Pre Diabetic So Confused!

[mamaherrera]

I will try to drop gluten and starch. But fat? How low does fat really have to be??

 

[James IV]

i would recommend you monitor your blood sugar every hour or two for a few days. It's a pain, but this will tell you a lot about what you should and should not be eating and when. People telling you to drop the fat or drop the starch with just the information you provided is a bit irresponsible in my opinion. You may actually need the calories from fat, or the insulin stimulation of starch to heal.

 

[mamaherrera]

I don't have any way to measure my blood sugar level right now. . . . I'd have to purchase a testing kit myself, which is expensive no? Is there any other way to monitor sugar?

 

[tara]

I know that like for me, they say that undigested fat in the bloodstream raises glucose or something like that, triglycerides, etc. So maybe it's bad to eat that much saturated fat??

I don't think anyone here can give you a definite reliable answer about exactly how much will be good or bad for you.
AIUI, the Randle 'cycle' means that when there is lots of fat circulating the system starts to burn more fat and less glucose - ie the carb-burning is likely to slow down. Circulating fat can rise either after eating fat or after stress hormones make more of our own fat available via lipolysis.
So reducing fat intake while ensuring enough carb calories to not get into hunger stress could potentially remove one of the brakes from cells ability to oxidise glucose.
I think this is one of the reasons to consider experimenting with low fat if metabolism is getting a bit diabetic, and also for trying to avoid unnecessary extra stresses. Low blood sugar/food deficiency is stressful, and is one of the possible triggers for increased stress hormones and lipolysis. So is sleep-deprivation. I imagine parenting sometimes throws up a few stresses that are harder to avoid. That doesn't mean reducing fat intake is guaranteed to have the effect you want, but there's a reasonable chance it might help.

But then, what about the claims that a woman needs at least 20% from her diet as fat so that sex hormones stay balanced??

I don't know where these claims come from/what they are based on. Wouldn't surprise me if this applies to some women. What matters for you is whether this applies to you or not, and I don't know how to find that out without personal experiment.

To distinguish whether it's helpful or not for you, I'd think monitoring metabolism - regular body temps and resting heartrate - would be useful tools, along with how you feel and maybe some glucose monitoring and once in a while blood tests. I don't suppose you are more likely to have a refractometer than a blood glucose meter, but if you do, RBTI (RBTI - Reams - mineral deficiency, not from Peat) suggests using that to monitor sugar - it theoretically gives an indicator of average since last voiding, rather than just the point measurement from a blood glucose meter.

Of a 3000 cal diet, 20% is 600 cals/ 67g fat, 10% is 300 cals/33g fat.
Of a 2500 cal diet, 20% is 500 cals/ 55g fat, 10% is 250 cals/28g fat.

If you decide to experiment with under 20% fat, that still leaves room for a couple of eggs, a tsp or two of coconut oil, and a bit of cheese and/or meat. More if it's low fat.

And I was looking at other threads, and I feel limited because the "protein" sources are so few as are fruits. Like I like mangos, an that's a no no, no strawberries, no grapes, . .. so what are your personal "go to's" both in protein and fruit, because I love both but I feel super enclosed with the options out there.

Are you reading every reference to a possible problem with a food as a reason to see it as bad and completely avoid it? I could see that getting very restrictive. If one avoided all the foods that someone has reported trouble with, there'd be a risk of starvation or serious malnutrition.
I figure almost any food is better than no food, and it makes sense to go easy on foods that you have a sense are giving you particular trouble. (Except I'm sold on PUFA being trouble, so keeping that as low as practical make sense to me.) Eg. if your iron is high, go easy on meat. If you are aware of high serotonin issues, go easy on the fruits with high serotonin content.
I eat strawberries, mangoes, grapes, bananas, kiwi occasionally. Also oranges, apples, pears, peaches, more freely. And various proteins - eggs, liver, beef, lamb, fish, shellfish, gelatine, potatoes (would eat various dairy if it worked for me).

 

[Tarmander]

One thing I noticed was that until I really really made the effort to do as little Pufa as possible, it was hard to see it as that bad (nuts, peanut butter, etc). I still do eggs because of their nutrients, even though there is Pufa.

The other night my girl friend wanted to eat at this Greek place that used "healthy" Mediterranean fats. I ate some chicken salad and when I got home I looked up how much of what I ate was saturated. I ate like 40g of mufa and Pufa.

Oh my god that night was hell. I couldn't sleep, I lay in bed sweating, adrenaline rushes, anger, and just an overall feeling of unease and that something was wrong. I finally got up after three hours and took like 1500mg of niacinamide and passed out.

My point is, if there is really only one thing to try, a simple thing, cut the Pufa for awhile and then after a couple months add it back for a day and see how you feel. You'll get a nice validation of your choice. Plus, you will make better decisions on your health when your not stressed and depressed and angry from Pufa.

 

[mamaherrera]

Thanks and that really helps lower my stress. Just trying to read all of this and take it all in and make so many changes as once, is stressing me out. So I'll work on one thing at a time Others in another thread said that great lakes gelatin is bad for you. so it's all so contradictory.

 

[Tarmander]

Ehh, everyone's context is different. There are people who will find something good, and people who will suffer on that same thing. Both can be equally valid and true responses. Can you see that? It sucks because we want to put things into easy context, but that ain't life sadly.

A lot of the advice in this thread is trying to address your specific context that you have described, so I would start here.

Edit: for example I do better on casein then geletin, but that doesn't mean geletin is less valid.

 

[tara]

Others in another thread said that great lakes gelatin is bad for you.

Bad for you or bad for them? Some people have trouble digesting it; if you digest it OK it probably does more good - many people find it valuable.

 

[mamaherrera]

alrighty, so just to keep like you all said, set on my goals: check temps/pulse, and that should be done after you eat every meal? And upon waking? then try to lower fat, and just keep PUFA down. and in the meantime, slowly raise carbs. . . .and add in more broth, fruit, gelatin. . . . .
and nonfat milk with sugar or honey?? Is one preferred?

 

[mamaherrera]

And I have one more question: everyone talks about getting milk that isn't ultra pasteurized but all the organic/ grassfed stuff here is ultra-pasteurized. Where can I get non fat milk that isn't that way?? and without added vitamins?? I liked the grassfed stuff, but there is not non-fat grassfed. and if anyone has a link or wants to suggest some "meals" that you all eat, please do. I"m up for ideas to get back in the gear of things. Also, eating this way, there is no more "cooking" recipes, like fajitas, like "real" meals that involve multiple ingredients, right?

 

[tara]

And I have one more question: everyone talks about getting milk that isn't ultra pasteurized but all the organic/ grassfed stuff here is ultra-pasteurized.

Some people do better with raw milk or pasteurised or ultrapasteurised - any kind that agrees with you is probably fine.

 

[tara]

Also, eating this way, there is no more "cooking" recipes, like fajitas, like "real" meals that involve multiple ingredients, right?

Don't see why not, unless particular ingredients are either high in PUFA or irritating to your gut.
Peat does not generally favour lots of grains, esp. not wheat, and prefers nixtamalised corn to straight cornmeal, so if you can make your fajitas with proper masa harina, that might be better.
He tends to favour cooked veges over raw ones because raw ones can be harder to digest. He's not keen on large amounts of avocado. Most mayonnaises are higher PUFA than optimal. He's not keen on large amounts of legumes.

I eat quite a few stews and soups that have multiple ingredients.

 

[mamaherrera]

And I know chocolate is ok on here (I Love chocolate) but what brands of chocolate bars have you all found that don't carry soy and all the bad stuff??

 

[thebigpeatowski]

what brands of chocolate bars have you all found that don't carry soy and all the bad stuff??

Fully ORGANIC, Fair Trade and NO soy ever......Theo Chocolate