Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.
It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.
The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.
If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.
The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.
Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.
When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.
As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!
If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.
The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)
2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.
It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.
The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.
Ken / Sue.
dcr565 said:Result for a fasting BG was 12.2. GP taken another specimen to confirm. I'm 59, 16stone and have bp 155/85. Is this likely to be T2 as my GP thinks?
Likely? yes, not certainly though, you have to wait for the Docs diagnosis, there are other forms of diabetes, not just type 1 and 2.
I have no symptoms other than thrush for the first time ever 6 months ago. Confused as to treatment and prognosis.
That's how sneaky diabetes is, you don't feel ill until it's to late, thrush and other fungal infections are common, your blood sugar "feeds" them.
Prognosis is good, your fasting BG ( is this HbA1c? if you had an armful of blood taken to test it will be) is high but not a disaster, a few pills might be all you need.
All other blood tests normal. I wonder how long I have had this and if damage has been done. Is there life after this? I'm still in a state of shock. Anyone else faced similar and how did you get on?
Here are a few questions you can ask.
What can I do to control it, diet, medication ?
Appointments to see dietician, podiatrist, retinal screening.
Test meter /strips.
Test results and what do they mean ? Get a print-out of the results for your own records.
Who will I be seeing the nurse or GP ? If I have problem can I see either of you ?
Are there any courses I can attend, DESMOND for Type 2, DAFNE for Type 1's ? Any other Diabetes Education classes available.
How often do I get blood tests, Hba1c/Cholesterol/full lipid panel.. Should be every 3 months initially till in control.
Take a notebook with you and write down what you are told. If the doctor/nurse says things that you do not understand then ask them to explain it so that you can write it down.
This is your condition, your diabetes, you should be encouraged to take part in the treatment that you will be getting, not dictated to.
If you find that the doctor/nurse is unsympathetic then we suggest you find out which doctor in the practice is good with diabetes. Some doctors have a special interest in certain subjects, it’s worth finding this out.
Ken / Sue
Eiche said:When the news came out that the strips were being stopped, I asked my diabetes doctor straight away if I had to worry about this and he reasured me that I would not have the strips taken from my repeat prescription because I am on Gliclazide.
Soooooooo.... isn't it so that only type 2.s who are NOT on Gliclazide or eqivalent medication that brings down the BG and comes with the warning of possibly causing a Hypo, do not get the strips on prescription? --- :?
dcr565 said:After 12 days post diagnosis my fasting glucose today was 5.2, been dropping steadily. 2 hr PP between 6.6 and 8.9 and dropping. Any need for metformin or carry on low carb diet alone?
I've also noticed that my 2.5 hr PP tends to be 6.5 to 7.1. I.m wondering if this is because I'm eating complex carbohydrates (veg) and these are being absorbed more slowly. The non diabetic 2 hr PP is 6.6 but was this set using glucose as in GTT and it would be interesting if a new range for non diabetic be set using 50g of complex carb instead of glucose? Anyone else having same effect?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?