough supplements to be a meal in themselves.
 
I got a call from my doc the other week saying my cholesterol was off the scale, despite me exercising and eating healthily. Have researched it and now take cider vineger, fenugreek, plant stetol capsules - all off which alledgedly lower bs/cholesterol. I have a fasting test on 16 March so we will see if it's worked.
 
Ikey the tinker said:
I got a call from my doc the other week saying my cholesterol was off the scale, despite me exercising and eating healthily. Have researched it and now take cider vineger, fenugreek, plant stetol capsules - all off which alledgedly lower bs/cholesterol. I have a fasting test on 16 March so we will see if it's worked.
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That will be interesting Ikey. Are you not on statins for the cholesterol?
 
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