What to feed pre diabetic husband ?

[Lizzy7596]

Husband was called to see nurse yesterday and was informed his blood sugar was 46 ( prediabetic) the nurse told him to half the amount of alcohol he drinks and cut out bread , pasta rice and lose weight (he’s 5 stone over weight )
Im really annoyed because he’s blood sugar was 43 last year and no one bothered to tell him he was pre diabetic ! .
I’ve gave him a chicken salad for lunch today and a couple of boiled eggs to snack on . He can’t eat this everyday he will be so fed up . What else can he eat & can he really not eat any bread ? .

my DH had a reading of 48 or 49 nurse gave him 6 weeks to bring it down, he was eating like 4 packets of crisps 2 wagon wheels and skittles or chocolate every day, he has gone cold turkey on the crisps cakes and sweets absolutely none and has lost 10lb in 3 weeks another blood test in 3 weeks, said he doesn't need it down to 41 by themn but needs evidence it is reducing
he has peppered mackerel for breakfast sometimes cereal as well if he is doing lots of manual work, lunch is soup or salad, dinner is as normAl but with half the amount of potato and double the veg ( he doesn't like pasta or rice)

Michael Mosely Fast 800? Has reversed some diabetes in people.

If he really likes his bread there are lower carb alternatives. Carbzone wraps are the best tasting low carb wraps you can buy (Ocado and Amazon stock them). seriouslylowcarb.com sell very low carb bread that tastes pretty good. I’m pretty sure there’s a couple of other companies that do this too, but can’t remember their names off hand, sorry. If you have a bread maker then look at YouTube for the keto king bread recipe (there’s several ingredients you’ll probably need to purchase to make it).

Aldi have a brand called The foodie market that have types of pasta that are low carb- either soy bean or black bean (only the foodie market ones, the other brand are higher carb). Alternatively there are konjac noodles which are pretty much zero carb. Nicer in a stir fry than a pasta dish IMO, but my dp eats them in place of pasta too. They need rinsing really well before eating though, as they smell fairly fishy.

swede, celeriac or turnips make good substitutes for potato. Cutting down on the traditional carb part of the meal and bulking it up with lower carb green veg types is also good for feeling full and being a bit more healthy.

If you go over to the low carb bootcamp there’s lots of support and also resources
www.mumsnet.com/talk/low_carb_bootcamp

plus, this thread has lots of low carb shopping finds…

www.mumsnet.com/talk/low_carb_bootcamp/3583325-Useful-low-carb-products-with-photos

I just thought I would update .
Husband has managed to lose 2 1/2 stones by cutting out bread , pasta, rice and sweet foods he even managed to find low carb beer to drink .
Bloods have gone down from 47 to 41 ! . He intends to lose more weight .

Tell your DH well done, that really is a great reduction, my DH was also pre diabetic in January, he lost over a stone, gave up cakes , puddings, biscuits and halved his alcohol intake. His levels dropped 3 months later. He’s just had his 6 month blood test and has appointment with nurse 2 weeks time to discuss results.

Snap. My bloods tumbled from 54 to 44 between June and Aug with a weight loss now of 32lbs by following the same technique. I spoke to a dietician on Thursday who was trying to convince me that rice, pasta and potatoes would be fine, but low carbing works for me.

That's brilliant progress - well done to him!

This is so impressive. Well done.

Well done that’s fantastic.

I found out2 weeks ago I have the double whammy of 42 BG (doctor says pre diabetic) plus really high cholesterol of 8.2. I was tested due to very frequent dizziness that came on out the blue about 6 weeks ago plus neuropathy in my right leg and toes and a slightly weaker right hand . Also had a chest x Ray but that was clear and full bloods. I need to lose about 3 stone too.

Besides feeling like shit , the biggest issues for me are I am being careful with carbs but quite a lot of things that are good for diabetes aren't amazing for cholesterol levels (eggs for one). I'm eating a lot of porridge! Berries, fish and vegetarian type low fat curries plus whole grain stuff and humous etc -

Any other tips of foodstuffs that work really well for both aspects !

Hi Crikey
interesting you mention cholesterol as my husband’s actually halved due to his low carb diet and 2 1/2 stone weight loss (5.9 to 3.5). He eats lean meats , fish veg, nuts , seeded ryvita , cheese , salad for packed lunch . He has cut out potatoes , rice, pasta bread , cake , pastries crisps etc . He also swapped to Almond milk in his coffee (he drinks lots of coffee) .

some of the meals he eats -

Quorn sausage mushrooms and low sugar baked beans .

Chick pea and spinach curry with a couple of popadoms .

Chicken breast and salad with Mayo in Low carb wraps ( Ocado sell them )

Low fat burgers with homemade coleslaw in Greek yogurt dressing mixed with a bit of salt pepper mustard .

Chilli con carne with sour cream .

Gammon with coleslaw with a few sweet potato chips ( sweet potato not often )

Good luck

He's done really well. Alcohol and carbs are really a big enemy.

@Lizzy7596 some nice suggestions there- thanks!

Even though he is pre-diabetic, following a diabetes recipe book would probably be good for him. Diabetic recipes tend to focus on being lower carb and also Low GI (i.e , it takes your body longer to break down the carbs, this is good for blood sugar spikes).

A quick google search points me to this guide: diabetes.gifts/top-5-diabetic-recipe-books/. The list seems solid, I have the Phil Vickery book and can recommend it.

Get to the Library for diabetes / low carb recipe books.

You can buy low carb bread , brand is 'livlife' . You can also make your own - see recipe books and Google is your friend.

Plenty of protein with green veg dinners and lunches to fill up on - egg and mushrooms / bacon / sausage for breakfast. Keto / low carb cereals are easily available but check carb and sugar content.

We substitute strips of steamed cabbage for pasta and can still enjoy homemade sauces (less sugar, salt, preservatives etc).

It's doable.

www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes

for foodies
Giancarlo Caldesi has a diabetes cookbook he went from about 60 down to 37 for blood sugar