OT - diabetes diet

[old dude]

As with most people, you'll be unlikely to heed this advice but if you follow this link, buy the book and follow what is within religiously you'll be doing all you possibly can from a standpoint of nutrition. Period. But you cannot do it halfway; either you're all in or you're not.

http://www.diabetes-book.com

Any suggestions about exercising moderation are laughable. Perhaps we should give that same advice to an alcoholic or addict?

Mainstream dieticians and standard ADA boilerplate advice are your worst enemy. A so-called "balanced diet" is the last thing needed.

[purple22]

Part of the answer might require we know what your insurance is. IE: Best choice: 1. See an Endo. 2. Take the course from the American Diabetes Assoc.

I know I have Medicare, and I do not have the money to make this years deductible. $4xx.xx Ha Ha Ha. Like I am going to avoid it. For some, going to the course from the ADA is free, given their insurance. The ADA is usually wrong in their advice, traditional medical advice of eat a low fat diet. Further the ADA advice seems to start with how to treat Type One Diabetes, then alter that advice for a Type Two. (and they deny that) The ADA Education course does a great job in teaching what a Carb is. Also teaching what no one mentioned here. Portion control. Importance of exercise. Finding meetings for Diabetics allows one to meet others who will advise which doctors who are quite good in treating Diabetes. Some medical doctors seem to hope the patient goes to the ADA course, which also teaches how to test, exercise, recognize complications.

Not all Type Twos actually are Type Two. Which makes a difference for how to proceed.

A poster on the ADA website offers his take on the subject. https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2009 ... -test.html.
I highly recommend that fellows advice. I find some of the ADA website to not be as knowledgeable was they believe, and advocate dangerous ideas.

I feel Diabetes is often a cluster of diseases; Diabetes. Sleep Apnea. Heart Disease. Depression.

Depression not being a weakness of the mind, but a chemical imbalance. Do not casually tell other people about it (there are a lot of small minded petty -teasing people out there,) but do seek the help of a medical doctor. Realize the treatment of depression is like a long ocean voyage, it can take awhile and take some effort.

The big advice on the ADA forum for a type two; Low Carb works. I would rather not get into a long discussion about that. Realize all Diabetics respond differently to Medications, Foods, exercise. Which is why I like the recommendation of the website; https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2009 ... -test.html.

All those who seem to be successful for years in treating their type Two have an exercise program, or a job that gives them exercise. Even a small amount of exercise can reduce Insulin Resistance. Even a slow walk around the block. That is true even if the exercise does not seem to be enough to burn off very much sugar.

I am a strong believer in taking the eye Vitamins; "AREDS 2" Which is not just plain AREDS. AREDS 2 is the Patent name for the product from "Bausch and Lomb," There are some generic versions which should be as good. You can research it for yourself.

A fellow on the Diabetes forum has a tagline. "There is nothing I like to eat more than my Eyes." Meaning there is nothing he wants to eat more than being able to see well.
Another tagline: "All things in moderation, but laughter."

[Janknitz]

The old paradigm for treating a Type II diabetic is "eat up and shoot up"--eat lots of carbs (45 g per meal minimum) and take as much insulin as you need to cover it. It sells a lot of insulin (which is getting VERY expensive) but it doesn't cure or even necessarily control diabetes. Type II diabetes' hallmark is hyperinsulemia and insulin resistance, and adding more insulin into the equation doesn't make a lot of sense (NOTE: I am NOT saying your wife should stop taking her insulin!!!).

Recently, even the American Diabetes Association has recognized that a low carb diet approach is effective and included it in their recently released guidelines for treating diabetes with an individualized approach. A doctor or dietitian who refuses to assist a patient who wants to try a low carb approach is no longer following ADA guidelines. Your wife's doctor may tell her that she needs more insulin because "diabetes is a progressive disease". But people are learning that is' NOT a progressive disease and can be reversed (not cured) with a low carb diet.

Two very good books and websites on the topic have already been recommended: Dr. Richard K. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (www.diabetes-book.com) , and Dr. Jason Fung's Diabetes Code (www.idmprogram.com). My very FAVORITE simple and plain introduction to low carb is here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb keep scrolling down because there's a lot of great info there (it's easy to think it's at the end, but keep scrolling down!). You do NOT have to pay to join Dietdoctor.com to find a ton of good information available there for free. If you really want the shorthand version, this is great: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds But you and your wife should read Dr. Bernstein's book to truly understand the WHY.

Even if I could stand and cook the stress would cause seizures.

An added bonus of this way of eating, especially if you slant toward "keto" (low carb, high fat), is better control of seizures. Win-win!

We eat a lot of processed food out of convenience, her fatigue, and general emotional predisposition.

Eating low carb sounds harder than it is. You can buy thin cuts of meat that cook quickly, cooked rotisserie chicken (not with a sugary coating, though), eggs, and fish. Most of these cook quickly in a pan and you can easily add a simple butter sauce (add garlic--you can buy it already chopped--or a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper). You can buy frozen or already prepared non-starchy veggies and microwave them, toss with butter. Or look up low carb or keto "sheet pan dinner recipes" (like this one: https://www.tasteaholics.com/recipes/di ... r-skillet/ you can buy already chopped onions and sliced mushrooms), and with very little prep you can put an entire meal in the oven (line the pan with foil for easy clean up) and have a great meal. Add some quick and easy low carb snacks like hard boiled eggs (you can even buy them already hard boiled), nuts, cheese, salami or pepperoni slices, canned olives and you're good to go. If this all sounds "too expensive" don't forget to factor in how much the increased insulin and the processed foods are costing you. It's really not more expensive when you stop buying highly processed food and insulin. And as your wife starts feeling better (she will), she may be more interested in cooking.

Your wife will need to work with her doctor as she adopts a low carb diet. The change will reduce her need for insulin and (if she takes it) blood pressure meds almost immediately, and that could cause problems if she continues to take the same amount of those medications. If her doctor won't work with her on this, she needs a new doctor who will.

I hope you and your wife can find your way to better health.

[beautifuldreamer]

In August, I received a diagnosis of Diabetes type to with 6.5% a1c test.
No medications required but I attended classes on healthy eating and to learn about diabetes.
Mainly I cut out most carbs and I had already been staying away from sugar.
My doctor had me check my a1c in December to see how my diet impacted my glucose levels.
and it was 5.6% for my a1c -

I am supposed to get another a1c in 6 months to monitor.

It has been a challenge, but I am determined to keep my glucose levels normalized, and have to exercise a lot of self control and will power to say No the the carbs!

[Sleepygal1]

I second or third or fourth Dr. Fung, and also how he intertwines with Dr Panda at the Salk institute about eating windows. Most diets are about what to eat and we've been following these religiously for years and getting fatter and fatter. Rarely do people talk about WHEN to eat which Dr Panda has found much more important. It's either him or Dr Fung that suggest eating within a 6-8 hour window I believe and no or minimal snacking. The area under the insulin curve is what is important.

Here's some info:

https://medium.com/@drjasonfung/a-short ... ae5ce0aa6b

[Grace~~~]

As an aside, I do believe that diet threads are among the most interesting and the most valuable to all of the members on this fine forum.

..

+1

+2

(Why do I really want to say "me too" it's 2019 ... can we take that phrase back again?)

~~~anyway ~~~

So many great posters on this subject here on cpaptalk. Thanks so much for sharing and contributing!

[babydinosnoreless]

In August, I received a diagnosis of Diabetes type to with 6.5% a1c test.
No medications required but I attended classes on healthy eating and to learn about diabetes.
Mainly I cut out most carbs and I had already been staying away from sugar.
My doctor had me check my a1c in December to see how my diet impacted my glucose levels.
and it was 5.6% for my a1c -

I am supposed to get another a1c in 6 months to monitor.

It has been a challenge, but I am determined to keep my glucose levels normalized, and have to exercise a lot of self control and will power to say No the the carbs!

I went another direction. I too was dx with diabetes with an a1c of 6.5 mine was at the end of september. I am already very limited on my foods due to autoimmune issues. I got
My cpap machine, I cut out some carbs, and I started exercising (water fit class at least 2 x a week, more when I can) My a1c is down to 5.9 in december and I've lost 15#'s. I still eat dairy, still drink 2 sodas a day and I feel so much better and am doing it without an unstustainable, for me, diet.

[beautifuldreamer]

In August, I received a diagnosis of Diabetes type to with 6.5% a1c test.
No medications required but I attended classes on healthy eating and to learn about diabetes.
Mainly I cut out most carbs and I had already been staying away from sugar.
My doctor had me check my a1c in December to see how my diet impacted my glucose levels.
and it was 5.6% for my a1c -

I am supposed to get another a1c in 6 months to monitor.

It has been a challenge, but I am determined to keep my glucose levels normalized, and have to exercise a lot of self control and will power to say No the the carbs!

I went another direction. I too was dx with diabeties with an a1c of 6.5 mine was at the end of september. I am already very limited on my foods due to autoimmune issues. I got
My cpap machine, I cut out some carbs, and I started exercising (water fit class at least 2 x a week, more when I can) My a1c is down to 5.9 in december and I've lost 15#'s. I still eat dairy, still drink 2 sodas a day and I feel so much better and am doing it without an unstustainable, for me, diet.

That is great Cynmatthes - From time to time I do treat myself to something that is not so strict to my no carb goals- And overall, I feel good about what I am doing- I lost about 20 pounds since August and would like to lose 15 more pounds, . . . Exercise is a challenge for me because more healing still required from an injury I sustained, but my goal is to do more exercise . . .

[babydinosnoreless]

20lbs. You go! Good job! I have exercise challanges also due to the same autoimmune issues that limit my diet. I decided that I love swimming and water exercise is low impact. There are some things I can not do, so I modify and just basically keep moving for the entire class. The instructors are all very on bord and willing to help make modifications.

[Muse-Inc]

Caregiving and not taking care of me took a toll and my fasting sugars were near 300s with higher BP too My mom has since passed, I am mostly past the worst of my grieving (I hope), and my BP has been dropping since. Now that I have time to ride my exercise bike and cook, my sugars have been dropping. Avoiding most carbs, meals are typically a bag of nuked frozen veggies tossed with butter (fresh veggies if I feel like slicing & dicing), protein I can saute quickly or rotisserie chicken (I get Costco individually packaged salmon, chicken, Angus hamburgers); b'fast is usually eggs, bacon, low sodium V8, & coffee. If I'm really hungry, I add a salad mostly sliced veggies with OO & vinegar (with the mother) & topped with sliced almonds. Coffee with heavy cream, homemade sugar-free cocoa (keeps me from buying 85% chocolates which I tend to overeat), herbal teas (usually with hibiscus as it lowers BP), and water. Snacks are usually Macadamias, raw pumpkin seeds, pistachios, pecans, sometimes with cheese, and occasionally half a can of pumpkin with heavy cream & pumpkin seasoning. I use saccharin and some Splenda as well as Allulose (rare natural sugar with no effect on BS, at least on mine, 70% sweetness of sugar). At meals, I might have berries, smaller Mandarins, or the occasional small Granny Smith apple sliced & covered in cinnamon. I usually have a slice of cheese within 30 mins of going to sleep. I keep deviled eggs, black olives, and pickled okra in the fridge to grab for a quick gotta have something right now bite so I don't hunt for carbs or overeat.

My fasting's are now under 190 and still dropping. I am impatiently waiting to find out my next A1C. I just got Dr. Jason Fung's book; I used to have an AIC of 6, I'd like to get back there and it looks possible following his protocols.

[medlabtech.miracle]

Sorry for the hard times you and wife are going through. I have had diabetes diagnosis twice. The first time I checked my blood sugar after meals, if it raised my blood sugar I didn't eat it anymore. More recently I followed Dr. Fung, my latest A1c dropped to 5.5 just eating once a day, if really hungry a very low-carb snack such as meat, or nuts and of course lots of coffee.

Dr. Fung has great stuff on the net: https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-rever ... deo-course