Glucose levels borderline on vegetarian diet - help!

littlenfit22
littlenfit22 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I'm looking for any advice on updating my diet to lower my fasted glucose levels. I recently got blood work done and was shocked to find my fasted glucose levels were 100, which puts me at borderline pre-diabetic. Diabetes runs in my family and i am actively trying to avoid the same fate.

I started a mostly vegetarian diet about 2 years ago to help with some stomach issues I had been experiencing for a while (bloatedness, random pains, and constant need to burp even without eating). I cut out meat almost entirely with the exception of seafood occasionally. This made a big difference in how my stomach felt on the day to day.

I eat a lot of tempeh, lentils, beans, nut butters, and eggs as my main sources of protein. However, I always have carbs to accompany that whether it is rice, quinoa, pasta, toast, or sweet potatoes. I do eat vegetables with at least two of my meals but I mostly snack on fruit, protein bars, and the occasional sweet treat (cookies or flavored iced coffee).

My weight is fine, cholesterol is great, as well as any vitamins tested. For anyone who has been in a similar position, what did you do to help yourself? Should I cut back on carbs or add meat back into my diet? As far as snacking, what do you find keeps you full for a long time?

Stats: 28F, 5'3'', 124 lbs. Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
    You might want to consult a registered dietician who works with diabetics to develop a meal plan for you. Your doctor can refer you. The object of a diabetic diet is to provide a stable level of carbs( which includes beans, fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta and breads). A serving of carbs is 15g and your dietician will have you eat more than 1 serving at a meal but will likely keep the same amount of servings at each meal. I am a transplant recipient which cured my diabetes but counted carbs and checked blood sugars throughout the day for over 25 years. By checking blood sugars I would sometime find that certain foods raised my blood sugars more than expected.
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    edited May 2021
    I’m not a vegetarian but I was in a similar situation 8 years ago (but I was 10 years older than you) my fasting blood glucose at 100 and type 2 diabetes running rampant my family so I was scared and knew it was time for me to change. I cut back on added sugars a little bit but really didn’t change my overall diet, I did have to learn to eat less calories though! What I also changed was that I lived a completely sedentary lifestyle so I began exercising regularly for the first time in my life. I started with simply walking because that’s all I could do at the time. Eventually I progressed to hiking, biking, swimming and running. It took me 10 months to get to a healthy BMI and ever since then my fasting blood glucose has been in the 80’s-low 90’s but not close to 100 anymore and I’ve been maintaining my weight and activity levels for 7+ years now with normal FBG levels for that entire time. I believe that exercising regularly has been the greatest contributor to keeping my glucose in check. You don’t mention anything about your activity level but if you can get more exercise it will probably be beneficial. “Physical activity has a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity in normal as well as insulin resistant populations.” (quote from pubmed . gov) My doctor is pleased and I get tested every year just in case. We tested my A1C last year just as a precaution and it was normal too. I enjoy exercising so I will continue to workout and so far I’ve been successful at keeping diabetes at bay. I do eat all types of food, including fast food and sweets I just have much smaller portions than I used to. The old advice of “eat less, move more” really did it for me. Best of luck to you! :)
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited May 2021
    Fasting glucose of 100 is not borderline diabetic. I believe the cutoff is 110.
  • littlenfit22
    littlenfit22 Posts: 8 Member
    @RunsWithBees - thank you for the advice! Very helpful. I've been more sendentary over the course of the pandemic and especially so in the past two months after injuring my knee skiing. I'm going to try incorporating more exercise in my weekly routine. I've gone from going 4-5x a week pre-pandemic to none at all as of late.

    I'm happy to hear you were able to turn it around with these changes. :) Hope I can do the same!
  • littlenfit22
    littlenfit22 Posts: 8 Member
    @nooshi713 - Sorry if I phrased it incorrectly. My doctor informed me it was the lower end of the pre-diabetic range (100-126) and that I should strive to be between 60-99.

    I also became concerned because my appetite had been down a week before the blood work after the vaccine so I was shocked to see it that high despite eating lightly.
  • sarah7591
    sarah7591 Posts: 415 Member
    I am a vegetarian and in a similar situation as you. I agree with the above poster than exercise will really, really help. Another thing I did was a buy a blood glucose monitor . You can get an inexpensive one at Walmart and the strips are inexpensive as well (Relion). I checked just about all the carbs I was eating at and hour and then at 2 hours after eating. I found food such as beans really spiked my blood sugar so I really avoid those or eat very little. Let me know if you have any questions. Wishing you the very best.
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,208 Member
    I am vegeterian and was diagnosed with type 2 in March. Like Sarah, I find beans tend to spike my blood sugars. I also discovered breads, pasta and fats/oils also cause a spike. I have been watching what I eat and have slowly been adapting a whole food plant based diet. I am still learning what my body reacts positively and negatively to. I agree with what everyone else said regarding exercise. It helps me a lot!

    I don't know if you are interested but I started reading a book called Mastering Diabetes. I am only a few chapters in but so far it is very interesting.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
    littlenfit22 wrote: »
    @nooshi713 - Sorry if I phrased it incorrectly. My doctor informed me it was the lower end of the pre-diabetic range (100-126) and that I should strive to be between 60-99.

    I also became concerned because my appetite had been down a week before the blood work after the vaccine so I was shocked to see it that high despite eating lightly.

    60? Wow, if I woke up with a sugar of 60 I'd not get out of bed. Has your doctor repeated the test a while later? What about the Hba1c? Sometimes external factors can raise fasting glucose without being pre-diabetic.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    I would not get too worked up about that blood glucose.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    If it were me I would want more and higher quality data with more readings under normal for me conditions.

    One reading when both your diet had been different in the lead up to the test and your exercise had dropped from being a regular exerciser to sedentary due to injury isn't a good basis for making decisions and changes. I'd first look at establishing what is your normal level with your normal diet and exercise routines.

    With diabetes being common in your family it makes sense to be watchful, but not on high alert.

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