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Confused

MissMolly86

MissMolly86

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Recently diagnosed. Got to manage it with Metformin and diet. Can anyone give me tips on diet and portion control when it comes to carbs? I've cut out sugar and switched from white bread and pasta to wholegrain. My doctor said switching was ok but a facebook group has told me i have to cut them out completely. Cant I still eat potatoes and mash etc?
 
MissMolly86 said:
Recently diagnosed. Got to manage it with Metformin and diet. Can anyone give me tips on diet and portion control when it comes to carbs? I've cut out sugar and switched from white bread and pasta to wholegrain. My doctor said switching was ok but a facebook group has told me i have to cut them out completely. Cant I still eat potatoes and mash etc?
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Sadly, all carbohydrate turns to sugar inside the body. White and brown versions have the same number of carbs in them so they will all turn to sugar. The only difference is the wholemeal ones take a bit longer. The worst foods for this are rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals and flour. We also need to be very careful with fruit and milk. However, all is not lost ......

You may find your body can cope with some of these foods in small portions, but the only way to find out is to buy a blood glucose meter and do your own testing. Meters are essential tools, and without one you are working blind as you have no idea how any changes you make are helping. You can also test before eating and 2 hours after first bite to see at a glance what that meal has done to your levels, giving you the chance to reduce the carb portion sizes or eliminate completely. If and when you buy yourself a meter, we can help you use it to your best advantage.

Please ask as many questions as you like.
 
The things most likely to raise your blood sugar are sugar, flour, rice and (sorry) potatoes.

It is too much to ask someone to cut all of these out entirely so usually it is recommended to buy your own meter and test your sugar level after meals to see which foods to cut down on.
 
Unfortunately brown versions are just white ones disguised in a brown coat, the carb content is about the same. Have a look at this website for low carb alternatives.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
I don’t eat rice, pasta, normal bread or cereals any longer. I rarely eat potato, but when I do it’s one tiny one. I’ve found low carb alternatives, cauliflower rice, Explore Cuisine pasta alternatives, HiLo low carb bread, Lidl high protein rolls, and coconut ‘porridge’ (not real porridge, no grains in sight!)
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-coconut-porridge
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Meters are essential tools,
Click to expand...
In the UK you can get a free TEE2 meter and starter kit here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
or you can buy a CodeFree meter starter kit for £12.89 here:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
These are the meters many of us on this Forum who self-fund use. You will need to buy strips to go with them, and these 2 meters have the cheapest replacement strips. Don't forget to check the box to say you are diabetic when you buy in order to avoid paying VAT.
Each kit comes with 10 free lancets. Some of us (me included) re-use our lancets many times, others prefer to throw them away and use a new one each time. If you decide to re-use, the initial free lancets will last you a long time. It is the strips that are quickly used up!
 
If you decide on a Code Free from Home Health there are some discount codes for buying in bulk. Here they are:
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
 
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