Hi there is there any classes you can go to just had my meds increased and I don’t really no what’s good good or bad food. Finding it hard with carbs and all the other information on labels
Type 2 Education
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xfieldok
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You need to get used to reading all of the ingredients on labels. Last Easter I bought a prepared bird with 1.4g carbs. My BG shot up. I dug the package out of the bin. The mushroom stuffing contained glucose syrup. It is a mistake I have not made since. I used to think it took a long time reading labels, husband can't have malt, now I am a dab hand. Think of ready meals as junk food and try to avoid.
Guzzler
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You have found a wealth of support and education right here on DCUK. Please ask as many questions as you like. First things first, Do you have a glucometer at home? How are your blood test results looking? And if you could tell us what a typical day's meals and snacks looks like we may be able to help you tweak your diet so that you can lower your blood glucose levels, improve your HbA1c and Lipids and if you need to lose any weight we have members here who transformed their health on that score.
Bluetit1802
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Yes, this forum is the best source of education there is. All you have to do is ask questions and read round all the threads. The main website (from the Home page) is like a full library. Almost everything you need to know can be found on there or on this forum.
Hi and welcome. As others have said do look at the rear of food packaging and total carbs. Ignore Traffic Light labelling etc on the front. Fats and proteins are generally fine for us together with lower carbs
Typical day breakfast. Weetabix.
Lunch whatever I can get Greggs or supermarket meal deal
Grilled or oven cooked chicken chops etc with chips
Lunch whatever I can get Greggs or supermarket meal deal
Grilled or oven cooked chicken chops etc with chips
xfieldok
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Could you make sausage, bacon, egg, mushrooms etc for breakfast. Weetabix, or any cereal, is doing you no favours.
Anything from Greggs if it involves bread should also be avoided.
No bread, pasta, rice etc.
Have a look on dietdoctor.com for some ideas.
Anything from Greggs if it involves bread should also be avoided.
No bread, pasta, rice etc.
Have a look on dietdoctor.com for some ideas.
xfieldok
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Oops! A bit high but it depends on what and when you last ate. Read just before you eat and again 2 hours after the first bite. You are trying to keep the difference between the two readings of 2 or less.
Keep a record of your readings along with a food diary. If your difference is over 2 then your food was too carby or your portion was too large.
Everyone tolerates food differently, what suits me may not be good for you.
Eat to your meter is a saying we like to trot out.
It's a huge learning curve, don't beat yourself up if you make mistakes, we all did.
I also use the mySugr app to record food and readings. After a few days it will give you an estimated HbA1c number.
My hb1ac was sitting at 115 last time it was checked dr gave me gliclzide and upped metformin to 2 a day slow release 1000g
It will get lower but not had much help.
It will get lower but not had much help.
xfieldok
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Your meter is your new best friend. I got my number down from 122 to 35 in 4 months.
I fell off the wagon a few times, made mistakes, we all did/do.
I am on 4 Metformin, I was looking to cut back on them but my last HbA1c had risen to 40 so will hold off for a while.
I fell off the wagon a few times, made mistakes, we all did/do.
I am on 4 Metformin, I was looking to cut back on them but my last HbA1c had risen to 40 so will hold off for a while.
Bluetit1802
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First of all you need to understand that all carbohydrate converts to glucose once eaten. The worst culprits are bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes. You are on Gliclazide, which forces the pancreas to produce extra insulin to cover the carbs you are eating, but it isn't working very well at the moment. This is most likely because you are eating too much carbohydrate.
Weetabix and Greggs breads (indeed any bread) plus the chips are not doing you any favours at all. Also ready meals bought from shops or take-a-ways will contain a lot of hidden carbs so you need to start checking the nutrition labels for the total carb amount. Anything above 10g per 100g (10%) is not desirable unless you are only eating a very small amount such as with a condiment. Chicken is fine, but not if it is coated in breadcrumbs or a sweet sauce of some sort.
Using your meter to test before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite will show you instantly what that meal has done to you. This gives you the chance to eliminate certain things or seriously reduce the portion size of other things. Recording your before and after levels alongside the food eaten (in a food diary) is an excellent way of learning which foods your body can cope with and which it can't.
Please have a look at https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
and the food lists
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist
and
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodtoavoid
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I would just like to stress that readings in the teens are too high and over longer periods could lead to complications, not to scare you but you need to get those readings halved at least. You can take a chunk off those levels by avoiding carbohydrates as @Bluetit1802 suggests. Avoid Greggs, there's hardly anything nutritional in their food and the same goes for the breakfast cereals. Just by cutting out these two you will be doing your body a great favour.
Bluetit1802
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Hopefully, if you apply yourself, change your diet, and test as you have been advised, you may not need it for very long.
daisy1
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@martint761
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 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:
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 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
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.
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.
Hi. Can you give us some idea of your BMI? It may indicate whether your insulin resistance is high. Gliclazide is of most use if you don't have excessive weight (i.e. insulin resistance)
Don’t know my bmi but my weight is 10.10 stone I’ve lost a lot of weight as my diabetes went out of control there and shot up really high. Dr told me to register here I tried a few months ago and must’ve done something wrong but when I tried again yesterday it worked. So here’s to a brighter educated future in t2 and I have gained a lot of information quickly
