Hello ... new person here!

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
I'm also in Lancashire. :)

Have you stopped having fruit for breakfast? Avocado is fine and can be eaten at any time as it is very low in carbs/sugar. Other fruit isn't fine on the whole and we need to take care with it. It depends how you eat it, and which type you eat, and how much you eat. There is an awful lot of sugar in fruit, and when the fruit is squashed, like in juice or smoothies, it makes matters worse. The best fruits are raspberries and strawberries, or maybe a small apple or pear. The ones to be very careful of are tropical varieties such as bananas and grapes, plus dried fruits. It isn't wise to eat it as a stand alone snack. It needs to be eaten as part of a meal, and preferably with something fatty such as cream or full fat plain yogurts. Mmmmmm strawberries and cream. :)

Have you got a blood glucose meter? If not, you will be helping yourself enormously if you bought one. With a meter you can test before eating and 2 hours after first bite to see at a glance what that food has done to your levels .... this way you will discover which foods are your personal danger foods. Keeping a food diary and recording your levels alongside is a good way to go about learning. We find our meters are essential tools.
I was suffering constipation and nothing seemed to work. I thought "Blow it" I will get a couple of red apples and see how I go with one. I had one apple with a substantial amount of cheese. I was very pleased that it had no effect on my blood glucose at all. Maybe the cheese with the apple had something to do with it? Oh and no more problem with the constipation
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I was suffering constipation and nothing seemed to work. I thought "Blow it" I will get a couple of red apples and see how I go with one. I had one apple with a substantial amount of cheese. I was very pleased that it had no effect on my blood glucose at all. Maybe the cheese with the apple had something to do with it? Oh and no more problem with the constipation

Yes, the substantial amount of cheese (fat) will have slowed down the absorption. However, apples are high on the insulin index, which is a downside of eating them. It isn't just glucose spikes we have to be careful of, it is insulin spikes too.
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
Yes, the substantial amount of cheese (fat) will have slowed down the absorption. However, apples are high on the insulin index, which is a downside of eating them. It isn't just glucose spikes we have to be careful of, it is insulin spikes too.
Thank you for this information Bluetit. I will only eat an apple if I get constipated,not on a regular basis
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bluetit1802

Grateful

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I had bad constipation when I first started low-carb.

This was largely solved by:
  • Adding a tablespoon of pure wheat bran to breakfast. Very high-carb, but small quantity.
  • Hydration (at least two liters of water per day, in addition to drinks with meals).
  • Edited to add: I also eat keto seed crackers, typically with cheese.
 
Last edited:

Bill_Tanner

Well-Known Member
Messages
62
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome,

It's clear something is pushing up your BG levels. All I can suggest is you keep a food diary including all the ingredients in each meal and the portion sizes. Really analyse exactly what you are eating. (amounts of carbs/fructose/calories/protein/fats and fibre) If you have a meter, use this to test before meals and about 2 hours after first bite, record these levels next to your food and look for patterns. This should show you what your danger foods are. The level to look at is the amount of difference between before and after. This needs to be as low as possible, and certainly under 2mmol/l. If it isn't, you have too many carbs in that meal for your body to cope with. If you don't have a meter, then you need to buy one, otherwise you are working blind.

I'm afraid our GPs mostly live in la-la land as far as diabetes is concerned, along with dieticians and the rest of the NHS. Our expectations are low. Your best place for help and advice is this forum, from people that are actually diabetic. There are many knowledgeable members. Have a good read round and see how others are controlling matters, and ask as many questions as you like.
I agree with you plenty of advice on here but I would never act without advice from my diabetes nurse or GP.... La la land? Change your doctor or your Country!
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
Have you tried flaxseed?
Yes I sometimes have two desert spoons in warm water but does not seem to be doing much,but the apple helped a lot
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
I had bad constipation when I first started low-carb.

This was largely solved by:
  • Adding a tablespoon of pure wheat bran to breakfast. Very high-carb, but small quantity.
  • Hydration (at least two liters of water per day, in addition to drinks with meals).
  • Edited to add: I also eat keto seed crackers, typically with cheese.
I think that I will be doing that with the bran. I have been doing this Keto for a few months now and keep getting constipated every now and then. I never got constipated before but I ate foods such as sweet potato,cous cous, high fibre bread, fruits and root veg, now obviously they have been cut out of my diet. I must admit I am bad for not drinking enough water. I just never really get thirsty, never have which is suprising since I was told that my sugar was in the high (but not diabetic range)
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
Yes, the substantial amount of cheese (fat) will have slowed down the absorption. However, apples are high on the insulin index, which is a downside of eating them. It isn't just glucose spikes we have to be careful of, it is insulin spikes too.
If our meter is telling me that my BG is within range, how do I know if my insulin spikes? Sorry still all new to this
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If our meter is telling me that my BG is within range, how do I know if my insulin spikes? Sorry still all new to this

You don't know how high your insulin spikes, which is a big downside. As yet there are no insulin meters. The insulin index is a guide to which foods produce an insulin response. Some of the high insulin foods are quite surprising. Good to know that butter is the lowest. :)

https://public.tableau.com/profile/christoffer.green#!/vizhome/InsulinogenicFoodData/Dashboard1

http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=3624

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/5/984/T1.expansion.html
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
Just be aware that wheat bran is pretty much pure carbs. Works for me, in small quantities.
I have just pinched a couple of dessert spoons from my sons all bran. I added hot water. Yes it is high carb, but two flat desert spoons shouldn't hurt
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
You don't know how high your insulin spikes, which is a big downside. As yet there are no insulin meters. The insulin index is a guide to which foods produce an insulin response. Some of the high insulin foods are quite surprising. Good to know that butter is the lowest. :)

https://public.tableau.com/profile/christoffer.green#!/vizhome/InsulinogenicFoodData/Dashboard1

http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=3624

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/5/984/T1.expansion.html
Oh, I see. So we could be eating things that our meter say is ok,but maybe not? Arggg lol Thank you for the links. I am going to read up on them now
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bluetit1802

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Oh, I see. So we could be eating things that our meter say is ok,but maybe not? Arggg lol Thank you for the links. I am going to read up on them now

One of the problems with T2 diabetes is insulin resistance. The more insulin we produce, the worse the resistance becomes and the fattier our livers become, and of course weight gain. It is also thought that it is high insulin levels that are to blame for inflammation issues, CVD and so forth, making it just as important to keep insulin levels down as it is to keep glucose levels down.
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
Oh, I see. So we could be eating things that our meter say is ok,but maybe not? Arggg lol Thank you for the links. I am going to read up on them now
You don't know how high your insulin spikes, which is a big downside. As yet there are no insulin meters. The insulin index is a guide to which foods produce an insulin response. Some of the high insulin foods are quite surprising. Good to know that butter is the lowest. :)

https://public.tableau.com/profile/christoffer.green#!/vizhome/InsulinogenicFoodData/Dashboard1

http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=3624

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/5/984/T1.expansion.html
Oh, am I reading wrong that cucumber is high? Think that we should live on butter ; )
 

Grateful

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just pinched a couple of dessert spoons from my sons all bran. I added hot water. Yes it is high carb, but two flat desert spoons shouldn't hurt

I avoid all commercial pre-prepared cereals, including All Bran, because of possible added sugars.

I just checked Kellogg's All Bran and it has 6 grams of sugar (presumably, added sugar) per half-cup serving.

I buy pure wheat bran in 20-ounce packets from the supermarket here in America. A standard 15-gram serving contains 6g of dietary fiber, zero grams of sugar and 10 grams of carbs. I have 8g of wheat bran (one tablespoon) with my breakfast so about 5 grams of carbs.
 
Last edited:

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
One of the problems with T2 diabetes is insulin resistance. The more insulin we produce, the worse the resistance becomes and the fattier our livers become, and of course weight gain. It is also thought that it is high insulin levels that are to blame for inflammation issues, CVD and so forth, making it just as important to keep insulin levels down as it is to keep glucose levels down.
I am pre-diabetic but obviously, have to be careful. I go by what peeps eat on this forum, meat, fish, salad, veg, cheese, and eggs l berries and cream. macadamia nuts and seeds, olive oil etc plenty of green veg
 

derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rudeness,people being unkind
I avoid all commercial pre-prepared cereals, including All Bran, because of possible added sugars.

I just checked Kellogg's All Bran and it has 6 grams of sugar (presumably, added sugar) per half-cup serving.

I buy pure wheat bran in 20-ounce packets from the supermarket here in America. A standard 15-gram serving contains 6g of dietary fiber, zero grams of sugar and 10 grams of carbs. I have 8g of wheat bran (one tablespoon) with my breakfast so about 5 grams of carbs.
On the box it says 7.2 sugars for 40 grams. I did not have anything like that much so should be ok. I weighed them on the scaled with my two dessertspoons and the scale did not move lol. I will buy some pure bran also,best to be safe. Thank you for the advice