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Found a solution to my foot-on-the-floor!

JMoli

Well-Known Member
Messages
250
Location
Edinburgh
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, thought I’d share this in case it works for anyone else! Since diagnosis two years ago I’ve always had the foot-on-floor rise and recently also a bit of dawn phenomenon too.
Since starting taking 6 or 7 pistachios at bedtime this has all stopped!
They are low GI and apparently also good for sleep too.
It could all be a weird coincidence but I now wake up and stay in range with no rise when I wake or get up.
Obviously don’t try this is you have a nut allergy but I’d be interested if it works for anyone else
 
Do you happen to be a pistachio sales person? Seriously will give this a go and let you know. Have the same problem and love pistachios!!
 
ReaL said:
Do you happen to be a pistachio sales person? Seriously will give this a go and let you know. Have the same problem and love pistachios!!
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Haha, they are so good aren’t they! I hope it works for you too. I still can’t believe that I’m at 6.1 after getting up and making coffee then toast!
 
Have you tried other nuts? Is it specifically pistachios that work for you? I ask because as a type 2 controlled by diet alone pistachios are amongst the higher carb nuts.
I suspect they help maintain a higher glucose level in the night thus limiting the need for a wake up glucose dump from the liver in the morning.
 

Hi, I read up on them a wee bit this morning and they have a blood glucose and insulin lowering effect for type 2 diabetes. There are some articles that look quite interesting but I haven’t researched much. I sometimes have peanut butter or almond butter or a handful of my homemade low carb granola (walnuts, seeds, hazelnuts, almonds and pecans) but have never had success with my morning blood sugar until starting pistachios a week ago. Since then I’ve stayed steady through the night at a good number and have no foot on the floor so I’m assuming it’s the pistachios. I’m on insulin and type 1 so not sure if it would be the same for type 2 but they seem to be recommended in the quick search I did
 
JMoli said:
I sometimes have peanut butter or almond butter or a handful of my homemade low carb granola (walnuts, seeds, hazelnuts, almonds and pecans) but have never had success with my morning blood sugar until starting pistachios a week ago.
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Was that coincedentally after changing sensors?
 
Bubbleblower said:
Was that coincedentally after changing sensors?
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Hi, no. I’ve been using Libres since diagnosis two years ago and had foot on the floor every day since. It could all just be a big coincidence but if it’s not then maybe it could help others too, I’m not sure so wondering if anyone finds they work
 
JMoli said:
Hi, no. I’ve been using Libres since diagnosis two years ago and had foot on the floor every day since.
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Hopefully it works then. I did eat some pistachio’s last night and this morning there was very little FOTF effect compared to the days before (with the same sensor), but also FBG was much higher than usual, so may be @HSSS is right. It would be very interesting to test this.
 
So this prompted me to have a quick look of my own at the research. There seems just a few well quoted studies. The conclusions seem a little confusing and can be illustrated by this one “Pistachio nuts might cause a significant reduction in FBG and HOMA-IR, although HbA1c and FPI might not significantly improve in patients suffering from or at risk of T2DM.” If it improves fbg and insulin sensitivity why does this not show in hba1c? One study compared a 50% carb diet with pistachio against a 55% carb diet without. Why? Surely that 5% carb is a confounding factor or at least.

Also dcuk’s own report is enlightening https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2010/jan/pistachio-could-lower-blood-sugar-98243972.html “Pistachio, when eaten with high carbohydrate food items like white bread, may actually slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, resulting in a lower than expected blood sugar level…..suppressing the glycemic (blood sugar) response of high carbohydrate foods may be part of the mechanism by which pistachio contributes”. Which all assumes that a person is eating high carb food in the first place and thus the benefit might not be there for someone like myself not eating it.

more confused than ever is the upshot lol
 
rosemaree said:
Interesting thanks for sharing! I will have to try it out, haven't had pistachios in years, but have been battling morning numbers

Is there a specific reason for the number you take?
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Hi, no not really. I was taking them initially to help with my sleeping which is awful and read that any more than a handful would cause the opposite effect of helping with sleep so just decided on that number, it’s working and I’m scared to change it haha. I hope it works for you, I still don’t know if it’s just random weird coincidence. I did wake up with another stinking cold today so my bloods are higher but still didn’t get the foot on the floor yet so fingers crossed
 
This works for me too, not just by keeping my morning number in the 6s but it keeps me from dropping low during the night. I have around 20g of salted peanuts before bed. I have done lots of experimenting with this over the months and it works for me. There's probably only around 5 carbs in the nuts so not enough to raise me but just enough to stop me dropping low. Before this if I was anything below 8 at bedtime I would drop almost into hypo territory during the night. I hesitated to artificially keep my levels at 8 before bed as I like them to be between 5 & 7. So fast forward and I found the nuts work a treat. Don't ask me why though.
 
If it is not too drastic does an increase in BG in the morning really matter? As I understand it, the liver keeps its store of glycogen topped up when it can. If some of that glycogen is released as glucose on waking, then glucose will be captured again later, reducing BG, so on average no difference.
 

Hi, I’m not sure if it’s different for type 2 but foot on the floor for me is tricky as a type 1 as I need to inject for it as soon as I wake up and it impacts my breakfast and it’s often 11 am or later before I’m in good range
 

That’s great, good to know nuts help others too….I’ve no idea why either! x
 
rosemaree said:
@JMoli @KK123 do you eat them right before you sleep or would an hour or so before be okay? I still have it stuck in my mind that I should not eat close to bed time
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Hi, I usually have them as I get into bed so about an hour or so before I sleep. I am finding that I go to sleep quicker since taking the pistachios which is nice. Fingers crossed it works for you too
 
JMoli said:
Hi, I’m not sure if it’s different for type 2 but foot on the floor for me is tricky as a type 1 as I need to inject for it as soon as I wake up and it impacts my breakfast and it’s often 11 am or later before I’m in good range
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Good point, probably only relevant to diet controlled type 2's. I made the mistake of not checking which sub-forum the post was in - sorry!
 
rosemaree said:
@JMoli @KK123 do you eat them right before you sleep or would an hour or so before be okay? I still have it stuck in my mind that I should not eat close to bed time
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Hi there, I eat them just before I go to sleep. My routine is normally I go up to bed and eat them whilst reading a few pages of my book! Then sleep. Don't worry about what rules say you should or shouldn't do, if it works for you that is all that matters.
 
Mr_Pot said:
Good point, probably only relevant to diet controlled type 2's. I made the mistake of not checking which sub-forum the post was in - sorry!
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Mr Pot, never worry about adding your contributions! Some things seemingly relevant only to type 2s are also relevant to type 1s and vice versa.
 
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