I do feel that people jump in with links to sites that advocate very specific ways of controlling diabetes right at the start I think that Daisy's opening post is reasonable though I actually don't agree with it's description of the glycemic index (no wonder people don't think it works, wholegrain flour may have just as high a GI as white)
If I jumped in then I would like to talk about the diet I used successfully for my 3 years prior to insulin(LADA) or even more so the diet that I see working well and as advocated by the dietitian here (I have been involved helping with translation; unfortunately a lot of the newly diagnosed T2s here are Brits)
On a personal level , perhaps I would tell everyone to increase their green veggies......... great idea unless they happen to be taking warfarin
I'd say eat a wide variety of veggies of all colours but the amount I mean would definitely amount to more carbs than would be allowed on a very low carb plan like Bernstein........ But then it depends how we count.
I saw a thread elsewhere yesterday, one person counted 22g another counted 6g (I counted 18g)
I might suggest legumes ( but oh heck someone's just told them that all carbs are evil, every starch turns to sugar and the glycaemic index doesn't work) .
I would really like to mention exercise because it is so important for increasing insulin sensitivity
(but maybe I should do it carefully because not all people can exercise)
Fat is very contentious particularly as to the roles of the various types of fat in the development of heart disease . It is not straightforward. Its certainly too complex to discuss in a newcomers thread yet we have people making broad statements dismissing fat playing any role .In my opinion, it is important because although people worry about losing legs, CVD is the complication that will affect far more of us than any other (and most amputations occur because of circulatory problems coupled with neuropathy).
On fat though, we might all agree that foods containing omega 3s so oily fish a couple of times a week, even nuts as a snack rather than biscuits could be helpful (I certainly don't think that there is any evidence to the contrary and the NHS agrees)
As has (I think ) been pointed out, the term high fat is capable of multiple interpretations; if someone is only eating 1200cal a day then 70g of fat a day is 52% of calorie intake, so high-ish fat, however 70g is also the GDA for women.
On the other hand people who have a higher carb intake don't necessarily all get it by eating lots of pies, pastries, pasta , desserts or bread (if they have good control that is; even when they take insulin
(sorry I get the impression sometimes that people believe this to be the case)
I no longer put anything on an introductory thread. To be honest, I'm intimidated, I certainly don't want to start an argument on a beginners thread so I don't.
Maybe Daisy's thread could be revised, I've already mentioned one thing I think is wrong, others may have other points.