Type 2 diagnosed....out goes all the good food

andysuperblue

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello, just introducing myself, I'm Andy from Northern Ireland, recently diagnosed as type 2 diabetic and just getting my head around all the changes needed, especially trying to work out food labels..lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Andy, welcome to the forum and you can get rid of that pint of beer for a start!!!!

Life just got harder and food more limited and boring but the up side is that you are among friends who are all in same boat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Yes, the carby food needs to be kep right down but proteins and fats are fine so you can have egg & bacon for breakfast and steak for dinner; not too bad. Beer can be carby, but spirits and wine are reasonably OK.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Could you tell us the good food that is going out. Maybe it's not all bad. You don't have to live on carrots and lettuce leaves.

What were your favourites.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

axle 222

Well-Known Member
Messages
243
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to do what I would like to be able to do
Hi and welcome to the forum,lots of good people and excellent advice will come your way.....wishing you well on your journey.....
 

Mongolia

Well-Known Member
Messages
845
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Andy, welcome! Contrary to what Arab Horse has said, I have found that food has got more interesting since diagnosis as I have had to become more creative and do 'proper' cooking. I guess it depends whether you like cooking or not! There are many meal ideas and recipes on this website to give you ideas, especially if you are thinking of trying the low carb, high fat way of eating. If you are planning on doing this, look at the total carbs figure on food labels (not just the sugars). I try to only select items that are 5g or less total carbs per 100g as a general rule of thumb but obviously if it is something that I am only going to eat a very small amount of this might be higher, eg a small square of 85% chocolate isn't going to weigh 100g so the fact that it has 19g carbs per 100g is allowable!
Do ask lots of questions - nothing is too daft and there are lots of fabulous people on the forum to help you.:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 10 people

andysuperblue

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Andy, welcome to the forum and you can get rid of that pint of beer for a start!!!!

Life just got harder and food more limited and boring but the up side is that you are among friends who are all in same boat.


Yeah no what you mean
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

andysuperblue

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks all for the info, yeah hopefully it will turn out for the best. One major issue I have is wife and daughter are still tucking into all the good /bad stuff that I need to cut back on...going to need strong will power in this house..lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,537
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are a fair cook or have someone to cook for you food can be amazing! Have a look in the recipe sections. YesterDay for evening meal I made tandoori chicken with cauliflower bahjee and cucumber riata - tonight I have made a moussaka with aubergines and mozzarella and roast cherry tomato salad with a dash of balsamic

Even a plain big Sunday roast with lots of veggies and a couple of small roast pots, any meat casseroled, if you have a sweet tooth there is lots of low carb things you can make, some really simple some a bit more complicated.

It's difficult at first and normal to feel deprived but once you get your head around it I'm sure you'll start to feel less deprived and find foods that you can enjoy.

Like @Squire Fulwood said if you let us know what it is you like then there are lots of us here can help you with some great alternatives
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,537
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks all for the info, yeah hopefully it will turn out for the best. One major issue I have is wife and daughter are still tucking into all the good /bad stuff that I need to cut back on...going to need strong will power in this house..lol
Bet they are soon wanting to raid your stash rather than the other way round I know mine do!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

vonbon1

Well-Known Member
Messages
83
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Being sick 24/7
Hya Andy, Welcome to the forum. I'm nae a big veggie fan but I've found making my own soups has been a big help. I even eat some veggies I wouldn't have eaten before. Food doesn't have to be boring or bland, use lots of spices and herbs.
 

JAY1JAY1

Well-Known Member
Messages
623
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diabetes
Hi and welcome
I'm surprised @daisy1 hasn't been along with some usefull info , but she will soon
You will be suprized what you can eat it's not all salads meat cheese veg just have a good read and come back with any questions.
Keep well stay safe JJ
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@andysuperblue

Hello Andy and welcome to the forum :)

To help you to work out what you can eat, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


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 150,000 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.
 

4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum. I have the same problem as yourself as I eat LCHF but everyone else still eats as I put it, their processed ****. I consider getting diabetes as being the best thing that ever happened to me as Im the healthiest I have ever been. It takes time to get your head around everything and it can seem like an endless journey but you will get there. Quite often my hubby will try and steal my food because it looks better than his so it doesnt have to be boring.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

carol43

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,192
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
My husband pinches my food as well so obviously it's not boring.
 

Croc

Well-Known Member
Messages
403
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Sea filth!
Everyone in this house steals my sugar free jelly!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Robbity

Expert
Messages
6,683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
You can eat a good, tasty, varied, healthy and interesting(!) low carb diet - It's only boring if you choose to make it so.

If you think it's going to be difficult just reduce the high carb stuff gradually, and look for suitable and tasty alternatives.

Robbity
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@andysuperblue says "Thanks all for the info, yeah hopefully it will turn out for the best. One major issue I have is wife and daughter are still tucking into all the good /bad stuff that I need to cut back on...going to need strong will power in this house..lol"

I came to diabetes late in life and had been having my healthy (or so I thought) breakfast cereal for the last twenty odd years; a grapefruit followed by bran flakes with seed sprinkle, chopped up fresh fruit and half a pint of low fat milk and a large, strong black coffee. Apart from the coffee the rest had to go. I did occasionally at weekends have a boiled egg and a couple of slices of granary toast and butter but don't like the egg without my toast. I now have an omelette with mushroom, tomato, onion etc and I do now like it although it was a struggle to eat it at first.

I know how hard it is to see the rest of the family eating things you can't. My husband won't eat anything that I eat so I too have to watch him tuck into the things I used to be able to eat; his diet has always been appalling; bag of 5 donuts or large cookies from Sainsbury's every day (I used to pinch one quite often); two sports drinks laden with sugar, something I never touch; very little fruit although I have always loved fruit and ate quite a lot of it but most of that is now forbidden or restricted; far too much wine, I used to have a medium to large glass but now only occasionally have a small glass; loved potato wedges, chips, baked etc but now can't have those although I still cook them for my son and his family when they come here.

I try to be very good but do have the odd bad day. My husband now shops and cooks for himself , he likes cooking so did most of the cooking and refuses to change the high carb commercial sauces he likes for home made or low carb so I can't eat anything he cooks. If your wife cooks low carb meals you can still enjoy her cooking and just cut out the potatoes etc.

The pain is worth it to avoid the awful complications of diabetes.

Good luck.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Alisonjane10

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,671
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Bullies, discrimination of any kind, bad manners, parents who let their kids run amok & spoil things for everyone else, unkind spiteful people, being a clumsy clod, toast crumbs in the bed, cold feet!!
Hello, just introducing myself, I'm Andy from Northern Ireland, recently diagnosed as type 2 diabetic and just getting my head around all the changes needed, especially trying to work out food labels..lol

Hi @andysuperblue. Welcome to the forum. There's an awful lot of very kind people on here who will happily share tips & give advice to help you manage your diabetes effectively. All the information is alot to get your head around when you're first diagnosed. But you will get there. It just takes time. Take a peruse through the advice/information pages on the forum. Educating yourself about your disorder is the key, & will help you make the right decisions for you. As for the dietary changes....well, there has to be adaptions to keep yourself healthy by stabilising your blood glucose levels. But that doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself. This might help get you started http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet-for-type2-diabetes.html Don't be afraid to ask or post questions. People want to help. Good luck, best wishes & good health. X
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people