Blood Sugar Alert

[FracturedRabbit]

22 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Interesting topic. My FBS readings have been borderline for the past 5 or so years, perhaps longer than that. Between 99 to 104. I exercise regularly, 30 minutes to 1 hour of intense exercise 5 days a week and have been doing this for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, no improvement in FBS. Also, improved my diet, greatly cut down on carbs such as white rice, white bread, snacks, etc. But again, no improvement. I am 56 years old, 181 cm and my weight varies between 79 to 80.5 kgs. At a loss as to how to bring down my FBS.  

If you are eating well and exercising, which you are, shouldn't be anything to worry about. FBS is not a great indicator anyway, perhaps an HbA1C reading will give you a better indicator? Time of day will also impact the reading. If you test FBS shortly after waking up, you will get a higher reading due to the body flooding the system with glucose to get you going. Mine is 90 when I wake, drops to 80 2 hours later.

[ravip]

It seems fruit juice elevates blood sugar more quickly than whole fruit, and the level of sugar that can be obtained from fruit juice is higher than the level found in whole fruit. Whole fruit provides you with a whole lot more nutrition than fruit juice. Focusing upon two components of fruit — the skin and the pulp — will help to clarify why there is such a difference between the two.

 

Does Beer contain more sugar than hard liquor? Whats the difference here?

[ukrules]

18 hours ago, kkerry said:

Easiest way I found was to cut out soft drinks and all alcohol completely

Alcohol without carbohydrates reduces blood sugar.

 

Carbohydrates are 'sugar' / sugar is merely a carbohydrate.

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, ravip said:

Does Beer contain more sugar than hard liquor? Whats the difference here?

Distilled spirits contain NO sugar.

[ravip]

17 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Distilled spirits contain NO sugar.

Sorry, may I rephrase my question...

Some sources claim that alcohol is converted into sugar by the liver - is this a myth?

[user343434]

You are obviously Swiss nationality so you probably love dark Bread like Pumpernickel

Eat Apples and Sweet Potatoes instead of real potatoes

Erbsen Bohnen Linsen bringen den .....  Pies, beans and Lentils making the Butt smile and lower sugar

wonder weapon Garlic off cause

Cod and Herring or other Northern Fishes

 

Try to lower it with these diets and get a dog that wants every day twice out for a run (early morning and evening) not the kind of cu*t licking lap dog, a proper dog I mean.

Stay on water most of the day

 

....and surprise your doctor in about 2 weeks..

[madmen]

4 hours ago, FracturedRabbit said:

I have never understood the "quality of life" argument, where the quality is defined as being able to continue to consume things that are bad for your health. If you become ill due to your lifestyle, both the quality and quantity of life will degrade. Example: I have an acquaintance who was told fifteen years ago that his overindulgence in beer and crap food was making him obese and would be bad for his health long term. "But I want to enjoy my life".

 

Fifteen years on he has been diabetic for years, almost had to have a foot amputated as a result and has osteoporosis.  Can't move much so is getting bigger and less healthy whilst throwing down daily pills and waiting for whatever diabetes, or some other chronic disease, hits him next. Quality of life....

For me, the "little pleasures of life" include waking every morning feeling fresh and healthy, being able to do all the things I want to do. That's my quality of life, which I enjoy because I decided to change my lifestyle and give up some things I previously enjoyed. 
 

I would suggest that abandoning some of your little pleasures to avoid diabetes might be a good trade off. The impact of the  disease can be horrific and it opens you  up to other delights such as Alzheimer's.

I think for the most part your expiry date is hardwired in your DNA. Generally long lives in family history will be passed on and yes you can drink and smoke while others fall down around you. Going Vegan and drinking spring water form the spring guarantees nothing

[scubascuba3]

Not if he was 79 ...

Not sure. I was chatting to my aunt the other day who is 90 and fairly fit but she isn't happy that she is forgetting things etc and her husband died a few years ago. Although a lovely upbeat person she commented to my Dad when we were together that she thought of suicide and to be honest I can understand at a certain point people might rather die than dragging it out. I see Kirk Douglas is 103, I wonder how he feels 

 

 

[BritManToo]

33 minutes ago, ravip said:

Sorry, may I rephrase my question...

Some sources claim that alcohol is converted into sugar by the liver - is this a myth?

The diabetes medical website I got my comment from says NO.

It suggests spirits + soda as a suitable drink base.

[ukrules]

39 minutes ago, ravip said:

Some sources claim that alcohol is converted into sugar by the liver - is this a myth?

It's a lie, as in a complete and absolute untruth.

 

[swissie]

Lots of valuable information. Much appreciated. So, what will I do?

- For now, I will go with the list of foods that Sheryl has provided in Post #14. As I am a bit of a "carnivore" already, I will expand on this. Considering the fact that the diet of Stone-Age People consisted mainly of meat, it can't be all that bad. Otherwise we woulden't be here today!

- It was also mentioned that Distilled Spirits will not contribute to increased Blood Sugar (as opposed to Beer). So I will switch from Beer to Spirits in combination with Soda-Water.
Hoping that those measures will have a positive effect. Time will tell.

[Saddic]

2 hours ago, ravip said:

It seems fruit juice elevates blood sugar more quickly than whole fruit, and the level of sugar that can be obtained from fruit juice is higher than the level found in whole fruit. Whole fruit provides you with a whole lot more nutrition than fruit juice. Focusing upon two components of fruit — the skin and the pulp — will help to clarify why there is such a difference between the two.

 

Does Beer contain more sugar than hard liquor? Whats the difference here?

Fruit juice is just a delivery mechanism for SUGAR... the "fiber" in the pulp is not enough to offset the sugar...   Just stop with the juices...

 

Beer is just more carbs!  However in Thailand, I suspect that some manufacturers (aka Leo) either add back sugar or stop the fermentation process before all the sugar is consumed... and adheres to the Thai taste for sugar...  

Either way, carbs cause insulin spikes as well as sugar and other foods... You want to minimize insulin spikes...  Ideally, you want to reduce insulin in your body, and get out of food processing mode, so that you body can start to heal the damage caused by it...

 

See/read "The Complete Guide to Fasting - Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting" by Jason Fung (or the youtube vids on Intermittent Fasting for more info about how to start healing...

 

Also see the many many Keto vids on Youtube too...

 

Lastly see/read "Lies My Doctor Told Me_ Medical Myths" by Dr Ken Berry (or just watch his youtube channel) to see the many myths promoted by the medical industry, big food, and big pharma...

[FracturedRabbit]

2 hours ago, madmen said:

I think for the most part your expiry date is hardwired in your DNA. Generally long lives in family history will be passed on and yes you can drink and smoke while others fall down around you. Going Vegan and drinking spring water form the spring guarantees nothing

Going Vegan will guarantee a nutrient deficiency.
It's a comforting thought that is all down to the DNA; but the truth is that lifestyle (food and exercise) has a major impact on both the quality and length of your life.

[FracturedRabbit]

27 minutes ago, swissie said:

Lots of valuable information. Much appreciated. So, what will I do?

- For now, I will go with the list of foods that Sheryl has provided in Post #14. As I am a bit of a "carnivore" already, I will expand on this. Considering the fact that the diet of Stone-Age People consisted mainly of meat, it can't be all that bad. Otherwise we woulden't be here today!

- It was also mentioned that Distilled Spirits will not contribute to increased Blood Sugar (as opposed to Beer). So I will switch from Beer to Spirits in combination with Soda-Water.
Hoping that those measures will have a positive effect. Time will tell.

I have a friend who eats nothing but meat; it's known as the carnivore diet; and he is flourishing. 

[MeePeeMai]

Intermittent water fasting gives your pancreas (and other internal organs) a much needed rest.  Your body will appreciate it even if only doing occasional short term 12 or 24 hour water fasts.

 

Type II diabetes (as well as hypertension and many other ailments) can actually be reversed by water fasting alone.  Of course you would need to fast for longer periods of time (say 21-30 days or even longer) to correct chronic long term ailments (and it is advised that you do so only under qualified medical supervision).

 

I have done several 10 day, 14 day and even two 25 day fasts so far and looking forward to a 30 day fast next.  Lots of good info on line and if you want to hear it from a reliable source (Medical Doctors) with verified concrete studies then look up the True North Health Center in California.  They have a website and lots of youtube videos.

 

It's not for everyone though, it takes commitment and motivation to get through some of the roughest periods.  The 1st 3-4 days you will feel hungry.  After the 4th or 5th day you will completely lose your appetite and can sit at a dinner table with others while enjoying your glass of water and not even get hungry at all.

 

There are some rough "healing crisis" periods to go through depending on how clean or how polluted your system is and how you prepped for a longer fast (such as drinking only fruit and/or vegetable juice for several days or a week prior to starting a fast).

 

It's amazing when you look into it and discover just how beneficial it really is.

 

I know, some naysayers here will say it's just starvation and it's stupid etc.  Like I said, it's not for everyone so you be your own judge and don't judge others if you have no real knowledge or experience with it. 

 

You kids play nice now okay!  ????

[Spidey]

11 hours ago, cooked said:

I got 126 blood sugar result, which is judged borderline pre-diabetic. I had been taking a blood pressure med. for one year, and now he was prescribing me statins, which is an expensive, lifelong hobby, potentially causing serious side effects and not leading to an improvement in mortality. 

Went home, researched on Internet and started keto almost immediately (you can google that).

Stopped my BP meds, didn't even open the statins I was sold.

one year later, BP a healthy 109 / 67, glucose down to 83.

Keto: eat non-processed whole foods, don't use any seed oils like soya etc,  I use mostly lard, but butter and coconut oil are also recommended, NO sugar, bread, flour, rice, noodles, potatoes. BUT plenty of meat, fish, cheese and BACON.

Despite what one poster writes above, once you are underway on your keto way of life, cravings for these things disappears and you feel healthier. I do drink a beer occasionally. Up to you, no good waking up after having your legs amputated and wondering if you couldn't have changed things.

I am 71 and run 12 Km a week.

I was diagnosed as borderline 12 months ago. Have taken statins for many years. Only lifestyle change I have made is to replace beer with bourbon. Tested again last week, plasma glucose level 5.4 mmol/l. Range 4.1 - 7.8. Never been a sugar lover and eat very little rice.

[Saddic]

18 hours ago, swissie said:

Thanks tutsi. Strange, my Glucose reading is high, but not "over the top", as opposed to other "Sugar-Readings".  I may have to educate myself concerning the different "Sugar-Indicators". If rice, noodles, potatoes  are "no go", what would I be eating? Meat only? That would be fine with me.

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Plenty to eat:

Vegetables
Fresh fruit
Whole grains (brown rice, brown bread, wholewheat pasta).
Meat
Fish
Dairy products milk, chhese, unsweetened yogurt)
Eggs
Beans
Bean curd

Just avoid all the processed foods and alcohol and foods prepared with added sugar.

It is quite easy if you cook at home. Much harder if eating out.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Depending on what you are trying to achieve some of the above foods would be considered too "bad" as they are too high in carbs or sugar...

 

Examples:

 

Fruit is almost all sugar...  an easy source to eliminate

 

Grains (of any type): most have been GMO'ed (genetically modified) and are hard on the body as well as being mostly carbs...  another easy source to eliminate...  (contrary to what WHO, or the AMA tells you, brown anything (rice/wheat) is only fractionally better than the white or bleached versions...

 

Dairy: with the exception of cheese and cream... Dairy == Lactose == sugar!   Yogurt is not any better for you either for macrobiotics... which you can get from other sources without sugar... easy to eliminate from your diet...

 

Processed foods from big Food industry:  READ the LABELS... sugar in all it's many form is a deceptively large portion added to all processed foods... They disguise sugar under hundreds of different names... learn them and avoid...

 

Unhealthy oils:  Big Food strikes again... In their effort to sell cheap crap... they created processed oils (canola, vegetable, corn, etc)... they are hideously bad for your body as they cause inflammation.. so easy to just eliminate them...

 

Meats: well, above, I pointed out that most grains are GMO'ed... guess what they feed the livestock... and guess what you consume when you eat that meat...  so some quarters recommend cutting out the cheap big Food processed meat... and switch to organic, grass fed, or pasture raised meats...

 

Lastly:  Tofu...  This is a tricky one... For guys... Estrogen is not exactly good for your body...  Soy promotes estrogen... better for Males to go easy on soy... (google it or watch the youtube vids I pointed to in another post to find out why)...

 

The trick to getting started is not to freak out... just to learn and adjust your diet accordingly...

 

MY experiences are: in the West, it's easier to adhere to the above, and other things I have not mentioned yet...   In Asia (and Thailand), it's harder cause the ingredients are not generally available... but it is doable...  Learn how the locals prepare their food... aka In Thailand, look at how much sugar they add to their dishes... yikes... and avoid...

 

You just need to learn what your body will tolerate and begin to track what you eat...

 

Good luck...

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

12 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Plenty to eat:

Vegetables
Fresh fruit
Whole grains (brown rice, brown bread, wholewheat pasta).
Meat
Fish
Dairy products milk, chhese, unsweetened yogurt)
Eggs
Beans
Bean curd

Just avoid all the processed foods and alcohol and foods prepared with added sugar.

It is quite easy if you cook at home. Much harder if eating out.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

this is very true and my kitchen at home has become a sanctuary and a holy place...I was in VN recently for a couple of weeks and my BG was all over the place, one day over 300mg/dl!!! as I had difficulty controlling what I ate...the high BG causes fatigue and I had trouble just walking around, stayed in bed at the hotel in Hanoi with my kindle and slept and contemplated never traveling again for pleasure...

 

'come on dad, lets go get some beer...' 'I can't Louie, I don't think I can walk...' 'aw hell, dad...'

 

 

[uhuh]

5 hours ago, ravip said:

Sorry, may I rephrase my question...

Some sources claim that alcohol is converted into sugar by the liver - is this a myth?

Thats wrong.

Alcohol is NOT converted into sugar in the body. 

On the contrary,  alcohol lowers blood sugar (hours after drinking) so much that it can be dangerous for diabetics on medication to drink alcohol. Their blood sugar may just drop too much.

 

BUT  liquors, beer and so on contain a lot of sugar, and alcohol itself has a lot of calories (more than sugar!). That's why beer makes you fat if you consume the amounts of beer typical for farangs in Thailand. So alcohol can increase weight and the risk of diabetes.

 

[faraday]

Soya doesn't negatively impact Oestrogen. It's a myth.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6057888/

 

https://www.livestrong.com/article/519107-soy-estrogen-in-men/

 

Yikes, play nicely etc.

 

[JAS21]

9 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Not sure. I was chatting to my aunt the other day who is 90 and fairly fit but she isn't happy that she is forgetting things etc and her husband died a few years ago. Although a lovely upbeat person she commented to my Dad when we were together that she thought of suicide and to be honest I can understand at a certain point people might rather die than dragging it out. I see Kirk Douglas is 103, I wonder how he feels 

 

 

Actually you have a valid point ... my mother was the same ...she had enough of life when she was in bad health in her mid 80's and asked for DNR on her bed ...

 

However I'm sure there are some who have said I'll be happy to die when I'm xx years old but when they get to xx-1 years have a slightly different opinion

[FracturedRabbit]

Actually you have a valid point ... my mother was the same ...she had enough of life in her mid 80's and asked for DNR on her bed ...
 
However I'm sure there are some who have said I'll be happy to die when I'm xx years old but when they get to xx-1 years have a slightly different opinion

The key phrase surely being “when she was in bad health”?

Whatever your age, provided you are healthy, life can be good.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[attrayant]

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

It is quite possible to find fruit juices without added sugar or (added) fructose.

 

 

I've gotten into the habit of taking my bottle of liquid stevia sweetener (pictured below) to the smoothie vendor.  Instead of two big scoops of sugar syrup that she usually ladles into the smoothies, I need only a single scoop of this and an hour later I don't have a sugar crash.  At home I use a single spoonful of sucralose in my iced tea to get the same sweetness I used to get from 3-4 spoons full of sugar.

 

 

I'm neither diabetic nor have any signs, but I figure if it's just as tasty then why not reduce added sugar?  I certainly don't need the extra caloric energy at my age (mid 50s).

 

[edit] One more thing I love about the granulated sucralose is that, because it has no calories, ants have absolutely no interest in it.  I keep it in the "sugar" bowl in the kitchen and don't have to worry about an insect invasion.

 

 

 

 

 

[swissie]

21 hours ago, FracturedRabbit said:

I have a friend who eats nothing but meat; it's known as the carnivore diet; and he is flourishing. 

Absolutely love it! Music to my ears! I am thrilled!

To tell the truth, I can already feel some "Stone-Age-Instincts" taking hold of me. I can see myself chasing Soi-Dogs with bow and arrow and Bar-B-Q-ing them on the beach.
Would that be OK with Pattaya City Hall?????

[thequietman]

10 hours ago, attrayant said:

liquid stevia sweetener

What stores in Thailand to find this in please.

[DavisH]

40 minutes ago, swissie said:

Absolutely love it! Music to my ears! I am thrilled!

To tell the truth, I can already feel some "Stone-Age-Instincts" taking hold of me. I can see myself chasing Soi-Dogs with bow and arrow and Bar-B-Q-ing them on the beach.
Would that be OK with Pattaya City Hall?????

Read up on the palaeo diet here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182

Just go easy on foods with high saturated fats. Eat more fish than red meat. 

[kkerry]

51 minutes ago, thequietman said:

What stores in Thailand to find this in please.

Kontrol as pictured is sold in BigC, Tesco, Aeon, Tops. 64 baht.

[FracturedRabbit]

24 minutes ago, DavisH said:

Read up on the palaeo diet here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182

Just go easy on foods with high saturated fats. Eat more fish than red meat. 

Nothing wrong with saturated fat (cheeeeese!) or red meat as part of a real food diet. 

[DavisH]

58 minutes ago, FracturedRabbit said:

Nothing wrong with saturated fat (cheeeeese!) or red meat as part of a real food diet. 

I didn't say eliminate it, but don't overdo it.

 

[Saddic]

17 hours ago, faraday said:

Soya doesn't negatively impact Oestrogen. It's a myth.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6057888/

 

https://www.livestrong.com/article/519107-soy-estrogen-in-men/

 

Yikes, play nicely etc.

 

Thanks for that...

 

However, quote from first study... so YMMV...

 

"The author is the executive director of the Soy Nutrition Institute, an organization funded by the United Soybean Board and its soy industry members. "

 

I don't have time to follow thru... but there are other problems with soy other than estrogen... which also need to be taken into account...  I particularly have noticed that there are more tofu products in the west (after the manufacturers were required by law to include it in the label) stating they use GMO soy... that is concerning...

 

Further, the forms of soy appearing in process foods is also concerning... some foods (aka soy oils) being horrible for you...

 

I have found that Medical studies, and/or food studies need to be taken in the context for which they were done... conclusions done at the behest of those funding it are tainted...  so do your own research... They are spending millions of $$ to try to convince you of their agenda (and sell more product)..  You are the one eating it...  who you going to listen to and who is stuck with the consequences?

 

Now... back to sugar...