Bonkers GP appointment

Celieanne I'd carry on with what you're doing. It's a daft idea. Your food sounds similar to mine, except I wouldn't have the potatoes or the honey, but if you enjoy them and you're only taking two tablets at 88, you don't have much to worry about.

That sounds very faffy to me. I think I’d just incorporate salad into my meal.

Coconutty

That sounds very faffy to me. I think I’d just incorporate salad into my meal.

I do that most of the time too. At restaurants abroad, we often get given une salade de bienvenue, which usually includes lettuce, sweetcorn and tomatoes whilst we’re looking at the menu. It’s easy when someone else is serving.

Exactly Coconutty and Mollygo. I really can't imagine falling out of bed and making myself a green salad (and the original claim is about green salad and nothing else) every morning for the rest of my life. It's a fad like mumbo jumbo bean supplements (or whatever).

Coconutty

That sounds very faffy to me. I think I’d just incorporate salad into my meal.

I think the point is to prepare your tummy for the carbs after? I'm not really too sure tbh but my cravings have definately lessened.

The salad isn't hard to make- a few leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, a little grated carrot and a spoon of olive oil- I have just made it in a bowl, eaten about half and it's in the fridge for morning. You can still eat salad with your meal...

I think because it isn't your meal makes all the difference to me. I eat it about 30 minutes before my meal is ready...

Growstuff I do eat eggs too, and fruit and yoghurt for breakfast. It isn't porridge every day...

There are so many different things that are good for you/not good for you e.g. porridge, appears on my pre diabetic advice, lowers cholesterol advice, then I hear it causes a spike for some.
I love advice like “putting butter on jacket potatoes” is good for you, when last week it was better to have cottage cheese.
If it works for you, whatever you’re working to improve, e.g diabetes, weight, cholesterol and doesn't make you stressed, it’s a good diet.

I absolutely agree with you Mollygo. It really irritates me when people claim things like it's better to have cottage cheese. No, it's not, if you don't particularly like cottage cheese (which I don't) and know you won't enjoy it. The theory is that a little fat with carbs slows down the digestion of carbs and helps prevent sugar spikes in diabetics. If it works - and you like it - do it. I rarely eat potatoes anyway, but if I do, I'll have a few small pieces alongside a plate of protein, healthy fats and a mound of veggies or salad.

I've read so many times that porridge is good for people, so I've tried it a number of times. It's cheap too, so I'd love to eat more of it, but I know I can't. My plasma blood glucose levels two hours after eating porridge are sky high and it takes 24 hours for them to settle, even if I don't eat any carbs for the rest of the day. However, if it works for you, eat it!

When I was diagnosed with diabetes in my 30s, most people (including GPs) were clueless. I must have been diabetic for a while and nobody really knows why. I wish I'd known earlier what I know now because I might have had a chance to put diabetes into remission, but it's too late now. My pancreas is worn out and I have no option but to control the symptoms, which I know how to do with lifestyle. Not eating starchy carbs seems to cause people problems and I have been accused of eating a fad diet. No, I don't - I eat what is right for me and I can prove it's right with constant testing and my routine blood tests. So when people suggest eating a spoonful of something or adding an expensive supplement - or even going to the faff of making a green salad to eat before all the other salad and veggies I eat routinely, I just smile grimly and vow not to listen to that person again.

keepingquiet If it works for you and you're losing a bit of weight, do it.

At least you're not calling yourself the "Glucose Goddess" and making loads of money out of it.

Thankyou

Remember a salad need not be cold. it could be hot vegetables too.

I forgot to add - what about a handful of nuts ( unless you are allergic) before breakfast

I do eat nuts and thought about putting them in the salad but I'm still just getting on with it. Maybe it is mind over matter but I am feeling better- I'm sleeping later and don't feel so tired in the daytime. Also I'm not eating any rubbish.

I don't think I could maintain it long term and I have been invited out for lunch at least once this week- but I going to stick with it as much as I can.

I had a pre-diabetic blood reading during Covid and was referred to the 'Healthier You, Preventing Diabetes' progamme.

Along with low carb eating (just reduced carbs, not keto) the advice to eat salad first was also a big theme. My blood sugar was normal 3 months after I started the programme.

To me this sounds like a fad, and I hope you like salad.

I detest salad, so no-one would persuade me to eat one before any meal, and I never eat breakfast either.

Can't you get a referral to a clinical dietrician?

So can you put eg balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the salad?

Whilst it seems to be advice based solely on the pre-diabetes, if your sugars are higher, this puts your triglycides up which affects your cholesterol reading so you will be killing two birds with one stone.

and then you have those of us that are allergic to raw fruit and veg - pollen food syndrome - oh how I miss being able to eat salad, mine kicked in with the menopause.

It’s actually sound advice. Helps with glucose balancing. I try to eat a small green salad to start.

There’s a lot of chat going around about taking statins. I would opt for what you are doing. Look up “ The Glucose Goddess” for more info on diabetes.
It seems weird having salads in the morning but she has some recipes that may be more affordable like veggie omelette for breakfast amongst other things. Hope this helps.

Why was this bonkers ?
Us GPs can't win !
You received sensible advice to keep you well and, hopefully, stop you needing medication or becoming diabetic.
What's the poor GP to do ?
Dole out pills ...we get criticism.
Don't dole out pills...same !
No magic wands , you know.
We aren't Harry Potter!!!

Mirren, if you didn’t ask,
“What would you like me to do?”
Thats a good start.

Mirren it only seemed bonkers at the time. I can't reveal the whole consultation but after reading the posts on here I now realise that maybe it was good advice.

The consultation began with- 'I can't deal with two things if you have more than one issue you will have to make another appointment...'

In the end she praised me for my motivation to keep healthy and even said it made a change to have an 'intellectual' conversation as she put it.

I wasn't GP bashing and I'm sorry if it seemed that way, but I won't go into the other things that were discussed that made me feel frustrated. I do realise that GPs are often at the mercy of practice managers and government initiatives and IT systems etc- but it does help if Doctors look at you when you walk instead of staring at a screen...

Mirren

Why was this bonkers ?
Us GPs can't win !
You received sensible advice to keep you well and, hopefully, stop you needing medication or becoming diabetic.
What's the poor GP to do ?
Dole out pills ...we get criticism.
Don't dole out pills...same !
No magic wands , you know.
We aren't Harry Potter!!!

I like a doctor that looks outside the box. Especially one that wants to help people keep healthy and not need to see a doctor!

Wow Mirren, that's a bit of a rant at keepingquiet!

It's We doctors (subject ), not Us doctors.