Can I eat these?

Snappy21

Member
Messages
14
Diagnosed with T2 about three weeks ago and struggling a bit with what I should or should not be eating. Can anyone advise if these are OK or NoNos please?
Swede
Celeriac
Parsnips
Other root vegetables (I know potatoes aren't that good but have been advised that new potatoes are best)
Pearl barley
Oranges
Apples
Bananas

Thanks in advance.
 

bulkbiker

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Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome

Are you going to try and control your T2 by dietary means or medication?
I'll tag in @daisy1 for the intro to low carb eating to control T2.

As a slight aside I personally wouldn't eat anything on your list.
 

bulkbiker

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19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am on one Metformin per day but would like to be able to control by diet if possible. Current blood reading 6.5.
Do you happen to know your HbA1c the average of blood glucose over the past 8-12 weeks that probably led to your diagnosis? Or is that what you mean by 6.5%?
 
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JoKalsbeek

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5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Boo1979

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1,849
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Other
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Tablets (oral)
We can all eat things that dont spike our blood sugars - people will vary in their BG responses to different foods and at different stages of diabetes.
To know what is / is not ok for you to eat, you need to get yourself a meter and test your responses to individual foods
For me virtually everything on your list would have been fine for the first 12-15 years of my diabetic journey but 22 years on most would now create an unacceptable (for me) spike
 
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M

Member496333

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If it were my choice, every item on that list would get a thumbs down.

Of course it’s not my choice, and you’re free to make yours, but each of those is something that likely needs moderating for most diabetics, so on that basis I personally wouldn’t eat any of them. I like to enjoy food rather than set a two hour timer after eating it :)
 
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Snappy21

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14
Must be my blood glucose level. It has been measured over the past 12 months but only now have I been diagnosed with T2. Level went up to 6.7 at the highest and is now 6.5
 

Snappy21

Member
Messages
14
Thanks. This is a very useful website. Obviously eating all the wrong things but believing I have a healthy and appropriate diet! Have not been advised about the number of calories to work on, just advised to eat plenty of vegetables and cut our carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes etc). Quite a learning curve but this form is proving very useful.
 

Snappy21

Member
Messages
14
If it were my choice, every item on that list would get a thumbs down.

Of course it’s not my choice, and you’re free to make yours, but each of those is something that likely needs moderating for most diabetics, so on that basis I personally wouldn’t eat any of them. I like to enjoy food rather than set a two hour timer after eating it :)
 
M

Member496333

Guest
Small moves. It’s a long process. Only you can determine what is optimal for your health and peace of mind.
 
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JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks. This is a very useful website. Obviously eating all the wrong things but believing I have a healthy and appropriate diet! Have not been advised about the number of calories to work on, just advised to eat plenty of vegetables and cut our carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes etc). Quite a learning curve but this form is proving very useful.
Calories don't exactly matter much, far as T2 goes. Carbs do, as they turn to glucose once ingested, so that's straight sugars, but starches too, and that'll impact your bloodsugars directly. Most vegetables have some carb content though, though it varies wildly how much. I rather enjoy cauliflower rice as it is versatile, broccoli too, leafy greens... Didn't anyone tell you meat, fish and poultry are 0 carb and you can eat those to your heart's content? Eggs are pretty good too, as is proper butter, hard cheeses, full fat greek yoghurt, cream, avocado... In moderation, nuts, extra dark chocolate (85% and up), berries, tomatoes, starfruit are fine. But it all depends on how much your body can handle, really... I started out with, I think, something like 85 grams of carbs a day, two years ago... Was sortof okay with that but felt I could do better. Halved it, felt better, halved it again last spring or something... Am now at 20 grams of carbs or less and ketosis is, for me, the right choice. (Ketogenic diet, burning fat instead of carbs for fuel) But you really do need a bloodglucose meter to tell you what your body can and can't handle, carb-wise. (test before a meal and 2 hours after. if you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, it was carbier than you could process). It's a lot to take in all at once though, and you don't have to learn it all in a day. Take your time, take notes... It'll help make this less stressful. Took me 3 months to figure my first regime out, everything I tried after that went quicker, once I knew what I was doing. ;)

Hope this helps!
Jo
 

Snappy21

Member
Messages
14
Calories don't exactly matter much, far as T2 goes. Carbs do, as they turn to glucose once ingested, so that's straight sugars, but starches too, and that'll impact your bloodsugars directly. Most vegetables have some carb content though, though it varies wildly how much. I rather enjoy cauliflower rice as it is versatile, broccoli too, leafy greens... Didn't anyone tell you meat, fish and poultry are 0 carb and you can eat those to your heart's content? Eggs are pretty good too, as is proper butter, hard cheeses, full fat greek yoghurt, cream, avocado... In moderation, nuts, extra dark chocolate (85% and up), berries, tomatoes, starfruit are fine. But it all depends on how much your body can handle, really... I started out with, I think, something like 85 grams of carbs a day, two years ago... Was sortof okay with that but felt I could do better. Halved it, felt better, halved it again last spring or something... Am now at 20 grams of carbs or less and ketosis is, for me, the right choice. (Ketogenic diet, burning fat instead of carbs for fuel) But you really do need a bloodglucose meter to tell you what your body can and can't handle, carb-wise. (test before a meal and 2 hours after. if you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, it was carbier than you could process). It's a lot to take in all at once though, and you don't have to learn it all in a day. Take your time, take notes... It'll help make this less stressful. Took me 3 months to figure my first regime out, everything I tried after that went quicker, once I knew what I was doing. ;)

Hope this helps!
Jo
 

Charis1213

Well-Known Member
Messages
513
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I couldn't eat those foods on your list , but strangely I can eat dark chocolate and it doesn't cause spikes . Good for me cos I like dark chocolate, but cannot eat above 70 percent as it makes me ill.
 

Snappy21

Member
Messages
14
Thanks Jo. Very useful. It sounds as though you really have it under control. I wasn't given too much advice other than a magazine to read however, the doctor suggested I enrol on an NHS diabetes education session which I have done. I'm surte this will help. Your list of suitable foods is very encouraging, plenty there that I enjoy.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks Jo. Very useful. It sounds as though you really have it under control. I wasn't given too much advice other than a magazine to read however, the doctor suggested I enrol on an NHS diabetes education session which I have done. I'm surte this will help. Your list of suitable foods is very encouraging, plenty there that I enjoy.

What you need is your own blood glucose meter and a food diary. You can then test out different foods for yourself and see instantly what they have done to your glucose levels. If you record your levels in a food diary before you start to eat, and a second one 2 hours after first bite alongside the food eaten patterns will emerge that will show you what your danger foods are. If there is a rise of more than 2mmol/l from before to after, then there were too many carbs and/or fruit in that meal. The 2mmol/l is a maximum. It is preferable for it to be a lot less.