Are diet soft drinks & artificial sweetners really effective?!
Question: I was recently diagnosed with prediabetes. I was given a chance to lower my numbers (122) on my own. So, I switched to all diet soft drinks. I used Splenda in my Ice tea, my coffee. I had ice cream that was fat free & sweetened with splenda. No candies or other sweets. My numbers went UP to 136. Isn't this diabetes and not prediabetes?
Answers: I was recently diagnosed with prediabetes. I was given a chance to lower my numbers (122) on my own. So, I switched to all diet soft drinks. I used Splenda in my Ice tea, my coffee. I had ice cream that was fat free & sweetened with splenda. No candies or other sweets. My numbers went UP to 136. Isn't this diabetes and not prediabetes?
Okay. Do not use Splenda, as it can cause instability in blood sugar because it is derived from sugar.
Your blood sugar is not just related to what you eat. Look at your eating patterns. Small meals four times a day, of low GI foods and regular exercise will help your situation more than sugar replacements will. Stay with low fat foods, as you have noted.
Remember though, low fat ice-cream still has a very high GI and will cause blood sugar issues.
Do not panic: act decisively.
As yet, you do not have a confirmed diagnosis, but you need to get this checked immediately.
Your GP (doctor) will be able to arrange the necessary tests and get the results in a week of so. The GP will also confirm the type of diabetes you have (Type 1 or Type2). The information below is more geared towards Type 2, which is more likely at your age, but is also good for Type 1.
You may have hypertension (high BP) and this is a risk factor, and the frequent passing of urine, tiredness and possible depression like features are all possible symptoms of diabetes.
Okay, I have been a Type 2 diabetic for several years becuse of a strong family link. The information below is for your general knowledge on the lifestyle changes you may need to make, even if you are not diabetic.
Getting used to the shopping once you know you have to make a lifestyle change is a little daunting. .
1. Juices (fruit or veg) are a big NO. They are monstroulsy high in sugar, and have little of the nutitional benefit of whole fruit/veg.
2. Regular moderate exercise is one of the most effective ways of monitoring blood sugar. Walking is the single best exercise with which to start, and work your wway up to a fast pace. 40-45 mins at LEAST every second day.
3. Change your diet, consulting the dietician as soon as you can. This is absolutely vital.
You will need to monitor fat and carbohydtare intake, and the tyes of carbohydrates you eat, how much and when during the dat you eat them. Do not fall into the idea of a low/no carb diet: your body will not cope well. That can cause the shakes and so on that you have had. These are due to your blood sugar being uncontrolled: it fluctuates wildly when this happens.. Never miss meals. You cannot ever do that again(assuming you ever did of course)!!
-Lots of fresh vegetables, especially green leafy and orange, like carrots/pumpkin. No fatty sauces or gravies, and lean meat, 125g (4 oz) servings 3-4 times a week.
Complex carbohydrate vegetables, such as potato and kumara have a bad rap, but it is more due to the way we cook and serve them. Eat recommended servings.
-Eat whole grains, and a broad mix:
Processed grains, flours and fruits are big time no-no's except in small quantities as treats.
-Sweeteners are okay, but some brands are better than others. Try not to use sweeteners derived from sugar. Splenda is one to avoid for this reason..
-You need to know what Glycemic Index means. , It is a measure of how fast your body breaks down carbohydrates into the glucose your body uses for energy. Generally a GI of lower than 50 in considered 'low, and over than is considered 'high', and there is no mid-range.
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES have lower GI's and thus provide sustained energy. Good cereals are low GI.
It is large amounts of the simple sugars you need to look out for: corn syrup, fruit juices, confectionary, cakes and biscuits (cookies). Fructose, Maltose, Sucrose and so on are all simple carbohydtares, and are to be minimised from your diet.
Fast food, McD's are NO, NO, NO, NO! Very rare treats when your sugar level is back under control. Carry barley sugar for when you get shaky, it will give you a small sugar boost when your sugar levels are low. Try not to get caught with that as your only option. This is a responsibility: you simply must avoid these foods. Too much fat and sugar.
-There are low-GI cookbooks, foods and beverages available (anything artificially sweetened like diet lemonade and Coke Zero is okay)
-Light comsumption of alcohol all that is recommended, and no heavy drinking on weekends
4. Monitor your blood sugar twice a day. Get taught how to do it
5. Eat whole, fresh fruit. Canned is NO GOOD and dried is high GI (Glycemic Index). Not too much tropical fruit though as these are often high GI
7. Pasta is okay in sensible amounts, but no high fat sauces!
8. Basmati or wholemeal rice only. There is a low GI Australian developed rice called Doongara, but it in probably not available overseas.
Check out websties like
www.diabetesaustralia.com.au.
There are American sites too.
It is an Aussie site, but you wil find links to other sites, and the information is pretty universal and cutting edge. Food information is there too, and there are many diabetic cookery books.
As you have perceived, your changes are in the nature of a lifestyle change, so exercise and diet, as well as monitoring, are all needed.
All those recommendations you will get for eye checks, dieticians and to see a doctor about this: great advice, go with it!
You have to be serious about this because, diabetes can lead to loss of eye-sight, heart disease, stroke, coma, amputations, and early death if not checked now.
You have recognised some of the problems in your current lifestyle, and you really do need to fix them.
You are better than his disease!
ummm so what if you did just water? interesting , I do diet ummm
My personal advice to you as a type 1 diabetic is to lose the soft drinks all together.
You have made some good choices in switching to diet. I just think soft drinks are not a good thing to drink in excess. Even if they are diet.
A real good method of helping your situation, is to start watching your carbohydrate & starch intakes. Starches help build unwanted fat and is difficult for some to break down. Carbohydrates are more complex sugars that can greatly affect your control as long as you track the amount you eat/drink.
Talk to your doctor about meal planning. It's best to start early so you have things in control from the beginning.
Good luck and I hope the best for you.
owain s-great explaination.The advice is textbook, follow his recomendations and you will have your lvls under control easily.
136 for you is still prediabetes because they have not officially diagnosed you with it yet, you do still have the chance of getting control of it with diet and exercise..
my mother was prediabetic for 2yrs before they deemed her diabetic and started using oral meds to control it and that was 9yrs ago, she is still taking the oral meds.
Yes they are. I drink them all the time and my numbers stay good. Splenda makes my sugar go up. I don't know why. Ice cream has carbs in it, even fat free. That will make your readings go up.
Are they effective at WHAT? Diet drinks don't lower blood sugar, they only give you something to drink that won't RAISE your blood sugar.
As far as your higher blood sugar...well that's a different story unrelated to your diet sweeteners.
Blood sugar is never the same all the time. Even in a person without any diabetes they wake up with a different blood sugar every morning...it just that it is in a very tight range.
You could have simply had a good day the day you got a 122 and perhaps many other days it is actually higher. Or you may have had a higher than normal day when you got a 136. In any case 126 or higher at fasting IS diabetes...but technically you need to have two or more such readings to be "official." But I consider that a mere technicality and at this point I would ask for a blood gluocose monitor and a referral to see a dietitian (RD) and/or diabetes educator (CDE) to discuss other dietary ways to control blood glucose.
Go to www.eatright.org and click on "Find a Nutrition Professional" in the left hand side. Look for an RD in your area that also is a CDE and you'll have the best of both worlds.
Also remember that even though your SWEETS are artificially sweetened everything but meat/cheese/eggs and veggies have carbs and all of those foods turn to sugar. Your dietitian will help you figure out the right amount to eat and get you started on an individualized plan.