Welp. It's official. I'm prediabetic. Does anyone have websites or cookbook suggestions to help me get this under control? Because the information is a little overwhelming.
@BADeMorte
The big question is which type of pre-diabetes. Do you have family history of adult-onset, non-insulin requiring diabetes? Are you overweight/inactive? If so, reduce weight, limit carbs, increase exercise, optimize other risk factors like smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure.
I'm Type 2, non-insulin dependent.
I started making my own tortillas as a bread replacement. Zucchini noodles & spaghetti squash to replace pasta. Quinoa to replace rice. More veggies, lean protein & fiber.
Smaller portions. Smaller meals. Lactose & fructose are sugars. Keep that in mind since even too much Greek yogurt w/fruit can be a problem.
Eating less, more lean protein, fiber, fresh veggies, and moving more have helped me greatly.
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri Thank you very much. I think this is a good start. The fruit is going to be hard but I can easily replace the other stuff and I have Quinoa already
I recently bought a spiralizer so I can make zucchini noodles instead of buying them. Worth it! They're quite good.
You can still have fruit just be mindful of how much. I get mandarin oranges because they're small.
Refried beans, pasta sauce w/chunks of veggies in and add your own meat, salads (don't overdo cheese/dressing).
Look up high fiber protein and see what food comes up.
Feel free to tag me w/questions! Good luck!
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri I will. This is good information and a great place for me to start. I feel less frazzled now. Again, thank you.
@BADeMorte @Tarnagh
Also good to know: berries and melons are less calorie dense than other fruits. You can eat more. 1 1/4 cups of melon balls = 15 raisins.
It's overwhelming at first. It was for me, too. For a long time I was angry "Just tell me what I can eat!" It was a lot of trial and error. I was officially dx diabetic in Dec 2018.
Keep a journal or spreadsheet of what you eat and when. Include your daily blood sugar if you're testing that. It gives you something to look at and say "Okay, I shouldn't eat (or eat much of) this, but this food seems to be fine."
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri Good thing I know how to work excel and have plenty of plank books. I have a feeling that I'm going to need that skill and those books.
The great thing about a spreadsheet is it's a lot easier to run an average. A1C level is a 3 month average of what you've eaten & how it affects your sugars. The link here is to a website that converts your daily sugar value (Mg/Dl) to an A1C value. At this point I've done it enough that my home average is w/in 0.5% of the doctor's office A1C when I go in to be tested. It's a hugely valuable tool.
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri (saves link) Thank you both for this. I will look at all the notes and information and work up a game plan for myself. I'll also keep you guys up to date.
You got this! 🙂
I just remembered something else. I've replaced sugar with agave in recipes that call for sugar.
My MIL makes an apple/cinnamon roll using agave & it doesn't bother my sugar levels. I decided to try it with other recipes at home. I got this b/c it's the brand she uses and recently made no-bake cookies with it. As long as I limit myself to one, this is fine. I use dark chocolate in recipes that call for cocoa b/c that doesn't bother as much either.
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri (adds that to the list to read up on)
And don't be upset if you find that something that should be fine isn't. Alpha's right about berries & melons but I can't eat much of them because they seem to be high in sugar. But that's just me.
Carrots & beets are right out for me - sugar content is way too high for my blood, sadly. I used to like carrots.
Eggs seem to be good for blood sugar levels. A couple eggs with some bacon (skip the toast) for breakfast should work.
Look for high protein/high fiber foods. Beans (chili), peanut butter, fresh fruit (fructose but also fiber, don't overdo & it balances out).
Tonight I had a tuna wrap w/onion, tomato, thin slices pepperjack cheese on home made tortilla and by blood sugar 2 hours later was 124.
Talk to your doc about meds, too. If your sugar's high they 100% help!
@Tarnagh @AlphaCentauri They are already going to talk to me about meds tomorrow. I just want to see what else I could be doing. Thank you so much. This is very helpful.
@AlphaCentauri No history of it and I will admit that I am inactive and overweight. Been trying to get to the gym more but my work schedule is not the best for that, which is sad because I work from home and the gym is like 5 blocks away from me.
@BADeMorte
Many insurances will cover consultations with a dietician before you're actually diabetic. It's good to find out what your approximate calorie intake is now and how much your regular foods contribute. Fats have the most calories per gram, alcohol less, and proteins/carbohydrates least. However, you'll often find carbs are not nearly as enjoyable as they ought to be for the grams/calories (they're bulky). So they're good places to start to reduce quantities.
@BADeMorte
Once you decide which calories are less important to you, you shave them off or you increase exercise to allow yourself to indulge. It's easier to exercise if you get to eat 100 more calories per mile.
Caveat: don't overlook calories in liquids. It takes many oranges to make 12 oz of orange juice. You're better off eating an orange and drinking water.
@AlphaCentauri I was thinking about talking to a dietician because mine will cover it. And thank you for the information. This was wonderful stuff.
@BADeMorte
But if you are thin and your family history runs more toward autoimmune diseases like hypothyroidism or B12 deficiency, consider testing for autoimmune diabetes. In that case, instead of "prediabetes" you would be called "stage 2 diabetes" and would possibly qualify for antibody treatment to prevent progression to insulin dependent diabetes.
One drug for prevention has been approved and more are in the pipeline
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-us/news-and-views/first-treatment-delay-type-1-diabetes-teplizumab-licensed-us