Diabetes/keto question
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SierraMC15
Posts: 17 Member
Hello all! I was diagnosed as pre diabetic about 6 months ago but through losing weight and eating healthy I am no longer in a dangerous pre diabetic zone but I am having problems with my blood sugar dropping. My current diet plan is not keto exactly, but it is low carb. Every now and then when my blood sugar drops, it's hard to find something sugary that isn't loaded with carbs. Any advice on sugary foods or drinks that are low carb? Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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Sugar is a carbohydrate. I'm confused.6
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Thanks for the input! I didn't know this.RelCanonical wrote: »Sugar is a carbohydrate. I'm confused.
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When you say low carb, how many carbs are you eating per day? Low carb can be anywhere up to 150g per day, so if you are having trouble with blood sugar dropping, you may want to consider increasing carbs in small increments until you find your sweet spot.3
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SierraMC15 wrote: »
Thanks for the input! I didn't know this.RelCanonical wrote: »Sugar is a carbohydrate. I'm confused.
Okay, good, glad I didn't assume wrong. When you look at a nutrition label, it'll have total carbohydrates, then sugar and fiber. The total carbohydrates part is basically sugar+fiber+non-sugar carbohydrates. That can help you make a better decision about which foods will help your blood sugar, as fiber won't impact it like sugar will. Your doctor might be able to give you a list of foods that would be good in times when your blood sugar drops.
Edit: A friend of mine who's T1 is a fan of keeping gummies around as a low-calorie option for blood sugar management.3 -
Thanks! I'll definitely try thatRelCanonical wrote: »SierraMC15 wrote: »
Thanks for the input! I didn't know this.RelCanonical wrote: »Sugar is a carbohydrate. I'm confused.
Okay, good, glad I didn't assume wrong. When you look at a nutrition label, it'll have total carbohydrates, then sugar and fiber. The total carbohydrates part is basically sugar+fiber+non-sugar carbohydrates. That can help you make a better decision about which foods will help your blood sugar, as fiber won't impact it like sugar will. Your doctor might be able to give you a list of foods that would be good in times when your blood sugar drops.
Edit: A friend of mine who's T1 is a fan of keeping gummies around as a low-calorie option for blood sugar management.
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Those with insulin resistance in the form of prediabetes will not experience blood glucose levels dropping too low unless they are injecting too much insulin. Type 1 diabetics should have a sugary option on hand incase their BG goes too low from too much injected insulin. That won't happen with prediabetics.
I started LCHF and then keto because I was prediabetic and had reactive hypoglycemia. felt faint, headachey, hangry and weak about 1-2 hours after eating because my BG was going down quickly, although it never actually got to low levels. It was the dropping BG levels that caused the symptoms and not actually a low BG.
I followed Dr Richard Bernstein's Diabetes Solution which is a keto to low carb plan. If you aren't eating a lot of carbs then your BG will not go up and fall. It stays quite steady. Fung's Obesity Code is also a low carb plan that uses fasting to reverse insulin resistance.
Carbs are basically foods from plants. Highly processed and refined carbs tend to negatively affect diabetic's BG the most (baked goods from flour, sugars, syrups, noodles, rice). As a general rule, if it is a veggie or fruit that grows above ground, it often has fibre which will help slow the effect of it's sugar or starch. Roots or tubers like potatoes and carrots, tend to raise BG more.
Meats, eggs, cheese and animal products tend to have no negative effect on BG. They are good to help keep BG steady. Nuts, and fibrous veggies ted to help raise BG but more slowly - better than a candy would.
Good luck.6 -
Congrats on leaving the pre-diabetic zone
I turned to snacks that do not rapidly change blood sugar (protein shake or greek yogurt or celery and salt or cheese stick or jerky) and these seem to "even things out" for me.
Best wishes for continued success!1 -
Those with insulin resistance in the form of prediabetes will not experience blood glucose levels dropping too low unless they are injecting too much insulin.
Wrong. BG drops can happen to anyone including T2Dm even without taking any medication or insulin. I have had numbers in the 70's which are really dangerous for me. I keep some glucose tabs in my purse and in the little ditty bag I take to the pool when I am swimming my laps. I rarely need them but I HAVE needed them.
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Those with insulin resistance in the form of prediabetes will not experience blood glucose levels dropping too low unless they are injecting too much insulin.
Wrong. BG drops can happen to anyone including T2Dm even without taking any medication or insulin. I have had numbers in the 70's which are really dangerous for me. I keep some glucose tabs in my purse and in the little ditty bag I take to the pool when I am swimming my laps. I rarely need them but I HAVE needed them.
Why are the 70s dangerous for you? I aim to stay in the 70s to 90s. That's a fairly healthy BG for people.
I used to get shaky at 70-90 but that was the reactive hypoglycemia. I treated it with diet and now lower BG feels fine.0 -
Those with insulin resistance in the form of prediabetes will not experience blood glucose levels dropping too low unless they are injecting too much insulin.
Wrong. BG drops can happen to anyone including T2Dm even without taking any medication or insulin. I have had numbers in the 70's which are really dangerous for me. I keep some glucose tabs in my purse and in the little ditty bag I take to the pool when I am swimming my laps. I rarely need them but I HAVE needed them.
70 is the bottom of normal. If you're used to having constantly high blood sugar, normal can feel like you're dying at first, but 70 should not be dangerous, except in that it's close to the threshold of being low.
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SierraMC15 wrote: »Hello all! I was diagnosed as pre diabetic about 6 months ago but through losing weight and eating healthy I am no longer in a dangerous pre diabetic zone but I am having problems with my blood sugar dropping. My current diet plan is not keto exactly, but it is low carb. Every now and then when my blood sugar drops, it's hard to find something sugary that isn't loaded with carbs. Any advice on sugary foods or drinks that are low carb? Thanks in advance!
One question, how do you judge that your blood sugar is dropping? Are you testing it, or do you feel unwell in some specific way?0 -
SierraMC15 wrote: »Hello all! I was diagnosed as pre diabetic about 6 months ago but through losing weight and eating healthy I am no longer in a dangerous pre diabetic zone but I am having problems with my blood sugar dropping. My current diet plan is not keto exactly, but it is low carb. Every now and then when my blood sugar drops, it's hard to find something sugary that isn't loaded with carbs. Any advice on sugary foods or drinks that are low carb? Thanks in advance!
I'm happy you are working on getting better health. As has already been mentioned sugar is a carb. Are you checking your blood sugar? How are you determining that it is low?
Typically with low blood sugar, it is a good idea to get a range of nutrients, something sugary will take care of the immediate need, but not for longer-term needs. For example, a piece of cheese (or peanut butter) with crackers. The crackers will be faster digested and absorbed, and the cheese will take a little longer, this will give you longer overall coverage so that it isn't dropping again right after the faster acting carb wears off.
Have you been working with a registered dietician? It may be worth your time to get a referral. They can walk you through any dietary changes that may be needed.1 -
@SierraMC15 it sounds like you are off to a good start. When I first decided to move full time to Nutritional Ketosis is was not easy because carbs in food that I did not expect.
The blood sugar thing can be real until one makes the leap to Nutritional Ketosis with Low Carb High Fat keeping total carbs down around 50 grams daily. After that occurs we are burning mainly ketones instead of glucose so a low glucose reading is not as when we are living on glucose.
Key in mind changing one's Way Of Eating when on any kind of Rx Meds should involve one's healthcare professionals.
Best of success as you learn your way forward in finding the WOE that works best for your body.7 -
Those with insulin resistance in the form of prediabetes will not experience blood glucose levels dropping too low unless they are injecting too much insulin.
Wrong. BG drops can happen to anyone including T2Dm even without taking any medication or insulin. I have had numbers in the 70's which are really dangerous for me. I keep some glucose tabs in my purse and in the little ditty bag I take to the pool when I am swimming my laps. I rarely need them but I HAVE needed them.
Why are the 70s dangerous for you? I aim to stay in the 70s to 90s. That's a fairly healthy BG for people.
I used to get shaky at 70-90 but that was the reactive hypoglycemia. I treated it with diet and now lower BG feels fine.
Because when I get into the 70's I get really bad shakes and come close to passing out. My normal is in the 90's.1 -
I have heard having cottage cheese available will help with low blood sugar problems. Ask a dietician.0
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