Just been diagnosed today. Have yet to see diabetic advisor but want to start making diet changes asap. Been reading all day and I get the basics - enough to make a start anyway! Am confused about milk though. Full fat or skimmed?
Just diagnosed type 2 - shopping!
- Thread starter Sueevans57
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I would recommend full fat.
Welcome to forum, @Sueevans57 I will tag @daisy1 who posts info for new members. She will do that here, soon. There is also a link in my signature. Have a read, and come back and ask questions. You will usually find someone can help.
Welcome to forum, @Sueevans57 I will tag @daisy1 who posts info for new members. She will do that here, soon. There is also a link in my signature. Have a read, and come back and ask questions. You will usually find someone can help.
bulkbiker
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In what would be my question?
In coffee I use double cream.. in tea lactofree full fat milk (fewer carbs than regular milk)
apart from that I don't have it t all.
Decide where you are aiming to be in he LCHF spectrum .
Are you going to eat to your meter?
Do your research.
I have full fat in my tea and occasionally if I am thirsty and don’t want water / after a run.
Welcome and good luck with your diabetic journey .
Great advice on here , review it all and make the choices right for you based on your own situation.
I am in the moderate camp but on the cusp of carb creep
. Try using my fitness pal or other to understand your consumption.
Are you going to eat to your meter?
Do your research.
I have full fat in my tea and occasionally if I am thirsty and don’t want water / after a run.
Welcome and good luck with your diabetic journey .
Great advice on here , review it all and make the choices right for you based on your own situation.
I am in the moderate camp but on the cusp of carb creep
. Try using my fitness pal or other to understand your consumption.
Alexandra100
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It all depends how many daily carbs you decide to allow yourself (assuming you are going to take the restricted carbohydrate route to better health). Full fat anything has fewer carbs than semi-skimmed or skimmed. Personally, I used to drink lots of milk, but nowadays I use double (fewer carbs than single) cream in tea and coffee and drink no milk at all. I compensate for the loss of calcium and protein by eating lots of full-fat cheese. But I am aiming for under 20g carbs daily, because I have found out by experiment, testing after meals with my bg meter, that I can only tolerate a very few carbs. You may be luckier, in which case you won't need to be as strict as me.
Eating lower carb tends to involve turning what is considered normal healthy eating upside down. No more low/reduced fat options. Not much if any fruit. Not many if any starchy vegetables. Suddenly wholegrains are no better than white!!! Suddenly cottage cheese is out, full fat Cheddar is in. Butter is back.
You might find this advice on getting started useful: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
Alexandra100
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If you want to buy a bg meter, the two with the cheapest testing strips are the Codefree and the TEE2.
In the UK you can get a free TEE2 meter and starter kit here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
or you can buy a CodeFree meter starter kit for £12.89 here:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
These are the meters many of us on this Forum who self-fund use. You will need to buy strips to go with them, and these 2 meters have the cheapest replacement strips. The strips for the Codefree are a little cheaper for a tub of 50, and much cheaper if you invest in 10 tubs, but you might not want to do that until you have tried testing. Don't forget to check the box to say you are diabetic when you buy in order to avoid paying VAT.
Each kit comes with 10 free lancets. Some of us (me included) re-use our lancets many times, others prefer to throw them away and use a new one each time. If you decide to re-use, the initial free lancets will last you a long time. It is the strips that are quickly used up!
In the UK you can get a free TEE2 meter and starter kit here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
or you can buy a CodeFree meter starter kit for £12.89 here:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
These are the meters many of us on this Forum who self-fund use. You will need to buy strips to go with them, and these 2 meters have the cheapest replacement strips. The strips for the Codefree are a little cheaper for a tub of 50, and much cheaper if you invest in 10 tubs, but you might not want to do that until you have tried testing. Don't forget to check the box to say you are diabetic when you buy in order to avoid paying VAT.
Each kit comes with 10 free lancets. Some of us (me included) re-use our lancets many times, others prefer to throw them away and use a new one each time. If you decide to re-use, the initial free lancets will last you a long time. It is the strips that are quickly used up!
daisy1
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@Sueevans57
Hello Sue and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic 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 well over 235,000 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:
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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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. Most of these are free.
Hello Sue and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic 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 well over 235,000 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
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 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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. Most of these are 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.
Prem51
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Hi @Sueevans57 and welcome to the forum. You will get a lot of good advice and support on here. When you see the diabetic advisor you will probably get the standard NHS advice to carry on eating carbohydrates, which isn't good for Type 2 diabetics as starchy carbs turn to sugars in our bodies.
A lot of the T2s on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has lowered our blood sugars. Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want to.
As regards milk, full fat is better for T2s, as skimmed and semi-skimmed has sugars added to give it some taste.
