Hi, I was diagnosed with PMR in April this year and started off on 15mg Prednisolone and have so far managed to taper down to 10mg. I have now been told that I am pre-diabetic (thanks steroids 😡😡) and am just interested in knowing what people eat for snacks/treats or are we just expected to give them up entirely! I was unfortunately a very snacky person - biscuits, cakes, crisps etc which I realise are now a virtual no no! I know nuts and seeds are good but there's only so many nuts/seeds that my teeth will be able to stand. Short of baking stuff myself without sugar, and I've never been a baker, I'm at a bit of a loss! WilI the odd slice of birthday cake matter for instance ? Is anyone else in the same boat and can give me a gui. Thanks.
PMR & PRE DIABETIC : Hi, I was diagnosed with PMR... - PMRGCAuk
PMR & PRE DIABETIC
Maybe have a look at diabetes uk website - for tips on what is best to eat - linked - diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-di...
But as the diabetic nurse once said to my late hubby, a diabetic diet doesn't need to be anything special and don't buy foods labelled 'diabetic' - just look at it as a sensible healthy diet... and there are plenty of healthy snacks that aren't boring,
But cutting carbs will help your pre diabetic levels (which may well return to normal as you reduce Pred) and your PMR...
I only found out I was pre-diabetic when I took part in an online workshop with Dr Sarah Myhill. She looked, briefly, at each person's blood test results (there were about 12 of us and it is treated as confidential) and told me that I was pre-diabetic if not already diabetic. A shock to me as my GP, who must have known unless she only looked at the inflammation levels, did not say anything. She has since disappeared from the practice and no-one is talking about her. Also, now, no-one is checking on my progress either as I think they have forgotten I exist but at least that lets me manage my own tapering and I am now down to 5.5mg.
Anyway, I decided that I would take Sarah Myhill's advice and follow a mainly PK diet (Paleo/ketogenic) which is basically ketogenic but without dairy. So this is very low carbohydrate. Six months later I had another blood test and the pharmacist rang to see how the tapering was going and to tell me that I shouldn't stay on steroids any longer than I had to as they can cause things like diabetes. Well, who'd have thought ... In among all this she told me I should be pleased as I had dropped 10 points (I don't understand all the measurements for diabetes) and was no longer pre-diabetoic. I told her that I would have been even more pleased if the surgery had warned me I was pre-diabetic in the first place!
Rant over - so cut the carbohydrates as much as you can, cut out any added sugar and cut down fruit to just 2 pieces a day - mainly berries.
DorsetLady has pointed you at the Diabetes UK website - I would point you towards Michael Mosley's Blood Sugar Diet, 5:2 diet, Fast 800 diet etc. They contain good, quick healthy recipes which you can use as a guide. I also keep an eye on a Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/1788638... - This is run by a Canadian gentleman - Richard and there is a lot of information on there about the Keto diet.
Personally, I think the Mediterranean diet is a good one and just cut down on carbs.
Good luck
🙂
The hba1c test for diabetes is a completely different test than the test for inflammation levels. Unless a hba1c is requested it will not be tested for.
When I had my ESR tests prior to diagnosis diabetes tests were not requested and I found out I was type 2 4 months after my PMR diagnosis.
Your GP should check your blood sugars when prescribing prednisolone.
It is quite concerning, isn't it? I found she had requested an Hba1c test when she diagnosed me but then completely ignored the result so for anyone new to PMR I would certainly ask your GP to request such a test.
And ask for the numbers!!!!! Piglette has some interesting stories about her GP's assessment of whether a level had risen or fallen!!!
That is bad. I was sent for an ultrasound as part of my diagnosis to ripple other things out. The ultrasound picked up an ovarian cyst and so I was sent to a gynaecologist 3 months later. I had to take a urine sample with me and they detected sugar in my urine and was sent to have a blood test.! Type 2 and my doctor did apologise and say she should have tested.6 months later I got it into remission by changing my diet and upping my walking
Assuming you don't have a problem with fats - cheese, a spoonful of yogurt, carrots if your teeth will stand it? Could you eat chopped or ground nuts?My daughter's young friend, who has lupus, has been on steroids for 20 years, and suffers from the 'munchies' eats popcorn - the sort without butter or sugar and finds them filling. And I see on several online sites they suggest apple slices spread with peanut butter ( would have to be sugar-free though, wouldn't it)
Careful with apples though - a whole apple has well over 15g of carbs.
I must admit PMR did turn me into a nutritional know all. I must drive my friends mad!! On the other hand it has made me think about my diet much more. I use an app MyNetDiary which has a free version which I find useful as I tend to plan what I am going to eat in advance.
Many of us here eat a low carb diet, either to manage pred-related weight gain or to reduce the risk of developing pred-related diabetes. Several have reversed their pre-diabetic state and one at least reversed her diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.
There is a massive difference between snacks and treats - treats are occasional, snacks ongoing. The question is why you feel the need for snacks - they aren't essential even if the food manufacturers have persuaded people they are to keep their sales up! If it is because you are constantly hungry - that is often related to there being lots of carbs in your diet and, when on pred, the effect of pred on blood sugar. It triggers the liver to release glucose from the body stores in the liver and muscles into the blood stream. That, in turn, triggers the release of insulin which sends the BS level down, often overshooting because both the pred realease of glucose and eating small snacks triggers far more insulin than is required because the body automatically expects a full meal. When the BS level falls so suddenly and so far, your body then craves what it needs to return it to normal - sugar in some form. And this creates a roller-coaster of high BS, low BS, crave carbs, high BS, low BS ...
Once you cut your carbs, especially simple and processed carbs and added sugar, then you smooth out this roller-coaster and the cravings will reduce. There are lots of low carb snacks if you still need them - but most people find their appetite reduces after a short time on a low carb diet, you don't need massive will-power for very long.
And the effects of diabetes on your body should be enough to convince you that it is a good idea to try to avoid it!
betterhealth.vic.gov.au/hea...
I like this website
as an introduction to low carb - this isn't NO carb, not a keto diet - and if you explore it there are suggestions for what to eat and how to adapt your diet. No need to buy expensive cookbooks, loads of low carb sites all over the place on the internet. For many people just cutting processed food is enough - but don't make the mistake of eating fruit as a "healthy" snack, if you aren't careful you will clock up a lot of carbs in many fruits.
Thanks for all your replies. I've never had to worry before about what I eat, or count calories/carbohydrates etc so am finding all this an absolutely confusing minefield! Can I also just ask do you all extend the cutting out of sugar and carbs to dairy milk, which appears to me to contain a lot of both?! Should I be looking at alternatives like oat/pea/soya or at least lactose free. I always have drunk a lot of milk in the past. Thanks.
Lactose-free doesn't help with carbs - no lactose (milk sugar) which some people can't digest but already digested by adding an enzyme:
dairy.com.au/dairy-matters/....
I certainly don't omit dairy - I use quite a lot of plain yoghurt (so no added sugar).
But personally I can't see the point of using m*lks if what I want/need is milk. Tea is my reason for needing dairy milk - the other stuff is not a good substitute.
mindbodygreen.com/articles/...
Don't think of it as "both", sugars are carbs, just different names for the same thing (like spaniel and dog ...)
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