What do you feed a queasy stomach with pre-diabetes?
August 6, 2013 11:14 AM Subscribe
My doctor asked me to try the South Beach Diet to help my pre-diabetes. I'm about to take an antibiotic that makes most people queasy or worse, and I'm wondering what to eat if I start feeling bad. Normally, such as when I get the flu, I stick to the BRAT diet of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. I can't eat any of those now without protein with them and only the whole grain versions of rice and toast. And when I'm nauseated things with flavor or fat like meat, stir fry, and salad are really unappealing. So South beach followers or diabetics/pre-diabetics -- what do you eat when you're feeling sick?
Light string cheese is my go-to for this.
posted by terilou at 11:18 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by terilou at 11:18 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I totally have been in your shoes, since I'm pre-diabetic and also have some IBS-like issue that makes me nauseous all the time. Cheese is good. You could make some cauliflower "rice," if you need something white and bland. You can make bread or cakelike foods without a lot of carbs if you use almond or coconut flour (Comfy Belly has the best recipes).
posted by chaiminda at 11:31 AM on August 6, 2013
posted by chaiminda at 11:31 AM on August 6, 2013
Chicken soup.
A nice bowl of homemade chicken soup.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:36 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
A nice bowl of homemade chicken soup.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:36 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Make sure you take a good quality probiotic supplement before, during and after your course of antibiotics. Also, ginger capsules may help with nausea. I make my own from bulk organic ginger, but you can find them in ready made capsules. Peppermint tea is usually recommended for nausea too.
posted by Blitz at 11:43 AM on August 6, 2013
posted by Blitz at 11:43 AM on August 6, 2013
The extension of BRAT I use is BRATTY, with TY standing for tea and yoghurt. I find bananas eaten with plain, unsweetened yoghurt much better for my blood glucose than without the yoghurt. For acute upset stomach problems, I prioritize those over the chronic condition, but still try to limit carbs, as with adding the yoghurt or getting sugar free applesauce, rice waffles and eating only a small portion of rice but with bouillon.
posted by meijusa at 11:51 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by meijusa at 11:51 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Totally take a pro-biotic and plenty of water! I have tummy issues and I was amazed at how much better I felt. You just need to take a probiotic and anti-biotic about 2 or so hours apart. I still had some nausea, but I didn't have horrible stomach pain.
I also do protein shakes. I am not pre-diabetic but borderline reactionary hypoglycemic and am sensitive to blood sugar levels. Do you have a meter then? Check your blood sugar more often and maybe do less carbs. I have found that anti-biotics made my blood sugar all screwy and raised and lowered it more often.
OH! And maybe you can ask for anti-nausea medication?
I was prescribed some after my wisdom teeth were pulled as I had nausea issues that made me really unable to eat. I don't remember what it was called but it was strong anti-nausea that was expensive. They normally give it to people on cancer treatments. You put it under you tongue and it dissolves. It worked amazingly!!
posted by Crystalinne at 11:57 AM on August 6, 2013
I also do protein shakes. I am not pre-diabetic but borderline reactionary hypoglycemic and am sensitive to blood sugar levels. Do you have a meter then? Check your blood sugar more often and maybe do less carbs. I have found that anti-biotics made my blood sugar all screwy and raised and lowered it more often.
OH! And maybe you can ask for anti-nausea medication?
I was prescribed some after my wisdom teeth were pulled as I had nausea issues that made me really unable to eat. I don't remember what it was called but it was strong anti-nausea that was expensive. They normally give it to people on cancer treatments. You put it under you tongue and it dissolves. It worked amazingly!!
posted by Crystalinne at 11:57 AM on August 6, 2013
Best answer: I found mashed avocado helped when I had some tummy upset recently and didn't want to get too carb-y.
posted by sweetkid at 12:12 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by sweetkid at 12:12 PM on August 6, 2013
Response by poster: Dairy is a problem for me, but I can eat a small amount of goat or sheep cheese each day, and shakes with soy or almond milk should work fine. (Oddly enough, finding a dairy-free probiotic is the hard part.) I haven't been able to find non-dairy yogurts without added sugar.
posted by Margalo Epps at 12:13 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by Margalo Epps at 12:13 PM on August 6, 2013
Cauliflower (if you can't eat cow dairy, try mashing it with canned coconut milk or just the cream off the top of the can), avocado, tom kha-type soup.
When things are really grim for me, I buy Mission low-carb tortillas. They have a strange pillowy texture (which I have come to crave) but taste and smell pretty much like tortillas, though they do not get crispy so much when toasted as...just hard and shattery. It's weird, you want to flip them over a couple of times in a hot pan or give them a quick dash in the oven but don't try to get them too brown. Your comfort mileage may vary.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:26 PM on August 6, 2013
When things are really grim for me, I buy Mission low-carb tortillas. They have a strange pillowy texture (which I have come to crave) but taste and smell pretty much like tortillas, though they do not get crispy so much when toasted as...just hard and shattery. It's weird, you want to flip them over a couple of times in a hot pan or give them a quick dash in the oven but don't try to get them too brown. Your comfort mileage may vary.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:26 PM on August 6, 2013
Cauliflower or nuts like roasted almonds are my go-to in this situation. Also, if you can tolerate goat and sheep's milk cheeses, you might be able to tolerate goat or sheep's milk yogurts, and I've seen those plain without added sugar.
posted by bedhead at 12:34 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by bedhead at 12:34 PM on August 6, 2013
Man, digestive systems sure are different. Cauliflower is my stomach's kryptonite, even though a nice cauliflower soup sounds so delicious and wholesome and plain.
posted by deludingmyself at 2:23 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by deludingmyself at 2:23 PM on August 6, 2013
Sugar free Queasy Drops may also help.
Are you allowed diet ginger ale?
posted by kathryn at 2:39 PM on August 6, 2013
Are you allowed diet ginger ale?
posted by kathryn at 2:39 PM on August 6, 2013
Yogurt! Not only will it help you with the queasiness, but it's got both protein and probiotics, which will - help you with the queasiness! You might try Activia Light, which helped me through two recent rounds of horrible antibiotics.
posted by Lynsey at 4:50 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by Lynsey at 4:50 PM on August 6, 2013
Oops. I'm sorry I missed your "dairy is a problem for me comment". Never mind (in Rosanne Rosanna Danna voice)!
posted by Lynsey at 4:53 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by Lynsey at 4:53 PM on August 6, 2013
I've been buying "Nice" brand dark chocolate covered raisins and coffee beans with a probiotic element that certainly smoothes everything out, so to speak. Doesn't seem like espresso beans would be the thing, but this stuff works great. It supposedly has more probiotic elements to it than yoghurt, and the mix also has almonds and dried fruits in it. Not expensive, available at Walgreens.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2013
Response by poster: Lynsey, that's fine. I can manage about half a tiny container of goat yogurt and it's good to be reminded that I should do that sometimes.
posted by Margalo Epps at 5:31 PM on August 6, 2013
posted by Margalo Epps at 5:31 PM on August 6, 2013
I don't know whether they're South Bank-appropriate, but the GoodBelly probiotic supplements (not the juice, obviously) are dairy-free. (Fairly tasty, too.)
posted by Lexica at 9:08 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by Lexica at 9:08 AM on August 7, 2013
Response by poster: So it turned out that unsalted peanuts were my favorite thing to nibble when I wasn't feeling well. (And making things like shakes or low carb bread were beyond my energy levels.) Thanks for all the ideas, everyone!
posted by Margalo Epps at 5:16 PM on September 8, 2013
posted by Margalo Epps at 5:16 PM on September 8, 2013
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posted by restless_nomad at 11:18 AM on August 6, 2013