Diabetes

[Los Spurs]

Does anyone here suffer from this illness? and if so, other then medication is there any special foods that can help reduce the high glucose levels?

[Sapphire]

I'm not a doctor, but you should eat foods that are closest to their natural state as possible, i.e. not processed. You should eat whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats, and usually nothing white such as sugar, flour, white rice. Sorry, but that includes a San Antonio staple, the flour tortilla.

Diabetes is not a death sentence. You can control it and live a full life. You just can't be dumb about it. It's very serious, and you have to make lifestyle changes, but again, you can live many years with it if you take care of yourself.

And don't smoke!!

[Shelly]

And take care of your feet!

[dimsah]

Eat more natural foods.
Eat in moderation.
Limit you carb intake which includes alcohol.
Take care of your feet.
Regular physical activity.

[Los Spurs]

Thank you.

I went to the doctor today and I was diagnosed as a type II diabetic.
I have a prescription for Gluco e. But, when I got to work a lady here tells me to eat a lot of oatmeal and flax seed and in no time my sugar levels should go down.

My sugar levels are at 250 but I hear some people have had it at 500-700. That's scares me!

[Sapphire]

Thank you.

I went to the doctor today and I was diagnosed as a type II diabetic.
I have a prescription for Gluco e. But, when I got to work a lady here tells me to eat a lot of oatmeal and flax seed and in no time my sugar levels should go down.

My sugar levels are at 250 but I hear some people have had it at 500-700. That's scares me!

You still need to take your meds, even though your co-worker has probably been to med school, too.

Seriously, do what your doctor says. It's OK to listen to other people, but bottom line, everyone is different and your doctor should know best.

[tsb2000]

My father is diabetic, but seems to get along just fine. Just remember to stay on top of things, and you should be fine. Being active is must, as is following a low-carb (and obviously no sugar) diet. If you are overweight, you have to get that under control. There's lots to remember with being diabetic, but once you've got it all down, then you'll be fine.

[AlamoSpursFan]

I was diagnosed as Type II about 3 years or so ago. Lost my medical certification to drive for about a month. They gave me something similar to Lipitor, but I didn't take it. I cut out all of the sugar and most of the carbs (except for beer of course...I don't want to live if living is without beer!) from my diet and took multi-vitamins, fish oil, chromium picolinate, and vitamin E, 3 times a day. And I started lifting weights. Nothing major, just a 20 lb. curl bar with 60 lbs. of plates, because someone told me it burns sugar faster than just regular "exercise". Apparently it worked.

Went back to the doc that told me I was Type II a year later and he said "I don't know who told you you were diabetic. Everything looks fine." Freaking quack.

Blood sugar average then was 218. Now it's 108.

You can beat it if you set your mind to it.

Good luck!

[ShoogarBear]

Everybody is different.

Diet and moderate weight loss (if you are overweight) are essential for everyone. In some lucky people, it's enough. Don't just get dietary advice from friends or acquantainces, have your doctor set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist who is experienced with diabetes education.

Other people will need oral medications, and if they don't work then still others end up needing insulin.

Like S y said, it's also important to get regular evaluation of special parts of your body, especially eyes, kidneys, and feet.

EDIT: But if you're a type 1 diabetic, then there's no getting around the need for insulin or a pancreas transplant.

[AlamoSpursFan]

And don't forget to keep track of your sugar levels. That average is a very important number.

[blizz]

lose about 40 lbs and you'll be back to normal. just have to keep it off.

[Shelly]

Like S y said, it's also important to get regular evaluation of special parts of your body, especially eyes, kidneys, and feet.

EDIT: But if you're a type 1 diabetic, then there's no getting around the need for insulin or a pancreas transplant.

Yeah, my niece is Type 1 and she has the insulin pump.

Also, if you have any sores, get them checked out immediately. People tend to ignore them thinking they will heal on their own. All to often they don't and if ignored, there's gonna be some type of surgery involved.

[boutons_]

Lots of good advice above.

adult-onset TII is part of the epidemic of overweight and obesity. It's mostly a life-style disease.

Losing all excess weight is not only cosmetic.

super-low-carb/low-glycemic/alkalizing/natural foods nutrition that removes all excess weight, which means:

no grains (gluten can be inflammatory)
no sugar or fake sweetener
no softdrinks
little alchohol (1 drink day)
no potatoes
no junk/fast food
omega-3 oils (cod liver oil, fish oil, flaxoil)
reduce omega-6/-9 oils (inflammatory)
no fried foods
grass-fed meat and dairy (grain-fed has messed up omega3/6/9 ratio)

google for the caveman/paleo/raw foods nutrition.

L-isoluceine (an amino acid) suppresses glucose, either as in powdered egg white or as a supplement. If you force you glucose down, you need to be careful of hypoglycemia. I assume you have a glucose meter.

cinnamon and fenugreek seeds also stabilize glucose (smooths out swings into hypo/hyperglycemia). the goal is to keep the glucose low and stable.

ginger reduces inflammation. You really need to work on reducing inflammation, which causes he muscles to be less sensitive to insulin. you can have blood tests that report on inflammatory markers.

ashwaganda is another Indian plant that helps with diabetes:
http://www.holistic-herbalist.com/ashwagandha-k.html

Hardly anybody dies from or is disabled by diabetes directly, but from the damage it does, mostly silently, to kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, arteries.

I lost a highschool buddy last year, kidney failure due to lifelong diabetes and morbid obesity, as well as one gangrenous leg amputed to the hip joint.

Strenuous daily aerobic exercise (running, cycling, swimming) helps stabilize glucose and re-sensitizes the body to insulin.

Don't be casual about diabetes. It's very nasty stuff. Assume that how you've lived/eaten up to now was the problem, and (part of the) solution is to change.

good luck. Tons of info on Internet.

[boutons_]

This study is not about diabetes, but it is typical of many such studies that used nutrition, mostly successfully, to attack a disease and inflammation:

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=36473

[tsb2000]

Blood sugar average then was 218. Now it's 108.

Hate to tell you, but if your blood sugar was 218, you are definitely diabetic. If you stopped living right, you would be right back where you were with that high sugar level, and all of the problems that go with it. You did absolutely the right thing by changing your lifestyle, which many will not recommend. A lot of health professionals don't want you to change your lifestyle, they want you to take meds and do what you want. That's their definition of normal living.

[boutons_]

"Weight-loss and major lifestyle changes may be more effective than intensive insulin therapy for overweight patients with poorly controlled, insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes"

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0311165921.htm

To cure a lifestyle disease, upgrade your lifestyle.

[bdictjames]

Since its type 2, it means you have insulin (that's why the doctor didn't prescribe you one) but the cells are resistant to it. A contributing factor is obesity.

So you should exercise a whole lot, and eat foods high in fiber. Diet and exercise are the key things. Lower your saturated fat and cholesterol intake, look at the labels. There are sites as to how to calculate how much fat you need for one day.

Diabetes can be prevented from progressing. And take good care of your feet, as it can alter your body's immune system. Inspect it every day, pat it dry, and never go barefoot.

[Los Spurs]

I started exercising and cutting down on carbs. This morning I was tempted to stop at my regular taco place but I drove straight to work and had a bowl of oatmeal instead.
And as I am typing I'm having a cup of coffee (black)

[boutons_]

"bowl of oatmeal"

probably processed, missing most of the bran, so pure, "fast" carbs. bad move. stay away from processed grains and potatoes.

Look up websites that list Glycemic Index and stick with low GI foods.

[Los Spurs]

"bowl of oatmeal"

probably processed, missing most of the bran, so pure, "fast" carbs. bad move. stay away from processed grains and potatoes.

Look up websites that list Glycemic Index and stick with low GI foods.

I went to lunch and had a baked potatoe from Wendy's.
Damn, I'm doing everything wrong...

[u2sarajevo]

I'm Type I as is my daughter. Although type I is non reversible (well, transplant but that would be ridiculous because then you have to take pills the rest of your life to keep your body from rejecting the new pancreas.... plus the side effects of those pills are more damaging than if you just keep taking insulin and keeping your sugar levels in normal range), type II is the harder to control.

I've got it "easy" because I can correct any es in blood sugar with an insulin bolus (I wear a pump).

Good luck with getting your blood sugar levels down. Get an A1C test every 3 months in addition to testing your blood sugar at least 4 times a day. Strong control of diabetes is difficult at first but habit forming if you work at it.

I stay away from refined carbohydrates (2 most common being sugar and white flour). Both of these have NO nutritional value but come with a high glycemic payload.

Some "herbal" people believe that sugar levels can be controlled a bit with Cinnamon. You can even buy cinnamon pills from the vitamin/mineral section of your local grocery. I won't attest that this works because I don't follow that but I have read that several times in various articles (and no, I don't have any links).

[Sapphire]

I went to lunch and had a baked potatoe from Wendy's.
Damn, I'm doing everything wrong...

Aww, don't beat yourself up--but you do need to educate yourself about these types of things so you'll make healthy choices. A baked potato in and of itself is not too awfully bad--it's all the crap piled on top of it. But potatoes are one of those "veggies" that the body processes as a starch (carb) and they cause a e in your blood sugar.

I would take the advice of whoever is suggesting that you read up on glycemic indexes and what that means to your blood chemistry. You might try reading some of the South Beach Diet info--you don't necessarily have to start the diet, but the doctor who wrote it explains in detail what you need to know about what you're doing to your blood every time you eat. Good info!

Good luck--forced lifestyle changes are always difficult--that's why I'm trying to change my bad habits before someone tells me I have to!

[boutons_]

"had a baked potatoe" with blessing from Dan Quayle.

better baked than French fries.

baked potato tarted up with cream cheese, sour cream, "butter", "bacon", and salt is really, really delicious, I love it, but it's crappy food.

Wendy's? total crap like all the fast food/pizza places. just stay out of them. And I bet you had a super-size soft drink, loaded with high fructose corn syrup and phosphoric acid? you're off and running!

Nobody's forcing you. YOU have to take responsibility and make choices for your health. you can still eat very well, with delicious food. starvation is not required.

It helps if you read up on diabetes and scare the crap out of yourself. eg, there's been an epidemic of diabetic amputations in NYC, primarily among blacks, hispanics, the poor. Big business for the crutches and wheelchair people.

[RashoFan]

Thank you.

I went to the doctor today and I was diagnosed as a type II diabetic.
I have a prescription for Gluco e. But, when I got to work a lady here tells me to eat a lot of oatmeal and flax seed and in no time my sugar levels should go down.

My sugar levels are at 250 but I hear some people have had it at 500-700. That's scares me!

I have seen people who blood glucose was so high that I wouldn't read on a glucometer(800 and higher).
Good that you have seen the Doctor, give the gluco e some time to work. I would ask to doctor when the usaul time frame is when you SHOULD see a change in your blood glucose. You may have to have a trial and error period with medication(s)until things are under control. Looking up info on the internet like Type II Diabetes and Glycemic Index of food is not bad advice but know that it is not "Gospel". Shoog's advice about a Dietician is really solid advice. Just have to be aware of what goes in your body and it takes time to make changes in your lifestyle. "Moderation" is a word that everyone could benifit from. Follow up with your doctor and appts. Don't forget to write down questions so you have them we you see the Doc again. Good luck and stay strong.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hate to tell you, but if your blood sugar was 218, you are definitely diabetic. If you stopped living right, you would be right back where you were with that high sugar level, and all of the problems that go with it. You did absolutely the right thing by changing your lifestyle, which many will not recommend. A lot of health professionals don't want you to change your lifestyle, they want you to take meds and do what you want. That's their definition of normal living.

I could go on a rant using the post above as a metaphor for Western Civilisation and its dependence on energy, but I won't because no-one cares and I'm in a good mood.

Good luck with managing your diabetes to all who have it. Eating well and exercising becomes "normal" after a while.