New T2.....

Becky72

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello everyone

I was diagnosed type 2 a week ago and my gp recommended joining this community. I have learnt so much already, thank you all.

My Dad had T2 and regularly tested so I was surprised when my doctor said I will be advised to test on the education course but there is no need to. Incidentally he is the same gp my Dad used and is the diabetic specialist in the practice. My bg was 19 when the nurse did a finger prick test (did not fast) and then my hba1c was 80. From what I have read on this forum most of you very much believe in testing. I have decided I want to test - do you all test at set times or before/after eating? I still find this confusing. The doctor made no mention of the impact of eating carbs, he said just a balance diet, reduce my portions and no added sugar.

I also am struggling for ideas for snacking and would be grateful for any suggestions.
Thank you :)
 

ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
Hi Becky, welcome to the forum. I will tag @daisy1 who can post some newbie information for you. It's a good idea to test first thing in the morning and then before a meal and 2 hours afterwards so you can learn which foods increase your blood sugar by a lot.

Nuts or cheese are good snack foods, and there are more ideas on the thread called "what have you eaten today?" in the low carb diet forum.
 
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purplepenguin

Well-Known Member
Messages
319
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Becky, and welcome to the forum.
Have a good look around this site, I have learnt much more from it than I ever have from the medical profession. My best advice would be to totally ignore the NHS advice on the eatwell plate, and go Low Carb Higher Fat. You will find lots of info on here, but basically cut out all pasta, rice, potatoes, veg grown underground and of course products containing sugar. Do not eat low fat foods, they have a ton of sugar in them.

Read Daisy's info when she posts it, there is a wealth of info there
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Your doctor was half-right about diet. Yes, avoid added sugar and have smaller portions, but all carbs are a problem and not just sugar. The term 'balanced diet' has no meaning and is typical NHS nonsense. You need to keep the carbs down and have enough protein, veg and fats to make you feel full. Yes, you do a need a meter and to test.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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@Becky72

Hello Becky and welcome to the forum :) There is some very useful information above which should help you a lot. I agree with the advice on testing and diet. Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to answer you.


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.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome from me.

Some excellent advice above. All carbs are problematic for diabetics, as are fruits and milk. By testing before and 2 hours after a meal you will learn for yourself which foods your body can cope with and in what portion size, but potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and cereals will do you the most harm. (and that includes wholemeal)

Good luck, read round, and ask questions.
 
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4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum. I can't really add to the great advice above but be rest assured you are in the right place to get yourself on track. Any questions just ask, we are a helpful bunch.
 
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Sirmione

Well-Known Member
Messages
477
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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You will find the early days very confusing because almost all official NHS guidance on what is considered as healthy eating has to be turned upside down. You will find also your body never quite responds to various foods the way you expect just try the advice you will find on the forum and adapt it to the way your body responds and your life style.
 

NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Other
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Vegetables
"Eat a balanced diet" is meaningless advice.
 
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ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
"Eat a balanced diet" is meaningless advice.
Not totally... if it means reduce the amount of blatant junk food and eat more home-prepared real food, that's not a bad thing.

Some people literally eat takeaways, crisps, lollies, chocolates, biscuits and drink alcohol and sugared drinks 90-100% of the time. That's not a balanced diet.
 

NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Not totally... if it means reduce the amount of blatant junk food and eat more home-prepared real food, that's not a bad thing.

Some people literally eat takeaways, crisps, lollies, chocolates, biscuits and drink alcohol and sugared drinks 90-100% of the time. That's not a balanced diet.
If.
 
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Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
"Eat a balanced diet" is meaningless advice.
A balanced diet means different things to different people. For me a balanced diet means healthy food low in starchy carbs and no sugar stuff but containing all the vitamins and minerals my body needs.
 

NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
A balanced diet means different things to different people. For me a balanced diet means healthy food low in starchy carbs and no sugar stuff but containing all the vitamins and minerals my body needs.
That's why it's meaningless advice. Might as well just say "eat in a healthy manner", which also means different things to different people.