Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

I am showing signs of being a diabetic. Since most of my family members are diagnosed to be diabetics, I want to be vigilant and create a diabetic diet plan for myself so that it won’t get worse.

A low carb diet is in order. Mendosa’s Low Glycemic Index Diet is the best you can get . In one week you will know what to eat and what not and how much. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

This table includes the glycemic index and glycemic load of more than 2,480 individual food items. Not all of them, however, are available in the United States. They represent a true international effort of testing around the world.

The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.

The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn’t a lot of it, so watermelon’s glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI.

Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney’s Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4.

You can forget the metformin for now.
There are 4 key steps to controlling glucose levels.
Here are the 4 keys:
1) Knowledge- http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.ph… This is a great site for info
2) Meds. Metformin to start. Never , ever take Actos or Avandia. They may kill you. Bone fractures, heart problems and what diabetics really don’t need is that they change Bone Stem Cells to Fat Cells.
3)diet- A low carb diet is in order. I can’t count carbs so I use Mendosa’s Glycemic Index Diet. Great for the whole family. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
4) EXERCISE- Walking is fine but Nordic Walking is Great. Exercise also lowers Glucose levels , lowers Cholesterol and lowers Blood Pressure. Google it.
Exercise is very important.

Take care

Tin

I don’t like the foods on the standard diabetic diet. I want a bit of flavor to my food.

A low glycemic index diet. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

This table includes the glycemic index and glycemic load of more than 2,480 individual food items. Not all of them, however, are available in the United States. They represent a true international effort of testing around the world.

The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.

The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn’t a lot of it, so watermelon’s glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI.

Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney’s Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4.

Combine this with EXERCISE and you got the winning combo.

Take care

Tin

I am 16 years old and overweight. Diabetes runs in my family but I’m not sure if I have it. I checked my blood glucose and it was high, 160. I am always tired and have headaches sometimes. Please only serious answers. Thanks!

It all depends when you took the test. If 1 to 2 hours after you ate , it high. Here are the numbers and when to test:
Normal Fasting Blood Sugar
A normal fasting blood sugar (which is also the blood sugar a normal person will see right before a meal) is:

83 mg/dl (4.6 mmol/L) or less.

Many normal people have fasting blood sugars in the mid and high 70 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/L) range.

Though most doctors will tell you any fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L) is "normal", there are several studies that suggest that testing with a fasting blood sugar in the mid 90 mg/dl (5 mmol/L) range often predicts diabetes that is diagnosed a decade later.
Post-Meal Blood Sugar (Postprandial)
Independent of what they eat, the blood sugar of a truly normal person is:

Under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L) one or two hours after a meal.

Also if you are heavy , lose weight.
Eat a low glycemic Index Diet.http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

This table includes the glycemic index and glycemic load of more than 2,480 individual food items. Not all of them, however, are available in the United States. They represent a true international effort of testing around the world.

The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.

The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn’t a lot of it, so watermelon’s glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI.

Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney’s Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4.

And last but not least . Get off the couch. Exercise at least 1 hour a day.

Good luck Tin

l have a friend from and lives in Africa; he is of blood type 0+ ,and is diabetic;he would like to know what’s the best diet to follow while living in Arica?

Although there is a book that states that a person’s blood type should dictate their diet – and although this book has made quite a bit of money – it is absolute nonsense. A person’s blood type has nothing to do with the type of diet that they should consume whether they are a diabetic diet or not. The best diet for a diabetic has been muddled quite a bit by of all people the American Diabetes Association. They have changed their recommended diet many times over my 30 years in medicine because there is no ‘special’ diet that a diabetic requires. A diabetic should eat the same diet that would be recommended for virtually anyone – and it is a diet that in urban areas is rarely followed. The diet would be one rich in fresh fruits in vegetables, minimizing processed foods, salt, fats, cholesterol, and sugar (glucose). The latter is a bit complicated as ‘sugar’ is a vague term comprising a varied group of carbohydrates all of which have a different ‘glycemic index’. The higher the glycemic index the more likely that the carbohydrate in the food will end up as glucose as opposed to another substance. Depending upon where in Africa this person is living they may find that the diet is one of fresh fruits and vegetables with a minimal amount of processed food. Salt is easily avoided and fats and high cholesterol food is less common in Africa than in the United States. So far as glycemic index is concerned I do not know that I would worry much about this as from your question I gather that your friend is living in Africa temporarily. If they are planning on living in Africa long-term then I would suggest that they type ‘glycemic index’ into a search engine on the internet for advice. On of the most important issues for a diabetic is to maintain a ‘lean’ body weight. A person’s body mass index should be less than 25 kg/M2 if they are 25 years old or older. If you type ‘body mass index’ into a search engine you will find many sites that will calculate your body mass index for you if you input your height and weight. The 25 kg/M2 referenced above may not apply for those less than age 25 – the goal for body mass index is more difficult to establish for these individuals. I wish you and your friend the very best of health and may God Bless.

thank you!!
i bought this meter in the uk.
what do i do now???sounds scary!

It means you’ve got your blood glucose meter set up to read the wrong format of blood glucose measurements. That system is the International Standard, which is not used in the United States. (Most countries in the world use the derivation of mmol/l (millimols per litre) whereas in the United States, and a few other countries, they use mg/dL (milligrams per deci-Liter). To change mmol/l to mg/dL you need to multiply the figure offered by 18.)

Oops! I’ve just thought. You’re not doing a test for ketones, are you? If you are, a reading of 5.8 or 6.7 mmol/l is very high and you may need hospitalizing.

Edit:

If you take a look at the manual for the meter you have, you’ll probably find that there’s a way to change the readings from mmol/l to mg/dL.

I have Type 1 Diabetes and currently live in the United Kingdom, so my care is free. How much will health care/medication cost me in the United States, if I were to emigrate?

I would stay in the UK! It is outrageous living here in the US. I spend $9000 a year and I have great insurance.

My insulin copay per month is $38.
My other prescriptions are $40 a month.
Miscellaneous diabetic expenses cost me over $90 to $100 a month.
I visit my Endo doctor every 3 months at 10 buck a pop.
My cardiologist every 6 months costs me $25.
I’ve been in the ER twice this yr at $50 each time.
The foot doc twice a yr is $25 a visit.
Blood work every 3 months $100.
The diabetic clinic every 3 months $25
My pump supplies cost $50 every few months.
My insulin pump was 9 grand. I paid $50.
I spend a $10 copay per month for insurance.
The drug companies make a fortune on the Diabetics in the US.

one of my friends has diabetes….the other is hyperglycemic… and they were trying to explain to me that they’re the opposite of each other but i don’t get it. help??

Hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose, happens when there is too much sugar in the blood.
Causes of hyperglycemia
* Skipping or forgetting your insulin or oral glucose-lowering medication
* Eating the wrong foods
* Eating too much food
* Infection
* Illness
* Increased stress
* Decreased activity

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Interesting.. they look the same to me – are you sure they weren’t talking about HYPO-glycemic??