WE ARE WHAT WE EAT

[plaques]

If the Doctor is concerned about your sugar levels he will often request a glucose tolerance test.Test. After establishing a sugar baseline the victim is asked to drink a fixed amount of a glucose preparation. The vampires will then draw off a sample of blood at set intervals. Usually up to two hours. These tests should show your ability to get the glucose level back down to a 'normal' level.

[Wendyf]

Have you been offered a glucose tolerance test Plaques? I would be interested to hear if anyone has had one. Col was diagnosed from a fasting blood glucose test, which he asked for because of his family history. I dont know if doctors in the UK look for cases of pre diabetes. How have other diabetics on here been diagnosed, was it from a routine health check or because of specific symptoms?

Tizer, I'm not clever enough to express myself well, which is why I prefer to provide links to people who can!
The issue with carbohydrates is the flip side of "fat is the enemy" which has dominated nutrition advice since the 1970s. If we don't eat fat we have to replace it with carbohydrates and this advice is still being handed out by doctors and dietitians despite scientific evidence that too much sugar & carbohydrate leads to insulin resistance which is the major root cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes and most coronary heart disease. People can be insulin resistant for years before they are diagnosed with diabetes, and in that time much damage will be done. For these reasons I definitely believe that the message needs to be given to the population as a whole.
You know that sugar is bad, and carbohydrates start to turn to glucose as soon as they meet saliva!

[plaques]

Sorry Wendy I haven't got involved with any blood letting other than the yearly tests. My friend, who shall we say was on the rotund side, was offered one but refused. He had this unbelievable phobia of Doctors and Hospitals. Unfortunately, he then went on to have a series of strokes and although he is still with us he is not the man he used to be. Mrs P: worked on outpatients at Burnley and they used to do these tests on quite a regular basis. There's nothing to them really from the patients point of view just a lot of time hanging around waiting for the blood sugar levels to settle. In these circumstances I always say 'go for it' . Its better to know the problem than aggravate it through ignorance.

[Stanley]

Moh, I like the Tom Kerridge diet. Basically it's high fat and low carbs.
P I've never been bad enough to have extensive tests, I have always been border line and no symptoms but I don't mind being on the programmes and getting the benefit of regular tests.
"carbohydrates start to turn to glucose as soon as they meet saliva!" I like that Wendy.... My dad had a story about a Chinese cook they had at home at Eumalga near Dubbo. He was famous for making the best puff pastry ever. Uncle Stan and my dad hid in the false ceiling of the cookhouse and spied on him and the secret was a glass of sugar water. He used to take a sip, swill it round in his mouth and spray it on the pastry with his mouth as he was rolling successive layers. This fermented of course and produced carbon dioxide which separated the layers. They told Granddad and he gave them a good hiding and never ate the pastry again......

[Tizer]

Wendy, I don't agree with your statement `If we don't eat fat we have to replace it with carbohydrates'. I think the real situation is that, as a nation, over the last 50 years we've all begun to expend much less energy and therefore we don't need so many calories. We should have been reducing calorie intake but maintaining a balanced diet of fat, protein and carbohydrate. Instead we've been eating meals that are too big for our energy expenditure. I'd say people have become pre-diabetic and diabetic due to (a) over-eating in general and (b) consuming far too much sugar (as sucrose, glucose, fructose etc in food and drink, including alcoholic drinks). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the T2 diabetes problem could have been caused by the consumption of these sugars alone. The amount of sugar in food and drink now is mind boggling, we're poisoning ourselves with it (and especially children).

We have two needs for dietary advice now, one is how to advise diabetics to deal with their problem and the other is how to advise non-diabetics so they avoid it. I can't say how to advise diabetics and I think the advice for pre-diabetics probably needs tailoring to where they lie on the spectrum, but I think non-diabetics should be advised to eat a balanced diet and to not consume large amounts of sugar. At the same time we need to force the manufacturers and retailers to drastically reduce sugar content in manufactured food and drink.

[Wendyf]

We will have to agree to differ on that then Tiz, but it's a wonderful way to lose weight as you just don't feel hungry. Look at Tom Kerridge mentioned above, he lost 12 stone! As you know we have been eating this way for a year now and we are enjoying our meals more than ever, why wouldn't I want to live this way?

[Tizer]

Everyone to their own thing - I like my potatoes, chips, rice, pasta, polenta, pizza, bread etc and there's nothing wrong with a non-diabetic eating the white versions rather than the fibrous brown as long as they get sufficient fibre elsewhere in their diet. The crude fibre in cereal bran isn't for everyone and for them soluble dietary fibre from fruit and some veg is better. As always, it's a case of everything in moderation.

[Stanley]

I think both of you has part of the truth and neither of you has hold of anything that is wrong. My understanding is that if you ditch bread and spuds you are still getting the carbs for a balanced diet from other sources. I think Wendy told me that Parsnips had carbohydrate etc..... I agree totally about sugar, mine comes as natural glucose or fructose from my fruit and milk. I haven't looked it up but I suspect my oats and nuts muesli has carbs in as well.
One factor that I occasionally bang on about but which gets very little mention anywhere is that under today's often monoculture farming systems soils are depleted of the micro amounts of minerals and microbes. I have a feeling that these micro-nutrients are far more important than we suspect and this is why 'terroir' is so important, Quite possibly the hidden benefit of organic food, foraging in the wild and eating game. I reckon nuts could be important in this respect because as long as no chemicals are being used in the growing of them a tree must be just about as organic as you can get as the soil round them is not depleted by the process of them growing. I don't take vitamin pills but I have some and occasionally take an odd one on the grounds that it might be the source of a mineral or vitamin that is depleted in my normal diet. If in doubt, eat a teaspoonful of dirt or a worm occasionally!

[Wendyf]

Everyone to their own thing - I like my potatoes, chips, rice, pasta, polenta, pizza, bread etc and there's nothing wrong with a non-diabetic eating the white versions rather than the fibrous brown as long as they get sufficient fibre elsewhere in their diet. The crude fibre in cereal bran isn't for everyone and for them soluble dietary fibre from fruit and some veg is better. As always, it's a case of everything in moderation.

But, but Tiz! Eating too much of those foods will cause insulin resistance which will eventually cause diabetes, and current nutritional guidelines encourage basing every meal on starchy carbohydrates which is proving too much for many people. Do you wait till they are diagnosed and then tell them where they have gone wrong?

[Tizer]

Many people are eating too much of foods in general, Wendy, whether it be rich in carbs, fats or proteins, and that increases the risk of many health problems, not just diabetes. If they ate a sensible amount of a balanced diet they would be healthier. A sensible amount is what the body requires to match its energy expenditure and meet its needs for growth and rebuilding of muscle etc. We used to feel hunger before we ate, but now we eat for pleasure and `because it's there'.

Going back to my comments on sugar...I've looked up some figures. They are for the USA as it's a lot easier to find data than for the UK but we won't be far behind them. Average added sugar intake is now about 20 teaspoons (80g) a day and it peaked in 2000 at about 25 tsp (100g) a day. The recommended maximum per day is 9 spoons for men and 6 for women. Children between 2 and 8 years old are getting 50% of their daily calories as sugar when it should be no more than 10% at the most. Remember that all these figures are averages for the population - there will be many people who are way above these levels. How can we expect the insulin receptors in our body to survive this abuse? The problem is with the added sugar content of manufactured food and drink products and how to get the industry to make some drastic changes.

[Stanley]

I always remember the factoid I once came across that one of the worst things that happened to the Aborigine population in Australia was the introduction of sugar to the continent. This was attractive and attacked their teeth and if there is one thing you need to succeed in their nomadic and foraging culture it is strong teeth. The only 'sugar' in my house is the molasses sugar I used to use in my bread-making. It is now redundant! BTW, I chucked my dried yeast out yesterday...... I have Borgen seed bread in the freezer for the occasional treat but that's it! And I used the last of the canned new potatoes yesterday..... They are now history.

[Stanley]

Early days I know but I think I can detect a general improvement in my condition as we get into the new regime of low carbs. I feel generally more energetic and my occasional pains are less frequent. I think that what I have to concentrate on now is getting my weight down to consistently less than 12 Stone (168lbs). I have allowed it to rise a bit by eating for comfort over the last three months of stress. It will take a while for this to work out of my system.

[Stanley]

Normally, if I wanted to lose weight I'd be looking at smaller portions but I am taking a different approach now that I have fully embraced low carb and more veggies, particularly green and leafy. Apart from cutting out all the 'treats' I had allowed myself, I am down to one apple a day. So I shall carry on like this and wait to see if there is an effect on my weight. I rather think there will be a slow reduction. We shall wait and see!

[Stanley]

I have a progress report on the diet changes. I am now certain that I am seeing results. I jumped on the scales this morning (I don't do it too often, not good to be obsessed by weight, I'd rather listen to my body) and noted that it was moving downwards, good. Like Col, I have noted a small reduction in tinnitus and I believe my long term problem with my right shoulder that I smashed in an accident many years ago has improved. Generally, I have more energy, I am getting less occasional pain in my knees when walking and my breathing, always good, is superb. My BP is still slightly elevated (130s over high 80s) but reducing slowly, the diabetes nurse agreed with me that the most likely cause was the stress of the last 4 months so I'm monitoring it. I am confident that my blood sugar will be falling. I don't feel at all deprived and now what I need is a source of Pork Scratchings! So thank you Wendy for alerting me to the advantages.....
Later, I forgot to mention that apart from an improvement in my mobility I am walking faster and with more confidence. I put this down to another improvement in my ears as the reason is an improvement in my balance. (I know, I'm going on a bit but I am getting younger!)

[Wendyf]

Long may the improvements continue.

[Stanley]

They aren't illusory Wendy. I feel better physically than I have for years! I'll keep up with the changes! Thank you again for alerting me.

[Wendyf]

If you need treats then good quality dark chocolate is OK.

[Marilyn]

...and just HOW LONG have I been pushing "green leafy veg", Stanley!?

[Stanley]

I know but you always shouted at me.......
I just noticed THIS BBC report of the latest cancer scare. I think that most people knew this but wonder whether any useful purpose is served by these constant warnings that are not comprehensive enough to make comparisons with other dangers. Examine smoke from Barbecues, incense in churches and the all pervasive air pollution. Ask yourself whether we are made more vulnerable to cancer by ingesting highly processed food and crops that are deficient in micro nutrients and trace minerals because of intensive farming practices. I shall not be altering the setting on my toaster for my occasional slices of toasted Borgen seed bread!

[Marilyn]

well, I knew you had tinnitus, Stanley!
Get yourself some Spinach...

And have you heard about the health benefits of the occasional glass of Red Wine?

[Tizer]

Maz, you could only shout at him whereas Wendy had the advantage of being close enough to bribe him with eggs!

Stanley, towards the end of the BBC article on acrylamide David Spiegelhalter puts some balance into the story. The important thing really is to avoid burnt food - remember how greasy spoon cafes used to have burnt bits floating in the fat?

[Marilyn]

I'm afraid I will never be able to compete with Wendy's charms, Tizzy.
( she can do no wrong! And Stanley has very selective hearing...and then there are the damn eggs as well of course)

[Stanley]

I can't afford to buy red wine Maz, the occasional single Malt will have to do.....
When I think of all the things I have ingested one way or another during my life it's a bloody miracle I am still here and firing on all eight cylinders!

[Wendyf]

I'm afraid I will never be able to compete with Wendy's charms, Tizzy.
( she can do no wrong! And Stanley has very selective hearing...and then there are the damn eggs as well of course)

[Marilyn]

Don't make me summon the mites that infest chicken coops...