I am working within the confines of a Diabetes 2 diagnosis at the moment, and have commenced monitoring my blood with the prick test several times a day. This is very helpful to me as when I am feeling a bit off I can now tell whether it is a low or high blood sugar situation, and act appropriatedly with either food or exercise.
Had an interesting session with an exercise physiologist (physiotherapist) yesterday who took me through all sorts of measurements, and appears to be coming up with a plan which will stir this lazy Warrior into more action eg fast sweaty walking instead of dreamy ambling, and more of it. I need to convert my last remaining 3 extra kilos of fat into muscle as that is the pathway to burning up unwanted blood sugar.
The dietician was helpful in a general educational sense, but I am rather gobsmacked with the low GI food lists which include a number of weirdos such as low fat icecream and So Good soy drink.(contains avoids) I shall probably stick closely with my own GTD/Diabetes book for food advice, and when in doubt about any particular item, do a pre-meal test and 2 hour retest to see how high the reading went with that food. After the initial shock, I am dealing well with the situation, and in fact finding it quite an adventure. It is a help that I feel so well, and have no real symptoms, just negative blood readings.

Hi Jenny, my father had a beginning of sugar problems with 5 pounds more his ideal weight, but green beams, common mushrooms, cinnamom and buckwheat, soba noodles or kasha can help you to keep a good sugar balance. Helas this year he ate too much sweets and he regained his belly pounds, and he is still diabete safe. I hope this can help you. A multivitamin with chromium  picolinate too could be useful.
Take care and good luck !
Maria Giovanna

Great, as an A soy is good medicine for blood glucose levels.

An interesting thing I have noticed a couple of times re blood finger prick testing.............
a low reading upon waking, followed by a fast 30-40 minutes walk can be followed by a higher glucose reading!!! I have worked out a theory why this may be happening, and it seems good to me... I think that after 12 hours of no food, and good rest, virtually all the excess glucose has been processed in my system, leaving  a low reading in the morning, but after some good exercise, some glucose is recovered from adipose tissue and temporarily the blood is dealing with some of that. Any experts like to comment on this?

Jenny I  know you are so up on all this but have you looked at jerusalem artichoke, which contains inulin?
Inulins role in diabetes might be something to investigate a bit.
Stevia contains inulin.

Jenny, I believe you are right.  Cortisol is involved in recovering glucose from fat tissue, and cortisol levels are highest in the morning (around and go up when exercising.

Andrea, no, I've had a blind spot towards artichoke, can't imagine why, but will get some.

Drive 55, thanks for confirming that theory, it backs up my intuition, and makes exercise even more understandable in reducing diabetic issues. Just about to trot out now in the cool morning air.

Thought this was really interesting!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136038.php

thanks Chloe, that is interesting, although the air pollution part is not apparently relevant to me as in my adult life I have lived 27 years in the country, 8 years on an island, 4 years in an outer suburb of Melbourne, and 1 and 1/2 years in the least industrial city in Australia.
However the following quote caught my eye,
"Every mouse that we exposed to high fat diet, along with exposure to inhaled particulates had marked worsening of diabetes," says Dr. Rajagopalan
This reminds me of a radio broadcast I heard a month or so ago from a U.S. doctor (was it Neil Barnard?) who was speaking of intracellular fat particles preventing the insulin doing their job re glucose, (insulin resistance)and his belief that veganism is the way forward for diabetics.
Of course this is easy for A types, but not much chop for the rest. Another one size fits all, but in my case, possibly appropriate. So I have tended to lessen my animal fats as well as following the BTD diabetes book.

Jenny, what fats do you eat?

Wondering if ghee is okay or are you just having flax and other oils from plants.

Ghee is Neutral, allowed frequently in the BTD Diabetes book, and I use it once a week approx.
EVoo I use every day, and flax several times a week. Basically, I just follow the book. Tweaking does not seem to be very necessary for my system, and in the past I used to boast that I could eat literally anything without a problem. ...the bad old days.  Glucose continues to be recovered from fat tissue after exercise according to my tests. It's all good. Only a week to go to judgement day.(3 months test)

Day of judgement;
Good results on the whole, though my GP insists that I will be diabetic for life. However he says that I have done very well with a big weight reduction, and good glucose tests which show results very close to normal. But he warns me that if I regain the weight, or fail in my dietary resolution, I will be back in trouble-land in no time with likelihood of diabetic complications such as eyesight, heart, circulation etc problems.
I showed him the book that I have used for dietary advice for the past 3 months. (BTD Diabetes). No comment.
So my plan now is to continue with the Diabetes BTD book for another 3 months until the next check up, and if it results in even more improvement I may revert to the GTD book.
A useful hint was that he said that if my fasting (prebreakfast) glucose test is under 8 (Australian units, sorry, no idea what that measurement is elsewhere) and my 2 hourly post meal test is under 10, I am doing very well indeed. I am still hoping for a miracle.

That's really good news!!! Well done!! Is it still as hot up there and are you getting any of the smoke from the bushfires yet??

Brava Jenny, kudos from Italy
Maria Giovanna

My blog yesterday included lab reports from my Type A husband  (63 years old).  He has lowered his blood glucose from 106 to 88 in a year by following the BTD Diabetes book.  It was a hard year for him.  He had moments of rebellion when he went back to his old way of eating for a few days.  But last night he was thrilled with the obvious results, and thrilled too have the threat of another medication gone.  He is committed to staying with the BTD Diabetes plan.

Jenny, I'm sure you will get relief if you stick to the diet & exercise!
Don't worry if the dr. is skeptical or noncommital. GTD works & it's safe!!!!!

We are concerned about the fires. How is that going?

Quoted from Mrs T O+

Jenny, I'm sure you will get relief if you stick to the diet & exercise!
Don't worry if the dr. is skeptical or noncommital. GTD works & it's safe!!!!!

We are concerned about the fires. How is that going?

Possum and Mrs TO... there are no fires around Canberra so we are physically unaffected by the fires (and floods) that have ravaged other parts of the country...but many people, including me have family and friends in the worst hit places  and are reeling in the shock of the scale of the disasters. We have certainly not had a summer like this with the height of the temperatures which led to the conflagrations, and sadly makes one question the possibility of living in the shadow of our beloved eucalypts which are so volatile when dry.
The scale of the tragedy puts one's own little problems into perspective and has reinforced for me that love for one's dearest far outweighs problems in the financial sector, loss of money and even of homes, and of health issues.
Thanks to all for your support of my little health situation and I have been grateful to have such a great program to see me through. I must say that the diet, the exercise and the daily blood prick tests have been the backbone of my success.Thank you Peter.

Useful hint that the physio mentioned to me yesterday was to be careful not to fast too long between meals just to get the blood sugar down (which I am always trying to do).
She mentioned that the body may get the hint that it can get by with a lower level of metabolism which is not what I am aiming at. So I now make up a plate with a meal on it, and then withhold a small portion which I can use as a between meal snack, thus not being tempted into extra snacking over and above what I actually need.Gotta be crafty when dealing with metabolism!

Quoted from Jenny

Useful hint that the physio mentioned to me yesterday was to be careful not to fast too long between meals just to get the blood sugar down (which I am always trying to do).
She mentioned that the body may get the hint that it can get by with a lower level of metabolism which is not what I am aiming at. So I now make up a plate with a meal on it, and then withhold a small portion which I can use as a between meal snack, thus not being tempted into extra snacking over and above what I actually need.Gotta be crafty when dealing with metabolism!

I'm glad to read you are dealing with this so craftily, as you put it! And winning too from the sound of things.  

I want to encourage those of you who are dealing with diabetes, or who have relatives that you are caring for, that with determination you can deal with it. I've seen a second doctor as I felt that my regular GP was being rather deterministic and dour about my future, but the second one has reassured me that I am doing fantastically well, having lost so much weight that I now feel like a fashion model (apart from the varicose veins), and getting my blood sugar levels down to virtually normal levels. But nevertheless, he agrees that I basically have this condition for life, and can never let up on my fantastic regime of eating less and exercising more. I especially prefer to eat small dinners because I find that overnight the processing of blood sugars is very slow. During the mornings when I am most active I can often go quite low, and can tell when this is happening by the wooziness in my head. It is fixed very quickly by the quick administration of a snack.
It has made all the difference to me to have access to prick testing several times a day, even though some professionals find that too obsessive.It has been a great help to know that I have friends here who will listen to my needs and experiences with such open hearts.Thanks to all.
My doctor says he wishes all his patients were like me! I am so motivated, and loving my life so much that I could not bear to give it away just for the sake of some donuts and cream cakes. (sigh!) By the way, I have only had one piece of cake in eight months and even that was socially motivated. I am thinking of going back to GTD after 8 months on the Diabetes book.Maybe it is time that my genes were polished up.

You're an inspiration. Good on you, Jen!

grapefruit pectin works well for those issues, I've several different kinds of bloodtypes and in all I obtained good results  

I 've just read this (below), Jenny. I had no idea about the dementia connection.

"Type 2 diabetes is the diabetes that comes on in adulthood and is
actually much more complex than many doctors think; and since the most obvious manifestation is that your blood sugar goes up, there's a temptation to get the blood sugar under serious control.

The trouble is that the more aggressively you keep a lid on your sugar with drugs, the more likely you are to over-shoot and have a low sugar – hypoglycaemia – which can cause collapse and maybe increase the chances of dementia, which are already known to be raised in people with diabetes.

A recent study followed over 16,000 people with type 2 diabetes to see what happened to those who'd had hypos bad enough to need hospital treatment.

They found that one or more severe episodes of hypoglycaemia were associated with a significantly increased risk of developing dementia.
Now it's possible that the reduced memory and thinking ability made these people bad at looking after themselves, but it looked as though the hypos preceded the dementia. It's also possible the problem relates to the severity of the diabetes causing little strokes but the researchers didn't think so.

It just reinforces the recommendations in Australia, which are that if you have type 2 diabetes what you need is exercise, weight loss, cholesterol and blood pressure treatment and reasonable, but not perfect sugar control."

For Reference

Title: Journal of the American Medical Association
Author: Whitmer RA et al. Hypoglycaemia episodes and risk of dementia in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
URL: http://jama.ama-assn.org/
JAMA 2009;301:1565-1572

Thans a lot Eh I needed this info !
Maria Giovanna

thanks for that info Eh (alarming though it is). I have decided to see the best endocrinologist available for further analysis of my situation. I am on the most minimal of drugs, and am sorely tempted to cut even that out, and will certainly ask for advice on that as soon as I see the specialist. Will report back in a month or so.

Quoted Text

having lost so much weight that I now feel like a fashion model

Jenny your soo cute and i love your spunky attitude!!!.  

Mickey, so does my sweetheart

How much grapefruit pectin would a person take?  Would taking grapefruit pectin and glycosia be helpful or too much?

I am going to suggest that you eat grains and not flour. Flour works to get blood sugar levels up, but it can be too much of a rush when consumed at normal blood sugar levels. Wheat also can interfere with insulin. For a Warrior wheat is much less likely to do so, but I would try avoiding it just to see how you respond.

I would eat fruit though, not fruit juice so much. It could be useful for helping use all the veggie protein.

eat a handful of maitake mushrooms every day...your pancreas will thank you and your diabetes will be curtailed

Back when I ate wrong I use to consume almonds regularly to help control blood sugar release. They are recommended for you and know for leveling blood sugar levels.

Plus you ever get almond butter from a health food store that has nothing added, the kind where you turn the machine on and it spits out the crunchy butter? Soooo goooood!

Quoted from mikeo

eat a handful of maitake mushrooms every day...your pancreas will thank you and your diabetes will be curtailed

I haven't seen maitake mushrooms in Australia? Do you have good access where you are?

i'm also diabetic need advise on which program to stick to.my blood is a+ but i was wanting to know about the new gene book diet
so far my choices are warrior,teacher or exployer

You can help the other members of the forum help you by choosing a blood type shield to display beneath your name.

how to
http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-ref/m-1219018887/

Welcome!

begin with the diabetes book and build up from there......
http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ED066S
find out your secretor status as well as your subgroup through a serotyping panel...
http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=TE002
http://www.dadamo.com/wiki/wiki.pl/Subgroups_of_Type_A

Quoted from 5841

I'm also diabetic need advise on which program to stick to.my blood is a+ but i was wanting to know about the new gene book diet
so far my choices are warrior,teacher or exployer

I've followed the BTD Diabetic Health book by Peter D'Adamo since I was diagnosed and commenced minimal (Diabex 500) treatment for type 2 last November. This week I have noticed that my blood glucose readings which I take thrice daily are getting a bit low at various times of the day, in other words the medication is being too effective, so I have taken the radical decision to cut out the medication for the time being. You may well suggest that I should have consulted my doctor before doing this, but I trust my instinct even more than I trust him.I have a consultation with a diabetic nurse in a few day's time so will see what she has to say about this.It is quite easy to pick it up again if necessary, but I can't see the logic in that at this point.
Very soon I shall revert to the GTD Warrior which will be very exciting.
But I still have to eat half quantities, and exercise twice as much as I used to. It's all about keeping slim, muscled and not using food as a comfort or emotional prop.I know that I will always be borderline diabetic and will have to control it for the rest of my life.
I did an interesting risk assessment test yesterday, and there is no way out of it.
http://www.health.gov.au/inter.....-RiskAssessmentTool+

Well, I've reverted to GTD Warrior for more than a week now, and it is a delight to have the greater freedom that it offers over the strict BTD diabetes book guidelines. But with my newly acquired self control (no more cakes and bikkies ever, or jam toast at supper time, etc etc that I had drifted into a year ago when I first started Warrior), I am not gaining weight, and my glucose readings are good. I am also using Glycoscia from a NAP supplier in N.Z. which appears to be supporting my situation well.
From an amateur point of view it looks as though I am getting readings in the pre-diabetic range these days rather than fully diabetic. What amazes me is that despite all this, my family generally won't take my experience as a warning, and several of them are heading full steam ahead into a diabetic diagnosis. sigh..........

Well, just to keep this thread alive, as there are new people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every day I want to mention that about a month ago, I took myself off the medical medication for diabetes, and only take glycoscia now,(from NAP), and my daily blood readings continue to be good. I had to see a endocrinologist specialist recently for something else, and he supported my stopping the medication, whereas a couple of G.P.s and a diabetic nurse had wanted me to stay on it indefinitely. But this diabetes is a life sentence, and I will never indulge in too much food again, and I will keep up the serious walking (and dancing). What a great experience I have had over the past 10 months, and I almost grateful for the unhappy cause of such a diagnosis as it has changed my life for the better. Next step, maybe next week, is Swami Express, when I hope to tweak my diet even further.

Thankyou for keeping this thread alive Jenny, I've found it most interesting esp as various type O forum friends who don't believe in BTD think paleo is the only way for us all to eat.

You are an inspiration  

Joyce

Jenny, thanks, thanks, thanks for unveling this for us.  I did the online test too and I am a high risk too, both, hubbie and I think it has frightened hubbie into action!!     No more excuses for not walking early in the mornings ...
Do you know if Gina in NZ stocks the books too, I will ask her to send it to us with Swami Xpress.  They confirmed my order the other day.
Our doctor should have the result of the tests we did the other day, so it will be interesting to see how the sugar level is.  My gosh, hope everything is OK.  I am feeling fantastic on the Teacher diet, and doing pilates twice a week, but maybe no sweating enough.  ..  
Thanks god somehow I find my way to this light beam to guide us in the right direction.  Thanks, thanks, thanks

Once we get the swami xpress,  I know it must have check boxes for family history of diabetes, but, will it also ask you if you are pre or diabetic yourself and provide adecuate diets for it.  Also, once you recovered from it, like Jenny so well have shown to do, will it allowed you to note this improvement and change the diet for you accordingly?

Quoted from Cristina

Once we get the swami xpress,  I know it must have check boxes for family history of diabetes, but, will it also ask you if you are pre or diabetic yourself and provide adecuate diets for it.  Also, once you recovered from it, like Jenny so well have shown to do, will it allowed you to note this improvement and change the diet for you accordingly?

good question; I'll ask Gina if she knows the answer when I make my Express order today.

I wonder if you are always at risk, so you would need to keep the settings for diabetes just in case?

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

I wonder if you are always at risk, so you would need to keep the settings for diabetes just in case?

My gut feeling (!!!) is that you are absolutely right Andrea.

Maybe the diabetes box should be locked?

Maybe those genes are always looking to be exposed again and turned back on.

My doctor told me once a diabetic, always a diabetic.

The only problem with the doctor saying that is that he may not be right. New information is being discovered  that genes can be switched on and off it is not so simple to make a blanket statement. I'll bet that doctor doesn't know about the Agouti mice or even the Hungerwinter. http://www.news.leiden.edu/news/dutch-hunger-winter.html

Amazing things are possible. The body wants to be well and will use its resources to accomplsh this, if we provide the resources it just may happen.
I think this GT diet thing needs more data  from people like Jenny.

Thanks Andrea that is very encouraging, makes me want to work harder.

Has anyone tried Dreamfields Pasta for diabetics, only 5g carb per serving.  I just found this in a magazine, and was interest if it is alright to use?  Are are allowed Duram Wheat.  Here is a Link

http://www6.netrition.com/dreamfields_pasta_page.html

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

The only problem with the doctor saying that is that he may not be right. New information is being discovered  that genes can be switched on and off it is not so simple to make a blanket statement. I'll bet that doctor doesn't know about the Agouti mice or even the Hungerwinter. http://www.news.leiden.edu/news/dutch-hunger-winter.html

Amazing things are possible. The body wants to be well and will use its resources to accomplsh this, if we provide the resources it just may happen.
I think this GT diet thing needs more data  from people like Jenny.

   But, as I have said on more than one occasion I fear, I cannot afford to lighten up the restraints...any time I do, the prick testing catches me out. Last night for dinner for instance, I only had a glass of red and a plate of compliant fruit salad because over the previous 24 hours I had slightly over indulged. This morning I am back to acceptable readings. It is apparently a life long sentence, but that's ok. In our affluent cultures I am sure that we have got into the habit of grossly overeating.

Jenny,  That prick test you do, is it something you buy over the counter here?

Sorry Cristina, I've only just noticed your question. The prick test I use is from a kit that I was given by a relative who had several gratis ones in her cupboard. I believe if you go to a pharmacy that stocks diabetic stuff that you can buy it at retail prices. However, if your doctor has given you a referral due to being Type 2 already, you can join the national diabetic association and get all your stocks at a highly subsidized rate.

What I logged on for today was to give a useful update if anyone needs this information.
I have been doing my personal swami Warrior for a while now, and getting used to the various aspects of it that have altered from what I did before. I guess I am even more compliant that I ever have been, and especially take note of how much and how many per day and per week. Suddenly I realized that I had never really done much with the super spices, and as I am very familiar with Indian food, decided to really do that with a vengance. So now my hot meal of the day is highly spiced with supers, and I can feel my digestion being particularly warm.  But wait for it, after 4 days of this, my early morning prick test is way down, as though my metabolism has been cranked up and insulin resistance is being dealt a blow. So exciting.

Thanks Jenny and great work!!  Spices are so important too, they aid digestion and the ones in our SFs lists are specially designed to get us healthy.  Coming from a Mediterranean background, they (spices, condiments) are never too far away when I am cooking and they are some of the first lists I check when updating my Swami.  Like you I try to use elements from all categories diversifying and experimenting as much as possible.  Fantastic work!!  Keep us posted.  

Jenny,

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic last summer (0 and put on 1/2 tab of low dose meds. Have spent the last year in a dizzy state of hypoglycemia. Stopped taking drugs last week and am also taking Glycoscia. Feeling much better, but not sleeping as good. Started on Melatonin for that last night. Really need to invest in a glucose meter and keep track ( as a nurse I really know this) instead of going on how I feel. Will do that soon. As soon as I went  totally gluten free this summer I became dizzier and ate very little food ( side effect of med). I am gettin my appetite back and can now eat more than a protein shake and a bowl of soup daily.

You can usually get a free meter and then have to buy strips or drums, you can get good price from the diabetic association, if your insurance, doesn't cover them.  A prescription and a phone call to some medical supply place is about all you need to do.  Or go to a hospital where they have diabetic classes and ask if they have any new meters you can start off with, they may talk you into attending classes, which is wise to do when you are new and each year after.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

Quoted from kittykar1

Jenny,

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic last summer (0 and put on 1/2 tab of low dose meds. Have spent the last year in a dizzy state of hypoglycemia. Stopped taking drugs last week and am also taking Glycoscia. Feeling much better, but not sleeping as good. Started on Melatonin for that last night. Really need to invest in a glucose meter and keep track ( as a nurse I really know this) instead of going on how I feel. Will do that soon. As soon as I went  totally gluten free this summer I became dizzier and ate very little food ( side effect of med). I am gettin my appetite back and can now eat more than a protein shake and a bowl of soup daily.

Kitty kar.....keep at it my friend....it is so wonderful to get good results....your self esteem will rocket as well as your health....I'm also still on glycoscia, but have been off meds for 3 months now.......thrice daily prick tests keep me on the straight and narrow,
with especially noting of trying to keep the evening meal lighter as it is the one that wreaks the readings in the mornings if I don't keep to correct allowances.... creating a daily planner which I tick off after each meal has been a boon....trying to remember to exercise enough is a major challenge.....but both GP and specialist are amazed at my results, and I am only waiting for them to engage me as a volunteer tutor for their patients...ha ha. The GP said last week that amongst his patients what I have done is almost unheard of, and the specialist agrees. It is so hard for them to then accept that it is not an accident, it is the hard work of the GTD that has done it. But it is probably time for me to press the point.Unfortunately if push comes to shove, they probably write me off as a lucky anomaly.

Good to hear how you're going Jenny Well done!!

Quoted from Jenny

..trying to remember to exercise enough is a major challenge....

This is so very true for me too.  I read somewhere here it is an A trait.

Glad to see you here Jenny, and that you are doing so well too.  

Jenny

Glad going off meds is working for you!!! Keep up the good work!! I will keep struggling along to kick off this extra weight and to heal. I think the 16 months on glugophage kept me from weight loss. At least I don't feel like my head is in a continual dizzy fog now.

Just keeping this thread going for the sake of the current discussion of diabetes control for Gatherers.
All's well here in Jenny land.. hope the same is for all of you working on this issue.

Quoted from Jenny

Unfortunately if push comes to shove, they probably write me off as a lucky anomaly.

Yes. You can be certain of that.

Back in 2004, I brought up similar issues with the wife of a colleague (I'm interested in this topic because my bloodtype A aunt died of diabetes 2 complications at the age of 64). In any case, she looked at me blankly when I remarked that it must be frustrating for her to treat her failing diabetes II patients when most people are nutritionally illiterate about the effects of diet and morever, are unmotivated to exercise in controlling their diabetes 2. She only happens to be one of Scandinavia's top clinical Professors in the area of diabetes 2. I was having dinner at her place and my remarks were casual, that is, neither probing nor critical of her in any way. She really didn't like the implications of my comments and I was surprised at the depth of her professional disdain.

(I bet you want to know what was on our dinner table? Lots of white potatoes and white bread, of course.)

Good luck in raising this with your doctors, Jenny.

Oh My.... There is no hope then if even she didn't get it??!!!! Did she notice you avoiding the white death substances?

I've NEVER met a potato I didn't love to death, poss.

Maybe the potato feels the same about you Eh!

Jenny.. Here I am found you and all the posts here.. I will read and fight my daemons..

and I am looking into the following even against my own advice in my signature,,.. ha-ha
but I want to know about the following:

How many are doing:
Cinnamon on BTG or GTD?
Fenugreek in food alone or supplements GTD or BTD?
Bitter melon?  
Turmeric??
any other natural supplements from NAP or others??

Joli O, I imagine that all your respondents will have different answers to this question, based on which system and blood type they are.
For instance, cinnamon and turmeric are superfoods for me as a Swami Warrior, Bitter melon is  Best Avoided, Fenugreek--I don't know, it isn't listed. etc etc

What does your Genotype say about these things for you?

I am off all meds and supplements ( except for a thyroxine supplement for thyroid deficiency) and it is a wonderful break not to be swallowing all those things ...I used to take calcium, iron, Vit D, Vit C probiotics, etc etc. and may only go back to one or two of them if annual tests indicate the necessity. I used glycoscia from NAP for one course, but don't see the need any more. The only thing that matters to me is living my Swami lifestyle.(not fanatically of course) Life is good.

Life is good.
That's sooo great to hear Jenny!!!

As Gatherer I need to look at the spices again on what is super beneficial and what is not.  

With being O Turmeric was Beneficial for diabetes, so was Fenugreek and Cinnamon. As Gatherer I am reluctant to give up what I know - until the next book on specific spices for Gatherers with diabetes comes out.  

The above spices where not to be found in the reg ER4YT for o's but was in the diabetes book.. and so far I have not found a place where all is grouped together by Geno types..

I will keep looking at this thread and read all entries from beginning to end and make notes pertaining to gatherers.

The other thing I will also do is, go line item through line item of the food list currently here.
I might find entries there on some substances that are diabetes specific - I found one for cancer - so there might be more.

AFTER the ER4YT came out I did the same and I loved the health Bible. I study every book from beginning to end. I study an vacation. I will do the same on finding all there is to know about food for diabetes.

The Tea idea is a good one but I don't like it without sugar.. tastes yakee..

but I am off caffeine for now and that is always a good thing.. I can usually manage for many month and then if I drink a cup 2 days in a row I am hooked again and need the 5 day suffering withdrawal.  but every time I last a little longer.. the issue is having caffeinated chocolate one day and forgetting and have coffee another day- its just tricky.  

    

Quoted Text

so far I have not found a place where all is grouped together by Geno types..

consider neutral then, if following the gtd book recomendations

Quoted Text

I am reluctant to give up what I know - until the next book on specific spices for Gatherers with diabetes comes out.

that personalized book is already out!!
and for every issue not just diabetes
http://www.4yourtype.com/products.asp?dept=48

Quoted Text

SWAMI Xpress will use your own health profile to build a dynamic, one of a kind diet book that is right for you.

Time to sign in again, especially so that Mile High can take a gander;

I've had some pretty horrible surgery lately (varicose veins) and it has been next to impossible to exercise properly, but 3 weeks since the major work I am now back pounding the pavements. Eating got a bit out of hand, and I will restore myself to my rigid weekly swami program within days. Even if my 3 monthly readingtaken a few days ago is far from perfect I will persuade my doc. to allow me to re-tackle it with diet and exercise rather than medication.

Mile High, are you familiar with the specific BTD diabetes book?
http://www.4yourtype.com/products.asp?dept=48

By the way, my personalized Warrior swami program has restored bell peppers (and pimento which was already there) to neutral,  so I don't feel utterly deprived of nightshades.
Best regards, Jenny

Ho Jenny, nice to see you around again!  I am glad you are recovering well from your surgery!  All is well in Teacher land here as well!

Always looking forward to your wisdom!  

Gosh if the first post here so long ago was where I was at then (Sunday, January 31, 2010, 7:17pm) then I have come on enormously long way.. I mean I should be on my way to glowing diabetes health reports.. I will let you know next week..  

Since then I have learned to eat different again.. I took the which diet test and went back to BTD.. either diet I can live with - I like meat or turkey.  
I gave up coffee and I think this time its for good..
I learned to have broth and green leaves for morning meals (until 11:30)
I seem to be MUCH less hungry especially later in the day when I can still have the 'extra' meal -I am not counting the broth and green leaves as a calorie meal.
I gave up all sugar for 2-3 weeks and cravings changed to almost very little.
I gave up chocolate 99.9% and learned that I can live with that..
I discovered that if I eat about six prunes I have enough sweet stuff to make it through the day..
I feel that the prunes are really reducing my water retention.  
I gave up (so far) most sweet salad dressings, I eat veggies instead.
I eat one meal a week with a friend who had her belly lap installed and so I am cooking 3 oz for her.
I bought a 1.5 inch smaller fry pan for my needs and am cooking that much less for every meal. it works.
I learned recently that I could feel when my stomach said 'enough'.. but my mind was slow in getting the message, so
I learned of the need to drink 15-20 minutes before eating so that I don't stuff myself and feel uncomfortable from it.
I learned that I sleep much better when I am less stuffed - and somehow the prunes seem to help as I eat them cut into thirds' cold frozen, with some pieces of walnuts if I am in need of ice cream in the evening.. .
I am still look for some 'craving' foods but I am mostly able to handle it..
At least the fear factor of being hungry ( strictly emotional) has left me..

AND BEST of ALL!!!!!!! I found being here has helped me immensely!! THANKS ALL>>> THANKS you are part of my health regimen without which I would not have come so far... and

Lola, she makes me wonder how often she tells someone to jump into the water an do Swami.. so much patience and all the many links!! just fab..    

So Jenny:  I am glad you resurrected this old thread so I can look back  ...

But Jenny: I am sorry about your surgery, but now it is behind you.. so A good recovery for you!!!

May I ask why was it necessary?? my sis has big veins, and she hates the looks of them.. but has issues with narcotics, do all people with big veins need them fixed??

and I see that my own veins on the back of my legs and hands seem to become bigger as I age, do they keep getting bigger or are they just not able to be tight because there are things missing like sups and the like??  

Goldie,
My varicose veins have been part of my life since my first child 44 years ago...they were never painful really, but I finally decided to have a specialist look at them 6 months ago, and he said they were one of the worst he had seen, but would need an ultrasound to see how deep the problem was.. this showed up as serious vein damage and loss of utility in both legs and on one side of the pelvic area.. so the first round of surgery called angiography was used to disable the faulty pelvic vein..then a few weeks later I had the actual surgery on both legs which was the rather disabling part of the procedure...3 weeks later I can see the light, and am glad it was done, knowing that I now have fully functioning veins. I've just gone into this detail to show that you don't know whether you have a serious problem just by looking at the cosmetic detail, you need specialist investigations.
In a nutshell Mr Vascular Surgeon told me that in my case it was caused by pregnancy and heredity ( my father).
Interesting life experience.

Quoted from eh

Good luck in raising this with your doctors, Jenny.

You never know I just SWAMI'ed my first MD. He did remind me not to tell anyone about it, but he also sent someone else to me too. He told me that he has been paying attention to patients blood types and finds that the sick ones are A's, he is a cardiac anesthesiologist, so he looks at lots of blood types.

Docs might come kicking and screaming ( like babies having a tantrum) but people will ask for it eventually.

Thanks for reviving this thread Jenny.  Yes, I just got the Diabetes BTD book recently.

I wish I could locate a converter to see how your Australian units measure up to our U.S. numbers.  Somehow I think my condition may not have escalated as highly as yours might have.  

I do, however, believe I've been battling this undiagnosed for a decade or longer now that I've got a handle on the blood glucose monitoring via finger pricking.  I can closely predict what my numbers will be prior to testing just from how I'm feeling at the time.  I know I experienced many of these same symptoms for years now.  

I remember talking with a close friend prior to getting my lab results back and she suggested that if my glucose numbers came back in the diabetic range then I'd most likely have to be on medication.  She reminded me how I was already doing everything possible diet and exercise wise to control sugar levels.  When she told me "If someone as healthy as you gets diabetic fasting numbers then you'll just have to accept the fact that you're going to need meds to control it".  I was devastated by the words she spoke and the sheer idea of taking medication on an ongoing basis.  

Fortunately, I found the ER4YT lifestyle and learned there were beneficial foods that I could eat more of and that some of the foods I was eating were actually poisoning me.  By merely incorporating the goods and eliminating the bads I've thus far managed to avoid medication.  

The journey continues and I'm feel comforted to know I've found a new family of loving, caring individuals that are willing to hold my hand, guide me and offer all the support I could possibly need to fight this battle.  

ROB.. man you are talking mile high wait until you fly with out a parashute here on energy alone..

yes its the avoid foods that make us ill .. and the neutral are not much better..

some meds are less bad.. I am currently taking 2 pills but fully intend to get rid of the need for them as well..

I rather eat food than pills.. good luck.. and you are right.. diabetes starts at birth .. how are your nerves?? any twitching??

Quoted from Goldie

... how are your nerves?? any twitching??

In the past, I've had horrific nervous disorders.  Today with the help of meditation, deep breathing, massage therapy and BTD they are much better managed.

These days only when my sugar levels are in an extremely low state, which I don't allow to happen very often, do I experience radical nervous energy.  Once I discover my glucose levels have dropped or are declining I instantly bring them back up with proper fuel... i.e. not table sugar and/or glucose tabs as many MDs suggest.  

I was hospitalized as a child because of stomach disorders... they ran tons of tests: upper and lower GIs, allergy prick tests, etc.  I was pre-junior high school, perhaps 10-12, and the doctor wanted to put me on a low dosage of Valium.  Imagine that.  My mother had the prescription filled but I refused to take it.  

I guess I've been blessed with a keen sense of awareness of my body chemistry.  

Quoted Text

I guess I've been blessed with a keen sense of awareness of my body chemistry.

that s the very reason why you got here!

Quoted Text

In the past, I've had horrific nervous disorders.  Today with the help of meditation, deep breathing, massage therapy and BTD they are much better managed.

These days only when my sugar levels are in an extremely low state, which I don't allow to happen very often, do I experience radical nervous energy.  Once I discover my glucose levels have dropped or are declining I instantly bring them back up with proper fuel... i.e. not table sugar and/or glucose tabs as many MDs suggest.  

I was hospitalized as a child because of stomach disorders... they ran tons of tests: upper and lower GIs, allergy prick tests, etc.  I was pre-junior high school, perhaps 10-12, and the doctor wanted to put me on a low dosage of Valium.  Imagine that.  My mother had the prescription filled but I refused to take it.  

I guess I've been blessed with a keen sense of awareness of my body chemistry.

Been there done that ... 168 x ray over 10 years by the time I was 32.. nothing showed the allergy to milk.. doh.. I am O now we know!!!!!

and may I exchange the words above : I AM NOT referring to nervous energy.. that would be hyper - hupo glycemia.. rather I am talking about nerve damage.. twitching and hurting or numbness in legs at night.. neuropathy..?  

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

You never know I just SWAMI'ed my first MD. He did remind me not to tell anyone about it, but he also sent someone else to me too. He told me that he has been paying attention to patients blood types and finds that the sick ones are A's, he is a cardiac anesthesiologist, so he looks at lots of blood types.

Docs might come kicking and screaming ( like babies having a tantrum) but people will ask for it eventually.

AWESOME!!! Made me wanna do a happy dance as I read this! AWESOME!!! YAY! One Dr at a time!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     ======     1+1= 2    ???

I am trying to wrap my aching head around this... Do Diabetics get headaches more than others? especially at 3-4 am when the caffeine in tea is wearing off??
Is it the caffeine in the tea that makes the headcahe go away after on hour or the 2 glasses of water in the tea??  


PLEASE>> PLEASE explain the stuff about to LOW blood sugar.. I am diabetic but I don't want to 'get' it.. so bear with me one more time ( you all) explain.. THANKS>>> (AM I getting it that diabetes is maybe NOT about TO MUCH sweets (guilt) instead of it is about my pancreas NOT MAKING enough Insulin any more (age related -type ll) ??? (so not my fault but my body's -faulty- reactions to food of all sorts??? (much less guilt)

and the cure is exercise?? what is exercise doing within the body to make it better??

Goldie, its too complicated to condense into a simple answer on line. I would suggest that you read any and all of the books and publications that are put out by Diabetes associations. There is a factor called insulin resistance. It apparently is part of the type 2 condition that even if your pancreas is working normally, and producing insulin to deal with the glucose in your blood, at a cellular level the insulin cannot do its proper work.
Losing weight is usually a major factor in aiding your body to do its normal work.
I personally find that anything with sugar added is disastrous.. a jam sandwich for instance ruins my readings for half a day. I have totally given up cakes and biscuits and indeed any food with added sucrose.
Just following my motto (eating less and exercising more) has allowed me to live without medication even though all the authorities say that type 2 is a life sentence. And it probably is. But I choose to avoid medication where possible in every area of my life.I don't have headaches, so can't help you there.
If you have been diagnosed with the condition please take it seriously as it is a major life threatening illness if not controlled.I will always be grateful to my GP who warned me that I could lose a limb, have a heart attack or (what was the third thing? oh yes, go blind)...anyway, that I should do something about it..he
scared me rotten and that motivated me to do everything that I have talked about in this thread over the past 18 months. xxx

Yeah it is serious & well done to you Jenny!!
My Mum has suffered heart attacks, strokes & knee problems (among many other things) for not taking her health seriously enough - I wouldn't like to see anyone facing the end of their days like her, sitting around incapacitated if there was an alternative "fairly readily" able to be accessed from self control...

Goldie - well done on the steps you have accomplished so far!!

The intelligence behind Diabetes ll just eludes me..( I just fight my shadow)  I am just confused but Jenny gave me 2 clues..  

There is a factor called insulin resistance. It apparently is part of the type 2 condition that even if your pancreas is working normally, and producing insulin to deal with the glucose in your blood, at a cellular level the insulin cannot do its proper work............... it is not making enough any more to deal with the sugar levels.. yes I get that ... especially as I was doing so well eating sugar free......  a life sentence is the stage I am in.. maybe not like the stage I could be in later... but wavering between being a victim and hating being a victim.. knowing full well that I am not...

sort of: if I had a man hitting me .. I could just walk out.. end of discussion... but this darn diabetes will just follow me und slap me on the side of the face again and again.. ( I can honestly say I am glad I am not passing this thing on to the next generation.. I did not make any next generations.. )  

yes I know about the weight.. and I am working on it.. and am doing all sorts of good stuff.. until I sabotage my self.. like this headache stuff.. is just so hard to avoid every day.. to me that is juggling as a full time occupation.. even though I know how to deal with it.. if I forget just for half a day then I suffer.. as I do today..

and yesterday I had a bad (not depression) self pity day.. just wanted to jump out of my skin.. but then things started to look up and all was ok .. but this morning I am not able to shake this headache..  I am sometimes just so darn upset that I am in pain (as I have been all my living days for one thing or another food issue) .... which makes me agitated ( like a little kid, stupid) that I just .... whatever.... having a tantrum..

RIGHT now I feel so P.SST!!!.. but for me anger sometimes is the way to SLAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM a door behind me.. and I can sometimes embrace it to "do" something about it.. I know I am slamming a door on one relationship which is unpleasant .. as it will remove me from a family member I should be able to trust but just can't.. I just feel like taking a hammer to my head..   but like I said .. slamming that door..

well diabetes has such a door... just that it slams me in my behind as it swings back.. you see it has 2*  way hinges.. (get it diabetes 2*)   This is a door so hard to slammm ..... slammm .. thanks for just listening to my rant.. if only my headache would go away.. I wan to eat a cow.. and there-in-is-the-cure!!

Breath deeply.. I will make it... it is just a question how soon... breath deeply ...
P/S     and I hate exercise.. !!!!!  

# hours later I feel better.. the moon must be a changing??

Hi Goldie, I feel quite humbled by your mail, and can see how you are suffering.
Lucky you, you can  'eat a cow', literally! Hopefully you will come to the point one day when you are grateful for this diagnosis, as it has the possibility of leading you to a better life including a svelte body,compassion for people with any illness and greater understanding of the nature of mortality.By the way, without going back over your posts, have you obtained a copy of Peter's Diabetes book? Chapter One is called The Dynamics of Diabetes, and in that I am sure you will find your answers to the scientific questions that are puzzling you. there are many other books that I have dipped into, and they all fundamentally say the same things about glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and the need to lose weight and eat well, but no where else have I found such a profound analysis of correct food/diet as in Peter's work, whether it is BTD,GTD,personalized swami, or the specialist Diabetes book. I personally found it best to stick to the Diabetes book for the 6 months following diagnosis, then returned to my GTD when I had stabilized, then went to the swami when it became available in Australia.
Looking forward to your ongoing story,
Cheerio, Jenny

Jenny.. I have the diabetes book and I follow it.. 95% then I cheat sometimes and feel the difference .. I am certain that its the best book..

I know my not understanding is just not getting it.. like a mistery.. but suddenly a word will do it .. I know I am on addict.. what ever the addiction .. sweet, indulgence, stomping my feet, all in the name of .... darn it.. where is my freedom and where is .. my reward.._ right here with you all ... and like I said: it's on the cow.. ahaha  

Jenny,

When following the Diabetes book, is it safe to eat the "highly-beneficials" more often than the book suggests for a particular food group?  

For example, I do not eat meat/poultry but I do eat fish.  For blood type A, the book recommends eating fish/seafood 1-3 times per week for caucasians.  

Now, salmon is a highly-beneficial food for blood type A.  Because it's highly beneficial is it safe to eat it more than 3 times per week if you make sure the portion size is correct?  

I'm a bit confused and really appreciate your input!

Rob, I'd love to be able to answer you authoritatively, but I think the answer would more correctly be...it all depends...
If you are feeling seriously ill and under threat of medication, or any of the horrible outcomes, I would be fairly careful to follow portions etc. pretty closely for a fair while.On the other hand, I can't see that a bit of leeway will hurt. I guess it just puts the balance out somewhat. What's your gut feeling? (good word in this context!)
Jenny

Can someone tell me.. if I wish to eat lets just say.. prunes.. is it better to eat 2 at a time x 3 times a day?/

or have the six at night?? at the end of the day??

and tomatoe is not good at all?? or is it a plain sugar??

and eating ever smaller meals more often??

Quoted from Jenny

What's your gut feeling? (good word in this context!)
Jenny

haha Jenny,

Thanks for the quick reply and the aptly timed pun.  

I (for whatever reason) attribute a lot of my early success to eating the highly's as frequently as I'd like.  I do watch portion sizes very closely though as I know too big of a meal wrecks havoc on my glucose levels.

I really think eating the highly beneficials has been good for me which could be just because I want it to be that way.  Perhaps I'm just making too big of a deal out of it.  

I feel as though I'm quite in tune with my body and I believe if it were doing serious harm I'd certainly notice ill side-effects.

I do perform glucose testing numerous times throughout the day as I'm charting all the data to discover exactly what certain foods and portion sizes do to my sugar levels.  I'm getting a good handle on the numbers now and will feel comfortable in the next week or so to hopefully begin doing the tests less frequently.

Anyway, you're a gem.  I feel very blessed to have met you and the rest of this loving, caring community here.

frequency values are simply guidelines....
if following the diabetes, fish portions will not affect you if you wish to up those according to your needs.....same with veggies....

fruit and starches, I d be more careful to stay within the guidelines

Quoted from Lola

frequency values are simply guidelines....
if following the diabetes, fish portions will not affect you if you wish to up those according to your needs.....same with veggies....

fruit and starches, I d be more careful to stay within the guidelines

Thanks Lola for your valued input.

I am careful with my grain and fruit portions.  I've yet to eat an amount of any particular fruit or grain, which is actually a beneficial for me, that raised my sugar levels outside of or even near an unacceptable range.  

I like the grazing all day approach... it works for me.  I only seem to get into trouble when I try to eat fewer meals of larger proportions which I choose not to do because I know the consequence.  

YAP I am coming to the same discovery.. smaller and ever smaller meals work better..

how did my body know that YEARS ago??

the mistery .. it never ends.. some I think is sinking in.. like even after I will lick this .diabetis ll . it still will be with me forever ? !... its like a gift from my father.. he is long gone but keeps on giving..

Quoted from Goldie

like even after I will lick this .diabetis ll . it still will be with me forever ?

This is what most literature says.  Supposedly we can't cure it only manage it.  However, I'm not sure I've completely bought into this theory.  I often hear people say they've cured their diabetes and I choose to believe them.  

A think a lot of success and failure associated with the management of this condition begins in the mindset.  Until I'm 50 years into this and struggling and battling to stay on top of the affliction I will not allow my mind to be convinced I have a disease.

I KNOW the Diabetes BTD is controlling my situation extremely well and for that reason alone I've made an agreement with myself to continue pressing forward on the road to recovery by giving my body what it needs to function optimally.    

Quoted from MileHighRob

I KNOW the Diabetes BTD is controlling my situation extremely well and for that reason alone I've made an agreement with myself to continue pressing forward on the road to recovery by giving my body what it needs to function optimally.    

Excellent!!!  Bravo!!!  Great attitude!!!  Way to go!!!  That is the spirit!! That is the only way!!!

Rob-if you get 6-8 oz 3 X a week, you can have 4oz-6X a week, or 2oz-12X week.  (your still getting the right amount in per week, and when dealing with diabetes, the combination of what is in the meal effects the outcome of the glucose number, (so if you don't eat your protein portion with your veggies, most likely your glucose number will be higher two hours after eating, then if you did eat it) Fat will also balance the numbers very similiar as protein. 1T=9Gram fat 1oz meat/fish/poultry=7gram protein
many veggies are 5carbs per half cup, greens especially (usually considered free) on diabetic food plan. fruit serving=15Carbs & 1/2 most fruit juice=15 carbs.
Usually men get 30-45 for breakfast and 60-75 for lunch and dinner. (or can divide in six small meals a day.  Glucose needs to be 100-140 before going to bed, if not eat 15-30 carbs, before reclining) (glucose drops during the night, but also raises again in AM, but important to cover the drop, it could be life threatening,if not covered.

Feeling amazingly chipper today, as my 3 monthly blood test, the one known as Hb1ac
came  up with a 5.4 this morning, an improvement on the past two readings of 6.2 and 6.5. Apparently this reading is bang in the middle of the normal range, let alone the diabetic range. I realize that the U.S. numbering system is different to the Australian and Canadian version, but unfortunately I don't know how to translate them.
My cholesterol was also fine.
Had a longish discussion with the diabetic nurse specialist who does 6 monthly checks on all the danger signs, and she says I am doing amazingly well. I offered to take in and give her a copy of  Peter's diabetes book for her medical library, and she accepted quite happily. She then gave the GP a summary of my situation, emphasising that I was following the BTD program, and obviously doing well on it.
Slowly slowly catchy fishy.

Jenny,  you are an amazing warrior!!!  Thank you for your testimonials and ground work not only on diabetics but for your general positive influence to this forum!!! and such a great ambassador

Yeah well done Jenny!! Great example & ambassador!! Go get those little fishies

I am coming up for air in my gills.. your enthusiasm is great.. as I need it .. muchly..

today I would have no white lines on my swirls.. my fingers are so swollen from eating junk yesterday.. and not just a little.. sorry.. .... but I know sorry does not count..

I need to honor your experience and learn to say no..

as for a permanent 'condition' it is but so is being permanent on BTD.. I accept that..

BUT you are right .. you are not going to get the bad effects of diabetes .. as long as you can adhere to BTD..

I think WE ALL should request that we be given BTD compliant foods if ever we are in a hospital..

going fishing in my own pond of nutrient dense foods.. AHHHHHHHH nutrient is not enough.. it needs to be compliant nutrients!!!

compliant is king.. and I am the queen..