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Author: Patti
Date: 03-05-03 18:54
Hi! I was reading posts from the other day and i noticed on one of yours you mentioned that you were insulin resistant/sugar sensitive and that protein helped you. Could you elaborate on that a little more for me. My mom is type 2 diabetic and she is having a lot of problems controling her sugar level. It went from real high to real low the other day for no reason really. She is on medication. Me and my sister are trying to encourage her to focus more on protein and when I read that about you I thought maybe you could help. Do you mind elaborating for me? If you want my email I can give it to you. THANKS!!! Patti
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Author: Luna
Date: 03-05-03 19:09
Hello there,
Just read your post about your mom. Diabetes is big in my family. Both my grandmothers have it (well one had... she passed away last spring) and I'm also part Native American so that also makes me more susceptible. Anyway, here is what I know in general and if you have any specific questions, please ask:
Avoid all sweet fruits -- the only ones my doc allows me is sour type apples (imperial, granny smith, etc.) and grapefruit and even then only in moderation.
As for the protein, seafood is excellent (if you like seafood that is). I'm not big on seafood, but I do have a hankering for pink salmon. You can buy it in the tin already deboned and stuff or you can buy frozen fillets from highliner -- I recommend the garlic ones they're really good. Sugar comes in all things pretty well, and it's hard to know what foods to avoid. My rule is if it's got white flour in it or it's been bleached, I won't eat it. So things like white rice, white flour, white bread, most cereals and such are a no no. Also avoid skim milk -- it's low fat but to compensate they add sugar to it so it actually winds up being worse for people who are diabetic and/or sugar sensitive/insulin resistent.
Again, back to the protein. If you combine complex carbs (brown/wild rice, whole wheat products etc) with protein and green vegetables in a meal, your body has no choice but to break down the complex carbs at a slower rate (cuz protein is harder to break down in the gut) and so your insulin levels stay more constant and you don't get the ups and downs that you were describing -- believe me it's an awful feeling.... ur sugar goes high and then POW!! crashy time and you feel confused, light headed, dizzy, nauseous (sometimes), weak and you get shakes from hell -- not to mention this urge to eat EVERYTHING in sight!!! Here is a little trick I learned from my doc -- if you have an attack like this, pour yourself 1/4 cup of 2% milk and sip it slowly...in about 2 mins you'll feel better without having gone on this huge binge. Lactose is the easiest of all sugars to break down in the stomach and it's virtually absorbed as is into your blood which is why it works during an insulin crash. It helps stabilize you quickly so that you can prepare a wholesome well balanced meal and not pass out before you get a chance to enjoy it.
Let's see.... what else... avoid all fruit juices with the exception of grapefruit juice-- you wouldn't believe how much sugar is in them. Even with the unsweetened grapefruit juice, I'd still use it in moderation. Also, I keep a supply of caffeine free diet cola on hand in case I just HAVE to have something sweet -- it fools the body into thinking it's getting what it wants without hurting you :)) Btw.... little known sin is potatoes (just remembered). They are really bad on the starch/sugar scale. Also bananas are horribly high on the glycemic scale.
I'd also recommend seeing if your local pharmacy has any help clinics for diabetics. I'm in Canada and I know that they have them here -- it really helped my grandmother learn more about the condition.
Ok... that's all I can think of in general at the moment... if you have any questions please email me. :)) I'm glad to help all that I can.
Best to you and your mom :))
Take care,
Luna
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Author: Patti
Date: 03-05-03 19:13
Thank you SO much. I think this will help her a lot. I will share the info tomorrow and probably will be getting back to you with some questions. I really really appreciate it! Huggs.. Patti
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Author: Waveswife
Date: 03-06-03 05:18
I just read your answer post to Patti, and when you described having that "feeling"...dizziness...shakes...I get that. I have been tested for diabetes...but it was a while ago...I was wondering are those signs of it...the only real sign I was told of by my family was insatiable thirst...I don't have that...but I do "feel" my sugar lows...or highs....whatever they are called. I felt so bad one night after dinner and I made the remark to my hubby that I didn't feel so well...I began to sweat...and have the shakes soooo bad..and then I felt I NEEDED to eat...so I had two bowls of cereal...then I felt better....so what do you think????
Ww
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Author: Luna
Date: 03-06-03 05:50
Sounds like you had a sugar crash :P Basically what happens is sometimes we eat high glycemic foods without realizing it -- for example, white rice is a major one. What happens is this:
Your body processes what you've eaten and breaks down the carbs. They get absorbed into the blood very quickly (high glycemic foods like white rice, bananas, grapes, fruit juices, etc) and so you get this burst of energy.... sometimes you might even feel a little euphoric. Your pancreas secretes insulin to keep the blood sugar level from soaring too high. But, what winds up happening is your pancreas puts out a whack of insulin to process the sugar in your blood and it does it's job so well that your blood sugar level winds up dropping very radically and quickly. Ok, here's where the yucky symptoms come in. Your brain loves sugar -- it's quite literally brain candy (why do you think sweets are so addictive and hard to say no to?) So what happens is your blood sugar crashes, and your brain goes "YIKES NEED MORE NEED MORE NEED MORE" (or something to that effect.... add colourful metaphores where appropriate :P). Your body knows that if your blood sugar goes too low and stays too low, it can cause brain damage so your body begins to exhibit symptoms -- shakes, dizziness, nausea (sometimes... not always), weakness, confusion, irritability, lack of memory, blurred vision, all at the same time. This is your body warning you that your blood sugar has gone too low. So, do what I do... have 1/4 cup of milk. And as much as you want to down the whole bag of milk or have two bowls of cereal, just give the sipping the milk a few minutes and you should be fine.
It doesn't mean that you have diabetes, but if it happens repeatedly it could indicate sugar sensitivity/insulin resistance. Still, if it's been a while, you might want to consult your doctor -- diabetes isn't something you mess with.
If you have any more questions, please let me know :))
Luna
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