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Low Carb, Lactose intolerant and insulin.

E

everywhere

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Low Carb diet would be great but as I was diagnosed 52 years ago, but been on insulin 18 years,and I am Lactose intolerance. This would br impossible for me to do.
 
Well if you can eat meat/fish, eggs, green veg and salad. Nuts, avocado etc then you can do LCHF even cheese has very low lactose levels doesn't it? And hemp or almond milk too unsweetened of course.
 
Hi Everywhere. I am newly diagnosed, but advised a friend of mine who has been on insulin for twenty years to try out the low carbohydrate method. He has so far been able to get rid of his injections at meal times and halve his basic dosage in about two months, both he and his doctors are amazed ! Neither of us drink milk .
 
Hi and welcome. I am going to tag @daisy1 for some basic information. When she sends it out it is worth a good read even if you are not new to all of this.
 
Hi. Being lactose intolerant doesn't mean low-carb isn't possible. If your weight is low rather than high, you may be one of the many mis-diagnosed LADAs anyway hence needing insulin.
 
@everywhere

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members, even though you have been diabetic for many years, and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask questions if you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 220,000 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.
 
Well, you know your dietary requirements best, but I do very low-carb and zero-dairy. I eat eggs, but I certainly don't touch milk. Don't need it, don't miss it.
 
I have green leaf vegetables, fish, steamed chicken sometimes, broccoli, cauliflower, kimchi, sunflower seeds and tree-nuts.
No milk, cheese, butter, rice, potato, pasta, bread, sugar or alcohol ever.
 
Have a look at Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution - not the later books as the Atkins Foundation just don't get it at all. I did Atkins for years and then was told I had high cholesterol. Under two years of trying to lower it by diet and I have full blown diabetes with a HbA1c level in the 90s.
I have been diagnosed for just a week and am back on Atkins and taking Metformin and a statin - but my sight is clearer, my knees and muscles have stopped aching, my feet have shrunk, so has my waist and I have lost 4lb.
I had none of the usual symptoms of diabetes, as far as I can tell, apart from feeling very old.
Lactose, being a sugar is not part of the Atkins way of eating.
 
everywhere said:
Low Carb diet would be great but as I was diagnosed 52 years ago, but been on insulin 18 years,and I am Lactose intolerance. This would br impossible for me to do.
Click to expand...
Hello, welcome. Lots to read before you decide you can't do LCHF, try some of the foodie sites.

Good luck:happy:
 
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