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Hello :)

Rose28

Well-Known Member
Messages
324
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello everyone!

I've had type 2 diabetes for 14 years. I'm nearly 54. Always followed the DN advice to 'eat carbs at every meal' I've never researched the subject and just thought well the DN knows best!!!

The 2x 500mg SR metformin and 1 x 80mg gliclazide twice daily have helped but with terrible side effects. The DN said this is the maximum of oral meds that I can take.
In the last 3 years, hba1c has been steadily rising though, highest being 76 mmol/mol or 9.1%. Ive been feeling so ill, exhausted, brain fog, aches, nausea, stomach acidity

So I started making my own green juices and green smoothies, drank these daily, started to feel fantastic, lost a few pounds and 5 months later by March 2014 hba1c was down to 7.6% still got along way to go but I thought... Hey at least it's going in the right direction.

Then in April I went abroad but since coming back, keep getting infections and in July 2014 hba1c is back up 8.6%

I've always followed a lacto vegetarian diet ( no meat, eggs or fish) but with emphasis on eating high carbs and very little protein. I think I must be doing something wrong .... hence the readings are so high!!!

I'm feeling very lost and don't know what to do to get the glucose readings to an acceptable level again.

Thanks for listening .... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Rose
 

Hi Rose and welcome

You say you eat high carb and very little protein. You also state that you always followed a lacto vegetarian diet. Are both these statements just a matter of preference or is there a medical reason for your choice of diet.

To me, in the absence of any other information, it makes no sense for a diabetic to pursue a high carb diet. Carbs are broken down to glucose and cause our blood glucose levels to rise.

I believe it is a fair statement that most of the people on this site who are successful in controlling their diabetes restrict their carb intake to a greater or lesser degree.

A good rule of thumb followed by many to determine if a meal had too many carbs for them is to check their glucose level immediately before a meal and then compare with a second count taken two hours after the meal. If the send count is higher than 2 mmol of the before count then that meal contained too many carbs.

The main foods high in carbs are of course, breads and other grain products, cereals, rice, potatoes and pasta, sugar.

Pavlos


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello Pavlos

Being a lacto vegetarian is through my own choice but 'high carbs' comes from the DN advice. She said to keep diabetes under control, have cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.... I've been a fool and listened to her
 
Rose28 said:
Hello Pavlos

Being a lacto vegetarian is through my own choice but 'high carbs' comes from the DN advice. She said to keep diabetes under control, have cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.... I've been a fool and listened to her
Click to expand...
I am sure that there are other vegetarians on the site and even some who manage on low carb high fat diet. Hopefully one will come along and advise. Just seen your post in the "what was your level..." thread, so you obviously have a glucose meter. Let that guide you on what you can and can not have.
All the best.

Pavlos


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi Rose and welcome to the forum

I am lacto-ovo so not the same, but I was also advised to eat loads of carbs. I ignored this. In my experience, reducing carbohydrates is the way to bring down and stabilise blood glucose levels.

I agree with Pavlos, the best way to determine what foods you can tolerate is to test before and after eating.
 
Rose28 said:
Hello Pavlos

Being a lacto vegetarian is through my own choice but 'high carbs' comes from the DN advice. She said to keep diabetes under control, have cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.... I've been a fool and listened to her
Click to expand...
Don't beat yourself up. It is what they tell everyone. You are here now
 
If you like, you could post what kind of things you like to eat and we could suggest tweaks to make them less carby.
 
I'll definitely have a look into the 'low carb high fat diet' I dont have a clue where to start with that but Its great to know that there are others following it
 
Hi @Rose28

Welcome , you really have to work,out what is right for you and your health needs

I have been a veggie for many years , a vegan at times ...I hate eggs ...
I don't eat fish or meat ...

Over the last two years ..I still remain a veggie that will never change ...
I don't call myself a low carb person but yes I have reduced my carbs , half or a whole bread roll with homemade soup for lunch for example ...
I don't do high fat ....never will and people I have discovered get confused over high fat and how long you should do this diet for if you choose to, but I do use good fats like olive oil and avarcardo and a few nuts etc ...
I have focused more on portion control , healthier options and tweaked my diet to suit my needs ....

I hope what ever you do , you will feel well and find support when needed ...lots of information and support here ....
Let us know how you get on ,,,,,bestbwishes ...Kat
 
Avocado Sevenfold said:
If you like, you could post what kind of things you like to eat and we could suggest tweaks to make them less carby.
Click to expand...

Hello Avocado Sevenfold.... Love the name!

Breakfast... bran flakes or crunchy bran or porridge with milk ....Or my fave nowadays .... Homemade green smoothie
Snack.... Fruit or yogurt or cereal bar
Lunch.... 2 slices of bread with cheese & salad or beans on toast
Dinner ..... jacket potato with 1 oz cheddar cheese or cottage cheese or chapati and home made curry
And my weakness is biscuits .... A couple of malted milk or rich tea biscuits ... I need to give these up!

I prefer home cooking instead of ready meals.

Yes please, I'd love to learn how to eat less carby
 

Hello Kat .... Thanks for the inspiration.... May I ask, how do you know how much carbs to have at each meal?
 

Maybe instead of porridge you could add nuts, seeds, berries and cinnamon to Greek yogurt. Test Afterwards to see if your levels improve. Some people at are ok with porridge.
Green smoothies sound good.
9 Bars are very popular with people here. Not tried them myself. You could compare the nutritional values to your current bar and see if they are better.
Bread - lower carb off the shelf bread is available. Livlife sold in Waitrose, Ocado and some Morrisons. Hi Lo sold in Sainsburys in England. Burgen soya and linseed sold in most places.
Baked beans such as Heinz have crazy carbs. Less carby versions can be made with plain haricot beans in your own herby tomato sauce.
Celeriac is a good swap for potatoes. Cauliflower mash is a great swap for mashed potatoes.
Home made curries are great.

With some little swaps, you might see an improvement.
 

Thanks so much for these ideas

I have greek yogurt in the fridge, And I have the nuts seeds berries but never thought of having them together as meal...
Not heard of 9 bars, will look out for them in tesco or sainsburys. Oops.... I'll leave the Heinz beans for the rest of the family.
 
Hi Rose, welcome.

As others have said, reducing carbs is the key and it's never too late for anyone to start getting their blood glucose levels back under control.

Good luck, read around and ask questions.
 
Hi Rose and welcome from me.

I agree. Reducing your carbs is the way to go. Cereals, potatoes, bread, rice and pasta are the main culprits and need to be very much portion controlled or avoided, also fruit can be a bad choice, particularly juiced or in smoothies. Berries seem to be the best choice, either fresh or frozen and added to a Greek Yogurt.. Have a good read round, and ask as much as you wish.
 
Hello Rose and welcome.
You will get lots of good advice here.I spend ages looking at the posts,and I have learnt a lot.
 
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