Ok, maybe this is silly, but what do you guys do if you have to eat something "carby"? I can handle certain ones... like whole wheat bread, or low larb past without too much of a problem, but the other night I was at my Grandmothers house and dinner was a Baked Potato and Meatloaf (And you can't refuse her food, or she thinks it's a personal insult and starts crying). I ate 1/4th of a potato and 2 potatos' skins (lots of fiber and vitamins according to my Gastroenterologist) but 2 hrs later my blood sugar was 122mg/dL. For the bast month and a half now it hasn't really been over 110 (except maybe once or twice, but those #'s were not over 115.) So I am wondering what you do when you are stuck having to eat something carby... what can one do to control the blood sugar?

are allowed some carbs.

If you are not diabetic yet, you can help with carb metabolism with supplements than enable insulin to work better.

http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/treatment.html

I don't think a baked potato on a holiday, or at other times very carefully (not too often) is so terrible. It doesn't have to be a gigantic size.

Often just eating smaller portions helps.

Here is a website resource that gives food content:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/2555/2

Thank you for these links, they are very helpful!

I just wish there was some way to prepare... I suppose I should make myself more clear... I am kind of living in fear of letting my sugars rise, as there is still one or two people thinking my blood sugars could be a part of what is causing the problem with the pain in my feet. (Not just the auto-immune disease) So I don't want to get a high reading and set my feet off... I have just begun to be able to sleep at night (thank you methotrexate) and I do NOT want to backslide... so I guess I am just looking for some insurance policy.

I have been using Caloriecount.com to keep track of what I am eating (at least I have been trying to) and at least it gives you carb levels and sugar levels among other things, but I always worry I have too much sugar... like today I have 78 grams in my diet, but I have only eaten whole grains, and fruit and vegetables, and Cheese.... so I don't know what to make of this. I'll post my blood sugar when I take it, but it will be interesting to see what it is...

Ok, I just took it and it was 99mg/dL.

Was this on an empty stomach(fasting)?

I think you will find it easier to follow a dietitians advice
on how to keep your blood sugar in range.

Also a HbA1C test every 3-4 months for a couple of times, will show long range trends occur for you.

What does your doctor say?

There are times when blood sugar normally will be higher than other times. However when out of range, that is when concern begins.

There are "sugars" in everything. What you want to avoid are
high glycemic sugars. Even then a little of these is permissible. Also you will want to avoid high fructose corn syrup. This is even in ketchup!

Here is a site that will tell you the glycemic index of common foods:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Typically you will want to be below the 50% range. But if you are not a diabetic yet, you can have some in the upper range more than a diabetic can.

For example look what can happen with the simple potato:
type in potato to that search and see how the GI changes.

I took it 2 hrs. after eating. That is when I take my blood sugar (as per dr's orders)...

This is all very confusing... my brain is too exhausted at the moment to figure it out.. I will have to look at that link again tomorrow when I am awake.

Hey Mac!!! If I am eating correctly which is not all of the time ut if I am I always always eat a protein with the carbs...I have to eat some carbs so I eat crackers and put peanut better on them or if I eat oatmeal I grab a hunka cheese to help level of the absorbtion od the carb! You should try to go to a diabetic clinic and talk to a dietitian...very helpful!!

Good advice Dorrie. That's how I found out how to eat.

To Mac:

And the fact that your grandmother cries if you don't eat her food? Well, I just looked at this and could not believe it. You need to sit your grandmother down and tell her this:

"this is my life we are talking about. If my sugar goes too high my feet feel it (you have neuropathy, am I correct?). My doctors at Cornell told me that in order to keep my neuropathy (in my feet) at bay, the best thing is to control one's blood sugar.

Now if I went to ANYONE'S house, and they tried to force me to eat ANYTHING that is wicked for my diabetes (now I'm not talking about any half of a baked potato, because that won't kill anybody!!), but just in general. You must explain to your grandmother that this affects your LIFE. your BODY, and YOUR FUTURE!!!

She might not completely understand this (how old is she anyway). But you must PUT YOUR HEALTH FIRST.

This is a mind-set thing. I've been doing it for 4 years. I went to a friend's house and they were all drinking (it was some party for someone). and they had all kinds of cake and snacks and booze. Now I don't drink. It's not my thing. And because I have neuropathy, I CAN'T DRINK anything with liquor. It will inflame my neuropathy.

Well, they were all pouring themselves glasses of wine and doig vodka shots and stuff, and they tried to get me to drink. I simply said "now you know that I don't drink, I never drink, I HAVE NEVER DRANK ANYTHING, so why would I drink something now?" They said the thing that EVERYONE SAYS when they want you to do WHAT THEY ARE DOING regardless of whether it's good for you or not.

They said "oh, this won't kill you, one little taste of this, one little sip of this, etc (get my message??).

I just looked at them and said 'listen, if you want to put that stuff in your body, that's YOUR business, but I'm under a good doctor's care at Cornell, and I listened to what she said and I follow the program". So thanks but no thanks".

They finally got the message. I didn't need to drink to have a good time. I didn't need to have cake to have a good time. I didn't make a big deal out of this. THEY were making the big deal. I don't like to get on the defensive in these cases. But our health should be worth SOMETHING.

I know mine is.

So gently explain to your grandma about why you can't eat a lot of what she makes. Perhaps you can give her a list of what she can make you. She just wants to cook for you. She's a grandma!!! That's what a lot of them do. They just want to see you smile and give hugs back.

That's what I would do if I ever get lucky enough to be a grandma.

P.S. And what's so bad about a reading of 99. To me, that's just fine.

I agree, no one should force you to eat things that are not good for you. My Grandma is 92, and she believes in healthy food... which include milk and potatoes (she's irish) and I have already had the "I can't have this" talk with her about the milk (In which I told her I can only have this every so often because it is much higher in sugar than cheese.), but she gets so worried that I am not getting the right nutrients and keeps asking if I will just have a little because it is good for me... She is just so sweet and concerned that it is hard to hurt her feelings...

The neuropathy is supposedly being caused by an auto-immune disease, but they are not sure if a small part of it might be the sugar problem, so I don't want to risk anything. My blood sugar when I eat potatoes and such is in the 120's or 130's, which in my book is too high... the 99 reading you are referring to is from the day I had 78grams of sugar, but they were all from whole grains and fruit and veggies. My confusion is why can I have 78grams in one day and be fine, but have 1/4th a baked potato and my sugars skyrocket.... it just seems weird to me.

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I understand your dilemma. I have diabetes for 20 years and I still learn new stuff about it every day. For example, if I forget to eat lunch, and I go from 9 a.m. to 4 without eating, my sugar goes UP. It seems that my liver produces sugar when I don't eat. Who knew this? I am in a clinical trial at Cornell in NYC and you wouldn't believe what I have learned.

I age Spaghetti last week. Regular spaghetti. Not the low carb kind. I wanted to see if all my good work would be rewarded and what would happen if I ate a small dish of spaghetti. My sugar was 112 the next morning. I smiled.

This does not happen all the time. I will get various readings. They are more concerned about my a1c reading (which is 6 - down from 9.5 when I joined the protocol).

This is how they explained my diabetes to me. "Melody, you can do everything right, but one day you'll wake up and your sugar might be 190". I said "why on earth would it do that?" and she responded "Because it's diabetes and this means your blood sugar is unstable". You might be great for the most part, but once in a while (even when you eat correctly), you might just get that spike."

This doesn't happen to me often, but it does happen. I try not to worry about it any more because all that does is give me stress.

I grow my sprouts. I eat what I grow. I eat whole grains, no sugar, no refined carbs, no starches etc. I went to a nutritionist. I learned what is in my best interest to eat.

I follow the protocol. I'm 61 and I look pretty good for an old broad. lol. When I was 40, I was 300 lbs and walked with a cane. I no longer do this.

while eating this way is not for everyone, it most certainly works for me. When I go to a birthday party, or a wedding, sure I'll have a piece of cake. It won't kill me.

And as for your 92 year old grandmother, well God bless her. Just know that when you go to her home, try and eat great for the majority of the day, knowing that when you go there you might have to please grandma and eat something.

And you're lucky to have a grandma. I remember mine. She used to make this italian thing called "BE AN GU MANGADA which (on the side of the Cornstarch box) reads in English "vanilla blanc mange". I never understood what this was but it was the most delicious thing I ever ate in my whole life.

It had vanilla, and eggs and bits of chocolate. I would wolf the whole thing down and ask for seconds. She was pleased as punch. That's what grandma's do. THEY FEED YOU!!!

lol

So be at peace, do the best you can. Your numbers sound good to me. I know people who can't get their numbers below 200. So I don't complain. There's always someone much worse off in the diabetes world.

We can only do the best we can and eat the best we can.

I gave up most things white. And thankfully I love my sprouts.
I am now sprouting black turtle beans and green peas in my kitchen (along with my other sprouts.).

I watched a video on this yesterday and it seems that when you soak the beans overnight and you sprout them, it takes out the gas.

That's all I had to hear!!

lol
Melody