keeping blood sugar steady at work
- Thread starter Tuneuhh
- Start Date
- Messages
- 13,465
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @Tuneuhh and welcome!
I would have thought that fruit juice would cause a sharp increase in your blood sugars rather than keeping things steady.
According to your profile you’re diet controlled - is that right or are you on any medication? Assuming you’re not then any low carb snack would be good - pork scratchings, a piece of cheese, boiled egg, cold meat. However, best to avoid snacks if possible to give your pancreas a rest.
Has anyone tagged @daisy1 for you yet? She has some useful information for newbies, as does @AM1874 - including details on testing your blood sugars. Would highly recommend getting a meter and testing if you are not already doing so.
I would have thought that fruit juice would cause a sharp increase in your blood sugars rather than keeping things steady.
According to your profile you’re diet controlled - is that right or are you on any medication? Assuming you’re not then any low carb snack would be good - pork scratchings, a piece of cheese, boiled egg, cold meat. However, best to avoid snacks if possible to give your pancreas a rest.
Has anyone tagged @daisy1 for you yet? She has some useful information for newbies, as does @AM1874 - including details on testing your blood sugars. Would highly recommend getting a meter and testing if you are not already doing so.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Tuneuhh
Hello Tuneuhh 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 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:
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
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. They're all free.
Hello Tuneuhh 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 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
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
- 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. 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.
ziggy_w
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,019
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @Tuneuhh,
I agree with @Goonergal. All her suggestions are great and shouldn't raise your blood sugars. I often carry some nuts with me if I plan to be away from the house for the day. Good nuts for diabetics are macadamias, almonds, pecans, hazel and brazil nuts. They are about 5g of carbs per 100 g and shouldn't impact your levels much.
P.S. I would stay away from fruit juice as it is probably one of the worst things to have for a diet-controlled T2 diabetic.
Hello. My I ask why you need to eat snacks? I dont eat between meals at all, in fact I quite often dont eat meals between my meals! Although I do have a lot of weight to lose.
My dn did tell me about the importance of regular mealtimes and snacks. And I have ignored that.
Are you on medication that increases insulin? If so please ignore me!
My dn did tell me about the importance of regular mealtimes and snacks. And I have ignored that.
Are you on medication that increases insulin? If so please ignore me!
Daphne917
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,320
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
I often have a Nine bar mid-morning at work as I have my breakfast at 6.00 in the morning.
evj95
Active Member
- Messages
- 33
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Similar to you I also work in a grocery store and I have found that whilst at work it is one of the few times where my bg's have acted properly for some weird reason. So I have found that I do not need to be eating to keep them steady at all.
I suggest at the moment to be continuing how you were before diagnosis at work and if you have been supplied with testing equipment to just take a quick five minute break to see if you are alright. (Maybe a little harder if you are unable to test as I know T2's often aren't supplied this)
After about a week this will allow you to know what is and what isn't working for you, then just start playing around until you find a strategy that works.
Also have a chat at work to find out if they are other diabetics or family of diabetics as I have been given some of the best insight by those that have been in this game way more than me.
Also make sure your mangers understand your condition and then you will not feel bad for leaving the shop floor in a hurry if needed. This part was easy for me as I have a few of my managers on fb and they found out my diagnosis just a few hours after I did through me and family posting status' - this actually made me feel a lot better about going to work as I didn't have to inform all management by myself one at a time and like usual there is always a grapevine so within two days near enough the whole staff knew.
I suggest at the moment to be continuing how you were before diagnosis at work and if you have been supplied with testing equipment to just take a quick five minute break to see if you are alright. (Maybe a little harder if you are unable to test as I know T2's often aren't supplied this)
After about a week this will allow you to know what is and what isn't working for you, then just start playing around until you find a strategy that works.
Also have a chat at work to find out if they are other diabetics or family of diabetics as I have been given some of the best insight by those that have been in this game way more than me.
Also make sure your mangers understand your condition and then you will not feel bad for leaving the shop floor in a hurry if needed. This part was easy for me as I have a few of my managers on fb and they found out my diagnosis just a few hours after I did through me and family posting status' - this actually made me feel a lot better about going to work as I didn't have to inform all management by myself one at a time and like usual there is always a grapevine so within two days near enough the whole staff knew.
- Messages
- 6
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
I don't know how to multi quote lol. I copy and pasted that list from Daisy. I'm on mediform. (don't know how to spell it) I generally like nuts and water. I am trying to stop snacking as much. I just don't like feeling hungry.
My manger has type2 and another worker has the same thing. my managers know.
I'll do nuts or crackers maybe. i'll ditch the fruit juice I guess though that was recommended by my doctor, so was soda....lol
I do have testing supplies,
My manger has type2 and another worker has the same thing. my managers know.
I'll do nuts or crackers maybe. i'll ditch the fruit juice I guess though that was recommended by my doctor, so was soda....lol
I do have testing supplies,
