Pre Diabetes

Stevie lee

Newbie
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3
Hi all been reading all the great posts on here! I have recently been told I have pre diabetes and would really be grateful of some foods that I need to be eating... I’m 9 stone 4 and my hcab1 level is 42 thankyou in advance x
 
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Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the forum.
Foods to eat
Green veg especially spinach, broccoli dot they are all good
Protein: meat, poultry, fish, eggs
Fats but not the hydrogenised stuff: coconut, olive (preferably extra virgin), butter, lard
Cheese

From your weight I am guessing you are not overweight unless you are quite short so don't need to watch the calories too carefully!!! Exercise is great for keeping your glucose down too.

Good luck
 
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Stevie lee

Newbie
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3
Thankyou for your advice can I ask if salads are okay as can eat them all the time ... and what cereals , yogurts are best many thanks
 

Prem51

Expert
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Hi @Stevie lee and welcome to the forum. You need to avoid or drastically reduce sweet sugary drinks and food. That is probably obvious. But you also need to avoid starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta. Carbohydrates turn to glucose in our bodies so aren't good for pre-diabetics and T2 diabetics.
Cereals aren't good. Eggs, bacon, high meat content sausages, mushrooms, and tomatoes are better for breakfast.
The best yoghurts are the Greek high fat plain ones.
Salads are ok, but not rice based or potato salad!
 
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Stevie lee

Newbie
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3
Currently eating scrambled egg and beans is that ok? For when I’m working what fruits are best to go with yogurts thanku for your great advice!
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
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15,811
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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Prem51

Expert
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Currently eating scrambled egg and beans is that ok? For when I’m working what fruits are best to go with yogurts thanku for your great advice!
Beans aren't good. There's a lot of sugar in the tomato sauce, but you can get baked beans without added sugar which might be better.
Most fruits, especially tropical ones, are high in fructose sugar. Berries are ok.
 

Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Berries are OK in moderation; most other fruits are too high in sugar. Agree with the Greek yogurt.


I find all cereals and even porridge far to high in carbs for me.

Salads are good so long as you just have protein or fat (meat, fish, cheese etc) + lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, cauliflower, spinach, etc. I also often add a small amount of coleslaw occasionally although I usually only have balsmatic vinegar. NO potato or rice salad!

Beans of all kinds are quite high in carbs so need to be eaten in very small amounts.
 

Guzzler

Master
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10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Loads of info and recipes on Dietdoctor.com and there are a few youtube low carb channels that show do's and don'ts on food, too. Good luck.
 
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DeejayR

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,375
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi there, well done tackling your condition before it becomes a problem. No denial in your household then! All good advice above and I'd just add that if you get a fingerprick test meter you'll be able to work out more specifically what you should eat and what not to. The NHS doesn't want you do this but I think most of us do it anyway. There is a lot of advice on the forum on what meter to buy and when and how often to use it.
Another point is that if you feel hard done by at giving up favourits foods, invent some that are even better. Here's a little recipe I'm using lately ... rhubarb cooked (cos I grow it), sweetener (xylitol, my choice, not everyone's), double cream, Greek style yoghurt (cos it needs using up), chopped 90% cocoa chocolate, put in a whizzer, eat.
Green salads apart from lettuce can be rocket incl the flower heads, sorrel (lemon spinach), cress, nasturtium flowers, white cabbage (base for your own coleslaw too with roast nuts), nice home-made dressing, blimey I don't know why I ever bought supermarket packs. You can grow tons of flavoury green stuff in a very small space too, apart from nasturtiums, which will try to take over your entire world. Welcome to food heaven.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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@Stevie lee

Hello Stevie and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.