Confused ??

Chook

Expert
Messages
5,095
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People who think they know everything.
I can't tolerate any bread except for the Lidl high protein rolls - which have a very marginal affect on my BG. I now buy them in bulk and freeze.
 

daisy1

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

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. You may also find the Low Carb Program to be useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


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 well over 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SimonCrox

Chromeautofill

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Golf, tennis, darts and snooker
How do I go about doing a self test on my glucose levels ? I've seen a sign outside a Saintsbury's near where I live saying you can have a free diabetes check up or something on those lines, but by the time I get home from work they're closed, I won't be home til around 11pm tonight for instance, and I tend to snack my food rather than have a set meal time, i'll probably have a cheeseburger for my tea/supper when I get home later then straight to bed because I have to leave home at 5am on a Thursday, usually without breakfast too, that's why it'll be hard getting a true blood sugar reading if I've not eaten for say 5 hours or so
 

Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,466
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
How do I go about doing a self test on my glucose levels ? I've seen a sign outside a Saintsbury's near where I live saying you can have a free diabetes check up or something on those lines, but by the time I get home from work they're closed, I won't be home til around 11pm tonight for instance, and I tend to snack my food rather than have a set meal time, i'll probably have a cheeseburger for my tea/supper when I get home later then straight to bed because I have to leave home at 5am on a Thursday, usually without breakfast too, that's why it'll be hard getting a true blood sugar reading if I've not eaten for say 5 hours or so

Hi @Chromeautofill

In order to self test you will need a meter. As a pre-diabetic (or even for most type 2s) you'll have to self fund as the NHS won't prescribe one. Meters themselves are quite cheap - or even free - but the test strips can be expensive so choose wisely!

There is a section on this website about meters - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood_glucose_monitor_guide.html

There are 2 meters with relatively cheap strips - the SD Codefree https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/

Or the Tee2 - http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/

In either case you need to tick the box to say you have diabetes (to avoid VAT) and you need a meter measuring in mmol.

Ideally you should test immediately before eating and again 2 hours after the first bite. You're looking for an increase of no more than 2 mmol after 2 hours. Any more and the meal needs adjusting.

Hope this helps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SimonCrox

Chromeautofill

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Golf, tennis, darts and snooker
Thanks for the info goonergal, I take it from your user name you support spurs ? I'll check it all out
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm avoiding bread, cereal and potatoes because they seem to be THE avoid, I rarely eat pasta or rice anyway, so I won't miss them, on a bread wrapper last night it said one slice equals 2% of the recommended daily amount of sugar, 1 loaf usually lasts me 5 days, I have to be honest I don't have a clue what the recommended daily amount of sugar I'm supposed to ingest ?? I don't take sugar in my tea either
You aren't supposed to have any sugar - it is entirely optional as there is no need for it. You need to eat protein and fats, you can't survive without them.
Many people find that the Lidl protein rolls are safe for them to eat, but ordinary bread - no matter what colour is a common cause of high blood glucose. It is not the sugar in the food but the carbohydrate content which needs watching, as it is digested into glucose and other sugars.
 

Susanne_M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Nuts (not salted or sweetened) are great for snacking and contain no sugar. Although they are high in fat, it's healthy fat. I always have a small pack of them in my bag.
 

Alexandra100

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,738
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Nuts (not salted or sweetened) are great for snacking and contain no sugar. Although they are high in fat, it's healthy fat. I always have a small pack of them in my bag.
As a vegetarian, I rely a lot on nuts, but they do contain carbohydrate, some much more than others. Walnuts are among the lowest carb, almonds are quite low, peanuts and cashews among the highest. Luckily they usually come in packets with the carb content clearly shown.
 

Juicetin

Well-Known Member
Messages
350
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, you don't automatically have to give up all bread, there are varieties that are lower in carbs. As mentioned, Lidl high protein rolls are good and there are Livlife, Hi-lo, Tesco High-Protein which are all under 10g a slice and then Burgen Soya and Linseed at around 11g and Vogel at around 14g. I can eat all of them with minimal affect on my blood sugar.
You need to get a glucometer and see how they affect you. I use a Tee 2 from Spirit Healthcare.
 

toryroo

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm going to have to have a bit of a look in the supermarkets here in France to see if I can find any lower carb bread options as all your talk of what you can get in the UK makes me fancy some Vegimite on toast! There were some good lower carb breads in Oz, I'll have to try them and see how they work for me while I'm there in the coming month or so - and maybe bring back a few loaves for the freezer as I'm pretty sure they won't exist here!
 

PreDiet

Well-Known Member
Messages
159
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I think maybe you are panicking? Have you seen a dietician ? I have only pre-diabetes , so maybe I can't advise , but maybe don't go ultra low carb , moderate is my plan , I eat oats or toast for brekkie or yogurt & fruit , just don't eat as a rule ultra high sugar stuff . Maybe eat pasta but make sure you don't pile the plate? I try my best to eat balanced , I was advised just to not eat more then 2 pieces of fruit a day and restrict chocolate to two chunks +more veg but I need to lose weight. Hope this helps ~ and maybe see dietician / doctor. All the best ;-) Pre~diet