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Help with diet

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Lauren3101

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2
Hi all,

I've been recently told I'm likely to have prediabetes after a fasting blood test of 6.2 at a pharmacy. I'm now terrified and making changes but I'm getting a lot of different advice and was hoping I might get some answers here.

So firstly, I cut out sweets, cakes and chocolate about 2 months ago - I have had a binge eating disorder since I was young and have found complete abstinence from the things I binge on is the best way for me.

The rest of my diet I thought was pretty good but now I'm not so sure. I cook nearly all meals from scratch but since we've been trying to cut down on our meat consumption I've found I lean more towards carb heavy foods. I eat between 5 - 10 portions of fruit and veg a day, but again, these are carbs!

I've recently switched to wholemeal bread and pasta after advice from the pharmacist. I rarely drink. I've also started exercising regularly, a mixture of cardio and strength.

The pharmacist I saw told me I should not worry about the carbs from fruit and veg and should absolutely continue to eat them. A nutritionist I know said I should focus much more on protein heavy meals and low carb. A guy that called from the NHS diabetes program told me the carbs absolutely do matter regardless of source.

So my question is, are the changes I've made enough? Should I be watching the carbs from the fruit and veg too, or are these 'different' carbs? Do I need to completely change my diet and reintroduce more meat again? Thanks in advance.
 
Welcome @Lauren3101
A carb is a carb, brown, wholemeal, white, fruit ,cake our bodies can't tell the difference they are all converted to glucose and will cause your sugar levels to rise.
 
Hi Lauren
Yep, there's loads of confusing advice out there.
Best way to know what is right for you is to get a bg meter and test your own bg after foods. You will soon see what your body reacts well to, and, more importantly what, if anything causes your bg to spike.

@Rachox has some info on meters and costs which I'm sure she will send you shortly.

The other thing to say is with only one low reading so far that there is no need to rush. You have time to work this all out and you don't need to get to get it right from day 1

There'll be loads of good support on here. You are in the right place
 
All carbohydrates are either simple or complex sugars. The complex chains get broken down into glucose one way or the other. Fibre might be an exception, as might fructose depending on whether or not more glucose is needed in the blood, which it almost never will be. As such, all carbohydrate matters. How much it matters is very much individual and personal.
 
Hi @Lauren3101 ,

First, get yourself to a GP for a HbA1c test. If you start changing things without a proper diagnosis, you can MISS a diagnosis... And that would mean no regular check-ups, tests and in case they're required, medications. Thing is, if you change your diet to low carb, your blood sugars will go back down, if you are indeed (pre-) diabetic... And then all the stuff you really want to be entitled to will pass you by. So... First thing's first, get in touch with your GP, say the pharmacy's test was cause for concern, and get that test done. Then go from there. If it is indeed a prediabetic or diabetic result, you'll have a number to start from and that helps too with knowing what works for you and what doesn't.

Like others have said, a carb is a carb is a carb; Doesn't really matter if it's from fruit, wholemeal bread or candy, it'll raise blood sugars. It might differ a little in how fast the uptake is and whatnot, but it's something your body'll have to deal with sooner or later, and if you are indeed experiencing problems processing carbs, well... Then that's best avoided as much as needed.

You've heard a lot of conflicting advice, and you've already been given a link to the Nutritional Thingy, which probably contradicts other sources you've read... And this is where a meter comes in. Because I can tell you something, someone who claims to be a doctor or dietician online can say something else, or Nelly from the corner, or the baker two streets over... But in the end, a meter'll give you an unbiased number and will tell you whether the changes you're making to your diet are working. In an age where everyone seems to be going vegetarian or vegan, I've gone carnivore: My diet's become almost zero carbs, with meat, fish, poultry, eggs and hard cheeses, which certainly isn't for everyone! But what I mean to say: find your own way. Your meter'll let you know what works for you. And hey, you might not be headed for diabetes at all! No diagnosis yet, and a one-off blood test that is a tad high but still in the normal range, doesn't actually mean anything! Hence the advice to get a HbA1c done. That'll tell you a whole lot more. And when you know more, well... Knowledge is power.

You're going to be fine whatever the result is. Lots of people here have gone from rather high blood sugars to the normal range, often without the aid of medication, sometimes with... So it can absolutely be done. We'll be right here if you need us, but do get tested first.

I promise you, you'll be okay.
Jo
 
Thank you all so much for your responses.

Ok, I will go to the doctor's - I'll be honest, I've been putting it off because I'm terrified it will be bad and they will put me on medication. I know that's counter-intuitive (stupid, even), but I've had really bad anxiety over it and was hoping to reverse it without any involvement from a GP.
But I'll go tomorrow and I'll come back with the results when I have them.

Thanks again.
 
Thanks for the tag @MrsA2 and welcome to the forum @Lauren3101


Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.


HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews, links to the strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.


Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/

Discount codes for the Code Free strips:

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793

with the strips found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.


Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 


It’s not stupid, but whatever the result, you can do your research and decide for yourself — you don’t *have* to take medication.
 
Medication isn't the only option available to you, and you can tell your doc, should results be disappointing, that you want to try diet first for 3 months, and see what that gets you. You'll do a repeat hbA1c and if that turns out well... No meds. You have a say in your care, you know. But knowledge is power. Don't remain in the dark when having some actual numbers could help you get well that much quicker.
 
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