Doc told me I was following a terrible diet ...

[Francise]

Hi!

I have been following the plant based diet for about an year now and last week I had 9 tubes of blood tested for everything you can think of and got all results perfectly good except that some vitamins were a little low and my Glycated Hemoglobin was 5.9% .

The thing is, even though my fasting blood sugar was 87, I was told that I had prediabetes (because of the Glycated Hemoglobin of 5.9%) .

In the end the doctor said I "was following a terrible diet" and that I "should add oils and fatty foods on my meals, reduce the carbs and get some protein supplement".

Could you comment on that ?

Thanks a lot!

[Kaye]

Oh dear, I think I would ask him if he has any evidence/studies to prove that his recommendations are superior to the diet you are following and also ask him if he is aware of the Blue Zones. When did you last have blood tests prior to this one? In other words do you have a baseline?

[Francise]

Oh dear, I think I would ask him if he has any evidence/studies to prove that his recommendations are superior to the diet you are following and also ask him if he is aware of the Blue Zones. When did you last have blood tests prior to this one? In other words do you have a baseline?

Hi, thanks for answering!

I have never tested for the Glycated Emoglobin before but I have tested for the Fasting Glucose and it has always been low.

What puzzles me is that all the other tests were perfect including the body inflammation level that was zero, meaning no inflammation at all. Also I am not obese nor have any symptoms linked to the disease and I feel great and energetic.

Should I just keep doing my job and follow the diet?

[Idgie]

Should I just keep doing my job and follow the diet?

That would be my approach, yes. I would never let one lab number overrule all the other evidence of health (or illness).

[Francise]

Should I just keep doing my job and follow the diet?

That would be my approach, yes. I would never let one lab number overrule all the other evidence of health (or illness).

It's so good to hear that! I feel that I am in the right path too.

Thanks for commenting!

[Dixee]

I agree that one lab result is not a reason to completely change what appears to be very healthy for your body. You would not have achieved the other excellent results if your diet was "terrible." That said, your A1C is just a tad high and you might want to consider if there are any items sneaking into your diet that might be adjusted. And that item might be not enough exercise or a small amount of weight gain (both of which affect insulin sensitivity) rather than something you do or do not eat. The reason I think an A1C result is a bit different than some other lab results is that it reflects your blood sugar average over approximately 90 days. Thus, it indicates you may be doing something regularly (rather than just once the week before a blood draw) that you might want to think about. In any case, you NOW have a baseline for A1C which you can just keep an eye on going forward. No need to make drastic changes but it is always good to know how things are going over time. Congrats on your excellent lab results!

[Francise]

I agree that one lab result is not a reason to completely change what appears to be very healthy for your body. You would not have achieved the other excellent results if your diet was "terrible." That said, your A1C is just a tad high and you might want to consider if there are any items sneaking into your diet that might be adjusted. And that item might be not enough exercise or a small amount of weight gain (both of which affect insulin sensitivity) rather than something you do or do not eat. The reason I think an A1C result is a bit different than some other lab results is that it reflects your blood sugar average over approximately 90 days. Thus, it indicates you may be doing something regularly (rather than just once the week before a blood draw) that you might want to think about. In any case, you NOW have a baseline for A1C which you can just keep an eye on going forward. No need to make drastic changes but it is always good to know how things are going over time. Congrats on your excellent lab results!

That is a good point of view. I do agree that I could not get the good results if I was on a standard diet.
I will pay more attention on what I am doing and try to improve it.
Improvement is always the key, right?

Thank you!

[Lyndzie]

Gosh, doctors visit can be interesting. Also remember that Jeff does phone consults, so if this one test needs to be addressed, you can always tell your doctor that you will start working with a dietitian.

Congrats on all the other great test results!

[Francise]

Gosh, doctors visit can be interesting. Also remember that Jeff does phone consults, so if this one test needs to be addressed, you can always tell your doctor that you will start working with a dietitian.

Congrats on all the other great test results!

Thank you, Lyndzie!

This doc gave me a good scare but I feel more relieved now.

Sadly here in my country the plant based diet is almost unknown so we are kinda stuck in the past. Would be really nice to get a phone consult with Jeff, I will take a look if it is possible!

I appreciate your advice!

[gracezw]

Which country do you live in? Also other than consulting with Jeff, you can also consult with Dr. Lim and other medical doctors who work with him.

Gosh, doctors visit can be interesting. Also remember that Jeff does phone consults, so if this one test needs to be addressed, you can always tell your doctor that you will start working with a dietitian.

Congrats on all the other great test results!

Thank you, Lyndzie!

This doc gave me a good scare but I feel more relieved now.

Sadly here in my country the plant based diet is almost unknown so we are kinda stuck in the past. Would be really nice to get a phone consult with Jeff, I will take a look if it is possible!

I appreciate your advice!

[Francise]

Hello, Gracezw

Thanks for your response!

I live in Brazil and I have been looking for professionals who work with the plant-based diet, but I have not yet been lucky enough to find one (and paying in dollars is not a viable option at the moment).

I have something to share:

My husband noticed that I was sad about the results of my test, so he bought me a device to measure my blood glucose 1h and 2h after each meal. So I have done it and my results have been good so far. =D

I also did some research and found that the 1AC test may have a 0.5% error due to several things and that, in that case, should not be considered separate from other tests. If this applies to me, I'm at the normal range.

What do you think about that?

[viv]

The doctor's an idiot. The doctor works for you not the other way round, and if he doesn't support your lifestyle and has not even read the research, well maybe you could better spend your money.

[Francise]

The doctor's an idiot. The doctor works for you not the other way round, and if he doesn't support your lifestyle and has not even read the research, well maybe you could better spend your money.

Thank you! I also thought he was not open to expanding his knowledge. =)

[f00die]

prediabetes is not a disease
change doctors

[terribhappy]

I cannot find one doctor that will support this. I am type II diabetic on BasaGlar insulin injectable pin 50 units in the morning a 50 at night.It keeps my sugars reasonable, I started this way of eating about 2 weeks ago and I promptly got swollen hands and feet, my sugars are a bit higher but even on small portions, I am gaining weight which in turn will make the sugars higher. I am very frustrated. I have been told by 4 different doctors that fruits and veggies are always a good choice but I am missing the portion serving and it really is making a huge difference Eating oatmeal instead of poached eggs leaves me hungry, very tired, swollen and achy joints and muscles. Anyone else have these problems? I welcome any advise or comments Thanks