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Can anyone help....

S

suegreen

Newbie
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2
Hi All,
I have just joined you guys are having type 2 diabetes i have now been put on metaformin. Is there a set rule for each meal, ie fats,carbs,sugar and salt. I am finding it very hard to obtain such information, also what are the best fruits/foods to eat.

I hope someone can help or advise of an website or books

Thank you

Sue
 
Hi Sue and welcome to the forum.(another Sue,I think we're taking over !!) If you read round the forum you will find a lot of info about diet on here.Some of it probably quite confusing to a new diabetic.The main thing is to watch how much carbohydrate you eat as this is what puts up your blood sugars.Do you have a test meter? If so test first thing in the morning before you eat and again 2 hours after you eat and this will give you an idea how the various foods that you are eating affect your blood sugars.Everyone is different so it is a bit of trail and error before you find the foods that keep you in control.Read a bit at a time so as not to confuse yourself and feel free to ask questions here.There is usually someone with the answer.
 
I have found it very hard to know what to eat. There are dull leaflets in the doctor's surgery suggesting 5 a day - but nothing geared to being a type 2 diabetic. I've been following trial and error, and have given up all ready meals, all cook in sauces, I now bake my own bread, eat out in restaurants less often, and try and avoid things which will make me feel ill. I now only drink decaffeinated coffee and tea as I read about research which suggested that this might help. With all of this, my sugar levels have fallen and I feel so much better it is unbelievable (so does my wife who is not diabetic but eats the same as me). I ate a bought sausage roll at the week end because I needed a snack, had left home in a hurry with no food, and I felt ill all afternoon. I have been appalled at how many ready meals and semi prepared dishes in the supermarkets contain sugar. I haven't even begun to worry about carbohydrates. My GP is learning as I do, and I think what I need is a dietician or nutrionalist who can help me over a period of time. My problem is knowing how to find a good one who can guide me along this long journey. I was pleased to see that red wine is not a bad thing for diabetics as I enjoy this, and like others I have found that beer makes me feel bad, so I have given it up. If anyone can recommend any good books on the subject of what to eat and drink, that would be helpful. It's easier to control what I eat when I am at home, but being out and about, it gets quite difficult. (I had a moussaka the other day in a restaurant and was horrified that they had added sugar to the tomatoes).
 
jetaway said:
My GP is learning as I do, and I think what I need is a dietician or nutrionalist who can help me over a period of time.
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An important thing to realize is that many GPs only know the basic rudiments about diabetes, and even then they are often also badly out of date. So called "diabetes nurses" are often not any better. Dieticians should be able to help you, but even there I have heard horror stories. It might be worth asking to be referred to a diabetes specialist - one would hope that they at least are reliable. However, the best solution is to become your own expert. These forums are a mine of useful information, and there are some very good books out there.
jetaway said:
I have been appalled at how many ready meals and semi prepared dishes in the supermarkets contain sugar.
Click to expand...
Even the so-called "healthy" ready meals are pretty bad (in fact they can be worse for diabetics than the "normal" ones, because they often have less fat but more carbohydrates). I am afraid that completely giving up ready meals and starting to cook for yourself is a pretty good first step.

jetaway said:
If anyone can recommend any good books on the subject of what to eat and drink, that would be helpful.
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I suggest that you avoid "diabetes cook books" - they mostly are based on a pretty outdated view of what a diabetic should be eating. There are, however, some very good books that will likely help you.

A short but useful book is:
Jenny Ruhl (2008) Blood Sugar 101: What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes. Technion Books.

Another good one is:
Gretchen Becker (2004) Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year. Robinson Publishing.

The bible of many on here is:
Richard Bernstein (2007) Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (2nd Edition). Sphere.
 
I concur on the Bernstein, but Atkins has some good reccipes too.
 
Thanks for the book suggestions, we are "digesting" Bernstein and the others and find them very useful - if not at odds with a diabetes cook book. I asked my doctor about seeing a specialist, not because I am a basket-case, but because I would like to have specialist advice from time to time, and although I have changed my diet, I am sure there is room for improvement. I asked the GP's nurse what I should eat; at the time she was pregnant and she said "eat what I eat". The doctor (NHS) is reluctant to refer me to a specialist, so I guess I will have to go it alone privately. That way I guess I can be referred to a specialist nutitionist or dietician. I have compared my treatment with that of a friend who lives in Canada and he is much more clued up than me, and has been given far more time by the diebetes specialists there.
 
Most "diabetes cook books" are too shiny to wipe with, which is their only real use.

Dana Carpender usually comes recommended.

You might care to save the money used to see a specialist and use it to buy foods off this list

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/freeveggies.htm

along with fish, meat, nuts and cheese

These are friends of mine but know whereof they write

http://www.phlaunt.com/quentin/

http://www.loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/

http://www.bloodsugar101.com/

Particularly, check out their links, and if you want links

http://www.mendosa.com/

if he doesn't link to it it's probably not worth reading

HTH ;)
 
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