Pre-diabetic

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rushed2it
rushed2it Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’ve been trying to eat healthier, but I’ve started to get increased pain in my feet. The only thing I can think what would cause, is the fruit smoothies I’ve been taking 2x a day. It’s made with Kiefer and berries. Does this make sense to anyone?

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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
    edited July 2023
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    Remove the smoothies and see what happens.

    Why your consuming foods that's basically work against you for treating IR is concerning though. Who told you to do this. On a glycemic level and insulin response kefir is no better than white bread, then your adding sugar with berries.
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
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    If smoothies are in lieu of breakfast or lunch, then I'm avoiding them. Low carb, high protein eater, and I eat a toast with smoked salmon and cream cheese (I guess if you have an avocado) and matcha latte.

    It's what's in the smoothies. Lifeway Organic Kefir Cultured Milk Whole Mixed Berry has 18g of sugar per cup (four cups in the container -- 72 g of sugar.)

    I don't know what's going in with your feet, but you have to read the label.



  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Yeah, diabetic neuropathy is a thing...but neuropathy can occur for other reasons too.

    I agree, if you think it's the smoothie then stop using it for a while and see if it helps. Is kefir something new in your diet? I've never used it, but it has a lot of sugar. I would substitute 60g of nonfat Greek yogurt and four ounces of milk (1% or nonfat).

    20g sugar in the kefir
    9g in the milk/yogurt combo.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    I'm confused... isn't kefir just fermented milk, same as yogurt? Just curious, I'm not saying it's good, bad, or indifferent.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    My personal thoughts from having family members with diabetes is that with your known diagnosis of pre-diabetes don't mess around with this. Get is checked out by your doctor. Second, I am with Neaderthin, smoothies do not seem like a good food choice. I know they are convenient, but the amount of carbs you would be consuming in one smoothie of the ingredients you mentioned would be far higher than I would suggest for pre-diabetic. You want to reduce carbs, increase protein. Fruit smoothies don't really accomplish that.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
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    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    I'm confused... isn't kefir just fermented milk, same as yogurt? Just curious, I'm not saying it's good, bad, or indifferent.

    Yeah, basically. Kerif is fermented with bacteria and yeast and this creates a grainy gooey texture and actually called kefir grains, where yogurt has only the addition of bacteria. You can make your own grains and make your own kefir if someone is so inclined. Cheers
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,737 Member
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    OP, I'm with riverside. It could be food, but it could be something else. I have had less severe neuropathy (post-chemotherapy long-term effect, so similar syndrome with different cause). It is worse if I'm fatigued, and worse if I'm walking/standing much more than usual. Those are just examples, not definitive.
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    I'm confused... isn't kefir just fermented milk, same as yogurt? Just curious, I'm not saying it's good, bad, or indifferent.

    It's a different fermentation process, so different details in the final product.

    This conversation is further complicated by the fact that there are various brands and types of kefir (sweetened or not, different fat content, etc.). Here's the label for the 0% fat unsweetened commercial kefir currently in my refrigerator. This is Lifeway brand 0% fat, unsweetened (9g carbs per cup, all of it inherent sugar put there by the cow).

    egwnhjyegasn.jpg

    Further, that comment about insulinemic index and glycemic index being like white bread is IMU inaccurate. It's the satiety index that's similar. Depending on kefir type, it's low to moderate GI (30s vs. 100 for benchmark white bread).

    The insulinemic index is relevant to OP, of course, and that is relatively high for kefir.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23378456/
    Conclusion: Kefir is a low- to moderate-GI food; however, its II was high. Although kefir had higher water content, the SI of kefir was not significantly different from white bread.

    In case it's not clear, the abbreviations here are:

    SI = Satiety index.
    II = Insulinemic index
    GI = Glycemic index
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    rushed2it wrote: »
    I’ve been trying to eat healthier, but I’ve started to get increased pain in my feet. The only thing I can think what would cause, is the fruit smoothies I’ve been taking 2x a day. It’s made with Kiefer and berries. Does this make sense to anyone?

    Talk to your doctor about your pain and also get a referral to a diabetes counselor or dietitian who can help you create a food plan.
  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 197 Member
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    Are you sure that the foot pain is neuropathy, as opposed to plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, arthritis etc.? If you are also upping your walking or activity, there are lots of possibilities (or sometimes these things just come on randomly without any major changes.)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    I'm confused... isn't kefir just fermented milk, same as yogurt? Just curious, I'm not saying it's good, bad, or indifferent.

    Yes, but like yogurt it comes in sweetened/flavored varieties as well as plain. I buy the plain for its versatility and because a lot of the time I just drink it plain.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,811 Member
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    Just a random thought. When I was obese and we would travel, I would walk miles and miles, losing track from the wonder of new things to see. By the time we’d get back to the hotel my feet would be numb and I felt like I had peg-legs. It was unbelievably painful.

    Basically, it was the unfamiliar exercise of excessive walking combined with inappropriate shoes and obesity.

    If you’ve recently begun walking enthusiastically, as so many of us do when beginning weight loss, that might potentially be the problem.

    But with a history of pre diabetes I’d sure as heck ask my doctor, and then make a beeline for a running/walking store to get fitted for proper shoes.

    I can’t tell you what a difference good shoes made for me in comfort, and ability to continue and then increase steps. .

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,811 Member
    edited July 2023
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    PS: you’ve mentioned gout in several earlier posts. I assume you’d recognize a flare up?

    I wonder if you’re (sorry, this is an unfounded assumption for the sake of throwing it out there!) heavier than last time you posted? Would the “quality” of a gout attack would feel different so that you might not recognize it as gout flaring up?

    My mom suffered with gout so bad she refused to stand up.

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