Helen, my doctor wasn't very supportive either, though he at least didn't call what I wanted to do "crazy" and he agreed to allow me a few months to try diet first even though my blood glucose levels were very high. (My blood glucose levels, by the way, came down within a month. Two-thirds to three-quarters of my blood glucose readings are now below 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L). That's not low enough, but good for now.)
You won't know what you can accomplish until you give it your best go.
@helenjones and
@skipworth, as a type 2 diabetic that crossed over to diabetes sometime after 2006, uses diet and exercise only, and takes
no medication to manage blood glucose, some foods mentioned may be problematic. I ignored my diabetes until this year so am very carb intolerant.
I am not able to tolerate sugars; grains; fruits; starchy carbs (vegetables that grow
under the ground); or beans (legumes). Bottled salad dressings also are problematic because they almost all have added sugar. These foods cause big spikes for me. Tomatoes are problematic too.
For a salad dressing, a simple vinaigrette of 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, shaken, works well. There are other vinaigrettes as well, do a search on "vinaigrette recipes" to find one you like.
I don't eat processed foods, sugar, fruit, or grains. They spike my blood glucose too much. But I can have a few berries as part of or immediately following a meal. And I eat small amounts of 70% - 85% dark chocolate daily, and enjoy a glass of dry red wine nightly too. I drink a cup of coffee a few mornings a week, and all the black tea and green tea I want, water too of course.
I do have small amounts of starchy carbs such as carrots as part of a meal occasionally. By small amount, I mean a 2" length of a carrot. I do this because I want to eat as many colorful vegetables as I can on a weekly basis. I have berries too, but only in small amounts, perhaps one to two tablespoons at a time. No luck with potatoes or sweet potatoes though.
I'll have a tablespoon to a quarter cup of beans, perhaps once a week, again, as part of a meal.
All that said, I otherwise eat normally, though I eat whole foods only, and low carb. I eat daily meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, loads of non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens prepared in all kinds of interesting ways, nuts, butter, extra virgin olive oil, vinegars, occasionally cream or plain yogurt (no added sugars), sometimes berries too.
Helen, losing the weight is a great place to start. From what I've read here, the ND has helped a lot of people. When the time comes to begin eating food at each meal again, visit us on the Low Carb forum, and we'll support you through the transition.
Thank you Helen for sharing your experiences as you continue on the ND. I lost 12 pounds earlier this year. It helped. Hope you lose some or all of the weight. And thank you skipworth for your encouraging and empowering words for Helen, us too.
Helen, I hope you continue to share your progress. It's been two steps forward, one step back the whole way for me. But it's progress!