diet and sugar levels

[clight]

You all have been a big help to me and I wonder if I could pose another question.
I have noticed that drinking a regular soda pop with a meal doen't tend to make my sugar higher but if I drink whole milk that does tend to increase it (I am speaking of the 2 hr post meal test). I must be missing something as first thing I was told was to stay away from reg. soda pop but nothing was said about milk.
I started taking my pill at night instead of morning which has helped alot as I work weird hours and usually do not eat dinner untill sometimes 10:30pm plus I have a bad habit of getting up in middle of night for a glass of milk. My highest reading will be in morning (around 138-142 depending on if I have snacked along with the milk lol!) and throughout day it will be around 97-107 which I believe is a good count.
I would appreciate any comments and input you all have.
Again, thankyou soooo much for your help.
Cindi

[JDRF-Team-ES]

Dear Cindi,
First of all, I do want to remind you that I am not a physician or a dietician, so all I can give you ia a little of my own personal wisdom having had diabetes for 39 years.  I know that you are also aware that Type 2 Diabetes is very different from Type 1 Diabetes, which is what most of us at JDRF are familiar with.  Your body is still producing some insulin which is being stimulated and used more efficiently with the help of those pills you take.  Our Type 1 bodies are not producing any insulin, for the most part, and therefore we have to artificially supply insulin for everything we eat.  Even so there are variables for all of us that impact our blood sugar; what we eat, when we eat it, hormones, exercise, etc.  Part of living with diabetes is doing exactly what your doing, which is paying attention to the impact of your habits and patterns on your blood sugars.

It seems to me that you are doing a very good job.  Don't expect to always have a perfect blood sugar. I don't believe that is possible, but watching what you do and modifying your behavior as necessary, as you are doing, is the key to success.

As to the specifics of milk vs. regular soda.  Both actually have sugar in them.  The sugar in regular soda goes into your blood sugar comparatively quickly which will naturally stimulate your body to produce insulin.  You may also be a little more active during the day which helps with lowering blood sugars.  The sugars in the milk are absorbed into the blood stream a little slower than refined sugars which is actually better for your body because it doesn't put that immediate demand on your body to produce insulin. That is the reason they recommend staying away from refined sugars.

Your blood sugars sound very good to me, but your doctor is a better source for what your optimal goals should be.  Your Hemoglobin A1C will be the best indicator of how well you are doing and again your doctor will help you understand what a good outcome is for you.  

In the meantime, I would try to stay away from those refined sugars  because your body is already being stressed to produce enough insulin as is indicated by the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, and adding to that stress can't be good for you.  There may be times when your blood sugars drop too low (hypoglycemia) and you need some quick infusion of sugar.  Those are great times to indulge yourself with some of that regular soda, if you have a craving for it.  And for those other times, there are some great diet sodas out there.

Good luck.  It sounds like you are doing a great job!
Esther

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Cindi,
I'm still not a physician ;-) so do run this by a qualified endocrinologist or CDE, okay?  I'd like to comment on the regular soda first & then on the whole milk.

If humanly possible, I'd suggest you wean yourself from sugar-loaded soda.  As a type 2, your ability to process sugars is impaired -- either delayed insulin response and/or some measure of insulin resistance.  A regular sode has a lot of simple sugars and each one you drink *does* stress your system.  It seems you're able to handle it now, and yet it's in your best long-term interest to develop a new "taste."  A typical can of regular soda will have about 40gms of carbo -- all in the form of simple sugars.  While drinking that type of beverage can give you a quick "pick me up," it leaves little to keep us feeling satisfied for longer -- unlike milk or whole grain bread or fruit.  Thus, no only do we get a big carbo load from the soda, we might end up hungry pretty soon afterwards.  

I know that you're working hard now to develop some food choices that work well with your schedule and your job.  You might try some unsweetened or "diet" iced teas or even seltzer or bottled water.  Keeping hydrated is so important and I hope you find some alternatives that, over time, will lead you to choose the diet/ no carbo beverages instead of regular sodas.

Milk is a great food and it does have carbos in it.  Whole milk has add the added "kick" of fat.  When we have foods/drinks with significant fat & carbo content, it's common that the carbos will "hit" us later and may have a longer-term effect:  seems to be jsut what you're describing.  Since many Type 2s can reduce their symptoms of diabtetes by a combination of exercise and ways of eating that lead to weight loss, you might consider switching to 2% milk (or lower fat).  A cup (8 ounces) of whole milk has about 12g carbo, 8g protein and 8g fat.  A cup of 2% has about the same amount of carbo & protein and 5g fat.  It is likely that your wonderful (it IS great to drink milk, especially for women) glass of milk may be larger than 8oz, so it's a good idea to measure just how much you normally drink so you can understand how much carbo & fat you're taking in at that time.

Since I mentioned the topic of fats slowing the absorption of carbos, I should point out that protein does, too.  Diabetics are often encouraged to eat meals & snacks that are a combination of carbo with protein and/or fat precicsely for that reason... the carbo load is more gradual and "kinder" to a struggling pancreas than a can of regular soda.

Hope this helps, Cindi -- every bit of learning you put into managing your diabetes will result in a healthier result.  Keep up your great work!