2 days in and it's very confusing!

retrogamer · Sep 24, 2023

So in my introduction I admitted to being a bit of a fussy eater. There are plenty of things I can eat that won't cause me problems but there are other foods that I'm not sure I can find alternatives to.

For example, breakfast cereals. I like a variety of them, some which I believe are ok for me such as shredded wheat but without a sprinkle of sugar they don't taste good. Fruit with breakfast cereals isn't an option because I just don't like them. I picked up some alternative to sugar which I've read is fine for diabetics, Stevia granuals but the milk just tasted bitter to me with that stuff. It's really not nice stuff.

Is a sprinkle of sugar or a spoon of sugar in my coffee (only one or two cups per day) a problem? Obviously without testing it's impossible to say but from others experience will this be fine or should I keep looking for an alternative?

I do like fish but struggle to find foods to make a meal out of it. Yesterday I cracked open a tin of tuna, added a bit of pepper and vinegar and grabbed a fork!! It'll get boring pretty quickly that way though so I need to think of something to go with it. As I admitted in my introduction, me and salad stuff don't see eye to eye! I'd love to empty a tin over a bed of lettuce with tomato's etc but I cannot stand the taste! Love the look of a salad on my plate but it just tastes bitter and nasty to me.

My diet previously consisted largely of bread, pasta and potatoes. I'd have either sandwiches, toast or similar (white bread btw) Pasta dishes such as lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese etc or casseroles with potatoes in them or something with chips or jacket potatoes etc.

I've been searching the supermarkets looking for alternatives but I have absolutely no clue what to look for. Being a non fruit, non veg, non salad eating diabetic is not easy, everything seems to have added sugar or high carbs.

I know 2 days isn't long to get used to the changes but I feel with the lack of variety in my diet I am going to struggle to find meals that are suitable.

Sorry for the long rant but I'm feeling quite defeated already.

Antje77 · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
For example, breakfast cereals. I like a variety of them, some which I believe are ok for me such as shredded wheat but without a sprinkle of sugar they don't taste good.

Shredded wheat has about 70 grams of carbs per 100 grams, a sprinkle (a spoonful) of sugar has about 10.
So it's most likely the wheat will increase your blood glucose way more than the sugar.

How do you like bacon and eggs for breakfast? Full fat greek yoghurt, with added nuts and seeds, or grated dark chocolate if you like?

retrogamer said:
Is a sprinkle of sugar or a spoon of sugar in my coffee (only one or two cups per day) a problem? Obviously without testing it's impossible to say but from others experience will this be fine or should I keep looking for an alternative?

Teaspoon or eating spoon?
A teaspoon has about 4 grams of carbs, it may well be you can handle this, especially when not eating the shredded wheat.
That said, I stopped sugar in my coffee before diabetes, took me about two months of persisting but then I didn't like sugar in my coffee anymore at all.

retrogamer · Sep 24, 2023

Antje77 said:
Shredded wheat has about 70 grams of carbs per 100 grams, a sprinkle (a spoonful) of sugar has about 10.
So it's most likely the wheat will increase your blood glucose way more than the sugar.

Ok so I'm learning already, I was under the impression because of the traffic light colours on the nutritional information that shredded wheat was fine. Maybe it is but I didn't realise it had so many carbs.

Antje77 said:
How do you like bacon and eggs for breakfast? Full fat greek yoghurt, with added nuts and seeds, or grated dark chocolate if you like?

Bacon and eggs, yes I could manage that. I would have to change my cooking methods because I have been advised to cut out fatty foods as I am overweight. Grilled bacon and poached eggs sounds good though. Greek yoghurt I've never tried but I do like yoghurt. All the ones I've seen in the supermarket have added sugars though. I'll have to check again.

Antje77 said:
Teaspoon or eating spoon?
A teaspoon has about 4 grams of carbs, it may well be you can handle this, especially when not eating the shredded wheat.

Teaspoon. I don't mind ditching the cereals if they're not the best for me. I read that porridge is ok but somebody will probably tell me something different!

Thanks for the info though, this is what I need, some useful ideas for meals that fall within the food types that I can eat.
I'd love to be able to just move to the foods I don't like but I've tried several times and just cannot eat them.

ajbod · Sep 24, 2023

If you want to lose weight, as daft as it sounds, cut out the carbs and eat MORE FAT.
LCHF, low carb high ( healthy) fat, you will lose FAR more weight eating this way, than cutting out fats.
Cereals are evil, stop them immediately.
If you adopt a low carb/Keto diet, you will rapidly reach the point where you taste sweetness in everything, and added sugar becomes intolerable.
Fry your bacon and eggs, or high meat content sausages in butter or lard.

Antje77 · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
the traffic light colours on the nutritional information

Please ignore the traffic light system, it's completely useless for diabetics.
Diabetics have trouble processing carbs, so carbs are the ones you want to look for, they're on the back in the small print.

retrogamer said:
I would have to change my cooking methods because I have been advised to cut out fatty foods as I am overweight.

Many of our members have found that by cutting the carbs but not restricting fat in any way, they greatly reduced blood glucose AND lost weight!

If you're reducing fats and carbs, there is very little left to eat and you'll likely won't be able to get enough calories to sustain you.
There are only 3 main food groups: Carbs, fat and protein, and it doesn't make sense to reduce 2 at the same time.

I think you'll like to have a read of this, written by one of our members, it explains quite clearly how diabetes works and gives practical tips for food as well: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

KennyA · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
Ok so I'm learning already, I was under the impression because of the traffic light colours on the nutritional information that shredded wheat was fine. Maybe it is but I didn't realise it had so many carbs.

Bacon and eggs, yes I could manage that. I would have to change my cooking methods because I have been advised to cut out fatty foods as I am overweight. Grilled bacon and poached eggs sounds good though. Greek yoghurt I've never tried but I do like yoghurt. All the ones I've seen in the supermarket have added sugars though. I'll have to check again.

Teaspoon. I don't mind ditching the cereals if they're not the best for me. I read that porridge is ok but somebody will probably tell me something different!

Thanks for the info though, this is what I need, some useful ideas for meals that fall within the food types that I can eat.
I'd love to be able to just move to the foods I don't like but I've tried several times and just cannot eat them.

Best piece of advice I never got was to forget everything you think you know about healthy eating.

All the official advice in the UK since the mid 80s has stressed the importance of basing all meals around carbohydrate. The traffic light info supports this "eat carb" message. Of course, since the mid 1980s we've seen an increase in T2 diabetes and obesity.

The problem is that all digestable carb is digested to glucose. If you're T2 diabetic you almost certainly are insulin resistant, which means that your insulin system does not clear glucose for use as cell fuel the way it should. Result, high blood glucose (which can cause physical damage) and excess glucose is stored as bodyfat.

The high carb items are usually listed as bread (anything flour-based), pasta, rice, cereals and oatmeal, sugars, most fruits, beer, beans and legumes and root vegetables. Wholemeal etc doesn't make any difference to me. I can tolerate beans and legumes more, but pastry is dynamite: we all respond in slightly different ways.

Oddly, although this carb problem is well understood, the advice given to T2s very often is still to eat carbs, although it is maybe changing, slowly. It's what you'll still read most often in the media as well - "everyone knows fat bad and carbs good". I stopped eating carbs in any quantity nearly four years ago (I'm usually taking in around 20g/day max) and have been in T2 remission for three and a half. I've also lost over 30 kilos.

Best of luck. If you haven't already got a glucometer I'd recommend getting one and seeing the impact of foods on your blood glucose - that will give you direct information about the foods you can and can't handle.

retrogamer · Sep 24, 2023

ajbod said:
If you want to lose weight, as daft as it sounds, cut out the carbs and eat MORE FAT.
LCHF, low carb high ( healthy) fat, you will lose FAR more weight eating this way, than cutting out fats.
Cereals are evil, stop them immediately.
If you adopt a low carb/Keto diet, you will rapidly reach the point where you taste sweetness in everything, and added sugar becomes intolerable.
Fry your bacon and eggs, or high meat content sausages in butter or lard.

Antje77 said:
Please ignore the traffic light system, it's completely useless for diabetics.
Diabetics have trouble processing carbs, so carbs are the ones you want to look for, they're on the back in the small print.

Many of our members have found that by cutting the carbs but not restricting fat in any way, they greatly reduced blood glucose AND lost weight!

If you're reducing fats and carbs, there is very little left to eat and you'll likely won't be able to get enough calories to sustain you.
There are only 3 main food groups: Carbs, fat and protein, and it doesn't make sense to reduce 2 at the same time.

I think you'll like to have a read of this, written by one of our members, it explains quite clearly how diabetes works and gives practical tips for food as well: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

KennyA said:
Best piece of advice I never got was to forget everything you think you know about healthy eating.

All the official advice in the UK since the mid 80s has stressed the importance of basing all meals around carbohydrate. The traffic light info supports this "eat carb" message. Of course, since the mid 1980s we've seen an increase in T2 diabetes and obesity.

The problem is that all digestable carb is digested to glucose. If you're T2 diabetic you almost certainly are insulin resistant, which means that your insulin system does not clear glucose for use as cell fuel the way it should. Result, high blood glucose (which can cause physical damage) and excess glucose is stored as bodyfat.

The high carb items are usually listed as bread (anything flour-based), pasta, rice, cereals and oatmeal, sugars, most fruits, beer, beans and legumes and root vegetables. Wholemeal etc doesn't make any difference to me. I can tolerate beans and legumes more, but pastry is dynamite: we all respond in slightly different ways.

Oddly, although this carb problem is well understood, the advice given to T2s very often is still to eat carbs, although it is maybe changing, slowly. It's what you'll still read most often in the media as well - "everyone knows fat bad and carbs good". I stopped eating carbs in any quantity nearly four years ago (I'm usually taking in around 20g/day max) and have been in T2 remission for three and a half. I've also lost over 30 kilos.

Best of luck. If you haven't already got a glucometer I'd recommend getting one and seeing the impact of foods on your blood glucose - that will give you direct information about the foods you can and can't handle.

Well that's certainly a lot of useful advice. Doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever due to what I've been taught my entire life about foods!! I obviously need to change my thought process regarding diet.
Thanks for all the advice though, it's reassuring to know there are meal options for me even though I have a limited amount of foods that I enjoy.

I think this keto diet thing might be a good idea for me as I do need to lose weight and I have 12 weeks before going for another blood test. I'm hoping for some improvement (apparently my blood sugar was very high)
I am T2 diabetic and I have been prescribed Metformin to help get things under control. I don't fully understand everything yet but I'm reading loads and learning. Unfortunately, as with most things there is an enormous amount of misinformation online regarding diabetes and diets.

ianf0ster · Sep 24, 2023

WHile many T2 diabetics use Metformin, it doesn't help with the carbohydrates you eat. What it does is reduce the amount of glucose that your liver produces.

So if you want to reverse or even control your diabetes then reducing the carbs you eat is the way most of us use.
Note that some use an ultra low calorie diet for 8 to 12 weeks (800 calories per day), but the jury is out whether this works due to the low calories or because being so low in calories it is usually Low Carb as well. In any case while those using Low Carb (without conscious calorie restriction) tend to stay in remission, those on a calorie restricted diet tend to put the weight back on and with it the high Blood Glucose.

KennyA · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
Well that's certainly a lot of useful advice. Doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever due to what I've been taught my entire life about foods!! I obviously need to change my thought process regarding diet.
Thanks for all the advice though, it's reassuring to know there are meal options for me even though I have a limited amount of foods that I enjoy.

I think this keto diet thing might be a good idea for me as I do need to lose weight and I have 12 weeks before going for another blood test. I'm hoping for some improvement (apparently my blood sugar was very high)
I am T2 diabetic and I have been prescribed Metformin to help get things under control. I don't fully understand everything yet but I'm reading loads and learning. Unfortunately, as with most things there is an enormous amount of misinformation online regarding diabetes and diets.

I'm old enough to remember the time when the official "how to lose weight" advice from your doctor was, as it always had been, to cut out starches and sugars - ie carbohydrates. I have a Pears Cyclopedia from 1985ish that recommends a low carb approach to losing weight. The new, and unproven, diet is the high carb, low fat one.

You're right about the misinformation. Many people are selling something.

retrogamer · Sep 24, 2023

KennyA said:
I'm old enough to remember the time when the official "how to lose weight" advice from your doctor was, as it always had been, to cut out starches and sugars - ie carbohydrates. I have a Pears Cyclopedia from 1985ish that recommends a low carb approach to losing weight. The new, and unproven, diet is the high carb, low fat one.

You're right about the misinformation. Many people are selling something.

Well I'm old enough (52) but never worried about diets. When I was younger I never put weight on, skinny at school and throughout my late teens.

I found beer!!!

I now have to re-educate myself and learn how to eat a healthy diet whilst managing my diabetes. For the record, I am a little concerned about fat content because I also had a heart attack in 2019. Obviously losing weight will help with that anyway.

I am definitely looking into this keto stuff because it's more my type of food anyway.

My biggest issues are going to be bread, but I am intrigued by this almond flour bread and it looks nice, potato products as I did always like chips, potatoes and Jacket spuds, and pasta because I do like lasagne and spaghetti Bolognese. I just need to change my eating habits and thought process when meal planning.

Thanks for the advice guys, it's definitely helped me and hopefully I can pick up more tips as I go along.

JenniferM55 · Sep 24, 2023

For yonks we've been conditioned to be afraid of fat. I eat a lot of fat, I love it. Almost a year ago I had to have my aortic valve replaced (a genetic problem) not one single cardiologist, including my consultant, asked about my diet even though I told them I was doing keto to keep my diabetes controlled. Think if they were worried they'd have mentioned the fat word. Things are changing, and I'm afraid I judge health care givers on their enlightened views and not on the same old low-fat dogma that got us sick.

If you like to have a drink, I have a G&T every day, then spirits might suit you better, you'll be surprised how low in carbs they are.

I'd also recommend downloading one of the food diary apps, eg FatSecret, MyFitnessPal, Carb Manager, or the one I use which is Cronometer via a browser on my laptop, it's less clunky than the app for me. They are all free, though you can pay for a premium membership. Cronometer basic suits me fine, I record everything I eat and through that I've have learnt which are the carb heavy foods to avoid and how to switch to lower carb food.

Bread for me these days has no appeal, though I know not to push it. Within days of abstaining you'll notice a difference. Besides the lower calorie bread made with almond flour, there are many other ways to change to low carb such as making 'chaffles' (google it). Cauliflower rice is now a favourite instead of normal rice. I like to saute it in butter, it surprisingly doesn't taste like cauli to me. I don't feel stodgy like I did when I ate normal rice.

flonvic · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
Ok so I'm learning already, I was under the impression because of the traffic light colours on the nutritional information that shredded wheat was fine. Maybe it is but I didn't realise it had so many carbs.

Bacon and eggs, yes I could manage that. I would have to change my cooking methods because I have been advised to cut out fatty foods as I am overweight. Grilled bacon and poached eggs sounds good though. Greek yoghurt I've never tried but I do like yoghurt. All the ones I've seen in the supermarket have added sugars though. I'll have to check again.

Teaspoon. I don't mind ditching the cereals if they're not the best for me. I read that porridge is ok but somebody will probably tell me something different!

Thanks for the info though, this is what I need, some useful ideas for meals that fall within the food types that I can eat.
I'd love to be able to just move to the foods I don't like but I've tried several times and just cannot eat them.

I have porridge.I halved my usual amount and added ground almonds(same amount as porridge).When it was cooked I added 2 dessert spoons of greek yogurt and a few berries.Delicious.

lovinglife · Sep 24, 2023

You don’t have to eat massive amounts of fat, just enough to keep you satisfied. I don’t eat loads of fat but I do eat normal amounts of fats mainly from extra virgin olive oils, nut oils like walnut oil or sesame seed oil,avocados, oily fish like salmon, butter, Greek yogurt a bit of cheese but I do limit dairy as I gain with dairy if I eat too much, mayonnaise some cream but I have to fancy that. I don’t add a lot of fat to meats but I don’t remove it either so fat on a steak or bacon that has been nicely rendered. Protein is also a good way of feeling satisfied too.

retrogamer · Sep 24, 2023

JenniferM55 said:
If you like to have a drink, I have a G&T every day, then spirits might suit you better, you'll be surprised how low in carbs they are.

Good to know, Jack Daniels and diet coke suits me just fine!

JenniferM55 · Sep 24, 2023

flonvic said:
I have porridge.I halved my usual amount and added ground almonds(same amount as porridge).When it was cooked I added 2 dessert spoons of greek yogurt and a few berries.Delicious.

Sounds really nice... big but though, 28g of uncooked porridge oats (about half a serving) comes in at 17g carbs, that only leaves 3g of carbs to be under 20g of carb per day for keto.

KennyA · Sep 24, 2023

retrogamer said:
Good to know, Jack Daniels and diet coke suits me just fine!

You might find this website very useful, I did.

Get Drunk Not Fat | Best Low Calorie Alcohol, Beers, Wines, & Cocktails

Discover the best low calorie alcohol options at GetDrunkNotFat.com! Compare beers, wines, liquors, and cocktails ranked by calories and ABV. Drink smarter

getdrunknotfat.com

lovinglife · Sep 24, 2023

Very useful site @KennyA

MrsA2 · Sep 24, 2023

KennyA said:
You might find this website very useful, I did.

Get Drunk Not Fat | Best Low Calorie Alcohol, Beers, Wines, & Cocktails

Discover the best low calorie alcohol options at GetDrunkNotFat.com! Compare beers, wines, liquors, and cocktails ranked by calories and ABV. Drink smarter

getdrunknotfat.com

Thanks for the link, but there are a few errors in it. Mojito shows as zero carbs, even though the ingredients show 4 tsps of sugar, for example.
I do wish drinks had to be labelled by UK law like food does

Lupf · Sep 24, 2023

Hi @retrogamer welcome to the forum. In addition to what has been said before, you might consider intermittent fasting. I and many others successfully lost weight by this method. I did 5+2, i.e. only ate 600 calories 2 days a week. This means very few carbs, mainly vegetables, e.g. as curries or stew, soup, salads, a bit of chicken or fish, one egg, a measured helping of greek or natural yogurt, half an apple, ... and a bottle of tap water for lunch. The amazing thing was that I never felt hungry and the pounds more or less melted off. You can eat lots of veggies and soup, which is filling. Losing weight usually correlates with better blood sugar values and has many other benefits. best wishes on your journey

KennyA · Sep 25, 2023

MrsA2 said:
Thanks for the link, but there are a few errors in it. Mojito shows as zero carbs, even though the ingredients show 4 tsps of sugar, for example.
I do wish drinks had to be labelled by UK law like food does

I think that if they have no information on carbs they say "null" as they do for mojito. It's really confusing and it would be a lot better if they said "no info" or something similar.

2 days in and it's very confusing!

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