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Newbie who doesn’t like veg or salad HELP

T

Tudorclare

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
hello all. I am female aged 33 and was diagnosed 4 months ago as type 2 with a HbA1c of 52, bloods retested last month and gone up to 58. Blaming this on a relationship breakdown so I’ve just eaten rubbish food plus in a bit of denial. I’ve now decided it’s time to take action. Doctors had put me on Metformin which I have started taking today. I am very overweight and want to loose some weight too but my problem is I don’t like vegetables or salad. I keep trying but just can’t get to grips with the taste or textures. Any suggestions? I understand low carb and high fat is a good one. But with being overweight is hig fat a good idea.
 
what sort of foods are you eating at the moment?

do you eat no veg or salad at all, cooked in any way or raw? maybe we can help with suggestions to have different preparations ideas to help with the texture.
 
Do you like meat, fish, dairy?
 
Have you got a blood glucose meter? Essential for checking what foods make you spike.

If you need to buy one, pick one with the cheapest strips, to begin with you will need 200 per month.

Keep a food diary along with your numbers. Also record your exercise, even if it is minimal.

I needed to lose weight (still do) but my going on the LCHF diet was to get my blood sugar under control, the weight loss is a very welcome by product.

Tell us what you eat in a typical day, we may be able to offer some suggestions.

And welcome!
 
lucylocket61 said:
what sort of foods are you eating at the moment?

do you eat no veg or salad at all, cooked in any way or raw? maybe we can help with suggestions to have different preparations ideas to help with the texture.
Click to expand...

At the moment I’m eating processed foods which I know is bad. I’ve previously done slimming world and lost 6 stone on that (put most of it back on now). So was thinking of going back to that but when I do it I eat a lot of carbs !! I will eat sweet corn, peas, onions, tomatoes but they have to be in something such as a shepherds pie or bolegnese.
 
Fats do not make you fat. Carbohydrates make most of those diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes gain weight.
Healthy fats are those from natural sources such as the fat in meats, cheese, butter, cream, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and avocado oil. The ones to try to avoid are the polyunsaturated oils such as vegetable (seed) oil. These are inflammatory.
 
xfieldok said:
Have you got a blood glucose meter? Essential for checking what foods make you spike.

If you need to buy one, pick one with the cheapest strips, to begin with you will need 200 per month.

Keep a food diary along with your numbers. Also record your exercise, even if it is minimal.

I needed to lose weight (still do) but my going on the LCHF diet was to get my blood sugar under control, the weight loss is a very welcome by product.

Tell us what you eat in a typical day, we may be able to offer some suggestions.

And welcome!
Click to expand...

Is it essential to test? The nurse\doctor never mentioned this to me. Just give me a print off of foods to eat/avoid.

Normal days food would be: bacon in white roll and hot chocolate for breakfast. Lunch a sandwich and bag of crisps and chocolate bar. Tea some form of meat and frozen chips.
 
ok stay off the following foods IMHO...
Sugar including coke,fanta sweets, etc
Bread (all bread)
Potatoes
Rice
Pasta etc etc etc. Go to www.dietdoctor.com . there you will find loads of information about T2 and recipes. Good Luck!
 
I would say testing is essential, yes. Testing teaches you what foods raise your blood glucose levels too much which is what we are are trying to avoid. Without testing you are flying blind and cannot depend on HbA1c taken at three or six monthly intervals.

A glucometer is absolutely invaluable when it comes to better management of Type 2 Diabetes.
 
Have a browse around the Dietdoctor.com site or Ditchthecarbs site. They are both full of lower carb options that are tasty and healthier for those of us with T2.
 
Tudorclare said:
hello all. I am female aged 33 and was diagnosed 4 months ago as type 2 with a HbA1c of 52, bloods retested last month and gone up to 58. Blaming this on a relationship breakdown so I’ve just eaten rubbish food plus in a bit of denial. I’ve now decided it’s time to take action. Doctors had put me on Metformin which I have started taking today. I am very overweight and want to loose some weight too but my problem is I don’t like vegetables or salad. I keep trying but just can’t get to grips with the taste or textures. Any suggestions? I understand low carb and high fat is a good one. But with being overweight is hig fat a good idea.
Click to expand...

Hi there. Being diagnosed with an HbA1c of 52 means you aren't too far into the diabetic range (starts at 48).

I would suggest you do buy yourself a blood glucose meter, because that will give you immediate and personalised feedback on how you're doing.

Your diet seems pretty carb heavy, but with an HbA1c of 52, you may not have to go tooextreme to bring your blood glucose down, but without the personal feedback from testing you won't have too much of a clue.

There are likely to be some foods you need to either significantly cut down on, or maybe even give up, but if you eat to your meter (i.e. personal test good number = foods good to go, or personal test high number = reduce portion size of eliminate food.), you'll get a great insight quickly.

Personslly, I found the feedback motivational, and for the things that I couldn't justify eating any more, the meter readings helped shore up my resolve.
 
Tudorclare said:
At the moment I’m eating processed foods which I know is bad. I’ve previously done slimming world and lost 6 stone on that (put most of it back on now). So was thinking of going back to that but when I do it I eat a lot of carbs !! I will eat sweet corn, peas, onions, tomatoes but they have to be in something such as a shepherds pie or bolegnese.
Click to expand...
well.................you are eating a lot of carbs now, so slimming world would be a start, but with fewer carbs. Look at the print out the diabetic nurse gave you of foods, then have about half the carbs they suggest, and start testing. Did they explain what is a carb?
 
I'm a T1 of decades not T2...

However, I woukd say that there are delicious options for breakfast such as plain yogurt with some blueberries (frozen ones defrosted in a ramekin over night)...and put on yogurt in morning.. very quick and easy. Grab some nuts for a snack.. not the honey roasted ones.. just plain walnuts, almonds etc..

I used to eat bolognese - jyst more of the mince, and no pasta.. or just try with fried spiralused courgettes.

A lovely curry.. without the rice.. or with cauli rice instead.

Try eating off smaller plates with a teaspoon!!

This is your health, your body and it needs good nutrients.

Due to stomach and colon issues for myself.. I have very limited eating. I survived on homemade smoothies for a long
while as it was the only way I could get my viramins and nutrients. Ie I would have coconut milk, spinach, protein powder and berries... got fat, protein, iron and taste!! And Inwould make 6 up for hubby n I to share over 3 days, stored in fridge. Not excessive carbs, but goid nutrients that my body needed.


Also, I would say that you need to think of it as a better lifestyle of eating rather than a plan for weightloss.. as you have mentioned, weightloss can be regained. However thinking of things as a need for a permanent lifestyle if feeding your body good nutrients helps...

Good luck..
 
Sweetcorn is not a vegetable in the normal sense, it is grain or cereal, so there are better choices.
Peas, being a legume are quite high in carbs, and for me they punch above their weight, meaning that I seem to get a higher BG level than I would have expected. You really need to test your response to various foods, but reducing the amount of carbohydrate is the essence of diabetes control.
 
The trouble is that we are all different. Some people can tolerate porridge, others can't.

You need a meter to see what effect a particular food has on you.

Personally, I miss sweet corn with lashings of butter and black pepper!

If you don't mind cooking, look up fat head dough. It can be made with either almond flour or coconut flour.

I find the recipe makes too much for myself or both of us, but I just pull off what I want and store the rest in the fridge. The dough makes the most amazing pizza base. And garlic bread, make your own garlic butter, or cheat like I do and use lurpack garlic butter.
 
I use the Code Free glucose tester as (I believe) it has the lowest cost testing strips. You can get it via Amazon. Think of yourself as a science investigation - it really is quite interesting to see the effects of different foods on your BS levels. To start with, keep a diary, testing just before you eat and then 2 hours after the first mouthful to see the effects.
On the veg front, I am no big lover of veg or salad either. However, I find cauliflower excellent in taking the place of other carbs. (I wouldn't have touched it with a barge pole before diagnosis). You can mash it and put in eg butter, cream, garlic, mustard, or cover it in gravy to have with sausages. Put it raw into the blender and turn it into cauli rice and fry. Serve with something that has a tasty sauce. I also roast it in small pieces, finishing with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a squeeze of lime. Spiralised courgette has replaced pasta - again great with something that has a sauce if you think you don't like the taste of courgette. If you are not used to cooking from scratch, it might be a good idea to buy a simple low carb cookbook for inspiration. Also lots of recipes on the forum here.
 
@Tudorclare

Hello Tudorclare and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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 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
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 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. 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.
 
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