Treat

[Jenfy]

Hi I treated myself to a few chips tonight, rare for me even before diagnosis 2 weeks ago, but found it was a big mistake. BS went right up and I felt lousy, so back to low carbs! It just wasn't worth it!

 

[daisy1]

Hi Jenfy - that is how you learn which foods you are able to eat and which foods you should not eat. When you try something new test before and 2 hours after to see what effect it has had on your levels. If you went too high try reducing the portion size. You may find a small portion that you can eat, or you may find that you will have to give up on that food. Maybe you can still have a very small portion of chips which would be nice. Everyone is different so you have to find out for yourself.

I don't think you have been given the basic information that we give to new members (welcome to the forum too ). This was written by Ken and Sue, our former monitors, and contains a lot of advice which could help you.

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.

 

[Jenfy]

Thank you x

 

[BAZZA_P]

Dont know if you had the chips on there own? sometimes if i have some chips or some pizza i try and combine it with other types food like veg/salad/protein and heavy carb food to try and make the food more complex as its mixed when its being broken down

 

[Gappy]

I remember reading that the liver does not multi task so after a few pints it is processing alcohol and not giving me energy. So a carb snack (in my case a £3 7" pizza from Ockabasi) is ok as the carbs give you the energy for my walk home. Unfortunately as my name & pic imply I have a winning smile, so I'm remembered! And the take away staff sometimes give me free chips on my pizza (ladies, I'm single if this appeals!) Anyway, as i said to my diabetic nurse ( and she agrees) diabetes is a 6 day a week illness so if you're good for 6 days a few chips wont hurt on the 7th day day!

 

[Jenfy]

Dont know if you had the chips on there own? sometimes if i have some chips or some pizza i try and combine it with other types food like veg/salad/protein and heavy carb food to try and make the food more complex as its mixed when its being broken down

No not on their own, had fish and salad with them for my evening meal so I tried to balance it out! I think maybe I just ate a few too many! I'll try a smaller portion next time!
Thanks for the tips guys x

 

[daisy1]

Some cheese afterwards might have helped to level out the peak a bit.

 

[Jenfy]

Some cheese afterwards might have helped to level out the peak a bit.

Good advice, thank you x

 

[lovinglife]

A little cheese is good after a meal for your teeth too