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Looking for some Nutrition advice.

T

type2dad

Newbie
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3
Since being diagnosed i am totally lost with the nutrition side of things.

What is the best diet for a type 2 diabetic?

Vegetarian
Vegan
Raw Vegan
Low Carb

All of the above has been recommended so far and this is not taking the NHS starchy carbs advice.

I am totally lost on which way i am going to take my diet going forward.

Any help would be gratefully received.

T2D
 
You'll get as many answers as there are people on the forum.

A few questions that would help advise you.

What meds are you on,
what's your bs,
do you need to lose weight or maintain your weight as it is?
How easy will it be for you to switch to a diet/lifestyle change?
 
Which diet would suit you best depends on a number of things such as how high were your BG and/or HbA1c readings and do you have weight to lose? The usual advice is get yourself a meter and test your readings before each meal and two hours later. That way you'll find out which foods cause potentially harmful spikes in your BG levels and can either remove them from your diet or reduce the portion size to a level which doesn't cause spikes. The other thing you should do if you can is exercise every day, even if it's only walking. As I understand it, muscles don't need insulin to take glucose from the blood stream and therefore exercise helps keep your BG levels lower.

If it helps, I was diagnosed as T2 back in April and was towards the top-end of the BMI range for my height. I immediately cut out white bread, white rice, old potatoes and almost all cakes, biscuits, sweets and crisps. I also use the myfitnesspal app on my smartphone to keep track of what I'm eating. As a result, in five and a half months, I've lost a couple of stone in weight, I feel a lot fitter and my HbA1c has gone back down into the 'normal' range.
 
Hi there
With any serious health condition, the best diet is the one which is most nutrient dense and requires the least amount of energy to digest so the body can concentrate on healing. You might be interested in the work of Dr Gabriel Cousens who reversed diabetes for several patients in 30 days using mineral and herbal supplementation, living/raw food and juices. Living food is rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and water - all great for us! When food is cooked most of the nutrition is destroyed by the heat. With lightly steamed vegetables, about 60% of the nutriton is retained. Meat is very tough on the body to digest and the best sourcse of protein are sprouts, seeds and a modest quantity of soaked nuts. Spiruina is also a great source of chlorophyl, amino acids ( protein building blocks). and essential fatty acids - vital for cell membrane health. Good hydration is also key - at least 2 litres a day of spring water between NOT WITH meals.

For most people a 100% living food is a bridge too far so if you are a meat eater I'd recommend cutting out all red meat, eating small quantities of chicken and eating fish instead. Have a salad and steamed veg every day and increase quantities of leafy greens. Kale is a superfood - nutrient dense. Spinach, brocolli and chard are also great. Cut out all bread, cakes and biscuits so you don't tax your pancreas. Hope helpful!
 
Hi There

Moderate to low carbs seems to work for most. Potatoes, white bread and pasta often result in spikes since they convert quickly to simple sugars as a result of being low in fibre. Wholegrain brown bread is better than white since it has more fibre and nutrition but still not a good source of carbs. Sweet potatoe and short grain brown rice in small quantities are nutrient dense and high fibre and will convert more slowly to simple sugars so are good carb sources. Ripe bananas tend to be too sweet for most diabetics.

Pineapples, grapes and mangoes way too sweet. Modest amounts of berries - blueberries, strawberries, gogi berries etc
often work well.

Once you keep good records of the quantities of food you eat, the time you take your medication and your actitity levels and stick to a routine, you'll work it all out! Good luck!
 
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