Newly Diagnosed....

[james_1d]

Hi All,

My name is James and I'm 35 and recently been diagnosed with Type 2. I am not stressed or depressed about it, but am frustrated at the amount of contradictory diet information that is out there....

 

[anna29]

Hiya james, welcome to us all here, are you taking any meds? what is your Hba1c ? your coping okay but frustrated with diet info ? Could you explain what you are frustrated about? then we can point you in the right direction to help. Anna.x

 

[daisy1]

Hi James and welcome to the forum I am sure your head's full of questions now - there is always someone on here who will gladly help you. Here is some information that might help you - it was put together by our friends Sue and Ken, the former monitors, to be given to new members.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.

 

[jopar]

Hi welcome to the forum

For a diabetic the worst element of our diet is carbohydrates So do you avoid these like the plague or not!

Well if it comes in as sugar in your coffee, or a coke yep avoid it like the plague (unless you using insulin or a oral meds that increases insulin and you'll having a hypo) if it's a slice of bread, humble spud etc, prehaps not! there again you might have to?

But will need to make some changes to your diet though..

Could be as simple as just either stopping or swapping something for a more friendly alternitive,

So sugar gone in drinks, your full sugared frizzy drink becomes diet version etc, you swap the biscutes as break time for a piece of fruit or a youget instead.. And choose wholemeal version of items such as bread, pasrty and pasta..

Now for some this might be enough to gain control, but for others it can be a different matter.. Some find that they have to make further reductions, such as if they had 4 boiled potatoes with the meal, they have to lower this to 2 or 3 instead, and well they can have the pasta or rice, if the only eat it in small quanties..

The only real way of finding out what adjustments you need to make, is testing BG's before and after meals so see what the effect is, if it raises BG's two much then it's either got to be restricted or put on the 'No' list of food items..

Type 2's do have an added problem with at what point to they add or increase oral medication to help control, this I am afriad is a personally choice... But it does need to be remember reducing charbohydrates isn't always going to avoid the need of medication or the quanity required... As some is based on how the body responds...

You also need to keep in mind that lifestyle changes are for life, so you need to decide can you cope with a drastic change or are you going to struggle fall of the wagon etc.. Sometimes is better to set small goals rather than setting yourself for failure!

Take a look around the forum's, plenty of tips about you don't have to follow one idea or notion completely, you can take the bits from verious different methods that suit you

 

[james_1d]

Hiya james, welcome to us all here, are you taking any meds? what is your Hba1c ? your coping okay but frustrated with diet info ? Could you explain what you are frustrated about? then we can point you in the right direction to help. Anna.x

Hi Anna, sure...if you read the British Medical Association press book on Diabetes, it states the management of Diabetes (Type 2) is best done via balanced diet that can include bread, potatoes, pasta ect, and even fruit. A friends Mum who has had Type 1 for over 50 years told me to disregard what the UK doctors will tell me....that Bernstein's book on the condition is the only one to follow...and in that, he states that all the carbs above should be on the no no list...that all carbs are made up of varying chain lengths of sugar molecules....and the body breaks the longer ones found in complex carbs to smaller chaines which are the sweet table surgar range.....and raises the blood sugar level in the same manner as any shorter chain sugars....

I've experimented over the last few days....and bough low GI bread ect...and so far my findings are that any carbs does indeed spike my system.....it's gone from low (within healthy range) to high above healthy range......today for example I've had no carbs and my figure (test just taken) is 4.9......where as last over last week or so it's gone as high as 18 after some carbs.....and fasting after carbs day before has been 12 to 13.

So far I am for cutting ALL carbs and Sugars from any source...so Sweet processed foods to fruit....

 

[mariab]

Hi James - there's a very good book by Professor Charles C Clark entitled 'the Diabetes Revolution' which recommends a low carb diet. It's available on Amazon and I've found it invaluable.

Maria

 

[james_1d]

Hi James - there's a very good book by Professor Charles C Clark entitled 'the Diabetes Revolution' which recommends a low carb diet. It's available on Amazon and I've found it invaluable.

Maria

Thanks Maria, I'll order it.

 

[anna29]

Hiya Jaames, carbs are the slower release energy foods thus giving us fuel and energy, we all find our own levels with this, tweak it to suit us individually. It is entirely your own choice which pathway you choose to follow and take with what you wish to eat, the fasting BS levels you mention 12/13 can be due to the 'dawn phenomen' when your body dumps its glucose to waken you for the start of your day. [it can peak the BS level in the morn] any ones advice like your friends mum type1 telling you to disregard what UK dr's advise etc, isnt the wisest only you can make up your own choice. What have your GP advised you? and what is your Hba1c? Anna.x

 

[james_1d]

Hiya Jaames, carbs are the slower release energy foods thus giving us fuel and energy, we all find our own levels with this, tweak it to suit us individually. It is entirely your own choice which pathway you choose to follow and take with what you wish to eat, the fasting BS levels you mention 12/13 can be due to the 'dawn phenomen' when your body dumps its glucose to waken you for the start of your day. [it can peak the BS level in the morn] any ones advice like your friends mum type1 telling you to disregard what UK dr's advise etc, isnt the wisest only you can make up your own choice. What have your GP advised you? and what is your Hba1c? Anna.x

Hi Anna, I don't even know what Hba1c is ! But from the print out from the Hospital when I was in for heart paliptations (not sure if Diabetes related) I see a string hb 174, wcc 5.6, crp 2, ur 5.2, LFT ca2= and alnumin normal glucose 17.6

 

[anna29]

Hi James, things arnt being explained to you ? Have you got another GP or diabetes clinic appt booked soon? You can always ask the questions you need to there. Its best to seek an answer from the professionals if you are unsure of your results. And you can request an appt with a dietician too they can point you in the right direction with your diet. We are not medical professionals and can not offer any solutions to your diet choice you wish to choose. We are here to offer friendly help n support only. Anna.x