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susanmanley

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as i am new to all this does anyone know of anywhere i could get, say, a weeks menu to get me started.
At moment definitely rummaging in the dark
thank yoususanmanley

Posts: 3
Joined: June 2nd, 2012, 2:24 pm
 
Are you looking for a low carb or a 'normal' version of diet?

For better control, low or at least counting your carbs is recommended in my opinion.

-M
 
I have read a lot of the comments here for and against the low carb diet. I do have to be careful about high fibre due to another condition and do not want to have a dramatic weight loss as I do suffer from as a range of other 'conditions'.
I am still on the fence but either would be a help as by trying a plan I may be able to make a dicission.
Unfortunately as I have not been allowed a tester it will be rather just trial and error. Seems silly that they tell you to manage with diet then do not give you the tools

thank you
 
Okay, could you tell us what you would currently eat during a day, maybe we can make some minor suggestions that would suit you rather than start from scratch?

I would personally, I think, go for something along the lines of

Eggs and Bacon, with mushrooms and possibly cheese; or low-carb yoghurt if you're on that waggon.

Cauliflower, green pepper fruit, mushroom, an egg, some cream, chicken bits or fish or turkey, in a cooking dish, into oven.

Stir-fry with brocolli if you can do that, spring onions, baby corn, perhaps with some coconut milk on it - with meat.

Snack on cucumbers, celeriac sticks, cheese bits, walnuts...

If you are worried you might lose weight, add some healthy oils (olive for instance) or mayo to things and eat about twice the amount of meat you would normally.

If you are used to no fibres, perhaps you could try turnip (swede) instead of potatoes, and eat a very limited amount of rice while avoiding pasta, and I think it would make a decent starting point.
 
susanmanley said:
as i am new to all this does anyone know of anywhere i could get, say, a weeks menu to get me started.
Click to expand...

If only it was that easy Susan, one persons menu isn't necessarily anothers.

You need a meter to educate yourself as to how certain foods will effect you and if you're unfortunate enough not to be prescribed one then you'll need to buy one or nail a freebie as it is an essential tool especially at the onset.
 
Terminator2 is right. I've noted below some info which might help, but you DO need to test to see if it works.
In general terms you will need to reduce the total number of carbohydrates you eat per day. All carbohydrates turn to sugar when we eat them, and no type 2 diabetic on diet only, or on diet and metformin only, can control their blood sugars (BGs) without controlling their carb intake. Even those on strong medication normally choose to control their carb intake to keep the level of medication they take down. The total number of carbs per day you can eat depends on how advanced your diabetes is. It’s perhaps worth starting at about 50% of normal levels for a non-diabetic then adjusting up or down according to how you get on. That’s 150 grams of carbs per day for a man, 125 for a woman. You can read the total carb content of food under “nutritional info” on the packet or wrapping, or look it up on the internet for loose food. Just google “carb content..”
You also need to stop or reduce the bad carbs; that is the starchy ones that make your BG go up quickly.
So obviously no sugar or glucose! But also no white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products like pastry, cake and batter. You can eat a little basmati rice, wholewheat pasta or the tri-color pasta fusilli ones in small quantities. Boiled new potatos are OK but not old pots mashed, boiled or in their jackets. (Roast is not so bad, the fat slows their absorption and conversion to glucose in the blood) Amongst other veg, parsnips are about the worst for BG, and carrots not great but ok in smaller amounts.
Multi grain bread (not wholemeal) is not SO bad, but lots of us eat Burgen soya and linseed bread from tescos and sainsburys, although all bread should be in limited amounts.
All fruit has carbohydrates, and needs to be included in the amounts of carbs you eat in a day. For most people, bananas are about the worst for pushing our BG up and berries (like strawberries, raspberries etc) are the least bad.
No sweeties!
Exercise is important. I tend to exercise about an hour after eating when I know my BG will be peaking. This helps to bring it down quicker and further. I do ten minutes hard work on an exercise machine, but you could run up and down stairs for ten minutes or go for a brisk walk.
Returning to types of food and quantities of carbs - you can only find out how many you can eat by testing. Most type 2’s are not given access to testing equipment, so you should get your own – although try arguing with your Doc that you want to manage to NICE guideline blood sugar levels, and can’t do that without testing! If you have to buy a meter, they are cheap and most manufacturers will give them away for free. They make their money on the strips you have to use! So go for the meter with the cheapest testing strips. Some people test before and after eating, on waking (fasting test) and before bed. But if you have limited strips because of cost, the key to me is testing 2 hours after eating. If your BG is above, say, 7.8 at that stage, you need to cut down on the carb content the next time you have that meal. Test after various different meals and you soon get to see a pattern of what you can and can’t eat, and in what quantities. You can then reduce your testing. I said “below, say, 7.8” because NICE guidelines are below 8.5 but most of us think that’s a little high. 7.8 is the max. level at 2 hours after eating that a non-diabetic normally gets to so is perhaps a better target. Some then set progressively lower targets.
Do ask lots of questions; there is normally an answer on here. The more you get to learn about your diabetes, the better it will be.
Good luck!
 
Day 1

Breakfast

2-3 eggs, scrambled
3-4 slices of bacon, fried
a handful of mushrooms

Morning

10 or so walnuts
or
1-2 bite sized cheese (Babybel)

Noon

2 chicken breast in bites
1 green pepper in slices
1 carrot in slices/wedges
2 spring onions in bites
3-4 baby corn, halved
5-10 quartered shrooms
1/4 cauliflower or brocolli
stir-fry in oil with a bit of curry, salt, pepper
add a few tablespoons of cream or coconut milk

Afternoon

10 almonds

Evening

Tuna, canned
Mayo, 2-3 tablespoons
1/4 onion, finely chopped
mix and add salt and pepper
Serve on top of
baby spinach leaves or other lettuce
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 green bell pepper
sliced celery if you like

Day 2

Breakfast

no-sugar yoghurt about 1 dl
add 10 chopped, dry-roasted almonds
and a bit of sweetener

Morning

Cucumber, celeriy sticks with mayo (add a bit of spice if you like)

Noon

The remaining bits of yesterdays lunch

Afternoon

1-2 bite sized cheese

Evening

100-200g of shrimps
2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt
2 tablespoons of mayo
1 teaspoon of tomato puré
a bit of sweetener, a bit of chili powder, salt, pepper
Mix the dressing and mix with shrimps
Place in 2 avocado halves with stone removed
Eat with extra cucumber and lettuce

Day 3

Breakfast

Eggs variant again

Morning

Walnuts or cheese

Noon

Steamed cauliflower with ham and cheese - boil/steam first, then bake/grill in oven for 10 mins or so

Afternoon

10-15 almonds

Evening

White fish, 150-200g
Spinach, can be frozen, 200g
1 egg
some cheese (a small handful)
Put fish in cooking dish, add a bit of salt, cover with spinach, beat egg with cheese, pour over - oven 200C until fish is done.

Day 4

Breakfast

Yoghurt variant

Morning

1-2 cheese bites

Noon

Any left overs?
Otherwise
Omelette of 2 eggs, a bit of cheese and ham or bacon
Have some mushrooms or cucumber or green pepper in/with it.

Afternoon

10 walnuts

Evening

2 Chicken breasts, fried
1 diced tomato
1/4 onion chopped
1/2 courgette diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Fry veggies gently in olive oil

Day 5

Breakfast

Eggs variant

Morning

Walnuts

Noon

Any left overs?
Otherwise
Halve the last half courgette and remove the middle with a spoon
Add chopped ham and grill with a bit of cheese

Afternoon

1/2 green apple

Evening

Smoked salmon wrapped around green steamed asparagus
serve on lettuce and cucumber with a bit of mayo if you like.

Day 6

Breakfast

Yoghurt variant

Morning

1-2 cheese bites

Noon

Lettuce, last half apple in thin slices, cucumber, celery
with shrimps

Afternoon

10 almonds

Evening

Brocolli florets, about 15
1/4 onion
5-10 mushrooms, quartered
Bacon dices
2-3 eggs
few tablespoons of milk
few tablespoons of grated cheese
Make an omelette, fried or baked

Day 7

Breakfast

Egg variant

Morning

10 Walnuts

Noon

Any leftovers?
Otherwise
Lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, 1/2 tomato, some olives, chicken or ham.

Afternoon

1-2 cheeses

Evening

Steak with
boiled, then mashed cauliflower with butter
fry some shrooms in the tasty stuff from the steak instead of gravy, pour over

Have a bit of yoghurt with a small handful of berries and a bit of sweetener if you like.
Or a 1 inch cube of dark chocolate.

This is just a suggestion and is not carb-free, but it is low in carb compared to most diets. It is high in fat compared to most, too, and for some it will be high in protein.

I can't make a promise on this, but it works for me to do something in this range.

I can only otherwise support the viewpoint that you need to get a meter so you are able to test, eat and test to tell. I really hope you can get that.
 
Wow!! Thanks for all your help

I really feel I need a meter thing...are they expensive?
Two good things are that all the advice is providing more food than I would normally eat and except that I do eat potatoes and carrots I should be able to work on the other bits,

It is always best to get the info from the horses mouth!!

I am so pleased there are people to ask and talk to
 
The meters are cheap, really, it is the test strips that are the problem as they are a recurrent expense.

I actually have a meter you can have and I wouldn't mind shipping it to you along with a few strips - then the hassle will be postponed at least.

Let me know if you cannot get through to the doc - tell him how darned interesting you find really giving it your best shot and can he please allow you to at least prove to him until your next hba1c that you mean business. Then keep notes - ate this, had this result, learned this, and it will be 'educational' and you should have a better case...

You may want to wait for another person of the more experienced low-carbers to tell you I have not told you something silly - I have tried to keep it low, but not exceedingly dull and have tried to give you a general idea along the way also.

Feel free to check Viv's Modified Atkins again if you want more variation or a more in-depth view on it - I am still new to this.

The Tomatoes, Carrots and Milk/yoghurt/cheese amounts at least can be debated, but I think for a starting point until you get a few tests done (read: many), it will be better than most other options to do something similar to above.
 
I have copied the 7days and will nobble a bit to suit me and try it out for a week and see how I go

I am overweight so that might be helped too
susan
 
Hi. I think you need to take on board that diabetes is a serious illness and that you need to review your thoughts on weight loss and fibre; perhaps some compromise is necessary? I know this sounds hard but be prepared to to consider all the options for diet and low-carbing is essential. The argument is about how much you reduce the carbs not whether you low-carb. There are different types of fibre and not all cause digestive problems; I'm not an expert on this but there are many websites which discuss the types.
 
I think that was what she just did?

That the OP has other conditions requiring her to at least start out lower in fibre than someone without those issues should not keep her from getting started somewhere.

Which bit of Susans post or following replies indicate that she is not trying to take it seriously? It seemed serious enough for a newbie for me...

Just wondering...

-M
 
Hi Susan,

I have just noticed on another post that you have had a kidney removed some time ago is this right? If so I would be a little wary of increasing your protein intake too much as there may be a connection between high protein and kidney function. I don't want to scare you and the evidence is far from conclusive on this but I would hate you to make one thing worse by helping another. I am sure this is not really what you want to here but I would suggest that it might be worth getting a referral to a good dietician to talk through what the best balance might be to help maintain optimum health for your specific situation.
 
Thank you for all your replies.
I am very concerned to get things right and all the advise will be noted.
It is hard for everyone with a new problem and as I have a range of other difficulties I do have to do my research and weigh up all the details.

Thank you
 
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