Liz Reilly
Newbie
Is the keto diet safe for T2 suffers?
-
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Keto diet
- Thread starter Liz Reilly
- Start Date
Hello there Liz.
As a generalisation, I'd say, in most cases, yes, but it very much depends on what, if any, medications you are taking and any other significant health factors in your life.
Keto is pretty hard core as a starting point, if that's where you are in your journey, but some do just leap straight in.
If you could tell us a bit about yourself, we could probably make some relevant suggestions.
Liz Reilly
Newbie
Liz Reilly
Newbie
I am 69 and have been T2 for over 10 years. Have not been very good at controlling it with diet etc and am now taking 4 Metformin tabs per day. My blood sugar has been creeping up with highest reading at home before breakfast being 9.7. Have recently tried to change my diet, reducing carbs & eating more fruit & veg. Seems to be working. I have heard a lot about the Keto supplement & diet and wondered if the supplement and a low carb diet, not the keto diet as too drastic, would work and be safe.
For most on here, a keto diet describes the level of carbs eaten on an average day, rather than any supplement. What sort of supplements are you looking at?
For T2 on no, or gently drugs, such as Metformin, a keto diet can be very effective n bringing the numbers down.
briped
Well-Known Member
Hi Liz, and welcome. I'm not too sure what the keto supplement is, but on it's own and without the diet to go with it, I can't see how it would bring down your numbers.
Anyway, you probably haven't seen @daisy1 's welcome post yet. I've tagged her, so she'll send it next time she's online. While you're waiting there's this wonderful piece of nutritional writing from Jo. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/
You don't have to go full keto (under about 20g per day) to reap some benefits. Simply cutting down on your carb intake will help you, but I'm afraid that eating fruit won't do you any favours. Fruit is very carby. If your numbers are creeping upwards, I suggest that you take a closer look at what carbs you're really having, and beware of the hidden ones.
There's also dietdoctor.com for a good 'stroll'.
M
Member496333
Guest
Optimal dietary ketosis just in involves eating real food and little or nothing manufactured in a factory - including grains, flours and sugars. Additionally you may need to avoid starchy root vegetables. Overground vegetables are fine in moderation. Ketogenic eating is nothing to be afraid of, although it does of course require a degree of adjustment after a lifetime of [ab]normal eating.
Of course it may not be suited to every individual for a variety of reasons, but the only way anyone would ever find out would be to try it. There is no need for any supplements, just real whole ingredients provided by nature. It is not necessarily a diet of bacon & eggs, and is very far from restrictive once you are adapted to the lifestyle. Personally I’ve found it gastronomically liberating and life changing in terms of physical and mental wellbeing, but that’s just one experience.
It should go without saying that any medications should be considered when making dietary changes, but you shouldn’t encounter any issues with Metformin. It’s important to be vigilant though in this regard.
Of course it may not be suited to every individual for a variety of reasons, but the only way anyone would ever find out would be to try it. There is no need for any supplements, just real whole ingredients provided by nature. It is not necessarily a diet of bacon & eggs, and is very far from restrictive once you are adapted to the lifestyle. Personally I’ve found it gastronomically liberating and life changing in terms of physical and mental wellbeing, but that’s just one experience.
It should go without saying that any medications should be considered when making dietary changes, but you shouldn’t encounter any issues with Metformin. It’s important to be vigilant though in this regard.
@Liz Reilly hoq about you tell us what you eat in a normal day and then wipe can suggest se changes to lower carbs initially? If things go well you can progress to Keto if you like it.
daisy1
Legend
@Liz Reilly
Hello Liz and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.
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 147,000 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.
Hello Liz and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.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 147,000 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.
Robbity
Expert
Stick with reducing carbs, but watch the fruit and below ground vegetables for their possible higher carb content.
And as far a I'm aware those supplements are an expensive gimmick and your'e far better off spending your money on a decent healthy low carb diet. And a ketogenic diet need not be too extreme - for diabetics it can simply be a somewhat lower extension of a standard low carb diet so you could be producing and benefitting from dietary ketones anyway. Have look at Diet Doctors ketogenic recipes and menus for ideas - and what they have to say about those ketone supplements : https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/exogenous-ketones
Robbity
bulkbiker
BANNED
Do you mean the "raspberry ketones" ? I'm pretty sure that was outed as a scam.
A proper ketogenic diet however is a very powerful tool for controlling T2 diabetes and maybe leads to remission (it did in my case). Happy to help with that if you like.
