Alcohol.

[tinka21]

Just been diagnosed with type 2 , have been prescribed metformin, seen the nurse today which gave me print outs regarding things to eat and things to avoid (which are totally different from what i am reading on here ) i asked her regarding alcahol but she didnt give me much help so hoping for a bit of info, i usually only drink maybe twice a week, am i correct in saying spirit with a diet coke would be ok ,(couldnt guarantee it would be diet stuff i would be getting ) what non alcoholic drinks could i have, and regarding beers how many units and does anyone know which beers have less sugar, and heres me thinking the food diet was confusing....Cheers

 

[Sorted007]

Try Holsten Pils

 

[daddys1]

Just been diagnosed with type 2 , have been prescribed metformin, seen the nurse today which gave me print outs regarding things to eat and things to avoid (which are totally different from what i am reading on here ) i asked her regarding alcahol but she didnt give me much help so hoping for a bit of info, i usually only drink maybe twice a week, am i correct in saying spirit with a diet coke would be ok ,(couldnt guarantee it would be diet stuff i would be getting ) what non alcoholic drinks could i have, and regarding beers how many units and does anyone know which beers have less sugar, and heres me thinking the food diet was confusing....Cheers

Hi tinka21 and welcome to the forum.
I know it's hard to believe but if you follow the NHS diet you will slowly get worse, I was Pre Diabetic followed the diet ended up in six months Borderline diabetic, came on here went Low Carb High Fat never felt better lost weight and am now out of the diabetic range completely. Still have to watch what I eat though.
I'm going to Tag @daisy1 who will come a long with a long list of very useful information but it will be early tomorrow now.
As for the beer, I would have drunk some weeks 4/5 pints thursday 3 pints friday 5/6 saturday 3/4 pints sunday some weeks. I have had to cut that by at least half and that was drinking bitter.

Beer is classed as liquid bread and will spike you you may be able to drink in moderation but may not. Full of carbs
Cider is really a No No too sweet.
Lager is slightly better than beer and as @Sorted007 says any Pils beers.
Dry wines best is red and all spirits wisky gin vodka etc.but not liquer types. Don't chance a coke if it's not diet.

What are your numbers did you get a print out, that will tell us where you are, and maybe how you may improve with diet and exercise.

For type 2 s it's not normal usually for your doc to suggest testing but nearly all on here test there blood sugars before meals and after. We eat to our meters.

Ask as many questions as you want and have a good look round the forum there are lots of people here that will help.

Neil

 

[britincali]

Beer and wine for some brilliantly weird reason doesn't hardly affect my BGs at all . Now porrage , bread and pasta are a whole different ballgame

Oh I'm T1

 

[daisy1]

@tinka21

Hello and welcome to the forum

As you are newly diagnosed I think you would benefit from reading this basic information which we give to new members. Ask all the questions you like and someone will come along and help. A useful answer from @daddys1 already.



BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Amanda61]

I was wondering about the alcohol situation as well. Although
I seem to have gone off it, and haven't had a drink since Jan this year.
I was wondering if Gin and slimline tonic would be OK.

 

[tinka21]

I was wondering about the alcohol situation as well. Although
I seem to have gone off it, and haven't had a drink since Jan this year.
I was wondering if Gin and slimline tonic would be OK.

Thanks for the speedy replies, regarding the low carb ie losing weight, weight loss was the reason my symptoms were picked up, after dieting for about 18 month I reached the weight I wanted to be so decided to eat normal but found I was still losing a bit weight so a trip to the docs and here I am, question is if I carry on I'm going to lose more weight which I don't want to. Cheers

 

[daddys1]

I was wondering about the alcohol situation as well. Although
I seem to have gone off it, and haven't had a drink since Jan this year.
I was wondering if Gin and slimline tonic would be OK.

I was told by a chemist if you are on Metformin and a Type 2 then do not drink alone (heavy drinking) as there is a small chance of having very low blood sugar and going into hypo. Beer for me puts my sugars up very quickly where wine reduces them for me again quite considerably.
I have gin & slimline after I've finished my beer quota
Neil

 

[Amanda61]

I was told by a chemist if you are on Metformin and a Type 2 then do not drink alone (heavy drinking) as there is a small chance of having very low blood sugar and going into hypo. Beer for me puts my sugars up very quickly where wine reduces them for me again quite considerably.
I have gin & slimline after I've finished my beer quota
Neil

How many is your beer quota id be on the floor
The last time i was out i had 1 gin and tonic and half a glass of white wine. But drank loads of water.
Is fizzy water allowed or is that a no no?

 

[AloeSvea]

How many is your beer quota id be on the floor
The last time i was out i had 1 gin and tonic and half a glass of white wine. But drank loads of water.
Is fizzy water allowed or is that a no no?

By fizzy water do you mean unsweetened sodas? And carbonated mineral water? Those drinks are my salvation! (As safe-for-diabetics mixers, and as a substitute for cider and champagne when VLCD-ing etc.) Very refreshing, very festive, very diabetic-safe!

Regarding any food or drink - make your blood glucose meter your best friend (well, nearly?) and eat and drink and check your blood glucose at various stages after it (one hour after, two hours after) as recommended here. No better way to know what works and doesn't work for you and your body! (ie - blood glucose levels/diabetes.) That way you can check anything out - fruit, alcohol, pasta, bread - anything and everything!

 

[Amanda61]

By fizzy water do you mean unsweetened sodas? And carbonated mineral water? Those drinks are my salvation! (As safe-for-diabetics mixers, and as a substitute for cider and champagne when VLCD-ing etc.) Very refreshing, very festive, very diabetic-safe!

Regarding any food or drink - make your blood glucose meter your best friend (well, nearly?) and eat and drink and check your blood glucose at various stages after it (one hour after, two hours after) as recommended here. No better way to know what works and doesn't work for you and your body! (ie - blood glucose levels/diabetes.) That way you can check anything out - fruit, alcohol, pasta, bread - anything and everything!

Yes i meant the carbonated mineral water. Because red wine is just to strong for me, but if i add some fizzy water in
it makes it drinkable.
I will have to buy a glucose checker as my doc wouldn't order me one. Says i don't need it as i'm borderline diabetic
whatever that means.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Alcohol in sensible quantities is not a problem although the Metformin leaflet will advise against it. I have a few units per week without any issues or effect on blood sugar. Any drink with no added sugar may be OK but check the carb content. Yes, ignore any NHS diet advice encouraging the eating of carbs and don't worry about fat or salt unless you have a specific medical condtion other than diabetes. If you continue to lose weight beyond a normal BMI then be aware that late onset T1 is always a possibility so check back here or with the GP for more info.

 

[JRW]

The carbs are usually balanced out by the alcohol for me.

 

[vedekj]

i am off alcohol for a month or two. simply because i want to get to grasp with my diabetes before adding the complication of Alcohol. i still drink Pepsi Max and it seems to be fine for me. but i have also started drinking a lot of plain sparkling water at 12p for 2 liters at asda its pretty cheap

 

[maggieo]

I was never informed of the complications of drinking alcohol whilst taking metformin , after reading this page and previous pages things are starting to make sense . I have always been a bit of a binge drinker maybe once or twice a month but couldn't understand why i was suddenly falling all over the place and blacking out . Often waking with cuts and bruises , will take the advice given and experiment with my BM machine .

 

[jay hay-char]

I think the only official advice you'll get about alcohol and diabetes from the NHS is the same as the advice they give to everyone else: don't exceed 14 units of alcohol per week if you are a woman, and 21 if you are a man (I think that's correct) and don't save it all up for a binge

I hardly ever drink during the week and I've never been a massive pub-goer or beer monster, which is probably to my advantage, since beer is carb-tastic. I think that stuff like Holsten Pils or Diat Pils is relatively low in carbs but, in my view, there's a reason why their names rhyme with p*ss . I've always liked red wine and Scotch (not mixed together ) and they are both quite good from a low-carb perspective. In general, I think I'm right in saying that spirits have virtually all the carbs distilled out of them, so they're a better bet than other forms of booze if you're diabetic, and the OPs suggestion of spirits with a diet mixer is a good one - I often have Scotch with a diet dry ginger or, if I'm in any doubt about whether or not a mixer served in a pub is genuinely "diet" I'll have a Scotch and soda - you can't really go wrong with that.

Bear in mind, however, that all booze has loads of calories, so restraint is required if you're dieting and, as already mentioned, go careful if you're on Metformin, though it hasn't caused me any problems - yet - but then I have never been a heavy drinker.

So: moderation - yes; abstinence - no. HTH

 

[maggieo]

Thanks , think I have been in denial , thought I could carry on as normal but hey ho .

Recent blood tests have made me sit up and think .

Unfortunately I seem to love everything that is bad for me , my Hba1c was 69 !!!

Thanks again