Please help me lower my A1C !

[maccagerl]

Hi!
Just got back my test results from my annual physical, and my A1C was a little elevated.
I know generally to decrease sugar, carbs and fats, but does anyone have some specific meal plans or recipes to share? I'm having the test repeated in 3 mos and hope to significantly decrease it.
Thanks!

 

[Sadie22]

If at all possible, attend diabetes education with a certified diabetes educator and nutritionist. This should be covered by insurance for most diabetics, but i'm not sure that it is for those diagnosed with pre-diabetes (although I think it should be). Not all doctors know about this education; you may need to ask for it. If there is a Diabetes Expo or health fair in your area, go and talk to experts there.

Our local hospital here has a diabetes center which offers monthly and quarterly group classes. If your community has something similar, you may be able to attend some of these. The American Diabetes Association website, Diabetes Forecast magazine, Diabetes Self-Management magazine, and newer cookbooks by the American Diabetes Association will be helpful. I like the ADA What Do I Eat Now and the ADA Month of Meals cookbook.

You may also want to post in the Disabilities forum.

 

[asta]

After a diabetes diagnosis my doctor referred me to a dietician who gave me very specific carb. goals for each meal. In short you need to cut carbs and increase your physical activity. I do this and not even fanatically and am able to keep my A1C below the diabetic range.

One very obvious place to start is to become a label reader. You might be surprised at prepared foods that are high in carbs. I have found that most low fat prepared foods are higher in carbs than the full fat versions. I have actually lost more weight and had lower A1C eating low carb and not really paying attention to the fat content.

 

[POOHsie]

Just in general, you don't need new recipes as much as you need to re-educate yourself about which foods to eat and which foods to avoid. It takes getting used to new food choices, and you may not want to make the change. But if your high A1C condition evolves into diabetes, you'll have to change. You'll also be buying and taking medicine for a lifetime, and you'll probably develop other health problems associated with diabetes.

I agree with PP to get diabetes education and nutrition guidance as described above. Good luck.

 

[Southernmiss]

Another thought. Go to a major bookseller and find a recipe book and a book that explains diet specific to lowering A1C. Dh took meds and danced around the drs. recommendations for 6 months. I said enough and bought a couple of books for dh on the DASH diet and with my support he began following them religiously and reduced his blood pressure in just 2 weeks. We went out of town this weekend and he cheated. Bp was up this morning. So back on the plan for him today.

 

[acebatonfan]

Hi! I am a type 1 diabetic. I personally use insulin infusions through a pump (I need insulin to stay alive) exercise, and a reduced-carb diet (about 150g net per day) to keep my A1C within desirable ranges.

First off, like what the others have said, have you made an appointment with a certified diabetes educator and a registered dietician? The CDE and RD should be able to give you guidelines on how you should approach meal planning. Off the top of my head, the American Diabetes Association recommends keeping net carbohydrates (total carbs - dietary fiber - sugar alcohols = net carbs) to around 45-60g and snacks to around 15-20g, though you might notice that you need to eat more/fewer carbohydrates.

In order to determine this, I recommend getting a blood glucose meter (Walmart's ReliOn brand has one for under $20 and 50ct test strips for about $10. It's the cheapest meter I have found) and using it to determine how much your blood glucose "spikes" with each meal. You typically will need to test before eating, record your number and how many grams of carbs you are consuming, and then test 1-2 hours after eating (most doctors recommend keeping your post-meal spikes to less than 140-180). If you notice that, for instance, your BG easily shoots up into the 200s after eating any meal that contains 40g, you might try reducing your net carbs per meal to 30g and seeing how that will affect the post-meal spike. On the other hand, if you're staying below 140 after eating a meal, you might be able to consume more carbohydrates per meal.

I also noticed that exercise helps a lot in increasing my sensitivity to insulin. It might be a good idea to find an exercise routine that you like, even if it's something like a fifteen minute walk around the neighborhood.

 

[Bilberry]

I've seen a number of testimonials on the Wheat Belly sight of people avoiding wheat and seeing their A1C number drop nicely. An example of that ~

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/08/size-4-7-75-inches-off-the-waist-and-goodbye-diabetes/

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Did the doctor that performed the test offer any advice? That would seem like the best place to start.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Were you given a meter? Like someone else said, testing and figuring out what different carb amounts do to your blood glucose levels is a good way to determine how many carbs you can have at each meal. Mine varies throughout the day - I can't have many carbs at all in the morning, but I can have more at dinner.

 

[Sadie22]

A meter will help determine how various foods and food combinations affect you, as different people metabolize differently and at different speeds. Nutrition software is also helpful such as Calorie King. My carb counts are 30 to 45 grams per meal with 15 for between meal snacks paired with protein and fiber. It's best for me to exercise in the morning to rev up my engine for the day but to also get some exercise throughout the day. I'm trying to lose weight as well as keep my A1c in the target range to avoid future complications. On cold or rainy days a friend and I walk in the local mall before shoppers arrive and get in about 3.5 to 4 miles just on doing that. I keep track of my steps and exercise using a FitBit. On nice days we're outside climbing hills, and we also have home exercise equipment in addition to the exercise and weight-bearing gained through housework and such.