Cream instead of Milk

[Goagirl]

Hi Guys, recently diagnosed with Type 2, one Metformin a Day, going onto Low Carb, as I love a Coffee, can’t drink it black, saw a thread saying replace with Cream, Single or Double ? Panicked when I saw the traffic light. Red for fat, I know it’s the carb I’m looking at but is it ok to replace semi skimmed milk with cream ? Thanks x

 

[Guzzler]

On LCHF double cream is perfectly acceptable as long as you are lowering the amount of carbohydrates in your diet.

Welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the welcome pack. You can learn all there is to know about the LCHF diet here on the forum and a lot to know about Diabetes as a whole, too. Good luck and well done on making the decision to be proactive with your health.

 

[Bluetit1802]

As far as T2 diabetes is concerned, it is best to completely ignore the traffic lights on food packaging. You need to look at the actual nutrition label and look for total carbohydrate (ignore the "of which sugar"). The carbs are what matter to us. Fats are generally speaking good for us. Cream (double or single) is perfect for coffee.

 

[Rachox]

It’s entirely up to you, depending on what level of carbs you’re aiming for. The carb count of cream is lower than milk so yes it’s better to have cream carb wise. Single cream has a carb count of 0.7g per two tablespoons, double cream has a count of 0.5g per two tablespoons so no difference really to speak of. If you put 50mls of semi skimmed in your coffee that’s about 2.5g carb per mug, which can add up over the day if you’re an avid coffee drinker.

 

[daisy1]

@Goagirl

Hello Goagirl and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[Pat1963]

I tried to sign up on the low carb programme, but its £14.99 a month, why is it not free?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I tried to sign up on the low carb programme, but its £14.99 a month, why is it not free?

Diabetes.co.uk isn't a charity, it's a business, and time, effort and money was put into creating the programme. And keep this forum running, for instance. Not unreasonable to ask a rather fair price for it, I think. (Especially when you see other places charge an arm and a leg with, quite often, only nonsense on offer.). I'm not entirely sure, but I think you might be able to get your money back through the NHS? But I'm not 100% on that, being Dutch and not knowing how those things might work over there. But that might be worth looking in to?

Honestly though... There's a lot online for free, including on this forum, where you can learn about low carbing. Any member here who is into a low carb way of eating, could help by answering any questions you might have. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is something I wrote, mainly based on The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung, and what I learned here, so that might get you started without having to spend a dime. You might also want to check out forum topics like What Have You Eaten Today, and maybe the Success Stories section. Lots of inspirational stuff here, both for in the kitchen and to give one hope. And all absolutely free of charge.

Anyway, welcome, and if you have questions, throw them out there. It's what we're here for.
Jo

 

[ausGeoff]

Thanks for your blog link Jo. Very informative and easily
accessible for us T2 "newbies". Pardon my ignorance, but
I'm a little confused by this para in your blog:

So what raises blood sugars? Aside from the obvious (sugar), starches raise blood glucose too. So bread, and anything made with grain/oats flour, rice, potatoes, pasta, corn, cereals (including all the “healthy choices”, like Weetabix and muesli), most beans and most fruits. So you’ll want to limit your intake, or scratch them altogether.

Diabetes Australia includes most of those foods in its https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/healthy-eating/#what-should-i-eat advice for a healthy diabetic diet.

Colour me confused!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thanks for your blog link Jo. Very informative and easily
accessible for us T2 "newbies". Pardon my ignorance, but
I'm a little confused by this para in your blog:


Diabetes Australia includes most of those foods in its https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/healthy-eating/#what-should-i-eat advice for a healthy diabetic diet.

Colour me confused!

They're advocating, like many others, for something that is called the EatWell Plate in the UK. Many of us have found that that doesn't do the trick for us, if we want to keep medication and complications at bay. So, with a massive amount of conflicting information out there, what do you do? Find out what is true for you. Test before a meal and two hours after the first bite. If you rise no more, and preferably less, than 2.0 mmol/l, then the meal was fine and your body could cope with what you put in there. Keep that as a rule of thumb, and your over-all blood sugars should come down. If it's higher, then the meal might need tweaking. Everything about low carbing was exactly opposite of what my hospital dietician told me.. But on her advice I gained yet another 10 kilo's and became a raging diabetic. I figured I'd try the low carb diet, test, and see what it got me... Well, it got me decent, non-diabetic blood sugars for the past 8 or 9 years or so. So when it doubt, see what is true for you specifically. Because we're all different, and while I don't get away with legumes for instance, they might be fine for you. Or I'm alright with certain sweeteners, but you might not be. When you question something, don't try to find the truth online, because there's a lot of voices and a lot of methods... Find what works for you. A meter won't try to sell you anything, won't force some dogma on you, it'll just tell you how you're doing.

Good luck!
Jo
PS: T2's don't usually get a meter, the bulk here self-funds. Once you know eggs are safe though, or cereal isn't, you don't have to keep testing around those, for instance. Once you know, you know.

 

[ausGeoff]

Thanks so much for your detailed response Jo.
I can only agree that there's sooo much diabetes
info out there that it can result in brain overload.

As a T2 newbie, I'm guessing it'll take me some time
in order to see what type of diet I follow down the
track.

 

[Resurgam]

Thanks for your blog link Jo. Very informative and easily
accessible for us T2 "newbies". Pardon my ignorance, but
I'm a little confused by this para in your blog:


Diabetes Australia includes most of those foods in its https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/healthy-eating/#what-should-i-eat advice for a healthy diabetic diet.

Colour me confused!

Unfortunately it is not uncommon for HCPs to keep repeating what they have been instructed to say, even when they get reports of it not only not working but the result being downright dangerous. I can give no explanation for it, but I experienced it for decades, from around the age of 20 up until I was diagnosed with type 2 at the age of 65.
I had a flagged test result at the age of 55 but that was dealt with my not doing the test again. so I had high glucose levels for at least ten years. I was told I was a very bad diabetic.
Fortunately I have learned to trust my own judgement - better late than never, and I bought a blood glucose meter for backup.

 

[AloeSvea]

Hi @ausGeoff. I'm very sorry you are encountering the 'we are living in interesting times' thing re diet and nutrition generally, and specifically for us, as our lives and quality of life depend on it - in the dietary treatment of type two diabetes.

It's the last thing anyone needs when newly being diagnosed with a nasty disease. Having to look closely at recommendations coming from different organisations. But alas, is a big part of the fact that we are living in those interesting times.

That post above from Daisy is a Diabetes Community UK (I believe those are the words behind 'DCUK'?) ie this Forum, is a classic.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thanks so much for your detailed response Jo.
I can only agree that there's sooo much diabetes
info out there that it can result in brain overload.

As a T2 newbie, I'm guessing it'll take me some time
in order to see what type of diet I follow down the
track.

I know... It's not just that there's a lot of information, but consider this: getting a diagnosis of a life-changing condition is traumatic. It makes it hard to retain information, process it, etc... I had to read the Diabetes Code and many other books, while making notes on my phone, or I'd completely forget what I learned the next day. It was just too much and I was too scared and stressed to remember anything. That, in part, is why The Nutritional Thingy I wrote is relatively simple... Too much information at this stage just won't stick anyway. So if you have a hard time wrapping you head around this: all of us did. It'll come eventually, once the initial shock has worn off. Give yourself time. You know, I saw all those diets and was overwhelmed, too. I was just lucky that the first one I tried, away from what the hospital was pushing on me, lowered my blood sugars. It was the first time in months that I felt like I actually had some control over my own fate. Seeing normalising blood sugars was empowering, encouraging... I took hope from that. My next HbA1c was normal.

Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families. I don't know what you've seen in your relatives, or friends... I saw a lot of suffering and death in mine. I was 100% convinced I had one foot in the grave, until I learned more and saw I could do something, myself. Mind you, diet is just one option. You could go for medication, or a mix of meds and a lifestyle change... It's up to you. YOU decide how you tackle this. There are options, so all you have to do for now is decide what you feel might be right for you, and see whether that's something that is indeed your cup of tea. It has to be sustainable, so it has to fit who you are, your life, your body, your rhythm. And sometimes that takes a little time to figure out. Or you'll try something and decide after a few years you want to change things. Entirely possible! So take a breath and take comfort from that: every T2 on here had the same stressful, rocky start. You're not alone.

Hugs,
Jo

 

[ausGeoff]

... Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families.

Thanks again Jo for your response Jo. As a newbie I
appreciate all the good info I can gather.

My mother was diagnosed as T2 at 70 years of age (and
lived until 95) and my younger brother has been T2 for
around a decade. So yes; there's definitely a genetic
predisposition for diabetes.

 

[Melgar]

Great advice @JoKalsbeek as always. Not wishing to derail the thread. I just want to respond to your statement “Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families”. The only other person in my family with diabetes is my brother, who has T1. There has been nobody else in my family with diabetes. And interestingly I had a series of genetic tests done, it was a private lab here in Canada. One of those tests covered was T2 diabetes. Based on my genetics I had less than a 2% chance of getting diabetes.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Great advice @JoKalsbeek as always. Not wishing to derail the thread. I just want to respond to your statement “Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families”. The only other person in my family with diabetes is my brother, who has T1. There has been nobody else in my family with diabetes. And interestingly I had a series of genetic tests done, it was a private lab here in Canada. One of those tests covered was T2 diabetes. Based on my genetics I had less than a 2% chance of getting diabetes.

Often genetic... There I went again, speaking in absolutes when there are none. Thank you for pointing it out!

 

[AloeSvea]

Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families. I don't know what you've seen in your relatives, or friends... I saw a lot of suffering and death in mine. I was 100% convinced I had one foot in the grave, until I learned more and saw I could do something, myself. Mind you, diet is just one option. You could go for medication, or a mix of meds and a lifestyle change... It's up to you. YOU decide how you tackle this. There are options, so all you have to do for now is decide what you feel might be right for you, and see whether that's something that is indeed your cup of tea. It has to be sustainable, so it has to fit who you are, your life, your body, your rhythm. And sometimes that takes a little time to figure out. Or you'll try something and decide after a few years you want to change things. Entirely possible! So take a breath and take comfort from that: every T2 on here had the same stressful, rocky start. You're not alone.

Hugs,
Jo

Epigenetic, not genetic.

This means it is a meeting of environment and genes.

I am the first person on both sides of my family with T2D. This is not an uncommon story now, as the environment with food and drink has transformed in my adult lifetime for sure. You can have a predisposition for metaboilc syndrome and metabolic disease, but you absolutely need the environmental factors for this to be expressed. One of the genetic predispositions is a tendency to store body fat on your trunk and belly, for instance.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Great advice @JoKalsbeek as always. Not wishing to derail the thread. I just want to respond to your statement “Diabetes is genetic. It runs in families”. The only other person in my family with diabetes is my brother, who has T1. There has been nobody else in my family with diabetes. And interestingly I had a series of genetic tests done, it was a private lab here in Canada. One of those tests covered was T2 diabetes. Based on my genetics I had less than a 2% chance of getting diabetes.

Although I and other members of my existing family were tested for a genetic predisposition to diabetes, which proved negative, my family on both sides had auto-immune conditions: Maternal grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis, my brother had asthma, my sister has rheumatoid arthritis,and I got diabetes. My father's side were asthmatic. It would be interesting to know whether any others in your family tree had any auto-immune conditions @Melgar

 

[Melgar]

Although I and other members of my existing family were tested for a genetic predisposition to diabetes, which proved negative, my family on both sides had auto-immune conditions: Maternal grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis, my brother had asthma, my sister has rheumatoid arthritis,and I got diabetes. My father's side were asthmatic. It would be interesting to know whether any others in your family tree had any auto-immune conditions @Melgar

Yes interestingly @Grant_Vicat my mother and my mother’s father both had rheumatoid arthritis. My UK health records state I have asthma. I also have Coeliac and Dermatitis herpetiformis both autoimmune conditions. I’m also at genetic risk for Hashimoto‘s disease, but I don’t have that, not at this time anyways.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

I’m also at genetic risk for Hashimoto‘s disease, but I don’t have that, not at this time anyways.

Thank goodness. You have more than enough already. My daughter is Coeliac also! An immunologist pointed out to me that patients in our position are strengthening the gene pool as far as immune response is concerned. Maybe it shouldn't be THAT powerful!