Confused about carbs

ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
For making bread Fiberflour has just come on the market, lots of people find their BG is OK after eating bread made with it, but use your BG meter to check. (The fiber is so high that the few carbs are absorbed very slowly, yet unlike almond flour etc, it works mostly as normal floor.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiberflour-Ketogenic-Substitute-Incorporate-Diabetics/dp/B01FDO37K2
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/recipes/

This floor was created by a UK GP, this is a talk when he explains it, including CGM grapths
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/kesar-sadhra-type-2-diabetes-south-asians-diet/
 

Angela936

Member
Messages
16
For making bread Fiberflour has just come on the market, lots of people find their BG is OK after eating bread made with it, but use your BG meter to check. (The fiber is so high that the few carbs are absorbed very slowly, yet unlike almond flour etc, it works mostly as normal floor.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiberflour-Ketogenic-Substitute-Incorporate-Diabetics/dp/B01FDO37K2
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/recipes/

This floor was created by a UK GP, this is a talk when he explains it, including CGM grapths
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/kesar-sadhra-type-2-diabetes-south-asians-diet/
Thank you i'll have a look at that :)
 

Angela936

Member
Messages
16
@Angela936

Hello Angela 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 like 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 259,000 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.
Thank you daisy1, am getting the hang of it, can't say am enjoying it yet but getting there lol still miss the junk and the alcohol but i am working on that, haven't weighed myself but can tell from my clothes that i'm losing weight and my eyesight has improved ( it got really bad for a while) and this forum is a godsend, loads of advice and really nice people :)
 

Angela936

Member
Messages
16
I was diagnosed six weeks ago with HbA1c of 53. Since then I've lot 9 lbs, I exercise every day and I have cut out all the bad carbs and limited the good ones in my diet. It's far too early to say whether my BG is going the right way, but do I ever feel better than I did before. I have had asthma all my life and have just halved my steroid inhaler dose for the first time in 15 years. My erratic heartbeat seems to have stabilised and I am now reducing my Bisoprolol dose to 1.25gms with the consent of my GP. I have just got a blood meter and my readings don't look too bad, so I'm feeling very hopeful. Even if my HbA1c result is higher in three months, I'm not going back to my old lifestyle. Stick with it. that's what I say.
aye even though i was diagnosed over a year ago i am relatively new to actually doing something about it, am doing not bad in cutting the carbs but haven't done any exercise yet, aye even if my results get to normal i can't go back to how i was eating before or i'll just end up back here or worse so its not a diet its a new way of eating, lets hope we both get the results we need :)
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
For making bread Fiberflour has just come on the market, lots of people find their BG is OK after eating bread made with it, but use your BG meter to check. (The fiber is so high that the few carbs are absorbed very slowly, yet unlike almond flour etc, it works mostly as normal floor.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiberflour-Ketogenic-Substitute-Incorporate-Diabetics/dp/B01FDO37K2
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/
https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/recipes/

This floor was created by a UK GP, this is a talk when he explains it, including CGM grapths
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/kesar-sadhra-type-2-diabetes-south-asians-diet/
Actually it was Dr Gerald Davies who created the flour, Dr Sadhra recommends it to his South Asian patients. It does make good chapattis but the flour is expensive. https://www.lonjevity-foods.com/about-us