Hello, I'm new here.

Huntscross said:

Hello, I've been diagnosed a prediabetic with a blockage in one of my coronary arteries and I've recently had a stent fitted. I'm trying to reverse my prediabetic diagnosis and have bought a blood glucose tester and have cut my fast cards, bread, pasta, potatoes and rice and upped my protein, fibre and vegetable consumption but have not had any success. Instead my fasting blood sugar readings are getting higher. I'm pretty confused and now have no idea what to eat to try and improve the situation.

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Could you let us know what you've been eating and drinking, as specifically as possible? What goes in in an average day? Also, you've just had a stent put in, I'm assuming you're medicated now as well? Statins, maybe? Steroids? Both could up your blood glucose as well, but you do need them. Give yourself some time to heal, as the impact of such a thing shouldn't be underestimated.

Hang in there eh,
Jo

So, I was only reading about this last week. Surprisingly, whey protein powder can spike insulin as much as neat glucose. There is quite a pressure to add protein to the diet, but there isn't a great deal of evidence that it's very helpful beyond what you need, and if it isn't protein that comes with real food (like a whole food, like an egg, avocado or meat) - it can do odd things.

Similarly, chick peas and lentils - clearly they aren't "fast carbs" - but they have too much for me, as much as I love chick peas.

You are obviously putting a great deal of effort into this, and it's frustrating when your body doesn't seem to get the memo.
As @JoKalsbeek says - give yourself some time and space to adjust.
On a very simplistic level - your body is used to a certain amount of glucose, and until you adapt, you may even find that your liver is making up the difference...

Huntscross said:

Thank you Jo, that's very kind of you.
Yes, I'm on Statins, Aspirin and another anti platelet medication, Coplidogrel, plus bisoprolol. On an average day I either eat a Greek yoghurt with berries, some nuts and seeds and protein powder, both whey and hemp or I eat 2 eggs as an omelette, with veggies, like mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers and maybe some cheese. I avoid snacks. For lunch I will have maybe sardines and chickpeas, or lentils, or leftovers from yesterday, dinner is meat or fish and vegetables, not fast carbs. I drink weak tea with milk or water, the occasional coffee every other day or even less. A glass of red wine about 3 times a week. I eat pears, some apple, hummus and raw carrots as snacks. I also eat cottage cheese, roasted tomatoes etc for lunch, it varies. I try to eat 3 meals, sometimes it's just lunch and dinner.

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Hi again, @Huntscross
Like @Chris24Main said, the lentils and chickpeas might be a problem. Also, pears and apples are carbier than you might think. It's not so much about whether carbs are fast or slow: your body has to deal with all of them, regardless of the speed of uptake, and it can't do that very well anymore. Hummus and carrots, same problem. They're not fast, but they are carbs. Statins can raise blood glucose, but they're rather unavoidable after a cardiac event, I'm afraid. So you might want to cut down on the carbs a smidge more, see what that gets you. Do you test around your meals? If you test before you start and 2 hours after the first bite, you'll be able to see whether the meal contained more carbs than your body can handle. You're aiming for a rise of 2.0 mmol/l or less, and if you manage that, the meal was excellent and worth repeating.

Hope that helps!
Jo

Not so much the connection to lactose, as the whey protein powder directly causing a spike in insulin. Insulin is released in response to food, is simply that different foods have different responses (ie, it isn't, as much as we tend to think - that insulin is only affected by glucose and sugars in general). Lactose is a whole other thing.

For what it's worth, it's actually a processing thing - turning a food into a powder means that it's absorbed much faster in the body - that's really what triggers the high insulin; the body sees a sudden influx of what it thinks is going to be food.

I don't agree at all with the protein before bed recommendation, by the way - try it by all means, and what works for some may not for others, but put simply, the best thing you can do for your body and brain during the night, is not give it any digestive work to do. I try to be done eating at least 3 hours before going to bed. The other way of thinking about this, though, is that it takes time to transition smoothly from one state to another - if some late-night protein helps, great, but it's not an inherently good thing to keep doing.

Huntscross said:

Thank you Jo, it's kind of you to reply. I'll bear what you say in mind. I don't use the protein powder every day and have turned to Chia seeds to supplement protein as well. But I've not noticed any changes in blood sugars related to those changes otherwise I'd capitalise in them.
It is interesting what you say about the liver.
I will also try testing more, I have tried a bit and not noted any significant spikes, but I'll test my blood more.
Thanks again for your input.
We are currently in France for a month and I've just realised that I can't get more test strips. Amazon France don't carry them and UK Amazon won't deliver them, must be a French thing. So I'll have to ration testing until we get home.
Thank you again you input is invaluable. There is SO much conflicting information out there clamouring for attention.

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You could just walk into a pharmacy, they should be able to sell you a meter and strips there without issue. (A meter won't break the bank, it's usually the strips that do!) Maybe not your usual brand, but to tide you over until you go home? Merely an idea though. I just remember those bright green plusses being everywhere in the Parisian streets. I do understand if you just want to spend your time in France just relaxing, so never mind me if it might be stressful or jarring for the holiday experience.

I think the main thing right now might just be settling into things... Reduce stress to a minimum while your body recuperates from the goings-on.

Live la France!, and the good life.
Jo