Fresh Pineapple

[didie]

Following my post-stroke diagnosis of diabetes, I'm trying to get myself back in control of my life.

My GP is keen to control my diabetes by diet, which I am very happy with and I'm on a Statin and Clopedrigrel. I'm going to go with a low-carb diet. Having seen my incredibly helpful GP last week, I have my first appointment with the Diabetic Nurse on Friday - which I am a bit apprehensive about as when she gave me my blood test results on the phone, she just said you are diabetic and literally put the phone down without offering any advice at all, just saying that I could wait to see the doctor at my next appointment 6 days away. I hope that I'll be given a glucose monitor so I can get some idea of my levels as I do various activities so I can work out the best routines for myself, but the GP has said they don't always give out monitors to diet-controlled diabetes - in which case I shall be buying my own.

Since my stroke was confirmed nearly 4 weeks ago, I've managed to lose nearly half-a-stone by cutting all the rubbish out of my vegetarian diet, walking and using the Wii to re-hab my left side which was damaged by the stroke.

Now I have all the all-clear to increase my exercise, I've increased the distance that I'm walking to between 1.5 - 2 miles and feel so much better for doing so.

Over the last week I've found that walking about an hour after eating porridge for breakfast is working well. Yesterday because I am aware that I'm not eating enough fruit, so I added some fresh pineapple to the porridge. Today I did the same and my walk felt like I was climbing Mount Everest.

Anyone have idea if it might be the pineapple? Any idea of what fruits can be added to porridge that work well?

I am an absolute newcomer to all of this and want to get things right and would be most grateful for any advice.

Thank you

 

[WhitbyJet]

Didie,

 

[didie]

Thanks for the link I had got it into my head that I could eat porridge and 'walk it off'. I'll need to do some more studying. It is a whole new world of learning for me.

My GP says I am a bolshie controlling patient, which I admit is a very good description - she knows me well as I've worked at the surgery in the past. I have a long list of questions for the diabetic nurse for Friday. I also have an appointment at the hospital to get my eyes checked on Friday afternoon.

I'm hoping my GP will let me go back to work next week now that my risk factors for a further stroke are under coming under control and I have regained really good function of my left side.

 

[WhitbyJet]

Good for you, your attitude will get you to where you want to be, I am sure.
I only said that porridge is not a low carb food because you mentioned that you would like to follow a low carb diet. You might be one of those lucky people who can eat porridge without spiking, the only way you will find out is by testing, 1 hr and then 2 hrs after you have eaten it.

Sadly for me, it brings my bg into double figures, but I am happy with my low carb porridge now.
Good luck Didie

 

[hallii]

Porridge is a no no for me as well, and pineapple is not the best fruit for low carbs, it is quite high in sugar.

For fruit I suggest blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, in fact most berries but not grapes (unless they are fermented and red and made into wine, then not more tha a couple of glasses). Some apples are OK for me, the smaller green ones have less sugar. Plums are coming into season and are OK in moderation.

I am also vegetarian and with a bit of thought you can eat a low carb vegetarian diet that has all the vitamins and minerals you need. Cheese, eggs, and Quorn in various forms feature in my diet, my favourite is Asda Hot Dog sausages and egg for breakfast.

H

 

[didie]

I eat a lot of Quorn and will go on a hunt for Asda hot dogs when I can drive again on Saturday.

I answered my own question this morning. No pineapple = no problems when walking. *waves goodbye to eating fresh pineapple*

 

[RussG]

Hi didie,

Cutting out things that don't seem to work for you (and everyone is different) is a clearly good idea, but a small note of caution: one instance may not be enough to suggest strongly enough that pineapple is the culprit. There are plenty of other things that could affect you, including the amount you had, whether you were high or low to begin with etc. So personally I would not rule it out yet. If you try it a few times, at different points in the day and in different amounts and you still don't get on, well kiss it goodbye.

IMO It's not always sensible to take a chainsaw to your eating habits when sometimes a bit of gentle pruning might work as well. Everyone is different though, so you have to make your own choices.

 

[Grazer]

Good luck with the low carb diet. If you cut down on carbs, make sure the starchy carbs are the ones you ditch (boiloed or mashed potatoes of the "old" variety, new potatoes boiled not so bad); white rice or pasta, particularly if overcooked just a bit, can be very starchy, leave out the parsnips but most other veg roasted is good. Beware the dietician: mine told me I didn't eat enough starchy carbs! This is because the NICE guidelines for diabetics are still "a diet high in starchy carbs" - this makes it safe for them as people won't suffer hypos on a carb-rich diet, but won't control suger levels much either! If you're on meds, then onviously you need to be more aware of hypo possibilities on your particular regime, so don't go mad.
Malc

 

[bowell]

You say just recovering from a stroke :roll:

Pineapple and
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Grapefruit has far more iterations eg simvastatin, codeine, cyclosporine


Always look at your PIL with your medication
Bob

 

[didie]

Thanks for all the great advice. I need lots of it at the moment because I do sometimes feel I am floundering - not a good feeling for a self-confessed control freak

Yes, I had a stroke at the ripe old age of 53 on a flight back from Australia and my diabetes was diagnosed during the raft of investigations to find what caused it. It's been a lot to get my head round over the last few weeks. I want to get everything sorted because I was lucky with this stroke in that the damage has been repairable with a lot of hard work. I'm doing everything I can to get myself fit and my risk factors under control, because if I have another stroke, I might not be so lucky.

I knew about grapefruit and Simvastatin, but not pineapple. The literature that came with the meds didn't mention that. I'll add that to my list of questions for the doctor.

 

[WhitbyJet]

Didie be patient with yourself, there is so much to learn, you cannot do it all at once. Its good that you are pro-active and determined to get on with things, but please do it in a relaxed way.

 

[didie]

This is probably a really stupid question, but this is all so new to me.

Would eating a plum at 9.30 pm have any effect on overnight blood glucose levels?

 

[noblehead]

This is probably a really stupid question, but this is all so new to me.

Would eating a plum at 9.30 pm have any effect on overnight blood glucose levels?

Fresh plum with stone has 8.6g of carbs per 100g. (Carb, Calorie & Fat Bible 2010)

Nigel

 

[LittleGreyCat]

This is probably a really stupid question, but this is all so new to me.

Would eating a plum at 9.30 pm have any effect on overnight blood glucose levels?

Interesting one.

Firstly, it depends on when you go to bed
If you go to bed at 10:00 pm then yes.
If you go for a brisk walk after eating the plum and go to bed at midnight, then probably not.

To get an idea of possible impact you would have to measure your BG at bedtime and then first thing in the morning. However there are many other factors involved, including a possible glycogen dump by your liver in the middle of the night.

Anyway, a single plum (as shown above) isn't a major source of sugars and carbs so probably wouldn't last all night but will almost certainly raise your BG a bit within 2 hours of eatng.

Mr. Picky says "any effect" is too general.
It will have some effect sometime in the 3 hours after eating but (and don't rely on this) I would not think that it would directly contribute to raised BG the following morning.

Single plum paranoia is something which hits us all when we are trying to get a handle on what is good/safe to eat and what is not.

Thoughtful testing is IMHO the only way to roughly work out what your body does under various scenarios, and this will be spread over several weeks minimum to get a first idea of how your body behaves.

Hope this helps.

LGC

 

[didie]

Thank you for your answers

I do have a definite dose of 'single plum paranoia' at the moment. I did go to bed fairly soon after eating the plum last night, so that's a thing to take note of for future reference.

 

[Grazer]

We all react differently, but I find that whatever I go to bed with, I wake up with. ANYTHING before bed puts my sugars up so I have a raised blood-sugar night. I make sure that any fruit, nuts or anything else I have, I eat at least 2 hours before bed.
Malc