• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Confused about what I can now eat

Stuart.F

Stuart.F

Member
Messages
14
Location
Manchester
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Selfish people
Hi all I am still trying to come to terms with the diagnosis of type 2 and being out straight on Metformin. I have to wait three weeks before I can see the nurse but I'm struggling to understand what best to eat.

I have always struggled with veg and being able to eat it, but now I'm having to force myself to eat the stuff ( and to try and not gag and smile about it.)
I'm not sure what I should be eating though as I read one thing and then another. I'm a bit miffed that I am having to wait three weeks to find out what is the best for me to eat and what to avoid, can anybody give me further advice.
 
Hi,

You can eat meat, fish, poultry, tinned oily fish, eggs, dairy products, cheese, salads, tomatoes, mushrooms, most but not all vegetables, a small amount of fruit but try to stay away from the tropical varieties such as bananas and oranges etc. and limit the amount of milk. Basically, it is carbohydrate that raises levels. All carbs turn to glucose once inside the system.

We all have different tolerances. Some can eat potatoes, others can't, some can eat bread, others can't. Get the picture? The only way to discover what triggers your rises in blood sugar levels is to test foods out. Test before you eat then again 2 hours after first bite and look at the difference between the 2 readings. If it is more than 2mmol/l there is something in that meal that is causing your levels to rise. Keep a food diary and record your levels alongside. You will soon see a pattern emerging. If you think the rise was caused by (for example) potatoes, then try again with half the amount. It is all trial and error, and all very personal. Only your meter can tell you.
 
The doctor never said anything about using or getting a meter but from what I'm reading I think I need to get one so I can see what is happening to my body, thanks for the reply as well
 
Thanks For the info, I guess the only way for me to be sure is to get a meter and start testing, so thanks for this advice :D
 
Hi Stuart you can eat whatever you like but you would be wise to start testing and only eat enough of any carbohydrate that keeps your blood glucose (bg) levels returning towards a level that YOU are happy with after two hours of eating.

The chances are that carby foods like white bread, rice & pasta may have to become a special event or swapped with kinder alternatives like swapping wholeGRAIN bread for white bread and Basmati rice is always kinder to bg levels than ordinary white long grain rice, also watch what different types of potatoes do to your levels, the more you process a food before eating it the higher it is likely to push your bg level so mashed potato is generally much worse than a few chips or new boiled potatoes in their skins. But you need to test these foods for yourself and only eat them in amounts that you are happy with.

Personally I would avoid advice that tells you to avoid carbs all together but rather find your own way and see what you can and cant eat by frequent testing and generally you will find that you can eat more carbs the better your bg levels are controlled but avoiding them completely tends to make you more sensitive to those you do eat which to my mind is counter productive, T2 is mainly about insulin sensitivity so I would avoid anything that makes you more sensitive to your insulin.

If you are overweight the best thing that you can do is to lose weight as that is the best way to reduce your insulin sensitivity, and even if you are not considered overweight you will still have accrued visceral fat around your organs which causes insulin sensitivity so a diet is still a good way to reduce it.
 
I'll tag @daisy1 to give you some basic information that will help @Stuart.F.

Don't worry about everything at once or you will get confused. Read through the forums and anything that you do not understand then please ask, we all started where you are now and remember that it is a marathon as opposed to a sprint.
 
Hi Stuart - I think I've been lucky as I saw a Diabetic nurse last week within three days of being diagnosed and attended part one of a three part "diabetic course " this morning at my local hospital which on the whole was good with some very useful info. Part two is all about diet. What they did say was that controlling carbs is very important but so too is getting a balanced diet so as is mentioned above avoiding carbs all together is maybe not wise unless that works for you. The key points I took away were.

Slow Gi carbs are best to start with - this includes


Carbs

Basmati rice - easy cook rice preferably brown
Granary or seeded bread - linseed is good but limit to one slice per portion
Pasta - brown is best
Porridge
Weetabix
Oat based muesli not fruit based
New potatoes or sweet potatoes
Pulses (beans and lentils)

Veg: all veg is ok as long as portion size is controlled

Fruit - any type you want but moderate amounts spread across day. Be careful re sugar content so guide they gave re portion size was . One hand full of small fruit - 2 medium fruits (apricot size) one large fruit (Apple / pear) 2. Fruit juice avoid

Milk - dairy - high in protein and fat - slows down sugar breakdown. Red top milk best, eggs fine but avoid high saturated fat products

Protein Foods - meats , poultry , fish all ok but they would advice eating high fat meats in moderation. Also avoid protein foods in breadcrumbs etc


Drinks
Avoid full sugar drinks
Alcohol is ok in moderation - personally I've decided to stop this altogether though.


Snacks - the controversial but for me was the guideline that snacks eg
I've cream,
Cakes
Biscuits
Pastries


Are ok in moderation ( once or twice a week if you want to treat yourself ) but only a small amount. I've decided it will be easier to cut them all out as need to lose wait

Sweets - added sugars are a no-no

So I've decided to start with a MCMF diet (Moderate carbs / moderate fat) but only time will tell if this works or not

I was also lucky enough to be given a meter by the diabetic nurse mainly though as she said " for my personal interest" rather than HAVING to test. Interestingly though as part of the three part "course" they have asked us to do daily urine tests and provided the kit to do that.
 
Swan13 said:
Hi Stuart - I think I've been lucky as I saw a Diabetic nurse last week within three days of being diagnosed and attended part one of a three part "diabetic course " this morning at my local hospital which on the whole was good with some very useful info. Part two is all about diet. What they did say was that controlling carbs is very important but so too is getting a balanced diet so as is mentioned above avoiding carbs all together is maybe not wise unless that works for you. The key points I took away were.

Slow Gi carbs are best to start with - this includes


Carbs

Basmati rice - easy cook rice preferably brown
Granary or seeded bread - linseed is good but limit to one slice per portion
Pasta - brown is best
Porridge
Weetabix
Oat based muesli not fruit based
New potatoes or sweet potatoes
Pulses (beans and lentils)

Veg: all veg is ok as long as portion size is controlled

Fruit - any type you want but moderate amounts spread across day. Be careful re sugar content so guide they gave re portion size was . One hand full of small fruit - 2 medium fruits (apricot size) one large fruit (Apple / pear) 2. Fruit juice avoid

Milk - dairy - high in protein and fat - slows down sugar breakdown. Red top milk best, eggs fine but avoid high saturated fat products

Protein Foods - meats , poultry , fish all ok but they would advice eating high fat meats in moderation. Also avoid protein foods in breadcrumbs etc


Drinks
Avoid full sugar drinks
Alcohol is ok in moderation - personally I've decided to stop this altogether though.


Snacks - the controversial but for me was the guideline that snacks eg
I've cream,
Cakes
Biscuits
Pastries


Are ok in moderation ( once or twice a week if you want to treat yourself ) but only a small amount. I've decided it will be easier to cut them all out as need to lose wait

Sweets - added sugars are a no-no

So I've decided to start with a MCMF diet (Moderate carbs / moderate fat) but only time will tell if this works or not

I was also lucky enough to be given a meter by the diabetic nurse mainly though as she said " for my personal interest" rather than HAVING to test. Interestingly though as part of the three part "course" they have asked us to do daily urine tests and provided the kit to do that.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't agree with most of the items in the list you were given. NHS diet advice can be outdated if not dangerous for some diabetics. Low GI carbs are better than high-GI ones but generally the carb amount is the same. The absorption rate will be slower with low-GI but can still raise blood sugar by too much.
 
Thanks - hence the confusion us newbies face - who to believe ? I guess it all comes down to trial and error for us as individuals !!
 
Can you see why I am confused by what I am supposed to be eating. What about slimming world food is that OK?
 
I wouldn't give any diet club food a second glance. Most are low fat and carby, which is the opposite of what diabetics need.

It is trial and error, eating to your meter. No other way of doing it I'm afraid. The list @Swan13 provided is all well and good for the general population, but not wonderful for diabetics that want to control their blood sugars.
 
Hi Stuart, newbie of a few weeks here...

This site is amazing, I got myself a meter And it read 20, followed advice from site on cutting/reducing carbs and getting rid of sugarey drinks (and for me) a week or so later meter was on average around the 6.5 mark...

I never used to have breakfast, I was too busy and food was typically fast microwaved stuff.

I thought it's up to me to not got blind or worse, and it was optician that sent me to doctors as drinking loads, peeing and very blurred vision. Dr within 3 days came back saying T2.

I cut/reduced: potatoes, pasta, rice and bread (have bought hovis seeded one as can't cut that)

Breakfast now porridge whole oats.

Lunch salad or tinned fish quite cheap really, but loads of oils and quite a few flavoured sauces make them ok

Evening large salads or hearty soups with a nice slice or wholemeal seedy bread, but I have been testing ( self funded) with all that I used to eat, to see what I can still eat and what sadly are for just treats once in a while) I haven't bothered eating the puddings I used to eat as no point.

And every few days I'm having a peanut butter sandwich or cheese also eating nuts mixed sort not salted...

I treat it all this new food as medicine and actually I'm beginning to enjoy it... And after a few days, I wasn't too hungry, as I got used to eating less.

But if I was hungry, I made myself a sandwich or had some Greek Lidl's yogurt 1Kg bucket, as low carb but 10% fat that seems to do the trick.

If my body has said hungry I've listened during this trial as it will doubtless take time to adjust, but I've lost 10kg now in a few weeks and I feel healthier and happier, thanks to everyone on here. Oh and I've made sure I've gone out and walked for at least 30mins every evening.

I'm also going to hook up with a local group in Hampshire to actually talk to people and get some more real advice, as I'm all for listening rather than trying to figure it all out for myself.

Keep posting fella ;-)
 
I was diagnosed a couple of months ago and when I joined my mindset was that I would join a slimming club and cut down on fast foods, change all refined carbs to unrefined carbs, use low fat and low sugar products and all would be ok.

Initially when you hear the advice here it can be very confusing because the nhs says that you should eat those foods listed. My visit to the diabetic nurse also revealed that my 'goal' should be to have acceptable blood results for a diabetic but is not expecting any form of normalisation.

I am now 2 and a bit months diagnosed and the most important thing I can advise you is to get a meter. Only by testing will you know if those foods will raise your blood glucose level outside of controlled figures. You may find some may be ok in small portions or you may be shocked to find that those whole grains can no longer form a part of your diet.

It can be difficult to accept some of the advise on the forum when you are newly diagnosed and it is a lot of information to take in and learn. The best way is get your meter, follow the instructions for testing a particular food and ask as many questions as you need to as support will always be here.

Please note, the above is what worked for me, I chose to go a different way than the nhs advice based on my own research, advise from those who have managed their blood glucose for several years using this method, my meter readings and my gut instinct and it is working for me.

Finally just to add...food for thought...if I said to you that I am allergic to chocolate would you try to convince me to eat it...whether dark or light? Or help me find different foods to fill that void? Simple analogy but carbohydrates wreak havoc in the bodies of those with type 2 diabetes, sending insulin levels out of control and raising your blood glucose levels to dangerous numbers which can lead to serious complications...Why would I want to eat them in any quantity above minimal if I didn't have to and if I have that reaction

I hope I have helped
 
Thanks to all who have input and given me information. I appreciate the time and advice given so thanks again
 
Swan13 said:
Thanks - hence the confusion us newbies face - who to believe ? I guess it all comes down to trial and error for us as individuals !!
Click to expand...
You are so right @Swan13 and the opinion that really matters belongs to your meter. People will say that you cannot eat x or y but you have to try for yourself to see what happens as we are all individuals. The term high fat can be confusing too. Some people think that high fat means eating an excess amount but others will say that you need to keep away from low or lite products, and use the real thing.
You have to come up with an eating plan, not a diet, that you can stick with and enjoy as this way of eating has to be sustainable for you, not the man next door, there is no blueprint.
 
Thanks Catherinechrub - good advice
 
I found it easiest to keep it simple in the beginning, cut out the bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and sugar and I then started to add them back (testing with a meter) when my fasting BG was in the 5's every morning. I was keenest in the beginning so found it a real treat to be able to have 1 or 2 extra things later on when I had become used to the regime.

I think @Sid Bonkers has got a bit muddled with the insulin sensitivity issue. We type 2s need to increase our insulin sensitivity and decrease our insulin resistance. Have a look at this link:-

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/insulin-sensitivity.html
 
I am pretty much card intolerant. Before I was diagnosed I ate whole grain/granary/seeded breads, not white; bran flakes (no sugar) with seed sprinkle and chopped up fresh fruit for breakfast. I didn't drink fizzy, sugary drinks etc. To keep my glucose anywhere near the normal range I have had to cut virtually all carbs so no bread, pizza, pasta, rice, porrige, potatoes etc. and of course no cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps etc.; It has been very a hard time but I have to decide if I want those things and amputation, blindness, kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, dementia (already mad so would I notice!) and all the other nasties or if I want to not eat them and hopefully remain healthy. What makes it especially hard is that I had no diabetic symptoms despite having very high glucose and HbA1c values.

You can learn to enjoy your new way of eating (well, like it better than you do at the beginning)! It is a wake up call to start eating good, whole, healthy foods and cutting out the rubbish.

Good luck and I hope you manage to be able to keep eating a few carbs but if not it does get better as you get used to doing without.
 
Back
Top