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Diet
- Thread starter 66raf
- Start Date
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 18,253
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Do not see why not, unless you are somehow medically advised not to!
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
Do have a read of the low carb forum and the success stories forum, there is loads of information, for how you want to approach this!
Welcome to the forum!
Squire Fulwood
Expert
- Messages
- 6,114
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
You can have a free course in it as well if you go to www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb. You have to register and then listen to Louise.
Prem51
Expert
Hi @66raf and welcome to the forum. All food has some carbs, the carbs you should avoid or limit as a T2 are starchy carbs like rice, bread, potatoes and pasta which turn to sugar in our bodies.
A lot of us on here have adopted a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating which has helped to reduce our blood sugar levels. Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want, the people on here are friendly and supportive.
A lot of us on here have adopted a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating which has helped to reduce our blood sugar levels. Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want, the people on here are friendly and supportive.
Can you be a bit more specific about the "carb free" diet you are thinking about. What are you proposing to eat? There are varying degrees of ways of eating some may be more effective than others.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@66raf
Hello Rob and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you a lot of advice about carbs and the link to the Low Carb Program which you could join, for free. Much other information too. Ask more questions when you need 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 147,000 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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. They're all free.
Hello Rob and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you a lot of advice about carbs and the link to the Low Carb Program which you could join, for free. Much other information too. Ask more questions when you need 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 147,000 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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. They're all 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.
Once you have been diagnosed Type 2 then a lot of people dramatically cut their carb intake with very good results.
That means no bread/cake/sweets, pasta, potatoes, rice or starchy veg or most fruit.
It also means yes to butter, lots of meats, eggs, fish, green veg, salads , cream rather than milk, cheese etc.
This usually results in weight loss, good blood sugar control and generally feeling better than you have for years.
Resurgam
Master
- Messages
- 10,230
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
I usually eat a salad as my first meal and then I am not hungry until the evening, and then I have the same meat or fish as my husband, but with casserole vegetables or mushrooms and sweet pepper, so it is not no carbs, but lower than when I was 'just' losing weight. The diabetes means I have to struggle to lose weight now, eating fewer carbs and spreading them through the day - I have just got rid of some bowls which are now redundant as they are too large, and after the first couple of months I now have to exercise as well!! My blood glucose levels are much lower now, so I know what I need to do, and that if I keep doing it I should do well. Although my weightloss has stopped my waistline is shrinking, so much that I have hardly anything to wear.
daisyduck
Well-Known Member
I do very well on the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet and always recommend it to everyone
Are you on any medication ? Metformin should be fine but I believe Glicazide can cause some low blood sugars in combination with very low carb ?
Are you on any medication ? Metformin should be fine but I believe Glicazide can cause some low blood sugars in combination with very low carb ?
