Baffled as to why

[Suzieb1]

I don’t understand, I’m told sourdough bread is better for people with diabetes. I’m type 2 and recently had to go on Insulin due to random and erratic blood sugar readings. I had Covid twice in 3 months and this was when things went haywire. I’m now on 22 units of Humulin M3 twice daily. I am told to eat carbs with every meal by my specialist nurse. So I thought I’d be ok with 2 small thin slices of sourdough bloomer with sprouted seeds. How wrong could I have been? 10.6 four hours later! I thought I’d be able to have a relatively normal diet (albeit in moderation) but it seems not. Maybe my insulin needs upping again?

 

[Suzieb1]

Hi James I find I react badly to gluten free goods. I bake my own low carb bread normally using low carb flour. It never used to spike me but it does now. Not as high as the sourdough but still a spike. It’s about 2 carbs a slice. All I really want is to be able to have a commercially made sandwich for lunch sometimes because when I go on trips (often) there often is no alternative. Similarly some hotels only offer two or three alternatives for dinner all carby. I still spike with a very small amount of potato, rice or pasta (typically less than a dessert spoonful) . I don’t get why they tell me to eat carbs with each meal when clearly I can’t. This is why I think I should ask to increase the insulin so that I can eat a reasonable meal without fear of either hyper or hypo.

 

[valann]

I don’t understand, I’m told sourdough bread is better for people with diabetes. I’m type 2 and recently had to go on Insulin due to random and erratic blood sugar readings. I had Covid twice in 3 months and this was when things went haywire. I’m now on 22 units of Humulin M3 twice daily. I am told to eat carbs with every meal by my specialist nurse. So I thought I’d be ok with 2 small thin slices of sourdough bloomer with sprouted seeds. How wrong could I have been? 10.6 four hours later! I thought I’d be able to have a relatively normal diet (albeit in moderation) but it seems not. Maybe my insulin needs upping again?

Hi Suzieb1,

Welcome to the forum.
I'm also type 2 and have been for more than a decade, I was also told to eat wholemeal, sourdough etc and wheetabix or porridge, rice,pasta potatoes and had great difficulty in lowering my BG levels. Then a few weeks ago I found this forum and am now following the low carb diet and my numbers have halved. Yet still my medical team recommend carbs not sure why.
We are all different, but unless we get the correct information we tend to follow all we are told by non-diabetics. I would recommend reading around the forums and try things to see what works for you.

I'm sure more members that are more knowledgeable then me will along soon and you'll get plenty of advice.
x

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I'm afraid your specialist nurse needs to go back for re-training. You need to reduce your carbs to keep BS and weight down. You may need to reduce your daily injections to match. Eating more carbs to chase the insulin dose is not good. Note that if you have excess weight you will probably have insulin resistance. That means you are likely to already have too much insulin in your body. Injecting insulin can then have little effect. The highest priority is to keep the carbs down whilst reducing the injection amount if needed to avoid any hypo risk. BTW sourdough bread is still bread and hence a carb so it makes little difference from any other bread. Sorry to be blunt but only trying to help

 

[jonathan183]

If you want greater flexibility then you would be better with separate long acting and short acting insulin. The long acting would then provide the basal insulin requirements and the short acting covers meals and high blood glucose correction. It would require more injections but should provide better control and flexibility.
You may still find that you struggle to control blood glucose with high carbohydrate meals in part because the insulin you inject takes considerably longer to take effect than the insulin your pancreas produces.
It is probably worth talking with your support team what options you have and the concerns you have with the current mixed insulin treatment you are on.

 

[MrsA2]

) . I don’t get why they tell me to eat carbs with each meal when clearly I can’t. T

Thats because they are behind and out of date with what most of us find: carbs, especially wheat and most other grains as well as sugar in any form, cause spikes in our bg!
Trust you meter.if it shows a spike, ditch that food.
Portable food to replace sandwiches with include hard boiled eggs, olives, nuts, cheeses, roll ups of ham and cheese.

 

[MrsA2]

some hotels only offer two or three alternatives for dinner all carby

Simply ask them to replace whatever the carb is with salad or extra green veg. And choose the cheese plate instead of pudding. Or choose 2 starters instead of a main. Or burger without the bun or fries.
Once you've adapted to low carb your appetite will change and on the very rare occasion there is really no option, you'll be able to say no and just fast instead (and yes 2 years ago I would never ever have thought this was possible but it is!)

 

[Outlier]

If you notify hotel staff in advance, they are very helpful with swapping carbs for extra diabetic- friendly salads etc. as Mrs.A2 suggests.

 

[Resurgam]

These days I would react by asking if they've heard of diabetes, its a condition where people can't cope with carbohydrate - and if I am there in person I give them a look which indicates that they are going to have to up their game if they want to be taken seriously.
Some do not take it well, so I leave or thank them for calling and put down the phone.
As there are more and more people coping with diabetes and not wanting high carb foods some kitchens are becoming very good at providing options. The chef at the Rugby Club in Sidmouth last year was a type 2 and I could get my normal diet there each evening during the Folk Festival.

 

[Lamont D]

I'm totally carb intolerant and have been advised by lots of medical practitioners to eat carbs.
Of course you don't!

But the point about travelling and hotels.
I know because I travelled the country up and down the motorways and every eating establishment including hotels have to have by law the nutritional information for every item of food they serve. And if you can't be ***** reading it, ask for the chef and tell him you're intolerant to wheat and what does he advise you to eat! They will help and even cook special meals for you including my favourite, gammon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes!

You don't need to eat bread!

Best wishes

 

[Outlier]

One chef came and sat with me, and confided he was T2 as well. He cooked me the most sublime liver and bacon I've ever had.