I'm confused....

[SandieB]

Hi everyone
Just diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, and am slowly getting to grips with what I can eat. But I'm confused by some of the test results I'm getting after meals. For instance, today for lunch I had a salad of Quinoa, pomegranate, pine nuts, herbs, and dressing (oil and lemon juice). Tested before and I was 7.9, tested again 2 hours later and it was 5.9. Do you think that's right? I find it hard to believe that something I've eaten has reduced my blood sugar straight away...or is it possible?

Thanks for any info
Sandie

PS...sorry for the unoriginal title, I've just notice a few other posts with the same! :roll:

 

[ebony321]

Hi,

I'm not T2 so no expert

but seeing as your meal wasn't too high in carbs your two hour testing afterwards sounds pretty good!

but it does seem a bit odd your reading was 7.9 before hand...

did you wash your hands before you tested? anything you may have touched beforehand may have altered your reading... even newspapers can do that apparently!

how long ago was your previous meal?

had you done any exercise beforehand?

any of these could have maybe caused your 7.9.... but it is a good reading for two hours after so dont worry too much...

do you record your BG readings? and note them down along with what food your eating? this can be very helpful when first diagnosed to get to grips with what foods are good and to pin point any higher readings you may be having and the causes

good luck though you sound like your getting to grips with this after a few weeks

 

[SandieB]

Thanks ebony

It's possible there was something on my hands, I'm at work, but I thought they were clean. I've still got some of the salad left so I'll have the same thing tomorrow and test again. I thought it was weird for it to have not even risen a little bit. I've found that on an odd day when I went right off the rails and ate loads of "bad" carbs that when I tested it in the evening it was down as well, despite the fact that I hadn't eaten anything at all healthy....I suspect that this is not a good thing though for my poor pancreas...I bet it didn't know whether it was coming or going!

I have been keeping what I call a diet diary, as I'm trying to lose weight as well. I don't write everything I eat if I'm confident that whatever it is is OK, but I do if I'm testing before and after so that I know for future reference, and I'm also recording my other readings on there and my weight.

 

[Sue Morton]

I agree washing your hands before testing is very important if you don't it does affect your reading. To begin with its best to test whatever you eat as you wont know what sends your BS up. I hope you get all your testing equipment on prescription as I don't its another lottery as to whether you do or not.

It is a mind field out there as to what food you can eat without sending your BS up and you seem to be doing quite well except for the off the wagon with your food. You need some carbs but try small portions and its hard - I got diagnosed in March of this year and was very confused but this forum really helps. I didn't get to see the diabetic nurse until 6 weeks later and what to do in between then weeks was very confused.

There are various opinions given as to BS levels that people are given by their nurse and doctors I am not sure if age effects what you should be or not.

Keep trying and keep in tune with this forum - There is a note that the adminsterators give to newly diagnosed so I hope you get this as its is really helpful.

All the best
Sue

 

[SandieB]

Just for info I thought I'd just post that I had the same lunch as the other day when I posted. This time my pre meal measurement was 6.8 and it was exactly the same 2 hours later. So I think it's safe to conclude that Quinoa is pretty good! If you've never tried it I think it's a bit like cous cous in that it's a small-ish grain and quite bland on it's own, I cooked it in some vegetable stock and really enjoyed it. I'd be quite happy to have it instead of rice, for example.

Thanks again for all the info

 

[Synonym]

Hi SandieB and welcome.

That is pretty good if you can tolerate Quinoa, it is helpful to have something that doesn't make your BG levels soar!

The following 'Advice for newly diagnosed T2s' normally posted by Sue and/or Ken, our Forum Monitors, is really helpful if you follow it carefully.

Welcome to the forum. here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different .

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.