Need help with diet.

Hi @jojo broadie,

I will tag @daisy1 to give you some basic information and there are plenty of recipes throughout the forum that you can try.

jojo broadie said:

Hi is there any low carb bread I can buy ...my husband is tyoe 2 and we are new to low carb diet ...need help with a simple menu he can follow I usually cook from scratch

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Yes Burgen Linseed and Soya bread available at most supermarkets for around £1.50 but only £1 a loaf in Iceland A lot here have that and also the protein rolls from Lidl which many here love as they say they don't raise their BG. You don't really need recipes to cook your meals from scratch cook as you always have with any meat but go lower on the root vegetables and if you both like green stuff then any of that is good cauliflower and celeriac makes good mash in place of potatoes and you can use grated cauliflower in place of rice and courgette ribbons in place of pasta

@jojo broadie

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members which gives a lot of information about carbs. Ask more questions and someone will help.


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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

Hi @jojo broadie
I switched to Burgen bread as soon as I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago, 11g of carb per slice. I find it fills me up more, is very tasty and now I wonder what I ever saw in white bread. It's 2 for £2 in the Co-op too at the moment

jojo broadie said:

Thank you ...feel like I am drowning in info ....we use butter can he have that on this low carb bread some diets recommend not to eat carbs mixed with any other food and meat etc on its own too ....is this right

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There are so many different diets out there. I try to eat a moderately low carb diet, as I don't need to loose weight, so I eat some carbs. I wouldn't worry about butter, though, I eat it abundantly

jojo broadie said:

Thank you ...feel like I am drowning in info ....we use butter can he have that on this low carb bread some diets recommend not to eat carbs mixed with any other food and meat etc on its own too ....is this right

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Yes butter is fine

Hi @jojo broadie,

You do not mention if your husband is testing g his blood sugars. If he is then you will soon find a pattern as to what he can and cannot eat. Other members will tell you what is O.K. for them but this is something that everyone has to find out for themselves.

If you read through the information that daisy1 provided for you then you will see the best times to test and the scores to aim for.
It takes a while to manage but with the aid of testing and keeping a food diary you will be able to plot suitable foods and foods that need to be eaten in smaller portions or even disregarded.

He should test before he eats and 2 hours after, that way he can tell what affect food has had on his blood.

I buy the high protein rolls from Lidl. 8g carbs per roll. I find half a roll (sliced) is sufficient with any meal as it is thick and filling. Toasted with loads of butter and they are delicious and only 4g carbs per half. I eat mine with my fry ups (bacon, egg, tomato, mushrooms and a high meat sausage. Eaten with the fats they do nothing at all to my levels, but you need to use the meter to test this out for yourself.

Processed meat is never top of my list, (well, recently, most saturated fat and meat has been drastically reduced), but to be fair the quality of sausages made here, (even in the local supermarkets) are a lot better than the ones I remember from places like Tesco.
But generally, I don't eat anything that wasn't born that shape if I can avoid it.

jojo broadie said:

Thank you for the info..... what sausages and bacon do you use I thought that you couldn't have processed meat I use the scottish square sliced for me but gave cut it from my husband's diet ....I am trying to sort his levels out with diet and I haven't a clue wgat I am doing.....feeling stupid ....

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Why have you cut bacon from his diet? You still eat it, so why can't he? It won't do his diabetes any harm!

I buy Black Farmers premium sausages. They are (from memory 97% meat and no cereals). Available from supermarkets. Just look for the meat content as well as the carb content when buying packets, or ask the butcher if buying fresh. The cheaper the sausage the more cereal for bulk it may contain. I buy normal vacuum packed back bacon. Various brands. You will find many of us non-vegetarians on here have bacon. As for a mixed gill, absolutely fine. We can eat as much meat as we like, providing it isn't coated in breadcrumbs or suspicious sauces. It is up to you whether you eat saturated fat meat such as steaks, but I do. I eat beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Oily fish is excellent and should be eaten by everyone for the Omega 3 properties (salmon, tuna, sardines etc.).

Have a look at this thread, which may help http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/