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Prediabetes - advice

L

LoriR

Newbie
Hi Everyone,
Big panic at the weekend, had my bloods done on 5th March, then diabetic nurse went sick, so didn't get my results. Got 5 messages from my GP surgery about attending a Diabetic fair, so panic set in. OMG I must be in full diabetic mode. Turns out no, I am still Prediabetic, so what was all the fuss about.
Been following the keto diet and feeling absolutely awful, so tired all the time. Speaking to the Pre-diabetic nurse this morning, I have been doing everything wrong. Where I was understanding all carbs or as much as you can need to be cut out, no root vegetables, no bread, no pasta, no rice, no usual flour products, everything cut out of my diet, needn't have been.
Hopefully onwards and upwards, wholemeal bread is ok in moderation along with root vegetables, wholemeal pasta and brown rice. Really hope I start feeling better soon.
Difficult thing about all this is I have IBS, probably the same as 1000's of people and Diverticulitis, which means everytime I cut out all the Carbs, my diverticulitis flares up again, hence on another course of antibiotics.
I so wish the information was more readily available and that someone else doesn't have to go down my path. My nurse directed me to this site, so will be viewing recipes with gusto.
Keep well everyone x
 
Hi LoriR and welcome

I had the same "prediabetic" message once. Nobody explained to me what that meant. It would have helped if someone had pointed out that my BG was some way out of normal range, was rising, and was causing the numerous symptoms I was having. But no - it was just "pre-diabetic means you're not diabetic". I could have saved myself some years of pain.

When you say "keto diet" what do you mean by that? I would mean a diet which is low enough in carbohydrate to induce ketosis - the state you're in when using bodyfat from fuel - which for me is around a maximum of 20-25g carb per day. For reference, that's about one apple. So I think your earier understanding was correct.

I'd therefore disagree with your nurse - wholemeal anything makes little difference to the carb content of food and eating bread, pasta, rice, root veg etc certainly won't put you in ketosis, and might well take you out of the "low-carb" range. When you were cutting your carbs, were you upping (natural) fats to compensate for the carb reduction?

I guess you have an additional dietary consideration with the IBS and diverticulitis. I don't have any experience of that, so maybe some forum members who do will be able to comment.
 
....I'm with @KennyA here. A carb is a carb, wholemeal or no, you still have to process it. I have IBS and a diverticulum in the lower left abdomen, and for me, bread (or any grain, really) turns to brick in my gut, which I discovered when I quit bread entirely... Suddenly, going to the loo wasn't the blooody and painful affair it used to be for decades. Much less bloating, too! Your nurse seems to be old school with an EatWell Plate advice and "everything in moderation"... The same diet that made me a raging diabetic, so yeah, no... I'm not a fan of your nurse, truth be told. You had the right idea.

The thing with conflicting advice from people in the same boat as you on one side, and health professionals on the other side, it can make you feel rather lost. Who do you listen to? None of us, is the obvious answer. (Or all of us, and take away what you need, really, and ignore the rest of it.) So who do you listen to, good and proper? To a blood glucose meter. It'll tell you whether you can actually handle the carbs you have in a meal. If you can, yay, if you can't, you just lower the amount of carbs or scratch that meal altogether. Figure out what is true for you. Also, like KennyA pointed out, you mention the foods you cut... You didn't mention the ones you put in to compensate for the lack of carbs... The fats, the proteins, you have to get your energy from somewhere, and those don't affect blood glucose as much or at all. Also, there is such a thing as keto-flu, or carb-flu. Carbohydrates hold on to water. When you cut the carbs, you lose so much water you actually become dehydrated for a while, as well as low on some rather vital electrolytes that got flushed out, as your body struggles to get used to the new status quo. The gut needs time to adjust, too... (Yoghurt helped me no end. Kombucha, too. And I'd especially advise it after antibiotics, as they do kill off gutflora.) It lasts for about 2 weeks, sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little less... But it does pass. Symptoms? Headaches, fatigue, weeing for england, possibly the runs or constipation, basically feeling like you have an actual flu without the snot to go with it. You can tackle it with an electrolyte supplement, lots of water, coconut water, too... Anything to bring the electrolytes back up and make you feel human again.

All in all... This is your prediabetes, and just cutting out some carbs should make a world of difference. And if it doesn't feel right to you, you keep looking for something that does. Again, it's your body, your prediabetes... Not that of the next patient or the one before you, you're not the same as I am or 200 other people on here. You have your specific needs. Find out what they are.

Hugs,
Jo
 
Thank you all for your kind responses. I have made a change from Wheat to Wholemeal products but still only eating a little of these, but have already begun to feel so much better.
Two tiny slices of pumpernickel bread a day with Whole Earth crunchy peanut butter is so filling and so yummy, and I actually look forward to eating now, where before it was a real trial.
Still watching anything with added sugar and things coated in breadcrumbs.
Been told to watch the cheese, which is my addiction, love broccoli and cauliflower cheese, normally just sprinkled on top of the veg without the sauce.
Hopefully I am now going down the right path, here's hoping.
Stay well everyone. x
 
Cheese is one of my core foods - and broccoli/cauliflower cheese is an absolute once a week standard in this house. No carb in the cheese, and next to nothing from the veg. Goes with everything.
 
Cheese is one of my core foods too - along with cream, butter, Greek yoghurt. If dairy sensitive (I know you are okay but others may read) eggs, any fish or meat, and lots of green veggies are all okay for us.
 
I think that's the key. Test to see what foods send your blood sugars up and what foods don't. We are all different, but the basics remain the same, carbs, starches and sugars will usually raise your blood sugars. Finding foods you can work with, that keep your blood sugars from rising too high, and by choosing foods you enjoy, means you are more likely to stick with the changes in the long term and not drift back to foods that gradually send your blood sugars up over time.
 
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