Pre diabetic: Beats me. Ive been told... - British Heart Fou...

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Pre diabetic

Ken59 profile image
26 Replies

Beats me. Ive been told its this its that causing it. Ive watched videos on it .Sone says its not cause you dont do enough excercise its to do with the neds you take or certain tyoes of food.

If you ask me its seams like the doctors the dieticians the diebetic nurses have not got the answer.

Its seams the only answer they have is eventually we will have to put yoy on meds for it even if you do all the things we say to do.

So that leads me to the conclusion that unless the goverment bans all suger from all food products then we either eat nothing and have a few more years or we plod along try do what we can but most of all we enjoy what we have and take their meds fir it.

It diesbt seam to be an age thing as anybody can get it at any age.

I think its to do with years of eating the processed sugar in foods that the goverment wont ban for food manufacturers profits.

Also they wont interfere with pharmy and make them investigate and iradicate what in certain meds cause your levels to go up.

Its a worry I know and it makes it worse when you here your doc or nurse go on at you do this cut out that. Its a constant battle.

They say join weight watchers thats fine if you can afford to buy their foods but if you are on a mddle income and dont get help from goverment then you just gotta keep buying the overpriced foods with sugar in them or try buy the foods without that are more costly.

Also the online courses they put you on or the group sessions they send you on dont help as they are designed for people with an intellectural knowing of fancy words of carbohydrates etc etc . They also have an understanding of how to cook fancy stuff and read and prepare from menues .

But they forget about people who have a very basic understanding of these things and are more hands on so they dont introduce cooking classes to the group sessions and I suppose even if they did the person teaching the food preoerations would rattle on with the big words and the scientific mumbo jumbo about cells etc.

What we nead is basic group sessions with down to earth hands on cookery classes on what and how to cook and let the pre diabetic take part hands on preparing and cookiing. But no instead they sebd you to weight watchers or sone other business (note Business) that dies a certain short course and tgen you have to start a oayment subscription to continue.

Instead if a hands on course down to earth

Aproach.

This is were the system fails and people leave the coarses more confused about how to continue as they have filled there heads full of scientific and medical mumbo jumbo.

All the people on here try their best with what ever condition they have to understand the medical termanologies but then they get bogged down in counting calories or reading about T cell numbers

When all they nead is practical hands on group participation to overcone their conditions.

They dont nead online coarses given by people miles away or halve hour consiltation with a diebetic nurse telling then what they should or should not be doing. If they are not helped in the first instance to be taught how to understand and cook the right stuff to make the changes neaded.

Also they are told cook this cook that shiwn recipies on a white board with ingrediants that are hard to find.

No if the goverment want to help people to cook the right foods for their health they nead to set up shops for diebetics were people can go and find only diebetic foods

And can go to the shop website and have them delivered just like supernarkets do.

So there you go thats the answer.

Hands on courses and diebetic only shops.

Then people can get back to enjoying their lives instead of being brow beaten trying to understand the science.

Happy minds and good food makes a happy life.

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Ken59 profile image
Ken59
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26 Replies
uzininemm profile image
uzininemm

To be honest I can't agree with all your comments in regards to food preparation.

I am on a restricted income and I make sure I eat well, with no or very little processed foods, no shop bought pre-prepared meals and no take aways (except the occasional fish and chips). I certainly wouldn't classify myself as a 'good cook' either (whatever one of those is!)

Both the BHF and Diabetes UK both have recipes on their websites and I find they are varied very easy to do and don't have cost a lot.

diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-di...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

There is also plenty of information on the BHF website which is straight forward and in plain English about healthy eating.

There is a section on healthy eating on a budget

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo....

Have you a garden or space for tubs, perhaps you could have a go at growing some of your own veg.

Give things a go you might be pleasantly surprised as to what you can actually do, (and if it does go wrong then so what there is always a next time).

Best wishes.

Ken59 profile image
Ken59 in reply touzininemm

Thanks hadca look at the diabetes food recipes looks yummy. But still a lot of sugar in them.

uzininemm profile image
uzininemm in reply toKen59

Hello Ken59, I have done a pre diabetes course and one of the things that was mentioned was that sugars in there natural state (like fruit) aren't a big problem in moderation it is refined sugars which cause a lot of issues.

Also you do need carbohydrates, the best is wheatmeal, I have wheatmeal noodles, pasta and brown rice, (yes they cost a bit more but you still get enough for your money (in my opinion anyway), and when I asked my nurse about potatoes she said yes you can have them but not every day (I have them twice a week).

Anyway happy cooking.

Best wishes

Ken59 profile image
Ken59 in reply touzininemm

Thats interesting im learning more and more thanks

uzininemm profile image
uzininemm in reply toKen59

Ken sorry I meant wholemeal.

Kristin1812 profile image
Kristin1812Heart Star

Your comments do interest me because you’re right…..one size never fits all!

But my experience of the on-line course was very positive. I really liked the others in the group, who were all v different, and learnt some good tactics from them. I lost 10k and improved my bloods significantly,, by giving up nearly all sugar. I do cook from scratch more, but it doesn't cost any more.

But I accept that wont suit everyone.

Autumn_Leaves profile image
Autumn_Leaves in reply toKristin1812

The online course sounds excellent. It’s great that you found it helpful. Is this a free service run by the NHS? It sounds similar to the in-person course my friend goes to on the NHS. My concern is that it might not be available everywhere.

Lowerfield_no_more profile image
Lowerfield_no_more in reply toAutumn_Leaves

I was invited to join the Oviva online course through my GP since I am borderline pre-diabetic, probably due to age and over 25 years of taking statins. I opted for a full online 'experience' rather than face to face as I understood it. From the outset I filled in a diary of what I ate, and a few other things waiting for contact from by tutor, which finally happened after eight weeks. I then had two weeks of occasional contact with my tutor, but was then told I had ten weeks on my own before I was contacted again . That was it! I I found the 'advice' I received mostly cut and stick, and not very personal and often not relevant to me, especially since I am not overweight, I have a good varied diet, don't eat a lot of sugary stuff and exercise regularly. I also asked questions about my circumstances which were never answered or avoided. It was really very hands off. In the end I gave up, to give someone else the chance. Hopefully they got more out of it than I did, which was very little.

Autumn_Leaves profile image
Autumn_Leaves in reply toLowerfield_no_more

That’s a bit rubbish

Kristin1812 profile image
Kristin1812Heart Star

It could well be the same as your friends In-person one. It doesn’t cost anything, Also I guess it’s possible it’s not available everywhere. But worth asking your GP.

I hope you manage.

MAISIEMOO21 profile image
MAISIEMOO21

Hi

I had a blood sugar of 44 and told I was pre diabetic

I was offered a course run by NHS funded Second Nature

It was brilliant

I cut out sugar potatoes and bread and reduced portions

I list 4.5 stone in 3 months

My blood sugar reduced to 34 well within normal range

I did not have any meds or SPECIAL food just normal food with lots of vegetables

It worked for me

Try it 👍🤞

MWIC profile image
MWIC

I think it’s very complicated as we’re all different - I’m Type 2 and clearly had been unknowingly for some time - mine is very much a problem with poor insulin sensitivity and poor production of insulin - It’s not easy but things that help: control your carbohydrate consumption (and carbs are in pretty much everything) as carbs are essentially converted to glucose by your body so it’s not just about sugar (I’ve never eaten sweets, cakes, drinks or sweet things), regular exercise - even an hours walk every day - does your mental health the world of good and exercise makes a big difference in not only burning the sugar but I believe kick/starts your body into working more efficiently - whatever you do don’t ignore it as ignoring it leads to some serious problems

Misstibbs profile image
Misstibbs

Hi Ken - I think it may be worth listening to this Doctor David Unwin he makes sense and download his spoonful of sugar chart.

I think you elaborate nicely the confusion that we have as patients knowing what to believe and do.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=QdXza...

Ken59 profile image
Ken59 in reply toMisstibbs

I found that video more understanding than all the coarses ive been on .When i get a minuette ill watch it again and ill go to the links he suggests.

Ive often thought why does the nhs not give out the free style libre to patients to help manage them selves from pre diebetis onward.

The excuse about its to costly is rubbish when you think of all the money spent on coarses, of all cost of meds neaded to treat the disease, of all the doctors appointment's, hospital appointments time and energy, sorrow of loss due to diabetes.

Then see the difference giving out the libre to every patient you most likely would see a dramatic drop in all other costs.

They should give out this video on disc and the free style libre to every pre diabetic.

There should be a push by all doctors for this to happen.

Misstibbs profile image
Misstibbs in reply toKen59

I’m pleased you found it useful 👍

Qualipop profile image
Qualipop

People eat far too much pre prepared food. Basic cookery needs to be brought back into schools. MY husband was diagnosed as pre diabetic when he was about 40. I always cook from scratch so with just a few alterations and cutting down on the wrong foods we managed to hold off the time when he developed type 2 diabetes until he was past 60. Even after advice from the diabetes association we still found it really difficult to work out which foods release their sugars quickly and which don't. They seem to expect people to know.

LaceyLady profile image
LaceyLady

Ken when they stopped giving senior children Home Economics lessons was a disaster. We learnt all sort of things to help us eat well and be independent. We didn’t have all the packeted foods and if we had, mum couldn’t afford them.

I was a blue light job to a&e, diabetic! HBa1C well well off the charts, no idea why or how.

I went ‘Low Carbohydrates’ high protein. Got the HBa1C down incredibly low in a short period! When you look at packets it’s the total carbohydrate number you look at, carbs are in fact sugar!

There are some good books to help you

Carbs & Cals Carb & Calorie Counter: Count Your Carbs & Calories with Over 1,700 Food & Drink Photos! amzn.eu/d/2NKXFJu

Ken59 profile image
Ken59 in reply toLaceyLady

Thanks for that ill look that one up

Hrty profile image
Hrty in reply toKen59

Worth looking at fibre content too. You can deduct that from the carb figure as your body has to work hard to process. Try to avoid simple carbs.

LaceyLady profile image
LaceyLady in reply toHrty

I was exchanging white versions for wholemeal, carb values weren’t greatly reduced. The glucose level would just not rise as fast or come down any faster. I think it might be useful to have a continuous glucose monitor on the arm but T2’s don’t get them unless you pay and they’re £50+ each per month! I’ve been reading not greatly reliable which is deterring me buying some 😵‍💫

LaceyLady profile image
LaceyLady

ps I’ve taken a diabetes course, my nurse enrolled me, was excellent. The guy who did the zoom course, was because of Covid, was really nice and very helpful.

I’m afraid the diabetes organisation are behind the times with diet advice, as you say, recipes seem lot of carb abd sugar.

Wellington19 profile image
Wellington19

You will find out that statins raise your blood sugar levels, doctors wont tell you this unless you ask them, cardiology admited it to me, all they will offer you is a different statin

Ken59 profile image
Ken59 in reply toWellington19

Im on full dose statin.

Hrty profile image
Hrty in reply toWellington19

I've been on statins since November and my HB1AC has gone from prediabetic to normal. Mind you I've lost over 2st, overhauled my diet and given up booze.

Wellington19 profile image
Wellington19

The cardiologist gave me pravastatin, said wouldn't raise my blood sugar as much as other statins

Coopergirl52 profile image
Coopergirl52

Hello Ken59.

I looked at weight watchers meals as I am pre diabetic like you.

But found their not go for you either as they are high in salt.

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