Some questions..

[Trying]

I hope someone can answer these several questions.

#1- Is it okay to eat apples? I've seen a lot of pros/cons on the web. Some say it is okay to eat apples and their GI is low. Others say don't eat apples because they have sugar.

#2- If okay to eat apples. Can two apples be eaten a day?

#3- When you are going to take your GS test, should it be 90 minutes after you FINISH your meal or 90 minutes from the FIRST bite of food?

#4- If you have an apple while waiting for your food which is going to be ready in about 10 or 15 minutes later, and you intend to take GS test, when should the 90 minutes begin? When you took first bite of apple, or when you actually started your meal which might be 10 or 15 minutes after finishing the apple?

$5- If your 90 minutes BS reading after eating an apple is, say 119, and your 90 minutes BS reading after eating turkey cutlets and stringbeans is 111 - what might your 90 minutes BS reading be after eating an apple and then eating the turkey cutlets? Would it be a total of the two? Someone asked me this question and it got me thinking and confused.
Thanks for your 'definitive' answers.

#6- Would anyone know if Colon Cleanse is okay to take?

Bob/ 72 yr/ Pre-D

[Penny]

Hi Bob. :) I cannot eat a whole apple without having a big surge in my BS...this is true of most fruits. I usually limit apples to 1/2 at a time, and only if my BS is low enough. Yet, I have a type 2 friend who eats fruit anytime, and never seems to have a problem with her BS.
What this means to me is we all react differently, and you just need to test to see what it does to you.
My doctor told me to test at 2 hours, and to be happy if I am under 160. I am not satisfied with that, but if I test at 3 hours I am almost always at an acceptable level. I would be happy with 119 at two hours! :D
Have you talked to your doctor about what he/she thinks you should be doing and eating? If you want to eat apples, eat them......just test and decide if it causes you a problem, then make adjustments.

[Montana1]

I do eat apples but usually with a piece of cheese or some type of protein. No big spikes. I have always wondered about your bs and snacking before the meal. I am also waiting for the replies.:)
Montana

[Handybear]

I can't eat fruit. But everyone is different. That is why it is so important to test. What works for me won't necessarily work for you.

I start my testing time the minute I start eating if it is a small meal. I start at the end of the meal if it consists of several courses. I also use 2 hours as my testing time, not 90 minutes. I guess what I am saying is that you have to be consistent.

Good luck with the apples.

[Emm]

You'll have to do some blood sugar testing to find out if apples are ok for you... test before eating it, test maybe 45 minutes afterwards, then half an hour later than that. Or more often if you can - the more tests you do the more information you have.

Personally, I can eat apples no problems. They are high in fiber and low in carb and it makes for a great healthy snack for me.

Of course this depends what kind of apple you're eating, how big it is, and what else is going on in your digestive system / insulin production.

If you eat the turkey and the apple your BG wouldn't be the sum of those two readings - but it would be more than you get from just eating one of them. I can't say how much more - and it'd be almost impossible to work it out because it would be different for each person and for every time you did it!

Re testing times - most people test 2 hours after starting their meal. 90 minutes is fine but you'll probably still be dropping then so don't be discouraged if its a little higher than you'd like.

I wouldn't know about the colon cleansing, sorry.

Which type of diabetes do you have? Are you on meds / insulin? These things make a difference.

[Ronin]

Hi Trying!

First of all, Welcome to DF! Fruit is an interesting topic. As with all things it really depends on how your body reacts to what you eat. Since you posted these questions in the Pre-Diabetes forum my guess is that you have been "diagnosed" as a Pre-D. Is that correct?

The only way to tell how your body reacts to an apple is to eat one and then test yourself at various intervals.

Your question #5 has me thinking that you are new to this but you do have a meter. To have a BG level of 119 after eating only an apple is not abnormal. Nor is it abnormal to have a reading of 111 following a turkey cutlet and string beans. However, I doubt if eating an apple along with the turkey cutlet and string beans would drive your BG up to 230 -- glucose metabolism isn't that simple.

Please tell us a bit more about yourself (your public profile is basically empty). Have you, in fact, been diagnosed? If so, based on what critera. What do your test numbers (both laboratory and home meter) look like? Are you now on any medications? What support resources do you have available?

Most of us, particularly those of us with the highly controversial diagnosis of Pre-Diabetic, are learning by trial and error as well as learning from each other --- that is why DF is here. The more information we have the easier we can make suggestions to assist you in your personal journey.

[xMenace]

I'm fine with all fresh fruit.

You have to test and determine for yourself what you can and cannot eat, or whetehr it's time for new or more meds.

Welcome.

[Evermont]

...Would it be a total of the two?...

The question is confusing because of how it's worded. "Total" implies that you simply add the two numbers but that is not a meaningful thing to do.

Think about it this way: If you started at zero, and ate something that raised your number to 130, then later started at zero and ate something else that raised your number to 110 - then adding them when you are both together *might* make sense. Of course, as you know, starting at zero doesn't happen. So what are you starting at? Lets say 90 (but you can test to be sure!). Then you go up 40 points to get to 130, then later back to 90 and up 20 points to get to 110. So if the simple addition were a reasonable way to predict then I would expect the result to be 90 + 20 + 40, or 150 total.

150 is not a disaster. This is an experiment you can safely do. I think you will find that the total comes out less than 150 but that's just a guess. Make sure you wash any apple juice off your fingers before testing though!

Apples are a very healthy food. I eat 3 or 4 per week and wouldn't hesitate to have two on the same day - even at the same time.

[Alice]

A half-apple is equal to about one carb exchange. So, how do you handle other carbs? I'm Type 1 (and on insulin) so I may not relate well to your carb exchanges...but my thinking is that if you can't handle any carbs well, then medication should be reviewed.

Most fruits need to be cut in half for one exchange...so maybe try halves and see how you do. Fruit has such wonderful nutritional/fiber benefits.

[Larry H.]

Personally we have a half a sliced apple with lunch nearly everyday and my numbers usually are good, but not always. I read somewhere recently also that 90 minutes after you eat timing.. first I thought it was two hours, or one hour from the first bite.. Then the one touch people told me two hours from finishing the meal was the best reading, not likely to show such wild variations that people can have for a brief time after eating. Their take evidently is that it is a more average feel for where your leveling out to rather than a short high point.. don't know I can relate either way.. I know if I test at two hours from the start I get a higher reading than at two hours after. Which is better is up to question and opinion I guess.
So as suggested, test at a regular point and see what the apple does, maybe your one who can eat it and maybe not?