Hello,
My blood glucose levels are elevated slightly and I have to go re-test next week. I would like to nip this in the bud now before it develops into a problem later. What type of foods should I be eating to help lower this number? How many carbs should I be eating at each meal? Is their a total amount of carbs to shoot for per day?
I read that carrots, peas, corn are bad because they are full of carbs, which break down and turn into glucose sugar... I thought veggies were so good for me....... My head is spinning from reading all about carbs now, I have always concentrated on watching my fiber grams, protein grams and calories, but now I think I must CONCENTRATE on my CARBS now instead. I am so confused and unsure what is safe to eat to lower my glucose...

If somebody can reply with a typical day of what is good to eat, that can be a great guide for me to follow, I'd appreciate it as I would like to put it to practice tomorrow morning. Thanks in advance...

I'll let someone else share advice about foods, but I wanted to mention exercise for reducing BGL. I also have had some problems with BGL lately, and Meg told me to check my blood before and after a 30 minute walk, and it dropped in half! I was impressed Now I find that when I exercise daily, my BGL stays within normal range. That might be something to consider incorporating into your new lifestyle to get your BGL under control.

Good luck

Thanks suzanne, but I work out religiously for an hr everyday either walking, bike riding, kickboxing or rowing, plus I lift 10 pound weights daily too, so I'm doing the exercise part religiously. I am also at goal weight I weigh 140-145 and am 5 feet 8.5 inches tall, and have an athletes body from all my working out...

If you have a diagnosis of diabetes, you really need to talk to your diabetes educator and other members of your health care team about your specific needs.

Carrots, peas and corn are indeed high glycemic foods although it's more the glycemic load of the entire meal that's important. Also the low calorie nature of these foods and the high fiber and water content impact how they relate to your blood sugar levels.

You really need to talk to your medical team and get specifics of exactly what you should be doing.

Hi im rosey and im a diabetic type 2.. i know its scary to think u could have diabetes but it can be controlled..i went to a class that educated me on what i should be eating..most ins companys pay for this and i highly recommend u ask your dr to perscribe a diabetic class or to see a nutrionest..every diabetic is diff.. what affects me might not raise your sl levels at all or raise them alot.. in general a serving of carbs is 15 grms..i try and limit my carbs to about 1 or 2 servings per meal..learn to read labels..avoid sugar and refined processed foods esp white breads etc.. also portion control and exercise really helps lower sl as suzzanne mentioned.. we post in the dieting for diabetics check it out and come join us, we all help each other figure out whats best for ourselves..good luck rosey

My diagnosis was not that of a diabetic. My blood was elevated it was 114 to be exact. My doc said the new normal is 70-99. So he was a bit concerned being I am so fit, he wants me to get it rechecked next week, he said my number was getting close to the pre-diabetes was all.... So I just want to try and get my numbers down by a better pre diabetic diet is all...

Yanno, we all weigh in here......pardon the pun........on serious health issues....so of course, you need your trusted medical team to advise you....but since you asked...........I would suggest you go to the library, get your hands on a book called The Zone by Dr. Barry Sears. Read it through and it may make sense to you. The other thing that pops into my mind is what I have read in Prevention magazine, and if it ain't in Prevention, then it ain't true...lol ..Cinnamon really helps control blood sugar.........and then there is the most important thing of all........and all you have to do is read ANYTHING about health.........the # 1 thing to control inflamation, blood sugar, and triglycerides and cholesertol and all the bad stuff is Omega 3 fatty acid...get you some high quality fish oil capsules and don't be shy......I take 4 1200 mg capsules a day........that is more than is usually recommended, but not enough to be too much.....figure out what is right for you and JUST DO IT. You will be surprised at what it can do. My doc calls me with my annual physcial results and just sings with praise. Mind you, I used to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, OK triglycerides, but not the low, low readings I have now....it is amazing...my good to bad cholesterol is 2/1....that is amazing..and I understand very rare........my point is, you can do a lot with nutrition.......read Barry Sears............first, The Zone, so you understand, and then The Omega Zone, so you can change your life!

Fruits and higher carb veggies are still good for you, but should not be totally central to your eating plan. Corn, by the way, is considered to be a starch from a diabetes point of view and so are potatoes, of course.

I definitely think you should ask your doctor for a referral to a DEC (Diabetes Education Centre) or at least see a nutritionist experienced in such areas. My best suggestion, in the meantime, is to keep your calories from carbs to 50% or below and, most importantly, to balance your carb intake as evenly as possible throughout the day.

You might want to take a look at the various Stickies at the top of the forum. Thre are links to numerous sites that can provide some good basic information for you.

one thing I've discovered since I started posting/lurking here is that these ladies know their stuff. While they follow varried programs, they are all still slowly but surely getting results.

A "diabetic" nutrition plan can and will help anyone with a "pre-diabetic" condition.

I can only offer advise from my personal experience, but as others stated you really need to see a dietitian/nutritionist for this. Ask for a referral to a Diabetes Care Center. See if you local hospital offers diabetes management classes. When I first attended these classes, I was advised on eating 50-60g of carbs per meal, plus 1 snack a day. The ADA allows you to subtract out the fiber if it has more then 5g:Even though I maintained "normal" BGL I asked for a referral to a dietitian as I had some general questions about dieting. My BGL remains normal (about 80 after awakening, spikes up to 109 after breakfast, and drops back down to the 80-90's rest of the day) because of my weight loss. The ADA says:My dietitian (she has a name, Antonia) says that this was an old-school type of thinking on both. She says that she allows her patients to "eat" whatever amount of carbohydrates they want, as long as their blood sugar in 2 hours remains in the healthy range. She also recommends subtracting out the fiber content, regardless of the amount, as fiber is not digested. So, I allow myself between 250-300g of carbs a day after subtracting out the fiber (at least 50g for me, although 24g is the recommended amount. MAKE SURE you drink plenty of water when you eat large amounts of fiber, otherwise you will be constipated!) A 2,000 calorie diet at 60% carbohydrates is 300g of carbs. I *believe* the diabetic 1800 calorie diet is 50% carbs, thus 225g allowable a day. I make breakfast my biggest meal. 600 calories, 100g of carbs. Lunch/dinner is 450 calories 40-50g of carbs. After workout protein shake (homemade) 300 calories 25g of carbs.

You can start by making healthier choices. Eat 100% whole wheat bread instead of white (or use whole wheat tortillas and make wraps instead). Buy skim milk instead of whole milk, etc. If you are beating yourself up over counting the calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc, start keeping a food journal. It is not difficult to do after awhile.

Suzanne hit the nail on the head about exercise. However, you must know tat cardio will decrease your BGL (this is why a diabetic is recommended in testing themselves before/during/after cardio sessions). Weight training will actually increase your BGL (as the muscles are repairing). In the end it will all balance out.

The 114, was that after fasting (meaning waking up), or is it 2 hours after a meal? I was told 90-140 2 hrs after a meal is in normal range. Although I have never had this, ask for a Oral Glucose Tolerance Test This is supposedly the best way to treat for pre-diabetes (a sugar filled drink testing 2 hrs later - if your below 139 you are normal). I have heard about this test, but never had it done. I think I'm going to ask my Doctor about this on my next visit. If your doctor is really concerned about diabetes, ask for a a hemoglobin A1c (just ask him to test your A1c). This is a 3 month history of your blood. A "normal" test result should between 4 and 6. When I was diagnosed I was 10.5. 3 months later I bought this down to 5.1. Two months ago my result was 5.0.

My best advise is to educate yourself on Nutrition, dieting, weight training, diabetes. These are the books I purchased from Amazon The newer books pertain to plastic surgery, but the rest I would recommend 1 way or another. I have not been disappointed in any of my purchase.

I am insulin resistant, and while my long-term glucose test is very low, I've been experiencing more spikes. This might mean I'm heading towards diabetes.

My doctor told me that if you're diabetic, prediabetic or insulin resistant you should increse your fasting test from 8 hours to at least 12 hours. So when you get your next test, make sure that you've gone a full 12 hours without eating before they draw blood.

There really isn't a typical diet sample menu that will be appropriate for everybody. Your age, weight, health history, fitness level, metabolism, medications and even taste preferences will play a role in what you need to eat. The american diabetes association does publish several books with guidelines, and even if you don't have diabetes following their recommendations is usually pretty sound (though some people say they do better reducing their carbs a little further, and as long as you're not on diabetic medications this might be ok).

A diabetes educator or nutritionis would be a great resource. It may be covered by your insurance, or you may find free resources in your community.

As for a food that lowers blood sugar. There may be a few (and if you're ever prescribed diabetic medication, you should be careful), but the only one I know of is bitter melon, though I'd hardly recommend it. A Hmong lady gave my husband and I bitter melon and told us it was good for us and we should eat it (it's been used in oriental medicine for diabetes for centuries, apparently). Some asian diabetics drink a glass of the juice daily, though I can't imagine being able to get it down. We stir fried the bitter melon with chicken as we were instructed, and it was so bitter (even after using salt to draw out the bitterness like you do for eggplant) it was pretty much inedible.

If you want to try it, you may have to go to an oriental grocery to find it. Our Walmart even sells it here, because we have a large southeast asian population. If you google it, you'll be able to see what it looks like. Though if you do try it, and find a way to make it edible, please let me know.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to mention that Bitter Melon also comes as a tea. It takes time to get used to it and it MUCH better really cold. My husband and I actually enjoy it now as it is refreshing to us. I also drink it hot.

We're not diabetics, but diabetes runs in both families. We usually drink it after eating too many carbs or drinking too much (which is a rarity). I also drink it to relieve the occasional UTI (works every time!) and for my asthma. It really is an amazing tea. Now, as for the vegetable...ICK! lol

Thanks for the tea tip. I am going to try that. DCM