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Wildly conflicting info regarding prediabetes diets

Dominy

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
I am (as of yesterday) trying to navigate a prediabetic way of life and i've been quite surprised by the conflicting info available. For example I read a bupa article saying go for very low fat but eat baked potatoes, eat malt loaf instead of a plain scone.
The other info pretty much states that potatoes are basically taboo and the information I received from my doctor actually recommended a plain scone as a thing to eat.
( I dont eat scones- so its kind of here nor there..)
What is everyones preferred source of dietary info?
 
Hi @Dominy

For people with diabetes/pre-diabetes the absolute best source of information is from a blood glucose meter which will show you how your body responds to the food that you put in it.

Having said that, for anyone with either type 2 or pre-diabetes, carbohydrates are a problem. The only question is to what extent. Some people manage by eating a moderately low carb diet (up to 130g/day); others need to almost completely eliminate them and many are somewhere in between. That's where the meter comes in.

For me personally, dietdoctor.com is a great source of information - general information on carb content of food; recipes, meal plans and so on.

As a general guide, the fewer ingredients and the closer to 'real' food (i.e unprocessed) the better.

Sure you'll get a range of other views too.
 
Thanks for your reply, Ive just had a look at the NHS info from my doc, and even that states I should be having a portion of starchy food at each meal (it names bread, pasta, potatoes rice and breakfast cereal as examples I SHOULD be eating) this seems to fly firmly in the face of what I have been reading. It advises to eat plenty of fruit, which again, seems like an odd suggestion, because all fruits are not created equal in the sugar stakes.
 
Hi again @Dominy

Unfortunately much of the standard medical advice runs contrary to what members here have found works for them. It can be difficult to get your head around that, but improved blood glucose numbers, other health improvements (blood pressure etc) speak for themselves.

In my own case I’ve found that health professionals have been more willing to discuss alternatives once they’ve seen improvements and that I’ve researched and am basing what I do and say on evidence and knowledge. I’d prefer to have been given that information, but things seem to be slowly changing for the better in that respect.
 
Hello @Dominy
Calculating how many carbs can be a real headache. I found the
Carb and Calorie Counter book
very useful in getting my head round this.
There is also an Ap.
As a prediabetic myself, to start with i took the recommended no of carbs and halved it. But have since found that my body functions better if I keep the carbs below 100g per day.
You will have to work out your own tolerance though.
This site has been a great source if information and support as well.
Wishing you well on your journey to better health.
Lizzy
 

It does indeed seem to be counter intuitive ( probably because it is!).
Carbs turn to glucose once ingested so are best avoided as much as possible for pre and T2 diabetes.
Are you vegetarian (you posted in the vegetarian section)?
If not then one of the best foods carb free are meat and fish but that I guess could be problematic...
 
This link below is great for people wanting to get results. It's a good starters guide for what to avoid and get glucose numbers under control.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/

Personally, just my opinion, but I'd never seek dietary advice from a doctor. In general they know less about diet then just about anyone else. The second last person I'd want advice from is a dietician or nationalist. They have been taught to recommend wholegrains, potatoes, brown rice over white (Your pancreas can't tell what colour it is) and lots of fruit. That's all I have ever heard from dieticians my whole life and I've seen a lot of them. These foods will generate large responses from the pancreas to produce more insulin which leads to insulin resistance over time if this keeps happening.

The advice to avoid fat and red meat is absurd, these foods require the least amount of insulin which makes them great choices. Not just for that reason, but they contain the essentials you need... amino and fatty acids as well as good amounts of vits/minerals. And they will keep you feeling full for longer.

I just recommend eating real food, or as close to it as possible.
 


I've been T2D since 1998, until about 3/4yrs ago the NHS dietary advice was high carb, low fat, so I ate pasta/rice/potatoes to get my energy levels. I found it impossible to lose weight. At one point I queried the low carb diet/high fat. When I discussed with the practice dietician, she poo poo'd it saying it was only used in Australia & Canada. It's nonsense that anyone is still touting high carb /low fat. We now know that carbs are stored as fat in the body and raise sugar levels. Since I got myself onto a moderately low carb diet I've managed to control my weight. I'm sure if I opted for tighter control I'd lose more and may lower my blood sugar, but I'm stable and happy with that. A good way to start is to reduce heavy carbs to no more than 25% of your plate. Now GPs guilt trip you if you're not on low carb.
 
Hi!

I was diagnosed as T2 pre-diabetic last summer - no surprise really as there's lots of it in my family when we reach a certain age! My grandfather, diagnosed in the 1960's, followed a low carb diet. This seemed to be the advice in those days. He lived with T2 and without medication for most of this time, until he died in his 80's.

I decided last summer to ignore the medical "advice" from the "experts" who were now advocating low-fat/high carb... as I know that potatoes, bread, flour products, etc are not great for my body. All carbs are converted to glucose so I'm puzzled by current advice for T2.

I love fruit, so still have this, but portion it. Also fruit comes with so many other benefits - vitamins, dietary fibre etc.

For me, I need low carbs - just one small portion a day, no added sugar and one portion of fruit per day. I eat unlimited green veg, portion root veg... No scones, malt loaf etc!

After a year I've slowly dropped to just below pre-diabetic levels so hope to delay T2... I agree with others that a blood glucose monitor was helpful. My problem seems to be mainly fasting insulin resistance - I wake up with higher blood glucose levels. I'm hoping more time on the low carb diet will help this too.

I follow a couple of low carb nutritionists on instagram, who are very helpful; keto.girl.nutritionist and lowcarb.nutritionist

I hope this is helpful! Lizzy
 
liza_h said:
For me, I need low carbs - just one small portion a day, no added sugar and one portion of fruit per day. I eat unlimited green veg, portion root veg...
Click to expand...
The bad news is that there are carbs even in green leafy vegetables, and more in all root vegetables, which most people trying to stick to a low carb diet avoid. The only carb-free foods are fish, flesh and fat (and even some fish, like sardines, contain some carbs). Diet Doctor has a helpful visual guide here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/20-50-how-much
That said, if the level of carbs you are eating is working well for you, that's great. It's just good to know how to tweak your diet if you want to go lower.
 
I was diagnosed pre diabetic 11 years ago my last hba1c was 35 a couple of weeks ago. I've never had a pre diabetic reading since.
When first diagnosed I tested before I eat then two hours after the first mouthful. Your results will tell you what you can and can't eat. I found low carb was the way to go. When I recorded everything I kept to under 90 gms a day, that's including everything including green veg and salad.
 
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