Despair - food problems

MarkTechArc72

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
High BG readings!
Hi Everyone,

I have been a T2 for around 4 years, and started out on Metformin and Gliclazide, and when they stopped working I am now on Humulin twice a day. My main issue is that despite really trying to avoid anything that is going to have high carbs/sugar/fructose content, it seems that whatever I eat, my numbers sky rocket.

For me, breakfast is the biggest issue, since a lot of fresh fruits, including berries, bananas and citrus fruits will balloon my BG from around 5.2/5.5 from overnight fasting to well over 11/11.5. So - I avoid those, I avoid toast, bread and the majority of cereals, which for me, even a tiny amount sends my numbers rocketing again. So I am really frustrated to find something that I can eat for breakfast that will not make my numbers go so high.

I am sure that these day time highs are likely to have been pushing my HBa1c on the higher side, and I want to get these under control.

I have tried soya milk/yoghurts but these have an undesirable side effect of giving me constipation, I have tried eggs, which are great and do not have a dramatic effect on my numbers, but they come with the nasty high fat content, so I can only have those occasionally.

I did first think it was portion size, but my numbers rocket if I have just one shredded wheat or a single slice of toast!

At this rate, the only things that I know I can eat are raw vegetables, which have little or no effect on my BG.

Add into this, that I have now had to up my Humulin to 20 units at night to get my BG around 5 in the morning, I am falling into despair!!!

Has anyone on here had a similar problem and how did you manage your way out of it? I know everyone is different, but any help would be greatfully received, as I am really starting to pull my hair out.

I was told by mg DN that I should avoid fruit smoothies as they only offer short term glucose and I run the risk of Hypo's, but what about smoothies with more veg in them? Would that work?

Cheers, Mark.
 
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Indy51

Expert
Messages
5,540
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum.

I think you have been getting the wrong dietary advice somehow. I'm tagging @daisy1 who will be along to give you information for newcomers.

Even the Daily Mail is now posting articles about how the standard dietary advice for Type 2 diabetics is wrong!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...en-diet-advice-just-makes-problems-WORSE.html

I'd strongly advise you to read the link in my signature as it's a beginner's guide to low carbing.
 
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clinton137

Well-Known Member
Messages
105
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Mark, I have stuck to meat, fish, and cooked veg,, not so much root veggies. breakfast mainly bacon, poached egg, toms and mushrooms. Omelettes or cheese salad for lunch with vinegar on salad. I am on Glic 80mg twice a day. Can manage to keep BG between 5 & 6, I do not have and spuds, rice pasta, or bread at all.
 

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.
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@MarkTechArc72

Hello Mark and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members, to add to the useful advice and links from other members. Ask more questions 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 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.
 

bluejeans98

Well-Known Member
Messages
233
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
If it grows below ground or more than a foot above ground seems to be the things to avoid due to high carbs. Potatoes carrots etc grow under ground. Peas corn wheat rice all grow tall.
 

clinton137

Well-Known Member
Messages
105
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
If it grows below ground or more than a foot above ground seems to be the things to avoid due to high carbs. Potatoes carrots etc grow under ground. Peas corn wheat rice all grow tall.


Not everybody can eat rice wheat and cerals, best to check BG before you eat and 2 hours after to confirm if they affect your BG levels. It really comes down to trail and error and a lot of paitence.
 

MarkTechArc72

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
High BG readings!
From my experience of monitoring, I have found the following all make my BG rocket:-

Potatoes, Rice, Pasta, bread, Cereals (of any type), Fruit Juices, Fruit (including berries, grapes), Dairy (milk, yogurts), pulses, beans etc.

The only things that do not, are protein based foods, meats, fish, eggs, fatty cheeses (but cant really eat much cheese as it gives me migraines), certain vegetables (cabbage, salads).

So - I get I need to do this hand in glove with my DN, but it seems to me from reading the guidance above, I need to eat more of the protein foods, and practically cut out most of the stuff on the first list.

This does worry me from a cholesterol and blood pressure perspective.

All I know is that I am fed up with the depressing routine of testing only to find that my numbers are shocking.

Will have a look at the recommended books too and try and read up.

Thanks so far for the suggestions and reading, much appreciated.

Mark.
 
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DeejayR

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,375
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Mark. Welcome to the club. It's confusing at first for sure but if you take a browse through the "what have you eaten today" low carb thread http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-95 you'll get an idea. Some of the things we eat will seem odd, and not only because we're not all in the same country, but the point is all these foods work for us.
Also, don't worry at the moment about blood pressure and cholesterol. Fat is your energy substitute for carbs.
@daisy1's guide will give you a lot to think about too. Stick with it!
 
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britishpub

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,722
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Mark. When I was diagnosed in April I was taking Amlodopine for BP. After my 3 month check in July the Amlodopine has been stopped as my BP has dropped to acceptable levels. My overall Cholesterol number was also lower and the breakdown much better.

All achieved by ditching the carbs and low fat nonsense and eating a Low Carb sensible amounts of good fat diet. (Not as catchy a name as LCHF)
 
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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.
Mark, the advice to eat a low fat diet for your cholesterol levels and BP is incorrect. Carbs increase triglycerides, which are one of the measures of cholesterol level that we need to keep low.
 
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JenniferW

Well-Known Member
Messages
561
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My standard breakfast is 2 eggs, scrambled. I do use a small amount of butter, but with a non-stick pan you could scramble them without that. Eggs should be OK - a lot of what we used to be told about not eating too many of them isn't based on the level of knowledge and understanding we now have.

I don't have anything else apart from the eggs (and black coffee).

What about a lean meat or fish breakfast? I sometimes have a kipper - takes me back to childhood!
 
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Totto

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,831
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Everyone,

I have been a T2 for around 4 years, and started out on Metformin and Gliclazide, and when they stopped working I am now on Humulin twice a day. My main issue is that despite really trying to avoid anything that is going to have high carbs/sugar/fructose content, it seems that whatever I eat, my numbers sky rocket.

For me, breakfast is the biggest issue, since a lot of fresh fruits, including berries, bananas and citrus fruits will balloon my BG from around 5.2/5.5 from overnight fasting to well over 11/11.5. So - I avoid those, I avoid toast, bread and the majority of cereals, which for me, even a tiny amount sends my numbers rocketing again. So I am really frustrated to find something that I can eat for breakfast that will not make my numbers go so high.

I am sure that these day time highs are likely to have been pushing my HBa1c on the higher side, and I want to get these under control.

I have tried soya milk/yoghurts but these have an undesirable side effect of giving me constipation, I have tried eggs, which are great and do not have a dramatic effect on my numbers, but they come with the nasty high fat content, so I can only have those occasionally.

I did first think it was portion size, but my numbers rocket if I have just one shredded wheat or a single slice of toast!

At this rate, the only things that I know I can eat are raw vegetables, which have little or no effect on my BG.

Add into this, that I have now had to up my Humulin to 20 units at night to get my BG around 5 in the morning, I am falling into despair!!!

Has anyone on here had a similar problem and how did you manage your way out of it? I know everyone is different, but any help would be greatfully received, as I am really starting to pull my hair out.

I was told by mg DN that I should avoid fruit smoothies as they only offer short term glucose and I run the risk of Hypo's, but what about smoothies with more veg in them? Would that work?

Cheers, Mark.
I usually scramble two or three eggs in a generous amount of butter to go with bacon and a tomato if in season. Nice an filling and little impact on BG.
 
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SunnyExpat

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,230
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I've very recently switched over to more olive oil, more fish, lean meat, and a lot less dairy, and a lot less saturated fat.

So the kippers for breakfast sounds good to me.
No worse than the processing for bacon at any rate.
 
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DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi Mark, you talk about food but what about weight? Are you overweight? I think we have to be brutally honest with ourselves. I was talking to a lady yesterday (T2), we are starting a little support group which we'll run weekly with a keep fit trainer, and this lady told me what a great diet she has though she must be around 5st overweight. This lady's mum died from kidney failure after losing both her legs due to diabetes and her father is on dialysis now. What on earth will it take to really sit up and hear the message?
 
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RuthW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,158
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
You could try a Turkish breakfast. It's cucumber, tomato, white cheese (feta) and/or boiled eggs, olives and black tea. Of course, they add bread, but you don't have to. It's a very good breakfast. If you do try it, don't buy your feta at the supermarket, where it is astronomically expensive. If you live in a reasonable size city or town, find a Turkish/Lebanese/Kurdish shop and ask for white cheese. They sell it in tins at about one tenth the price of supermarkets. I buy the low fat version.

I just read an interesting paper today that says that the ORDER in which you eat stuff in a meal is as effective as medication. So you should eat the protein and vegetables (fibre) first, and the carbs last. They found that in Type 2s this single intervention put their post-prandial blood sugars into the "normal" range. Probably worth a try for you. Here's the link:

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/38/7/e98.full.pdf

I'm a Type 1, but I was interested in this paper because I always do this. I have done it for years because in a way it's kind of obvious. It is good to have it confirmed, though!
 
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SunnyExpat

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,230
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
You could try a Turkish breakfast. It's cucumber, tomato, white cheese (feta) and/or boiled eggs, olives and black tea. Of course, they add bread, but you don't have to. It's a very good breakfast. If you do try it, don't buy your feta at the supermarket, where it is astronomically expensive. If you live in a reasonable size city or town, find a Turkish/Lebanese/Kurdish shop and ask for white cheese. They sell it in tins at about one tenth the price of supermarkets. I buy the low fat version.

I just read an interesting paper today that says that the ORDER in which you eat stuff in a meal is as effective as medication. So you should eat the protein and vegetables (fibre) first, and the carbs last. They found that in Type 2s this single intervention put their post-prandial blood sugars into the "normal" range. Probably worth a try for you. Here's the link:

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/38/7/e98.full.pdf

I'm a Type 1, but I was interested in this paper because I always do this. I have done it for years because in a way it's kind of obvious. It is good to have it confirmed, though!

@RuthW
Excellent link, thanks.
I'll be trialling that out for my meals from now on!
 

Indy51

Expert
Messages
5,540
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Very interesting, @RuthW - I'm experimenting with adding back some higher carb vegs like sweet potato and am leaving it till the end of the meal when it is cool (for resistant starch) and am surprised that my BGs haven't been higher - this explains it :)
 

BlueTwist

Well-Known Member
Messages
60
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi Mark, I can very much relate to where you are coming from. I am feeling at a complete loss as to what I can eat and can't. It seems most food, even those classed as low carb, low sugar send my BS sky high (although that are rather high to start with). I beginning to think I might try a rabbit diet of carrots, carrots and more carrots. I only have to look at a bowl of cereal and my BS goes through the roof!