Diabetic Wellness Clinic

jujubeans · Feb 2, 2012

I know that some of us here suffer with Diabetes...I have type 2 and am continually looking for things to keep it under control. So I'm looking for tips from the rest of you..

I'm experimenting with a high fibre tablet that you take right before eating with a full glass of water..(recommened in a book I was reading..Beat Diabetes naturally by Michael Murray and Michael Lyon). It's made in Canada but available thru Amazon. com. It's called PGX with mulberry and is supposed to help lower your glycemic index. Just started but I do believe it is helping.

Also I'm indulging in a little more vinegar and cinnamon...both of which are supposed to be good for you. And I find that a simple 5 minute brisk walk after each meal also helps.

I try to stay away from carbs and man do I miss my mashed potatoes..my biggest weakness, but if you mash up sweet potatoes you're doing a good thing for your body and it satisfies that urge. Sweet potatoes are a complex carb which is a whole lot better for a diabetic...and none of you will be surprised to find that pickles are good for you!

Please...what works for you?

jujubeans · Feb 2, 2012

and for us chocolate lovers..dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and therefore good for you....key word here...moderation!

muttly · Feb 2, 2012

This book has been around for awhile, but it is an excellent source to improve blood sugar levels.
Talks about small meals throughout the day,eating only good carbs,protiens. etc.
I think it is a good book for expediters in general because it talks about foods that can make you more alert, or can make you sleepy when someone needs to sleep.

http://www.thinreport.com/dr-bob-arnots-revolutionary-weight-control-review.html

jujubeans · Feb 2, 2012

Thanks Mutley...I will check it out after my walk...I've got several cats that will take a walk with me.sometimes I follow them...sometimes they follow me..but it keeps me out there for a much longer walk...

LisaLouHoo · Feb 2, 2012

What I do: Exercise. Get out of the vehicle and WALK minimum 2 miles a day. Keep the circulation flowing in those legs and feet. Numerous SMALL snacks (5 or 6) rich in fiber and fat-free dairy. Water. Diet Soda once a day. Indulge myself now and again, have that Milky Way or cookie every couple of weeks. Januvia. I stay under 130 this way.

Sent from my ADR6300 using EO Forums

louixo · Feb 3, 2012

I replaced sweets mostly with fruit. I still hit a chocolate now and again. Fruits that are good for you as the sugars are absorbed and used quickly are:
melons
pineapple
strawberries

not so good: citrus
bananas
grapes

Take your meds, excercise, eat every 6 hours, and check your sugar til you get it under control. All of this from my doctor, and a wellness/nutrition course for diabetics that I attended.

copdsux · Feb 3, 2012

June, 2011, informed that I had "steroid induced type 2 diabetes". My A1C was 8.3. Right before Christmas, I had knocked my A1C down to 5.7! Also, in June, my weight was @ 252. Late Jan. I was @219! Yay me!

Mike

p.s. I take Metformin, 1000mg twice a day.

OntarioVanMan · Feb 3, 2012

copdsux said:
June, 2011, informed that I had "steroid induced type 2 diabetes". My A1C was 8.3. Right before Christmas, I had knocked my A1C down to 5.7! Also, in June, my weight was @ 252. Late Jan. I was @219! Yay me!

Mike

p.s. I take Metformin, 1000mg twice a day.

No other diet Change? Exercise? Only Metformin?.....great job on the weight loss BTW.....

"Diabetic experts actively debate how tightly we should control blood sugar levels. For instance, Dr. Richard K. Bernstein—a type 1 diabetic himself—recommends keeping blood sugar levels under 90 mg/dl (5.00 mmol/l) almost all the time. If it exceeds 95 mg/dl (5.28 mmol/l) after a meal, then a change in medication or meal is in order, he says.

Here’s the over-simplified “tight control” debate. On one hand, tight control helps prevent and may reverse some of the devastating consequences of diabetes. On the other hand, tight control in diabetics on insulin and certain other diabetic medications may raise the risk of life-threatening hypoglycemia and may shorten lifespan in other ways."

1 Dr.I know is practicing tight control....I can't I agree....especially when one is right on the line and a little diet and exercise can bring it down a couple points.

Bruno · Feb 4, 2012

jujubeans said:
I know that some of us here suffer with Diabetes...I have type 2 and am continually looking for things to keep it under control. So I'm looking for tips from the rest of you..

I'm experimenting with a high fibre tablet that you take right before eating with a full glass of water..(recommened in a book I was reading..Beat Diabetes naturally by Michael Murray and Michael Lyon). It's made in Canada but available thru Amazon. com. It's called PGX with mulberry and is supposed to help lower your glycemic index. Just started but I do believe it is helping.

Also I'm indulging in a little more vinegar and cinnamon...both of which are supposed to be good for you. And I find that a simple 5 minute brisk walk after each meal also helps.

I try to stay away from carbs and man do I miss my mashed potatoes..my biggest weakness, but if you mash up sweet potatoes you're doing a good thing for your body and it satisfies that urge. Sweet potatoes are a complex carb which is a whole lot better for a diabetic...and none of you will be surprised to find that pickles are good for you!

Please...what works for you?

I think this is a very GOOD post and my hats off to you for sharing this info. Low carbs are great for keeping the weight off. The vinegar and Cinnamon is something I will have to try. I love the smell of Cinnamon so eating it will be great on whole wheat toast.

OntarioVanMan · Feb 4, 2012

Uncontrolled diabetes can be very dangerous for someone behind the wheel should they get the effects....

copdsux · Feb 4, 2012

The only 2 items that I completely eliminated from my diet were ice cream & soft drinks. I would eat a pint of Ben & Jerrys at one sitting, 3-4 times a week! Now, it's frozen yougurt & G-2 Gatorade. The trick seems to be moderation. We still have cookies & candy, in the house, but I have "learned" that it is not all mine. It is primarily for the g'kids. Same with cakes & pastries.

My diabetic coach didn't come from the "if it taste good, spit out" train of thought. In fact she emphsized moderation. I rarely have a blood sugar level above 135-137, anymore.

As for exercise, I try to make it to the senior center 2-3 times a week, to make use of the 88 degree pool for water exercises. It feels goooooood!

jujubeans · Feb 4, 2012

Bruno said:
I think this is a very GOOD post and my hats off to you for sharing this info. Low carbs are great for keeping the weight off. The vinegar and Cinnamon is something I will have to try. I love the smell of Cinnamon so eating it will be great on whole wheat toast.

I've always loved cinnamon toast...but the sweetener is no longer sugar..but truvia or stevia...I call it my guilt free pleasure! and thank you.

jujubeans · Feb 4, 2012

copdsux said:
The only 2 items that I completely eliminated from my diet were ice cream & soft drinks. I would eat a pint of Ben & Jerrys at one sitting, 3-4 times a week! Now, it's frozen yougurt & G-2 Gatorade. The trick seems to be moderation. We still have cookies & candy, in the house, but I have "learned" that it is not all mine. It is primarily for the g'kids. Same with cakes & pastries.

My diabetic coach didn't come from the "if it taste good, spit out" train of thought. In fact she emphsized moderation. I rarely have a blood sugar level above 135-137, anymore.

As for exercise, I try to make it to the senior center 2-3 times a week, to make use of the 88 degree pool for water exercises. It feels goooooood!

I'm glad you're doing so well Mike..I wish I had a pool because I LOVE to swim.

jujubeans · Feb 4, 2012

LisaLouHoo said:
What I do: Exercise. Get out of the vehicle and WALK minimum 2 miles a day. Keep the circulation flowing in those legs and feet. Numerous SMALL snacks (5 or 6) rich in fiber and fat-free dairy. Water. Diet Soda once a day. Indulge myself now and again, have that Milky Way or cookie every couple of weeks. Januvia. I stay under 130 this way.

Sent from my ADR6300 using EO Forums

Lisa..what kind of snacks do you recommend? Sounds like you've really got this under control. I'm guessing that 2 mile walk every day is the biggest part of it!

jujubeans · Feb 4, 2012

louixo said:
I replaced sweets mostly with fruit. I still hit a chocolate now and again. Fruits that are good for you as the sugars are absorbed and used quickly are:
melons
pineapple
strawberries

not so good: citrus
bananas
grapes

Take your meds, excercise, eat every 6 hours, and check your sugar til you get it under control. All of this from my doctor, and a wellness/nutrition course for diabetics that I attended.

Some good advice on the fruits...I always thought pineapple would be a huge no no, because it is so sweet...and I love melons and strawberries.

jujubeans · Feb 4, 2012

And I'm laying off the fibre pills for awhile...they worked a little too well! *lol*

and thanks to Lisa, I'm upping my walking game...now ten minutes after each meal...and I think I'm going to have to give up my sugar free cream..it does spike me in the mornings. Black coffee...here I come!

jujubeans · Feb 5, 2012

Now I'm walking between an hour and an hour and a half every day...easy to do when it's been this nice out. Seems to be helping...

Lisa...I'm still curious about your snacks?

LisaLouHoo · Feb 6, 2012

jujubeans said:
Now I'm walking between an hour and an hour and a half every day...easy to do when it's been this nice out. Seems to be helping...

Lisa...I'm still curious about your snacks?

Sorry, I was in no man's land with no internet service for a bit.

Snacks:

Flavored crackers. Like white cheddar cheese, sun dried tomato, something with flavor.

Granola bars.

Fruit: apples, bananas, grapes (yeah yeah, I know what they say)

Nuts. Usually mixed, or just plain low salt peanuts.

Yogurt. Cottage cheese. Sometimes mix the two.

Cheese. Any kind.

Even though diet soda doesn't hurt my glucose, the artificial sweetener causes me to bloat a bit so I keep those down to 2 or 3 a week.

My father, paternal grandmother and late husband were "starch sensitive" diabetics. I am a "processed sugar sensitive".

Although Januvia is known to cause less hypoglycemic incidences than other drugs, it can still happen, especially if I don't eat enough. It starts with a rapid heartbeat; then the inability to grasp anything that is being said to me. Next: shaking arms, legs, cold sweat and lashing out. I have never passed out, but I have come close when my sugar crashed (while on Glucatrol) to 42.

My endocrinologist is happy if my sugar stays under 130. This is because I am one of those oddballs whose fasting glucose is HIGHER than non-fasting. When my body "thinks" it is being starved, it will start releasing sugars (stored or converted, it does what it thinks it needs to) at a phenomenal rate and my pitiful pancreas can't keep up. He said he would rather it be 115-130 than to have frequent wild variations in the 70-150 range.

Mine was an incidental finding during testing for another condition. When it was discovered, I was at 167. Asymptomatic at that point, but follow-up testing confirmed it. Add in family history and EBV, it wasn't going to go away.

Also, being processed sugar sensitive, the orange juice or honey trick never helped my crashes. Hard candy might, but the quickest fix for me? Regular Coca-Cola. Within 15 minutes I am fully recovered, with the onset of recovery starting within seconds.

Yes, easy to walk in nice weather. Even 15 in the cold counts. Wind and driving rain? Low impact stretches in the van or truck....just ANYTHING.

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jujubeans · Feb 7, 2012

Thanks for getting back to me Lisa. Other than granola and the crackers, the other snacks are pretty familiar. And I believe you on the regular coke..I think that's what got me started on this lovely road. I must be of the starch intolerant types, because one helping of mashed potatoes can get me soaring over the moon!! But one does learn to adapt..I can make the same potato leek soup with sweet potatoes without much variation of taste, but without the spikes! And the recipe makes a pretty good size batch so I share it with my neighbor, who is also diabetic.

Today I get the true test of walking...it's about 12 degrees and snowing and blowing with these South Dakota winds, so my pacing will be done inside.