Prediabetics on NoS?

[automatedeating]

Hello,
I was curious if there are any NoSers that have prediabetes? I have been pondering whether 3 meals a day, for someone that has impaired glucose tolerance, will help or hurt their situation. My fasting blood glucose pre-NoS was in the 90's; it was 103 this morning. I'm not sure if this is a fluke or related to NoS.

[ironchef]

Hey auto, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. So, caveat would be that whatever posters respond with here, you should discuss your concerns with whichever health professional is managing your condition.

I can't find it right now (will keep digging), but I read an interesting piece from Reinhard quoting an insulin-dependent diabetic No-Ser who had significantly reduced the amount of insulin they needed after sticking to No-S for a while. If the eating approach can work for a diabetic, I see no reason why pre-diabetes should be different (with sensible mods if recommended by your doctor)?

[eschano]

Another reply from someone not in your situation: Adult diabetes was very rare in the times where 3 meals a day was the norm, now that 5-10 little meals are common diabetes 2 is on the rise. I would say NoS is not hurting you!

If you think you need to change something I would suggest you change what's on the plate and not the fact that you eat three of them

[wosnes]

I'm not a doctor but I am (was?) a nurse. I'm also old enough to remember when the standard dietary advice for diabetics was three meals with possibly a bedtime snack. That was to keep blood sugar from falling too much overnight. This was also the time when long-lasting insulin was the medication of choice.

As I recall, more frequent eating was suggested at about the time oral medications were introduced to keep blood sugar from falling.

I think the best prevention is three meals daily. More frequent eating would be appropriate for those taking some kind of medication to regulate blood sugar. Your blood sugar is going to rise some every time you eat. More frequent meals may mean it rarely, or never, gets down to a normal low.

I agree with eschano: you might want to look at what's on the plate rather than the number of plates.

I'm not a huge fan of Dr. Fuhrman, but as with nearly all extreme dietary programs, there's some truth in his advice. His advice for long-term health including diabetes prevention (and treatment) is more produce (what used to be called free foods on the ADA diet), especially G-BOMBS:

Greens (all green vegetables, but especially leafy greens)
Beans (all plus lentils and other legumes)
Onions (Onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives and scallions)
Mushrooms (all kinds)
Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and pomegranate)
Seeds (Seeds and nuts, especially walnuts)

If you think about it, groups of people with low rates of Type 2 diabetes generally eat less often and eat more produce.

[automatedeating]

Thanks, all.
To clarify, I haven't been diagnosed with prediabetes. I just noticed my fasting blood sugar is higher now than it was a year ago.

[eschano]

How often do you take measurements auto? Could the low or the high or both blood sugar readings been a coincident? I think you need a fair average to properly compare, like over a month, which would also allow you to understand what foods make your blood sugar jump higher. However, knowing you you are probably already all over this

[wosnes]

One isolated reading means nothing. If this was done as part of a physical exam and the doctor wasn't concerned, you shouldn't be concerned. If you're randomly checking it, stop.

My blood sugar is checked annually at my regular doctor's appointment. It ranges from upper 80s to low 100s. I have no reason to suspect any problem. My doctor has never expressed any concerns, so I don"t worry about it.

One of the problems with all the studies, information and theories we're constantly exposed to is that they encourage us to become concerned about something that should be of no concern.

[BrightAngel]

One of the problems with all the studies, information and theories we constantly see
is that they encourage us to become concerned about something that should be of no concern.

Yes.

[Jill d]

Yes, one reading is not a concern. If you want a longer picture of a trend, the A1c test gives an average blood glucose over 3 months. You can take one of these at home, even. One day in the hospital (on bed rest right before my twins were born) I had 4 measurements of my blood glucose taken for a handheld meter (within 2 minutes of each other) on different fingers, and the lowest to highest numbers measured 50 different from each other. like thumb, 115, middle finger, 165, pinky, 90. The nurse and I just couldn't stop laughing.

[oolala53]

Yes, please be sure you have impaired glucose tolerance before you start treating it.

Nothing can protect everyone from every possible malady, but I'd bet that if you wanted to spend a lot of time looking at it, you'd find that moderation protects most people against most degenerative diseases and thus, in my mind, should be the first line of defense.

[ferdberfle]

Fasting blood sugar is not an indicator of diabetes until it is very high. The diagnostic criteria is A1C. If that is above 7, you're diabetic. IF you would like to test your own A1C, Wal-Mart sells a kit that you send in or, Bayer sells a meter (about 4 times more expensive) that will tell you immediately.

A1C is the amount of glucose bound to your hemoglobin and gives a two to three month picture of how well your blood sugar is under control.

I guess I just repeated what Jill said... hopefully I added some info to that.

[Blithe Morning]

Why are you testing your fasting blood sugar? Is this something your doctor asked you to do?

[mastermesh]

I am diabetic... you can do no s with diabetes, BUT... you really got to watch sugar if you do and consider a 4th meal if necessary.... the no snacks is probably the hardest part for those of us with diabetes... if my sugar goes too much below 100 I get lightheaded and almost have to eat or drink something with carbs in it to make that wooziness go away.

Timing meals is difficult with diabetes and mixing in no s... in my old job I had lunch around 11 and dinner around 7 pm. Around 3 or 4 I'd start getting lower blood sugars so had to snack for a fourth meal, etc.

I haven't been too strict on no s for a long time now, but am starting it up again hardcore now. Just started the habitcal and bookmarked it as a start page. I also use a couple of excel files to get more detailed than that habitcal allows...

In my current job, I work a lot of overtime, and there are many days I go without any lunch break at work. That's my new struggle. I overcarb a bit before work to balance out what I think will be a tough day like that but it's hard to figure out the right balance. I usually try to pack a lunch with fruit (or fruit cup), veggie, 2 slices of ham, and one slice of cheese. If I can work in a 10 minute break instead of my regular 30 minute lunch on the hard days, I go after at least one slice of ham and the fruit or fruit cup to make sugars last.

With diabetes it's all about counting carbs to balance out sugar... 2 hours after you eat your sugar level will be highest. More carbs = higher sugar levels... Ham, eggs, and similar proteins add a small dose of insulin resistance to your meals, so that protein keeps the sugar content in carbs from upping you too high too fast... it steadies it out and makes the sugar last longer because of that added insulin resistance... basically the carbs mix in with the protein, making your body take longer to digest the complex sugars in the carbs... It's very important, not just for diabetics, but everyone, to have a bit of protein and carbs with meals because of the way that this works... that sugar up and down impacts those of us with diabetes more, but it has similar impact on non-diabetics too, especially pre-diabetics.