Is there anywhere to buy low carb meals or do you have to make them I am a unstable type 1 diabetic was born with it and now 28
Hi Jamie
I'm a T2 recently diagnosed diabetic (mid-December 2018). At diagnosis, my HbA1c read 51.
Maybe like you, I don't want to become a kitchen princess.
I'm pretty new to watching the diet and I'm trying to follow a rough-and-ready low carb approach. But I'm not remotely knowledgeable.... so take the following with a small pinch of low-fat salt.
I've found a great range of fairly low-carb frozen meals at Iceland. They're marketed under the brand 'Slimming World'.
They're fairly exotic.... and they come in a very modest range of sizes. They're also quite cheap.
Typically I aim for the meals with a carb count of below or around 10g per 100g. I get the large size (500g or 550g) ... because I'm quite tall and I get quite hungry.
Last night I had chicken and chorizo-style sausage paella. 550g with 12.5g carb per 100g.... of which sugars account for 2.1g. Total carbs therefore: around 70g (of which around 12g are sugars). Cost: £3.50. Microwave time (from frozen): 12 mins.
I would probably eat 3 of these a week (mainly at the weekend). My nearby Iceland is in a major city .. and there is usually a selection of around 20 to chose from... of which a number are vegetarian-friendly. Some are curries. Others suggest side dishes of rice. If I'm brave, I might once in a while choose an option which suggests rice. Then I get Uncle Ben's wholegrain rice (£1) which cooks in 2 mins in the packet.... but contains lots of carbs (30g per 100g). I don't choose such a combination often.
Daytime during the week, I get a fairly cheap meal in a place where I work... The meals are not diabetic-friendly so I have to be ruthless in asking for very tiny portions of either potato or rice.
Alternatives I'm learning to use: the Heinz Big Soup range (7.6g per 100g of which 2.2g are sugars). In the evening, I might have a tin of beans (baked... but also mixed beans or reduced salt/sugar options). To this I add a tin of mackerel in virgin olive oil. Total cost: £1. Prep time: 3 mins.
A reminder: I'm new to this, I'm not an expert at all (I'm just learning), and I've only attended one briefing for newly-diagnosed diabetics. So check what I have written; consult others.
I'm following a simple rule of thumb. I never eat anything I like. Sounds daft? Maybe. But I've managed to get HbA1c down from 51 to 40 in three months. I've taken a sledgehammer to all my favourite foods. Gone: bread, thick buttered toast, biscuits, cakes, crisps, Pringles, chips, white rice, any kind of yogurt (except plain Greek yogurt), all breakfast cereals (except plain porridge), ice cream (obviously! and it means no more trips to the cinema!)..
When people say (including my nutritionist) "a little bit of what you fancy does you good", I pay no attention. It's not advice I would give to someone giving up cigarettes... or cocaine, for that matter.
Hope some of this might be useful.
Thanks for reading.
Best wishes.