Breakfast

[Ruler]

Hi all. I am type 2 diabetic controlled by diet and exercise. My sugar levels over the past few months have been in the range 10 - 14 on a constant basis. Was at the doctors recently for a progress report and was told I have got 3 months to try to get my levels down (to about 7) or they will likely recommend injections.

I am looking at my diet and would like to helpful advice / tips. I would like to know:-

1. What alternatives are good for breakfast (remember my levels are high). i have been eating porridge made with semi-skimmed milk for a long time but am starting to get bored of this.

2. I eat a healthy main meal of the day but am looking to eat more healthily at lunch. Any suggestions? (I like salads but never know what is good to have in a salad, also like soup but not sure what is good or not). Any other suggestions are appreciated.

3. I must admit I love crisps and am trying to cut down on these. However I am also looking for a 'good' crisp to have in moderation. What other snacks or fruit are good for me to have?

Sorry for all the questions but as you can see from my introduction I don't have long to change things round particularly as I would rather not have to rely on injections. Basically any advice you can give on diet or exercise will be greatly appreciated.

+++meant to change the title of the thread but don't seem to be able to+++

 

[Brunneria]

Hi,

If you want to reduce your bg so much, by diet alone, then reducing your carbs is the only option i know.

If you want to go hardcore, then www.dietdoctor.com gives a ready made diet.
If you want the thinking behind it all, then the www.bloodsugar101.com website will help.

You may also find recipes and menu options all over the low carb section of the forum.

If i ate porridge every day, i would probably have the same bg as you, but by low carbing, i rarely rise above 7mmol/l, even after a large meal, so take heart, it can be done. And i love my food, so it doesnt have to involve suffering and denial - just a change in mindset.

Good luck.

 

[Ruler]

Thank you. I will certainly have a look at those links

 

[Lissy74]

Hi
Firstly I would try not to stress over the injections, that's probably more of a threat.
If you've been diet only normally the next step would be tablets, most likely metformin as that's first line of treatment when diet alone fails, then they move you to gliclazide and the sulphonyureas, insulin is always last option for type 2.
I wonder if you are eating a lot if the injection they refer to is maybe byetta or equivalent, I was told by the specialist that they issue Byetta to people who typically overeat as theyre always hungry.
As for what to eat, I have been eating a higher protein and full fat diet with the minimum carbs I can, I eat chicken and salad, chicken curry made with cauliflower rice, eggs bacon, scrambled egg, beans low sugar ones!
It depends what your tastes are, if you eat crisps I'd do so in moderation, maybe once or twice a week, I've been eating a granola bar mid morning to stop my BG dropping too low as I'm now on gliclazide which can cause hypos.
Have a nice bacon slice or two for breakfast topped with a lovely poached or some scrambled eggs, I eat porridge but always have some protein before it.
I use lambert protein shakes before breakfast made with full fat goats milk and then eat breakfast 30 minutes later as it reduces the blood sugar spike, I can eat mostly what I like within reason and I don't get the highs.
You will get there but what works for one doesn't work for another so I think a lot will be trial and error.

 

[Mongolia]

Breakfast: eggs in any form. My favourite is scrambled eggs with mushrooms and smoked salmon or bacon.
chia seed pudding http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/08/coconut-lime-raspberry-chia-pudding.html is a tasty recipe but lots of alternatives online
pancakes http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2014/07/egg-fast-recipe-snickerdoodle-crepes-low-carb.html with a handful of blueberries and cream or Alpro coconut yoghurt
Berries, yoghurt, flaxseed
English muffin either with bacon and fried egg or nut butter http://beautyandthefoodie.com/quick-paleo-english-muffins/
Home made nut granola with whole milk http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/08/chocolate-hazelnut-granola-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
As you can probably tell, I love breakfast

If you like avocado try stuffing with eg tuna mayo and cheese and baking for 15 minutes and serving with salad. I include toasted pine nuts and olives in my salads. Smoked mackerel is also good with salad for lunch.

For snacks try a handful of nuts, some cubes of cheese or a baby bel, mini chorizo bites, olives, or make some kale crisps.

 

[Ruler]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.

I apologize that in my original post I should have said I am on tablets. I take metformin, gliclazide and sitagliptin.

 

[Brunneria]

Thanks for the update.

If you are on drugs which actively lower bg (the gliclazide and sitagliptin) then it is very important not to go to fast in to low carbing. Because the lowering effect of the drugs may increase the risk of hypos.

The good news is that if you steadily decrease your carbs, see lower bg levels, and discuss with your health team, you may be able to reduce the medication significantly.

Maybe try halving your carb portions and see what happens to your bg.
Then assess the drugs, and drop the carbs further...

We have some type 2 members who have come off the medication completely, using a diet/exercise combo.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hi all. I am type 2 diabetic controlled by diet and exercise. My sugar levels over the past few months have been in the range 10 - 14 on a constant basis. Was at the doctors recently for a progress report and was told I have got 3 months to try to get my levels down (to about 7) or they will likely recommend injections.

I am looking at my diet and would like to helpful advice / tips. I would like to know:-

1. What alternatives are good for breakfast (remember my levels are high). i have been eating porridge made with semi-skimmed milk for a long time but am starting to get bored of this.

2. I eat a healthy main meal of the day but am looking to eat more healthily at lunch. Any suggestions? (I like salads but never know what is good to have in a salad, also like soup but not sure what is good or not). Any other suggestions are appreciated.

3. I must admit I love crisps and am trying to cut down on these. However I am also looking for a 'good' crisp to have in moderation. What other snacks or fruit are good for me to have?

Sorry for all the questions but as you can see from my introduction I don't have long to change things round particularly as I would rather not have to rely on injections. Basically any advice you can give on diet or exercise will be greatly appreciated.

+++meant to change the title of the thread but don't seem to be able to+++

It is possible to get BGs right down if you closely follow a diet low enough in carbs, and there are many examples on this forum of people who do this and no longer need any tablets. So you might be able to do that too, but you would need to be prepared to make radical changes in your eating, at least for the next three months.

I don't happen to think insulin injections are all that bad. If I needed them I would happily have them, because I have read about insulin therapy for T2s and also about the benefits and risks of all the tablets and non insulin injectable drugs. I have to say I'm not impressed with any of those drugs except metformin.

So, if you are unable to get your BGs down and consistently between 4 and 7.8, then insulin therapy might be right for you. It might also be best to stay on metformin but not the other tablets. (All this must be discussed with your HCP rather than stopping tablets on your own). You can read the background to why I favour metformin and, where needed, insulin here:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045911.php
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15478720.php
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/17977284.php

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hi
Firstly I would try not to stress over the injections, that's probably more of a threat.
If you've been diet only normally the next step would be tablets, most likely metformin as that's first line of treatment when diet alone fails, then they move you to gliclazide and the sulphonyureas, insulin is always last option for type 2.
I wonder if you are eating a lot if the injection they refer to is maybe byetta or equivalent, I was told by the specialist that they issue Byetta to people who typically overeat as theyre always hungry.

Insulin isn't always the last option for T2. There has been research showing it can be beneficial if used from the time of diagnosis, for a time limited period. Also, as mentioned in my post above, some people believe it's better to skip the drugs other than metformin and that insulin is a better benefits/risks tradeoff. The research is referred to here:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15478720.php