Diet and BS....

[james_1d]

Hi Folks,

I'm 35 and newly diagnosed with Type 2. A good friend of mine suggested I speak to his Mum as she's been Type 1 for over 50 years now....and she has trained as a nutitionist and has educated herself in general all things Diabetes related. She suggested that I read and adopt Richard K. Bernstein's book - Diabetes Solution.

I began reading it and was depressed at the things I can no longer eat....and learned that Carbs are all chains of sugar molecules and the longer the chains the more complex the carb, and the shorter ones are less complex and taste sweeter....that the body breaks down the long chains and they turn to sugar that spikes the system just as much as table sugar.....

So, I went to Waterstones and bought other books....BMA ect and it tells you you can eat carbs low on GI index and can eat pasta/tatties ect.......

Arms myself with a test kit and tried less carbs day one.....and BS came down alright....then back to some carbs....and even the low GI bread spiked my system....so I am coming round to a more Atkins style diet......

Any help and guidance welcome.

 

[angieG]

The difference is the Dr is diabetic the other authors probably aren't. He talks from experience.
Your testing will tell you which is more suited to you.
Regards
Angie

 

[daisy1]

As you're already beginning to see, it's all in the tests. Try the foods you like, testing just before then 2 hours afterwards and you will see what the effect is on your levels. If it's too high you can try smaller portions to see if you can take them. Maybe? Books are very good but they can't know what effect foods have on you as everyone is different. It will just take time for you to work it all out.

 

[captainlynne]

Another book you might want to look at is The Metabolism Miracle by Diane Kress. She's a dietician who'd always gone by the book - until she started with probs including T2 and found conventional diet didn't work any more. So she researched and came to the low carb conclusion. After 8 weeks on very low carbs, start re-introducing those least likely to affect bg. But - as always - test, test, test. I've been following her advice and my bgs are the best in ages, and the weight has started to move in the right direction. Just need to convince nurse at gps when I see her on Thursday!

 

[Daibell]

Hi

One of the problems with the carb discussion is that there is great confusion between carb types and the terms starchy, complex, low/high GI etc are used interchangeably sometimes incorrectly. Certainly low GI is better than high GI but pasta, potatoes & bread can be high GI and not recommended in quantity unless chosen or cooked in the best way. There are various websites out there that explain the GI levels of the different carb types

 

[NewdestinyX]

Keep up the self education, James. THANKS the very best approach. Atkins style can sure help you manage the D but whether or not you'll like the way you feel on that regimen is another story. And whether you want to live that way for life is yet another issue. But it 'will work' to control the blood glucose levels. I've learned 'moderation in all things' - and I've also chosen to use a 'little' insulin to help me have greater freedom. Contrary to common 'dogma' you may hear out there - though you can't go wild on the carbs and use insulin to cover for them - you also do NOT necessarily gain weight while using insulin. I have not. And have continued to 'lose' weight while on it once my dosages were well adjusted. Don't know if your doc has discussed insulin with you - but along with diet and exercise change - insulin is a POWERFUL tool in the tool box and gives great freedom of choice in what you can eat. Modern research also shows it's best considered as a 'first resort' for treatment rather than a last resort. Many people can eventually come off it too if used early to gain control while modifying diet and adding exercise.

Good luck!