millymitz

millymitz

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello there happy Sunday!!! that's as friendly as I can get today as I went shopping for food and came back in a bezz with ....not very much. Hoping people can give me food inspiration to lose weight because I am already a very fussy eater. I've been told I am prediabetes, then diabetic then borderline!!!! wish they'd make up their minds as they are meant to be the ones in the know on all this! They being the 'diabetes nurse' at our surgery claims they don't have more than basic nutritional knowledge which to me is disgraceful to be given the title and responsibility. I keep watching the TV progs about food such as food unwrapped which to be honest makes me even worse about what I would eat combined with what I am not allowed anymore I am proper stressed about getting it wrong because I am a carer too and very afraid of getting ill. WE cannot afford to eat what I will have AND what hubby wants so I feel guilty that He doesn't get fish/much meat I know he says " I don't fancy it don't buy it" to keep me happy.
about me: 51 female, carer (unpaid) very not wealthy! no pets, music broad choice to be honest. The latest music I got was a birthday gift ( Gregory Porter)
Best films Green Mile/Sister Act2/Truly Madly Deeply./School for seduction. Favourite author is Mitch Albom. I am religious but struggling just now after studying religion feeling I'm a bit lost haha! Camping? way overrated. Favourite place is Sandsend nr Whitby. been abroad but fell in love with The Highlands and gave up renewing the passport. All sounds a bit miserable eh... no its just where I am right now not the altogether me
 
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DeejayR

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,375
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome. Lots of people on here have similar problems with the challenge of different food for partners and families plus the confusion of getting to grips with their diabetes with very little practical help from their surgery.
I'll tag @daisy1 to give you her great guide, so have a read and ask more questions.
I never take much notice of TV progs anyway. They just add to the confusion usually.
 
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daisy1

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

Hello Milly and welcome to the forum :)

To help you to find out more about how to tackle diabetes, regardless of your diagnosis, here is the information, as mentioned above, which we give to new members. I hope you will find it helpful. Anything you need to know just ask as someone will be able to give you advice.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.
 

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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
Hello there happy Sunday!!! that's as friendly as I can get today as I went shopping for food and came back in a bezz with ....not very much. Hoping people can give me food inspiration to lose weight because I am already a very fussy eater. I've been told I am prediabetes, then diabetic then borderline!!!! wish they'd make up their minds as they are meant to be the ones in the know on all this! They being the 'diabetes nurse' at our surgery claims they don't have more than basic nutritional knowledge which to me is disgraceful to be given the title and responsibility. I keep watching the TV progs about food such as food unwrapped which to be honest makes me even worse about what I would eat combined with what I am not allowed anymore I am proper stressed about getting it wrong because I am a carer too and very afraid of getting ill. WE cannot afford to eat what I will have AND what hubby wants so I feel guilty that He doesn't get fish/much meat I know he says " I don't fancy it don't buy it" to keep me happy.
about me: 51 female, carer (unpaid) very not wealthy! no pets, music broad choice to be honest. The latest music I got was a birthday gift ( Gregory Porter)
Best films Green Mile/Sister Act2/Truly Madly Deeply./School for seduction. Favourite author is Mitch Albom. I am religious but struggling just now after studying religion feeling I'm a bit lost haha! Camping? way overrated. Favourite place is Sandsend nr Whitby. been abroad but fell in love with The Highlands and gave up renewing the passport. All sounds a bit miserable eh... no its just where I am right now not the altogether me


Hello milly,don't worry we all have off days,and being told or not told in your case can be frightening....we all have different ways of coping and via this site you will find you get information from people that you'll think" yes,that's me".... I got a book called carbs and cals,can get it from bookshop or Amazon, actually shows you pictures of food,portion sizes etc,for me it was a start. I've now downloaded recipe books from info people have given on site. Try not to be too despondent,it is hard and we all think at diagnosis can never eat nice food again......but you can and you will learn....
Wishing you well......we all use these forums to sound off, laugh,even cry......
 
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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
Forgot to say,book was recommended by nutritionist I see.......
 
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