Peanut butter & Jelly, v2.0

[Captante]

My lab results list 4.8-5.6% as normal, pre-diabetes at 5.7-6.4, and diabetes anything over 6.4.

Anything over 6 is a problem. 6.4 is the "old" number for type II diabetes ... it's been slightly lowered.

What you want to be sure to do is monitor it over time and jump on a "rising" trend ... far easier to correct a problem early and ANY level of increase over time is concerning.

 

[Muse]

As you get older your a1c will go up a bit naturally .... 5.5 is nothing to worry about, however everyone SHOULD be keeping a close eye on their blood-sugar as an adult even if they've never been diagnosed with a problem.

MAKE 100% SURE you are getting an a1c test done @ every physical minimum.

Best bet is CUT EMPTY CALORIES and exercise a lot. (which you already do) Also try to completely eliminate added sugar.

I do some empty calories, i.e. a bit of chocolate and I make a low cal cottage cheese cake that includes sugar. But I don't pig out on sugar. I don't crave sweets.
I figure with my activity level and general dietary habits I can accommodate some added sugar. But cutting that out would help... added sugar, "empty calories" are detrimental. Not easy to avoid sometimes, just look what you see in the stores and restaurants! And look at all the super fatties you see these days! Walking cautionary tales.

Most of what is said about weight control is total nonsense. This documentary is a real eye opener to what's really going on: Fed Up (narrated by Katie Couric).

 

[Captante]

Knowing what we now know about added sugar I disagree but your call. Some sweet foods like REAL ice cream and good chocolate do have some nutritional value along with the sugars but most sweets do not.

Whole food by itself has plenty of carbs/sugars for humans naturally.

 

[Muse]

Knowing what we now know about added sugar I disagree but your call. Some sweet foods like REAL ice cream and good chocolate do have some nutritional value along with the sugars but most sweets do not.

Whole food by itself has plenty of carbs/sugars for humans naturally.

disagree about what?

 

[Captante]

disagree about what?

Added sugar to foods.

 

[Muse]

Added sugar to foods.

You mean never add sugar, period, in recipes? Your chocolate has added sugar.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I am normal in all categories but I noticed the other day that my A1C is on the high side at 5.5%.

That's normal.

The things you should be worried about are:

Is your fasting blood glucose level high? 99 mg/dL is the max you can have. After that, you are courting diabetes.

Your triglycerides levels must not be high. These are what ACTUALLY cause diabetes.

Diabetes is not the inability of the body to process glucose.

It is actually the inability of the body to clear bad fatty acids from the blood.

When the bad fatty acids rise, your internal organs start getting covered with fat, particularly the liver and pancreas.

This diminishes their functions and may cause the pancreatic beta cells to start going dormant or diminishing their production of insulin.

THIS is what causes type 2 diabetes.

More here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

 

[Captante]

I figure with my activity level and general dietary habits I can accommodate some added sugar

It helps .... but sucrose/fructose added to food = poison.

"Big sugar" was a thing way before big oil.

 

[Muse]

That's normal.

The things you should be worried about are:

Is your fasting blood glucose level high? 99 mg/dL is the max you can have. After that, you are courting diabetes.

Your triglycerides levels must not be high. These are what ACTUALLY cause diabetes.

Diabetes is not the inability of the body to process glucose.

It is actually the inability of the body to clear bad fatty acids from the blood.

When the bad fatty acids rise, your internal organs start getting covered with fat, particularly the liver and pancreas.

This diminishes their functions and may cause the pancreatic beta cells to start going dormant or diminishing their production of insulin.

THIS is what causes type 2 diabetes.

More here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

Well, I've never done that deep dive, but my blood testing from March had me in normal ranges in everything and my doctor had no complaints.

 

[Muse]

It helps .... but sucrose/fructose added to food = poison.

"Big sugar" was a thing way before big oil.

So, chocolate is poison. Also, jam, jelly, preserves, ice cream.

Ethyl alcohol is "toxic," according to my PT sister.

 

[Muse]

Some fruit is pretty high in sugar content: Pineapples, raisins, probably plums and peaches. What's the difference between those and added sugar? Just the fiber?

 

[Captante]

So, chocolate is poison. Also, jam, jelly, preserves, ice cream.

Ethyl alcohol is "toxic," according to my PT sister.

Unsweetened dark chocolate is sure a LOT healthier than sweetened milk .... and yes, pure sugar is poison.

It really is a matter of degrees far as specific foods but we've become SO accustomed to "sweet" EVERYTHING that it's insane... I drink "sour" cherry juice now and it tastes almost sickeningly sweet since I've phased out 99% of ADDED sugar from my diet.

Last time I took a sip of a soda I literally spit it right out.... tasted nasty!

 

[igor_kavinski]

Some fruit is pretty high in sugar content: Pineapples, raisins, probably plums and peaches. What's the difference between those and added sugar? Just the fiber?

Everything in moderation is fine.

Fruit sugar from eating normal amount of fruit (don't juice) is safe.

Table sugar is more complex than fruit sugars. It has to be broken down by enzymes which are limited in supply and are required elsewhere in the body for other processes. It also causes scarring of the liver which can cause fatty liver disease and some researchers attribute fatty liver disease as a precursor to diabetes.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Fun fact:

Eating guava with skin increases blood sugar.

Without skin, it lowers blood sugar.

Another one:

Mango with skin helps the body use its sugar more effectively and mitigate its harmfulness. Eating it without the skin is not wise, yet this is what 99.9% of people do.

 

[Captante]

Sugary liquids like most fruit juices are actually one of the worst things you can do to yourself especially on an empty stomach.... causes major blood-sugar spikes.

Good thing they told us to "start the day with orange juice" for all those years lol.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Last time I took a sip of a soda I literally spit it right out.... tasted nasty!

Yeah. Normal Kitkat tastes nasty to me.

The dark chocolate Kitkat is my preferred poison.

 

[igor_kavinski]

And if you want to kill yourself with sugar overdose for any reason, eat donuts, especially the vile Krispy Kremes

 

[nakedfrog]

Everything is poison, it's the dose that matters.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

No 'nannas?

No Orange Marmalade?

.

 

[Captante]

And if you want to kill yourself with sugar overdose for any reason, eat donuts, especially the vile Krispy Kremes

Personally there's nothing I like better than a classic jelly donut!

Full Metal Jacket (1987) - The Jelly Donut Scene (Youtube)

 

[igor_kavinski]

Eating pomegranates isn't supposed to increase hbA1C.

Apparently, their sugar is surrounded by molecules so that sugar doesn't get to bump around and damage the red blood cells.

hbA1C is the percentage of red blood cells damaged by the free floating glucose in blood.

 

[Captante]

No 'nannas?

No Orange Marmalade?

.

Like igor said... in moderation fresh fruit is fine. But go with jams/preserves that contain minimal/no added sugar.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Like igor said... in moderation fresh fruit is fine. But go with jams/preserves that contain minimal/no added sugar.

Yeah, the pectin fiber in such jams is beneficial.

 

[Captante]

Yeah, the pectin fiber in such jams is beneficial.

Plus they're yummy!

 

[Captante]

Eating pomegranates isn't supposed to increase hbA1C.

Apparently, their sugar is surrounded by molecules so that sugar doesn't get to bump around and damage the red blood cells.

hbA1C is the percentage of red blood cells damaged by the free floating glucose in blood.

Also provided you chow down on the seeds they're LOADED with insoluble fiber! (the thing that makes whole fruit ok but fruit juice a bad idea)