Friday, 30 May 2014

April Austerity - Fallout 1

So, it's been a few weeks since I have actually written anything, largely because essays have been cramping my style at uni and also because I needed a break from talking and thinking about food all day and every day, except that I haven't had a break at all.

Things are definitely playing on my mind regarding my health. My blood sugar level has always been a bit  up and down over the last 7-8 years, but my start point every day used to be 5, it rose to 11 and then back to 5 in the morning.  It's the change to higher figures I am worried about and it was going up in April - until the monitor decided it wasn't playing ball any more.

After much kerfuffle I finally managed to sort out my blood sugar monitor and all the failing/missing components needed for regular glucose monitoring and started out agreeing with Harefield that it was far to high: first thing in the morning my fasting bloods were running between 8 and 11.  Eeep.  They'd climb and fall each day to about 15-16 and then back down to about 8-11 the following morning.  Eeep - again.

So, yes, back on the food train of thought again...oooh trains...oooh steam trains...oooh Whitby...oooh Dracula (yes, I am easily distracted): Food to Goth in four steps.  And now you have some idea of how my mind works EVERY SINGLE MINUTE I AM AWAKE (and trying to sleep).



Potatoes have often caused me issues in the past, when I have been on high dosages of steroids, so I relegated them to treat status.  My blood sugar came down a bit.  Happier.

Then I decided to look at the various sugars I have been consuming, to see if one variety was more damning than another.  It's become clear, if I eat fruit, without something with it (nuts, oats, or after a slice of seeded wholegrain toast, etc) then my level rockets back up again.  Approach fruit with caution.  I have long said fruit juice was not a healthy option.  Yes, I like nothing more than a J20 Orange and Passionfruit drink, but I think the day where I hoof one back is probably well and truly over: they contain no fat (yes, you need fat), no fibre and a truck load of sugar.  I'll eat the orange, just not drink the juice.

And then the shocker...dairy.  I started monitoring my glucose level after my teas and coffee; every time I had a cuppa my glucose gained two points.  I've been dairy free for four days now and my morning level has been under 7 on each occasion; twice hitting about 5.  Coffee and tea without milk is an easy change for me to make and I can play about with the various non-dairy milks for cooking and for throwing over cereals each morning.  No. Not soya.  I have to avoid soya.  I'm going to put dairy back in my diet in a few days, just to see if I get the expected rise.  I need to be certain.

On the plus side; rather bizarrely, on the day I scarfed down a slab of cake, a four finger kitkat and a fizzy drink, my glucose levels were a bit high, but no where nearly as high as they had been on the fruit!  Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

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