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.
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.
@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.