hello

as you reduce your carbs (fruit) your base number should reduce also, you have to find a way to get it down, its too high, its not off the chart but higher than ideal, this will take time, its not a race, its a way of life and whatever you do, it has to be for life, so its not a diet its a lifestyle choice, this is the kind of stuff that punches you in the face once it hits home

It could be one cause yes. As for apples the sweeter they are the higher sugar content


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the fruit is a good example of hidden nasties, it is surprising what foods push us up, anything that contains carbohydrates basically contains sugar as thats what it turns into once weve eaten them, you have to read labels and see how high the carb content is, its shocking, but you will get the hang of it, the added problem is we can all tolerate different amounts of carbs to maintain control of our numbers so the only wy to know is to test test test

Good luck with it and keep testing


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Hi. Your diet sounds good overall but as diabetics we find that we typically have to control anything with carbs and sadly that includes certain fruits. Do have some but just be careful what type and how much. Overall though you are unlucky to have high blood sugar with such an apparently good diet.

Why don't you post a sample menu of things you eat and drink in an average day ?

Every one is different and some people have higher tolerances than others to certain foods.

Hi Mark and welcome to the forum

I see you have already received lots of good advice from some members and have read around the forum. You may already have read this but just in case you haven't, I am putting it here on your thread for you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 70,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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.

markr said:

how do I know which type of diet I should be on ? I never eat rice ,white bread ,pasta anyway , I eat plenty of vegetables ,meat,fish,chicken,etc ,all organic a little brown bread sometimes ,I don't eat confectionary ,sweets or takeaways how can I improve on that ?

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Well done it sounds like you are doing the right things already the most important thing you have done is cut out the starchy carbs..what are you BS levels like ?

Hi markr, welcome to the forum, im sure you will find answers to your questions, im type 1 so will let the type 2s help you on this one

Hi, there are a few things to experiment with there, crackers, bread and potatoes, try cutting them from a meal and test, one by one, just so you can build up a pattern/plan

Andy12345 said:

Hi, there are a few things to experiment with there, crackers, bread and potatoes, try cutting them from a meal and test, one by one, just so you can build up a pattern/plan

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I got to be fair and admit that Andy is right but try cutting the fruit first and try berries instead


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markr said:

breakfast would be bacon and eggs or mushrooms
lunch meat ,fish or chicken plus a veg and potaoto, average portion
evening meal is usually something light ,maybe a meat and salad sandwich on wholegrain bread or just a salad ,I would eat a few pieces of fruit during the day maybe 3 apples and an orange or a pear
maybe cheese and cracker around 8pm
that's about it really, I drink only water and instant coffee with low fat milk ,all food is organic where possible and average portion size .
my blood sugars are anything from
blood sugars 8 to 10 in mornings and anything up to 12 ,13 even two hours after midday or evening meal ,
I never ate any starchy carbs in past 10 years ,like rice ,pasta ,white bread,cakes sweets etc I don't drink,i don't smoke .one of my parents has diabetes type 2
I will cut out the fruit and see how things go in a few weeks ,thank you

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Hi your diet sounds ideal even if you're eating a bit too much fruit. If you reduce the fruit and don't see any improvement then I'd go and talk to your doc about looking into other causes as your levels are raised for the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming. Definitely get the doc to find out the cause rather than just go on stronger medication.

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markr said:

im confused as i was always told to eat fruit as it was good for me ,but i will stop it to see if it improves my diabetes ,thank you

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Yes fruit is good for you but certain ones like apples oranges grapes and bananas can raise blood sugar in diabetics... no apples would not have caused your diabetes...try the berries as recommended and I think you will find a difference in you levels

markr said:

red apples , do you think the fruit could be the cause of my diabetes ? i will stop it and see if it helps so,thank you

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At the present time it is not really known why people develop diabetes except it is more common in those who are obese I am 74 a slim pre T2 never had a weight problem always had a healthy diet never really into fast foods and dont' have any other medical problems yet I am prediabetic