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Diet Controlled Type 2

I'm new too, and reading through the posts, a low carb is the way lots go. Low sugar I go, as I wasn't a big carb eater, up veg up healthy fats that's not frying. Olive oil nuts and seeds, flax etc omega rich, and avocado. Do the coconut thing if you want. I have natural yoghurt on things. Eat little and often as if you starve yourself some say the body goes into fat storing mode. Get sugar smart app avoid all sugars and sweetners. Don't feast graze eat. Good luck.
 
One of the problems of eating less (fewer) carbohydrates is in identifying them. It's easy to eat less sugar, flour, rice and potatoes but not so easy if you eat prepared foods many of which have rusk or flour added to bulk them out and make them cheaper to manufacture. To counter this problem you will have to get into the habit of checking the label on prepared foods.

Personally I deplore the traffic light system where someone else decides what is bad for you and paints it red. The other label tells you how much of the food is carbohydrate.

Also, Dr. Aseem Malhotra says that if something claims to be low fat then put it back on the shelf. I agree with him.
 
Hi @birkyj and welcome to the forum. A lot of us, including me, on here have found that as well as avoiding sugary foods and drinks, a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating has lowered our blood sugar levels.
Have a read round the threads which will give you an idea of what this means.
 
@birkyj

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. In particular it gives a lot of advice on low carbing and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you want to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 210,000 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 free 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.
 
There is a lot of helpful information in Daisy's post as well as what others have already advised. I worked on diet, weight loss and walking which helped me. I did have a lot higher HbA1c than you to start with.
 
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