Inbetween Meal Snacks

ventra

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Hello Everyone

I am sat in my office at work and colleagues are munching on biscuits and crisps etc and I was wondering what could be a T2 sufferers go-to snack at work?

Having been told I need to get a grip of my BS levels I thought I would ask. Whats your choice?

Cheers

Bill
 

leslie10152

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Hello Everyone

I am sat in my office at work and colleagues are munching on biscuits and crisps etc and I was wondering what could be a T2 sufferers go-to snack at work?

Having been told I need to get a grip of my BS levels I thought I would ask. Whats your choice?

Cheers

Bill
I go with nuts. They are good as a snack and don't raise the bgl's overmuch. I'll tag @daisy1 to get some extra information.
 
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Looseboy

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I am nearly 3 months into diagnosis and have not had a snack in the majority of that time ( a few in the 1st couple of weeks)

I eat 3 times a day (sometimes 2). I think this decision was based on something I read about resting my Pancreas i.e. only use it 2-3 ties a day.

Although I do use my tea breaks as fillers. I have 2 cups with milk per day, plus a few green ones for luck and to take my mind of food.

Either way that is where I am and I just embrace the hunger if it happens.

Good luck with your choices, but I assume it is going to be the zero carb route i.e. Cheese, Nuts, Meat if you do.
 
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Rachox

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It's hard when biscuits and cakes come out at the office, I just drink water and get my head down and work on, although it can be hard. My colleagues are always really apologetic if they forget and ask me if I want some. At home if I get the munchies I resort to Hartleys 10 cal Ready to Eat Jellies (0.3 - 2.3g carbs per pot depending on the flavour) or nuts.
I do try to resist the temptations by rationalising that I'm giving my insides a rest while I'm feeling hungry.
 

Bluetit1802

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I have never snacked. I eat 2 meals a day (previously 3) and am never hungry. I find it is better to give your pancreas a good rest, which it will never get when eating between meals as it will be forever pumping out insulin to cope with the food. This will not help with BGs or insulin resistance. In your situation at work, I would have a cup of tea or drink water.
 
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bulkbiker

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Are you following any eating regime to help control your blood sugar levels? I try not to snack but if I did my Ketogenic eating regime would allow some pork scratchings or some nuts.
 
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dbr10

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Hello Everyone

I am sat in my office at work and colleagues are munching on biscuits and crisps etc and I was wondering what could be a T2 sufferers go-to snack at work?

Having been told I need to get a grip of my BS levels I thought I would ask. Whats your choice?

Cheers

Bill
Walnuts or cheese - though that will tend to get a bit sweaty
 
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leslie10152

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It's hard when biscuits and cakes come out at the office, I just drink water and get my head down and work on, although it can be hard. My colleagues are always really apologetic if they forget and ask me if I want some. At home if I get the munchies I resort to Hartleys 10 cal Ready to Eat Jellies (0.3 - 2.3g carbs per pot depending on the flavour) or nuts.
I do try to resist the temptations by rationalising that I'm giving my insides a rest while I'm feeling hungry.
I 've been caught like this. You know you can't have it, and that's why you want it!!
 
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ventra

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Are you following any eating regime to help control your blood sugar levels? I try not to snack but if I did my Ketogenic eating regime would allow some pork scratchings or some nuts.

Nope, not following any regime at the moment. Only recently has the DN given me a meter to test BS and "play around". My main motivation is to reduce carbs where I can, so I can enjoy them where I want. I do enjoy a beer and prefer it over pasta or potatoes ;-)
 

Resurgam

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If you do eat low carb then you might be surprised at how not hungry you are - carbs elevate blood glucose, insulin is released levels drop and you feel hungry - fewer carbs means less hunger.
 
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Bluetit1802

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Nope, not following any regime at the moment. Only recently has the DN given me a meter to test BS and "play around". My main motivation is to reduce carbs where I can, so I can enjoy them where I want. I do enjoy a beer and prefer it over pasta or potatoes ;-)

Blimey! The nurse gave you a meter and you are just on Metformin? Lucky person!

Her advice is a bit daft though. "Play around" isn't going to help a lot. Have you been advised to test out your food? We do this by testing immediately before we eat and again 2 hours after first bite. The difference between these 2 readings will show you what your food choices have done to your levels and give you the opportunity to eliminate or reduce the carbs in that meal.

Beer is not a wise choice on a regular basis. It is full of sugar. There are some lower carb/lower sugar options available in some brands of bottled beers. I'm not an expert on beers. However, I am an expert on wine! How about changing over to a glass of red instead of beer? There are virtually no carbs in red wine, dry white, or most spirits.
 

ventra

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If you do eat low carb then you might be surprised at how not hungry you are - carbs elevate blood glucose, insulin is released levels drop and you feel hungry - fewer carbs means less hunger.

Umm! Not working for me at the moment!:nailbiting:
 

bulkbiker

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Umm! Not working for me at the moment!:nailbiting:
That probably means you are still eating too many carbs.. Us low carbers tend to fill up on fattier foods which keep you feeling full for longer so don't get the snacking hunger needs that carb eaters do. These days I tend to eat only twice a day max.. sometimes only once. I keep feeling full with my elevenses (usually at midday) a large coffee with double cream after 2 mugs of tea for breakfast, nothing to eat until afternoon. Once you get into the swing of it it's surprisingly easy and good for you too!
 

ringi

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Doing law carb without adding lots of nice fats would be very hard and result in my wife making me cook two set of meals...... (She has CP so does not cook.)
 

ventra

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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No Food
Blimey! The nurse gave you a meter and you are just on Metformin? Lucky person!

Her advice is a bit daft though. "Play around" isn't going to help a lot. Have you been advised to test out your food? We do this by testing immediately before we eat and again 2 hours after first bite. The difference between these 2 readings will show you what your food choices have done to your levels and give you the opportunity to eliminate or reduce the carbs in that meal.

Beer is not a wise choice on a regular basis. It is full of sugar. There are some lower carb/lower sugar options available in some brands of bottled beers. I'm not an expert on beers. However, I am an expert on wine! How about changing over to a glass of red instead of beer? There are virtually no carbs in red wine, dry white, or most spirits.

I'm sitagliptin and metformin. The "play around" bit is my terminology! I have another appointment with her this week to go through when to test etc, so I am content with that. I know beer is not the most T2 friendly beverage, but.....a little of what you like and all that!
 

daisy1

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@ventra

Hello Bill and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful, in addition to the replies from other members above. 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 245,000 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

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
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.

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.
 

Sarah69

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Anything healthy!
Hello Everyone

I am sat in my office at work and colleagues are munching on biscuits and crisps etc and I was wondering what could be a T2 sufferers go-to snack at work?

Having been told I need to get a grip of my BS levels I thought I would ask. Whats your choice?

Cheers

Bill

Why are you saying T2 Sufferers? I find that so offensive no everyone suffers!
 

dipsydo

Well-Known Member
Messages
175
Marks have a number of low carb snacks for example , crackling, crackling crisps , chirizo crisps quite expensive but find 1/3rd of packet quite satisfying , you can also buy from Marks and other supermarkets small pieces of cheese in multipackets whilst more expensive than cutting a chunk off a bigger piece of cheese it is an easy thing to take to work . Olives if you like them are nice but a bit messy. Another thought is that Tesco for example do one boiled egg in a small plastic pot again not to everyone's taste . Mini peppers can be quite nice as well but are higher carb then the other items mentioned