Blood Sugars too high

[Fiona1973]

I have just had my recent HBA1C which was 8.8, too high! Its been creeping up over the last few years and my GP has given me till March to try and bring it down, a repeat HA1C will be done then and if still high then I will be refered back to the Hospital.

I admit to having a sweet tooth, my diet seems to be the one thing that could maybe change, I'm not sure.

Both Mum and I are diabetic and we both follow the Diabetes UK guidelines with our diet, but I can't help but wonder if I eat far too many starchy foods.

A typical day for me is as follows (This was Saturdays blood sugar readings and what I ate)

Blood Sugars on waking 9.8

Breakfast

Gluten Free Fibre Flakes & Milk - blood sugars 2 hours after around 12.8

Mid Morning

Options Hot Chocolate

Lunch

2 slices of gluten free bread, low fat spread and usually ham or chicken with lettuce or tomatoes
1 fat free yogurt
Fruit Pot

Blood Sugars 2 hours after - 10.8

Dinner

Baked Salmon
Small Jacket Potato with butter
Vegetables
Sugar Free Angel Delight

Blood Sugars 12.1

9.30pm
Small glass of milk, and 1 gluten free biscuit & 2 squares of milk chocolate.


Has anyone got any suggestions as to what I can do to help reduce my sugars, my mum is of old school that we need to follow the dietician instructions and she won't budge on what she eats but I'm prepared to experiment! Although I confess that the odd sweet treat will prob make an appearance in whatever I decide to do with my diet. I also need to lose weight as well. I tried to do the Newcastle diet but I only managed to do 2 days because the slim fast shakes really upset my tummy and I couldn't keep out of the bathroom. My GP wasn't smitten on me trying that diet but I was prepared to give it a go!

Am grateful for any help, from a fed up diabetic whose diabetes seems to be controlling her at the moment and not the other way!

 

[Grazer]

Hi Fiona, I got all sorts of rubbish advice from the dietician as well. Got my BGs under control by ignoring her.
You eat Gluten free - are you coeliac? If not, why gluten free? Burgen Soya and linseed bread is about the best for most of us - and in limited quantities.
You do eat a lot of starch. The bread is one source, Jacket potato another - almost as bad as mashed! A couple of baby new potatos boiled in their skins is much better. The hot chocolate is a no-no really. I know you like sweet, but you don't like complications and full-on meds either do you? Cup of green tea would be better - sweetener but no sugar.
Fruit pot could be dodgy. They often have sugars. All fruit has carbs as well. Have some berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries) instead. Have them with cream if you like - cream is low carb. NOT ice-creram.
Milk, chocolate and biscuit at 9.30 isn't good. You have high fasting BGs which could well be down to this evening snack. Go to bed high (which I bet you do) and you'll wake up high. According to your meds, maybe you're having this carby snack to avoid hypos later. But if you didn't eat so much carby stuff, you might not need those meds - vicious circle! If you want to snack at 9.30, have some nuts. A few carbs, but very low GI. NOT cashews though. If you're really hungry, what about a hard boiled egg? Or a few cherry tomatos?
If you want to change, you need to reduce the carbs and sugary stuff. Even the fibre flakes at breakfast have a lot of carbs. some people have scrambled eggs or an omelette.You might be surprised at the results.
Good luck.

 

[Fiona1973]

Hi Grazer

I am a coeliac hence the gluten free diet. I also have to watch my intake of nuts and shellfish as I suffer from Idiopathic Anaphylaxis, so although its okay for me to eat a few nuts I couldn't base meals really around it. I'm allowed 1 tsp of peanut butter a day or 6 almonds or 4 brazil nuts - big deal I know!! I'm also allowed a very small portion of prawns but I tend not to go near them as they do make my mouth itchy although eating them would not bring on anaphylaxis.

I do probably go to bed high so I prob wake up high!

I do like berries so this would be an easy swap to do, also I don't mind new potatoes but I guess you would only allow yourself maybe 1 or 2?

Scarmbled eggs for breakfast would be okay, I can't make an omelette to save my life!!

Hmm, you have given me food for thought!! I admit I do it alot of starchy food, if I was looking to cut my carbs down is there a rough guide I should be aiming for? Eg maybe 80g per day or would this still be too high?

Thanks

 

[Grazer]

No fixed amount. It depends on what suits you. You need to start at a level then adjust as a result of testing until you get the levels you want. Some start on about 70 grams a day as a woman (levels a bit higher for a man). Some go lower. I'm on about 50% of guideline amounts for a man, so that would be 125 grams for a woman. But I'm lucky to be able to handle that level. If you like the idea of 80, go for that and stick to it. Give it a week or two to take effect and then take it from there. Still need to cut out that carby 9.30 snack though!

 

[angieG]

If you struggle with omelette making, Tesco do packs of 2 frozen cheese omelettes that you microwave for about 3 mins from frozen. Great if you want a quick snack and real low carb. Maybe not as good as a fresh one but I like them!
HTH
Angie

 

[Libbyloo]

Hi Fiona,

I'm coeliac and type 1 (not sure if you're type 1 or 2), but if you can tolerate gluten free oats, as an alternative for breakfast, I have gluten free porridge made with Kara coconut milk (as I have also been lactose intolerant for many years) which is low in carbs and I add some mixed seeds and flaxseed with a good sprinkling of cinnamon. In the summer I usually have some sheep or goats milk yoghurt (as I can manage that) plus some berries or small piece of fruit and a small bit of gluten free granola (oat variety tends to be lesser carbs) plus my usual sprinkling of cinnamon.
As a snack I often have nuts as others have written (usually stick to almonds) or a gf oatcake (Nains do them and you can get them from Sainsburys or Tescos). They don't do sweet varieties yet (like they do in the non gf range) but I was on their website the other day and it looks as if they may be considering making a flavoured one, so I e-mailed them to ask them to think about extending the gf range.

Good luck,

Libbyloo

 

[Fiona1973]

Hi Angie

Thanks for the tip about frozen omelettes, I might have to investigate this!

Hi Libbyloo

Thanks for your advice, haven't tried GF Oats but will give them a go when I go shopping this Sat.

Am planning to have Scambled Eggs tomorrow for breakfast, an open sandwich with ham salad for lunch with some berries and not sure about dinner!

I don't tihnk I will be able to convince my mum to alter her diet, what the NHS and the dietican says goes!! If they were to give her a diet sheet with reeuced carbs on then she would follow that!! All that seems to have happened to me is follow their advice, gain weight and have high blood sugars!! Something is wrong somewhere!!

 

[xyzzy]

The hot chocolate is a no-no really.

Actually Grazer believe it or not I get away with a mug of Cadbury's Highlights only around 5g carbs a serving and 40 calories. It's the only sweet thing I have if you don't count fruit. I make it in quite a small mug so the two semi heaped teaspoons I dare to use still end up making something that tastes strongly chocolate like. It doesn't touch my BG's at all but maybe thats just me.

 

[wiflib]

If you want a proper and low carb hot chocolate, melt a square of 90% in a mug of hot milk/cream/milk alternative and sweeten to taste.

wiflib

 

[Osidge]

Hi Fiona

What meds are you on and what exercise do you get?

Doug

 

[cinn55]

Hello, just wanna ask, is cinnamon really works to stabilize blood sugar level? There're many pro and contra out there.. Thank you.

 

[xyzzy]

cinnamon really works to stabilize blood sugar level?

It may or it may not who knows...

Whatever the case it isn't as good a solution as stabilizing BG levels through a change to your diet that will permanently keep your sugar levels at safe levels at all times.

 

[Fiona1973]

Hi Doug

I take 4 metformin a day, inject Byetta twice a day and I go to the gym 3 times a week, aqua aerobics 2 times a week and I take my dog for 2 long walks at the weekend. I really can't fit in much more physicla activity as I leave to go to work at 7.30am and I don't get home till about 6.00, by the time I have eaten and done the exercise I can fit in its like 10pm and time for bed!!

I have reduced my carbs over the last few days and I have noticed an improvement in my sugars, I don't think I could ever really go low carb, but 1 slice of bread, 1 boiled potato and 1oz of pasta doesn't seem to make my sugars rise At least at the moment my sugars are not in double figures anymore!!

Thanks

Fiona

 

[xyzzy]

1 slice of bread, 1 boiled potato and 1oz of pasta doesn't seem to make my sugars rise

Yep, that's the kind of amounts I do and it works for me. If you do rice try brown basmati rice as I seem to be able to do 2oz of that! Make up the difference in what you were eating as starchy carbs as non root veg if you can.

 

[Osidge]

Hi Fiona

That's a lot of exercise! You put me to shame. Have you thought about going on the once a week injection Bydureon - the same drug as Byetta but once a week taking away the need to time injections for the optimum time before a meal.

Regards

Doug

 

[Riesenburg]

Hi Fiona,

I'm a type 1 diabetic 30+ yrs of it now. What I can share about the food issues is:

1. Milk can and does raise sugar levels (mostly due to the lactose content). I use almond milk myself and that seemed to help not sure if that is appropriate for you.

2. Chocolates are a no go unless you are on insulin and can up the units for a meal to cover it, even so it's not worth it.

3. Avoid all the sugar free stuff you eat, or rather check to make sure it doesn't contain Aspartame or Sucralose. They are artificial sweeteners used in most sugar free foods the main problem with them is that the brain reacts by causing you to crave carbs after consuming the stuff (since it was expecting carbs due to the sweet taste but didn't get any since it is not sugar).

And as mentioned, exercise is a critical part of managing your diabetes whether it is type 1 or 2. There is solid scientific evidence that doing aerobic and mild weight training regularly will help lower the HbA1Cs. Just work on what is comfortable for you but do try to exercise regular.

Other then that I would chat with your diabetes team about cinnamon supplementation. It is a little controversial but can work in some cases. For instance a lot of type 2 diabetics claim it drops their overall sugar levels, I have found this to not be the case for myself but have found that having a high doze cinnamon pill before my meals stops the sugars raising as much as they would just for that meal. As always check with your care team before using something like this.

Overall, you could also skip your pre-bed meal if your glucose levels are in the upper end of normal. If you are eating to counter a night time hypo then do eat something but just try reducing the carbs in what you eat.

Hope that helps! Best of luck with your readings and do let us know how you get along
Frankie

 

[Libbyloo]

"just wanna ask, is cinnamon really works to stabilize blood sugar level? There're many pro and contra out there.. Thank you. cinn55"

I'm not sure if it does or not, but I like the taste of it and it doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on my bg levels so that's why I use it.

Libbyloo

 

[Ash123]

Has any one tried fenugreek seeds for lowering blood sugars ?if so does it really work.