Hi Craig ( @Craig Swanson ), greetings from a Kraut. I'm sure you'll enjoy the forum. Depends on what is meant by healthy food. The jury still seems to be out on this, i.e. a healthy diet is different things to different people. Blood sugar is not my problem at least not at the moment but arteriosclerosis is. So I need a different diet and to cut down on anything fatty. I can easily give up on meat of any sort, which I did, but I have a sweet tooth and relish cake. But as blood lipid levels are appalling I need to make a choice, so the doctors say.
Frank--that diet sounds ultra-restrictive for a "pre-diabetic." (And the A1C test is a better indicator of diabetes than a fasting glucose test.) Brown rice and sweet potatoes are recommended because they have more nutrition than their "white" counterparts. There are many vitamins and lots of good fiber in a sweet potato. Diabetes can be managed in many ways, including exercise, diet, and in many cases, prescription medication. There are a couple of excellent diabetes forums where people with various diagnoses (pre, Type I, Type 1.5, Type 2) give lots of great advice about managing glucose levels. The best advice is to "eat to your meter," which means get a glucose meter and learn to use it. Testing your own blood glucose is a way to see without question which foods cause a spike in glucose levels.
I eat very healthy three meals daily plus healthy snacks and still have lost too much weight. I am 6' 4 and 165lbs. That's what I weighed as a skinny high school senior. My weight loss is due to a couple medical conditions.
@Nancy Hart Obviously you do not have any health issues if you can just eat what you find. I used to be like that.. eat it and not wonder why or if it would affect my health. But a Type 2 diagnosis is a big jolt to the system. I was reading that microwave pop corn was not all that healthy. Contains trans fat while packeted popcorn has too many calories and salt. Nutritionists say make your own popcorn. Do you do the latter?
@Lon Tanner. Do you eat plenty of eggs? About 12 months after my diagnosis I started eating more eggs than usual. I lost kilos. My family and friends said I looked skinny. Reckon it was the eggs and the wholemeal pasta and brown rice combined. I looked it up and yes excessive consumption of eggs can reduce your weight.
@Thomas Stearn Hi to you Thomas. I have known some very fine Germans. Very hospitable towards me when I visited there in my 20s. Just googled your disorder.. blocked arteries. I was also diagnosed with hi cholesterol when I returned for my next test after my original Diabetes diagnosis. The first time in my life I had it. So like you I started monitoring my Saturated Fat intake. Just about every processed food has the dreaded sat fat.I believe I have cut my SF intake by at least half in the past year. The biggest culprits are biscuits (cookies) jams (jellies) condiments and confectionery. These days I eat all those items sugar free and the lowest SF I can find.
I do as @Beth Gallagher recommended, and bought a meter at Wal-Mart to see what my sugar was doing. I found my fasting sugar is the highest of the day. It is referred to as the "Dawn Phenomenon" and misleads providers into diagnosing diabetes where none exists. It IS, however, a prediabetic state and in type II people is indicative of a liver dumping carbs and your body having trouble adjusting to the "overnight redistribution that takes place while you sleep. My A1C has always been fine and indicates a normal average blood sugar. The Dawn Phenomenon in type I diabetics is indicative of an imbalance in the insulin regimen.
Thanks for your post Craig. It sure hit home. I love eggs and have been eating them daily. Had Eggs Benedict this morning.I will cut down and see if I can put on some weight. What is your condition? I have Rheumatoid Arthritis & Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. I re read your post and guess you are Diabetic 2 Correct? Lon Tanner, A moment ag
@Lon Tanner. I was borderline D2 Lon. My next test showed a slowdown in my condition. So reckon I have it beaten.
No, I am not a healthy eater. Never have been, but on a few occasions I have tried to be but I didn't take to it. I do eat more fruit now. I didn't eat anything green until after i married, I now try to eat something green once in a while.
dairy is another foodstuff hi in sat fat. cream, butter, cheese plus any other dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. I have found a low sat fat milk that contains 2.3g per 100 grams. I also now eat a 50% less fat butter. The colby cheese I eat, however, contains a whopping 32g. I have to find a lower sat fat one as I consume a lot of cheese. There is also a brand of butter..Lurpak.. 48% sat fat!!!. I told my brother to toss away his Lurpak.
Sorry I missed this before, Craig. I do air popped. Tried the microwave once. The kernels didn't pop up as bigly. Maybe it was the corn they used. No health issues...yet. Knock on wood.
I'm almost 83, and am 6'2" and 1/10th of a ton in weight. I pay no attention to the nutritional content of what I eat, such as Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Sometimes I'll look at the Calories present in several foods, and I'll choose the one with the highest calories, because I want solid bulk in whatever I eat, and this has always given me good marks in my twice annual physical reviews after lab work. I am fond of sweets, and will go for all kinds of sugar, be it Dextrose, Fructose, Maltose, Lactose, or other. The same with salt. I will over-salt everything that goes better its wonderful taste! I have but one criterion in choosing my foods: TASTE! If it tastes good...eat it, and don't worry about the numbers! Hal
I made an error in the last post I entered yesterday on this subject, discovering it this morning. However, because of the brief window allowed for editing, I can't correct it now. I would still like to see a 24-hour allowance for editing. Hal