Hi mrsgadget, welcome to the forum, I like your self am new to all this, The main thing that I have learnt from reading the forums and by testing before and after eating is that carbohydrates are the single most thing that will cause your blood sugar levels to spike.
I have cut out a lot of foods that are high in carbohydrate and it really does work, my fasting bg at diagnosis was 19, now it averages around 4- 7
Out of interest may I ask what you ate before you were testing your levels?