- Messages
- 62
I don’t drink alcohol but enjoy an af beer or gin and tonic. I am guessing these are off limits now so what do you all drink if you go to the pub?
Type 2 Down the pub
- Thread starter Flamingo74
- Start Date
Guzzler
Master
- Messages
- 10,577
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
I'm teetotal but members say that spirits with sugar free mixers are ok. Plus, the odd glass of red wine never goes amiss.
The stuff to avoid is beer, ale etc and sweet wines. Enjoy!
The stuff to avoid is beer, ale etc and sweet wines. Enjoy!
Guzzler
Master
- Messages
- 10,577
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Ooops! Forgetting my manners, welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.
Advice is better targetted if you tell us what Type of Diabetes you have been diagnosed with and what (if any) medications you are prescribed. Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.
Advice is better targetted if you tell us what Type of Diabetes you have been diagnosed with and what (if any) medications you are prescribed. Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.
- Messages
- 62
Guzzler
Master
- Messages
- 10,577
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
I meant alcohol free ginI too am teetotal.
I have to admit here that I know nothing about alcohol free drinks but no doubt other members will have the info on those.
- Messages
- 62
Just diagnosed type 2. Not seen anyone yet re meds - got an appointment next week with the diabetic nurse. GP gave me no info.
Guzzler
Master
- Messages
- 10,577
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Well, you dropped lucky finding this forum. There is a wealth of info here (the home site has all the basics and some of the guidelines that we all need to learn so is a great place to browse) and the level of support is second to none. And we're allowed to have a bit of a laugh along the way.
Do you know the results of the blood test (HbA1c) that led you to diagnosis? If not ask your nurse for all the results as this will give you your starting point.
Lastly but definitely most importantly, get yourself a glucometer. This nifty piece of kit will teach you how you react in terms of blood glucose levels to the foods you are eating. @Rachox has some useful info on glucometers.
- Messages
- 62
No, the GP literally just said you are ‘well diabetic’ and make an appointment with her nurse.
Grant_Vicat
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,178
- Type of diabetes
- Don't have diabetes
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
- Dislikes
- Intolerance, selfishness, rice pudding
Franziskaner Alcohol free beer has 22gm of carbs per 500ml bottle. Depending on your regime, this might be a possibility?I meant alcohol free gin
Good luck!
- Messages
- 15,899
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Hi flamingo and welcome!
Here’s some info on meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned. For a meter with cheap strips go for the Tee2 + found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/
With more expensive strips is the Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/caresens-dual-blood-glucose-and-ketone-meter/
With the strips here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/caresens-pro-blood-glucose-test-strips/
And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free which has the cheapest strips available. However I found itto be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go:
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/
and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/
There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
Here’s some info on meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned. For a meter with cheap strips go for the Tee2 + found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/
With more expensive strips is the Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/caresens-dual-blood-glucose-and-ketone-meter/
With the strips here:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/caresens-pro-blood-glucose-test-strips/
And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free which has the cheapest strips available. However I found itto be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go:
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/
and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/
There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
Gin and tonic is absolutely fine as long as it is a carb free tonic. Fever Tree light has around 4 carbs so Schweppes is better. Vodka and Diet Coke is carb free. Not sure what I’d do without my alcohol treats as it’s over a year since I had anything sweet or naughty. Enjoy x
MeiChanski
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,992
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
MeiChanski
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,992
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
I heard that red wine, spirits and diet mixed drinks is okay. I accidentally took insulin for red wine and accidentally went low, this was before DAFNE.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Flamingo74
Hello 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 helpful.
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 300,000 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 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.
Hello 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 helpful.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 300,000 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 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.
