Thoroughly confused

[caf1952]

:?

Well it is now around 2 months since I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I have to admit that I have done very little about addressing the change of diet needed. This is because I am so flaming confused as to what I can eat and what I can't.

It seems that the world and his brother are diabetic these days and I have been given so much conflicting advice I am now afraid to put anything in my mouth.

I read the pamphlets given to me by the doc and thought, well I can just follow a Weightwatchers type diet which isn't too difficult. Except that it appears that I cannot have carbs, cannot have low fat yoghurts or low cal/sugar free things, cannot have too much fruit, or any fat. Of course I cannot have natural sugar, but I can have eggs (I think I will get some chickens). I can eat meat! But I don't like much meat. :thumbdown:

In this house we follow a good diet, always have done. When my children were young not a single E number (I now know that was overeacting) or processed food passed their lips. We still live that way, although I do buy bisuits and bake cakes ocasionally (with all natural ingredients) and it is up to the individual if they want to eat them. I never buy fizzy drinks (although I understand I should now keep some Lucozade close to hand) or crisps, or fatty sausage rolls, or pies or pasties, etc. etc. Generally, our diet is processed food free, margarine is plastic (not eating that), even cheese I am wary of. I did have a McDonalds last year but that was an exception.

I told all this to the doc and he said, "look you're fat, so its obviously been a problem with portion control". Okay, so I have cut down on portions. I might in the past have had two rounds of sammies at lunch time but not any more. I do eat breakfast and thought I had that sussed. I have always had for breakfast two slices of seeded bread with butter and marmalade. I read somewhere that you can still have little bits of naughty things, so I cut down to one slice of bread, no butter and a teaspoon of marmalade. A dietician friend of mine threw up her hands in horror when I told her and said "you cannot eat marmalade". So I've swapped the marmalade for sliced banana. Go on, tell me I'm still wrong.

Next week I am going on a course. "Tea for two", or was it "Tea 4 2". So I am hopeful that I might get educated. In the meantime, I will just sit here and go hungry or die of thirst. I mean, what can I drink except water? Not fruit juice (too much sugar, not enough fibre), not cordial (too much sugar), wine or beer (empty calories and probably too much sugar anyway). I nice cuppa perhaps - think I'm safe with that.

 

[dawnmc]

Oh dear you do sound confuddled. Have a look at Jenny Ruhls 'blood sugar 101'. Full of valuable info, Burgen bread is better and you can use butter, the less messed with the better. If it comes from a factory it needs a factory to process it. Veggies that grow above ground, berries, rather than apples and bananas. Greek yogurt etc. Cheese is ok, good fats from avocados and olive oil.
Good luck

 

[eveshamgal]

Of you are low carving you need to eat fat. Fat doesn't make you fat, the diet companies want you to think that it does.

It is a confusing world out there but a bit of research will help you make sense of it all.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[daisy1]

Hi caf and welcome to the forum

To help you find out the best way of looking after yourself, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask any more questions you want and someone will 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.

 

[Anonymous]

:?

Well it is now around 2 months since I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I have to admit that I have done very little about addressing the change of diet needed. This is because I am so flaming confused as to what I can eat and what I can't.

It seems that the world and his brother are diabetic these days and I have been given so much conflicting advice I am now afraid to put anything in my mouth.

I read the pamphlets given to me by the doc and thought, well I can just follow a Weightwatchers type diet which isn't too difficult. Except that it appears that I cannot have carbs, cannot have low fat yoghurts or low cal/sugar free things, cannot have too much fruit, or any fat. Of course I cannot have natural sugar, but I can have eggs (I think I will get some chickens). I can eat meat! But I don't like much meat. :thumbdown:

In this house we follow a good diet, always have done. When my children were young not a single E number (I now know that was overeacting) or processed food passed their lips. We still live that way, although I do buy bisuits and bake cakes ocasionally (with all natural ingredients) and it is up to the individual if they want to eat them. I never buy fizzy drinks (although I understand I should now keep some Lucozade close to hand) or crisps, or fatty sausage rolls, or pies or pasties, etc. etc. Generally, our diet is processed food free, margarine is plastic (not eating that), even cheese I am wary of. I did have a McDonalds last year but that was an exception.

I told all this to the doc and he said, "look you're fat, so its obviously been a problem with portion control". Okay, so I have cut down on portions. I might in the past have had two rounds of sammies at lunch time but not any more. I do eat breakfast and thought I had that sussed. I have always had for breakfast two slices of seeded bread with butter and marmalade. I read somewhere that you can still have little bits of naughty things, so I cut down to one slice of bread, no butter and a teaspoon of marmalade. A dietician friend of mine threw up her hands in horror when I told her and said "you cannot eat marmalade". So I've swapped the marmalade for sliced banana. Go on, tell me I'm still wrong.

Next week I am going on a course. "Tea for two", or was it "Tea 4 2". So I am hopeful that I might get educated. In the meantime, I will just sit here and go hungry or die of thirst. I mean, what can I drink except water? Not fruit juice (too much sugar, not enough fibre), not cordial (too much sugar), wine or beer (empty calories and probably too much sugar anyway). I nice cuppa perhaps - think I'm safe with that.

I am assuming you have limited knowledge of the 'language' of diabetes but that you can browse the site for details such as recommended blood glucose targets and other information.

Before you launch into a special diet or someone else's own diet I suggest you first find out what effect the food you are currently eating is having on your blood glucose levels (bGs). You will need a meter so you can start recording your bG levels as explained elsewhere in this site. You will start to learn which foods and in what quantities take you outside the recommended bG ranges. This will take a bit of time. It may just be carbohydrates, although some people experience problems with food that would not obviously affect their bGs and which seems to be 'unique' to them. You will then be in a position to either modify the quantity of certain foods, exchange them for an alternative, or eliminate them completely. You may only need to make minor 'tweak's, in which case the impact on your life will be minimal, or you may have to make significant changes. You may decide that you are comfortable with keeping your bGs within the recommended guidelines or set your own personal target guidelines. Everyone is different.

If you are still uncomfortable with your bGs after trying all that you feel you can, then I would suggest that you have a chat with your GP and/or Diabetic Nurse and, of course, continue to chat with others on this site.

 

[CathyN]

Hi

First of all, try not to get down hearted. Yes, there's loads to take in when you are first diagnosed - and it can all feel very daunting.

Cutting down on portion sizes is a good start for anyone who is over weight so that's great.

Although at first you may quite rightly be wondering what you CAN eat, it will soon become clear that there are many options; they just might not be the ones you are used to or the ones you imagine are ok.

What I addressed first was the amount of carbohydrate I was eating, which although it was all brown/ healthy/ wholegrain/ wholewheat was just too much for my pancreas to cope with. For instance, things like bread, rice, potatoes, crackers. I reduced these to really low levels - ie one small potato, one tablespoon of rice, low carb crackers and really not very much bread at all. Pasta I cut right out, as I tested my blood sugars after eating it and found it raised my levels too high for too long. lentils and beans and cous cous are slower release and better for you.

I upped my vegetable/ salad intake. Avocados are brilliant.

I cut out fruits like citrus and just eat berries ( raspberries/ strawberries ) apples and a very small amount of banana ...... Sorry! Bananas are packed with sugar. so, I now make low carb banana and walnut muffins for breakfast, so I still taste banana but not in too high a quantity.

Greek yogurt is excellent ( the proper Greek one not Greek Style ). Soya yogurt is good too, with a few berries and a sprinkling of nuts/ seeds/ desiccated coconut/ almonds.

I still eat eggs and some cheese, meat and fish.

For drinks - de caff coffee, herb tea, gin and slimline tonic, red and white wine - the odd bottle of beer. Lots of water.

At the risk of boring you to death, I will give you a sample of a day's food with my blood sugar readings.

On waking - Blood Sugar 6.2 mmol/L.

Breakfast - Benecol Drink
Alpro Soya Yogurt Plain, with raspberries, linseeds and a SPRINKLING of granola from Dorset Cereals. Half a low carb banana walnut muffin.
de caff coffee. Vitamin D supplement and Chromium supplement.

2 hours Post Prandial test 7.9 mmol/L

before lunch Pre Prandial test 6.9mmol/L
Lunch, roast lamb from night before, small portion cous cous with oven roasted tomatoes in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. green salad.

2 hours after lunch test 6.2 mmol/L

I didn't test again

Dinner - pan fried cod with lemon, mange tout and ordinary peas.

Small glass of milk before bed.

This morning Blood Sugar on waking 6.2 mmol/L.

Are you still there?

I hope this gives you hope. :thumbup: If you are not testing on a meter yet, pop down to the chemist and get one. start testing your blood sugars before and 2 hours after you eat. we are all different, and certain foods affect everyone in different ways.

Just to let you know, I lost a stone without even trying just by reducing my carbs and upping my veggies - however my diet is not considered a radically low carb diet. I just eat less of them.

if you have any questions please ask.

Good luck x

 

[bernie.freeman]

Hi Cathy,

I am interested in your low carb walnut and banana muffins, they sound yummy, can you post the recipe please ??

 

[CathyN]

Hi

just so we don't hijack caf1952's thread, I will post the muffin recipe separately. X

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You've had lots of good advice already from previous posters. Yes, it's all very confusing to start with. Fat doesn't make you fat so don't worry too much about fat intake within reason; the 'experts' are into low-fat on very shaky evidence. Things such as Low-fat yogurt are usually high sugar so avoid these like the plague. I have Irish Yogurts low fat and no-added sugar fruit yogurts. I'm afraid bananas need to be little and often as they are high carb high-GI. Marmalade and jam are OK when thinly spread; I have jam with my 'breakfast' muffin (the muffins themselves are best kept small!). Yes, you obviously need to reduce your weight. Don't go for any 'branded' diets; just follow the advice on this forum keeping the carbs down. Set yourself a daily carb limit of perhaps 150gm/day or less and use the meter to check. Alcohol is OK in sensible quantities as it doesn't affect blood sugar much. You shouldn't have any hypos being T2 and not on insulin producing meds, so the Lucozade shouldn't be needed. Good luck and come back with morequestions