New diabetic struggling with meals

[Bluetit1802]

That's a shame, as I like them and I thought that might be quite a good thing to eat. I do like omelettes so i'll look into doing them, cheers

Yes, try omelettes and throw in some cheese, mushrooms or bacon.

 

[Poolkid83]

Cheers. This is so helpful. Any idea on tinned fruit? I love mandarins and I was just wondering how good they were if I drained the juice

 

[DeejayR]

Try and see. I couldn't get away with them.

 

[Poolkid83]

I won't try it then lol. Cheers. I want to be as good as possible. I am so used to having takeaways, this is definitely a culture shock but probably a good kick up the backside to try and lose some weight

 

[Hotpepper20000]

I won't try it then lol. Cheers. I want to be as good as possible. I am so used to having takeaways, this is definitely a culture shock but probably a good kick up the backside to try and lose some weight

I would worry first about blood glucose control. Once you have that under control it will be much easier to lose weight.
I tried for years and only after getting a glucose meter and cutting out all the foods that spiked me was I able to loose 50 pounds.

 

[mo53]

@Poolkid83 rather than tinned fruit how about berries? Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries are all lower carb.

 

[Poolkid83]

The nurse warned me off strawberries but said potato was ok so she's definitely confused me lol

 

[DeejayR]

Many of us find a few strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are ok especially with double cream to delay the sugar rush a bit. Tropical fruits are the worst.

 

[mo53]

@Poolkid83 did she mention the eat well plate too? Many diabetic nurses don't recommend low carb which is probably why she said that about potato and strawberries. Have you looked at the 'low carb in 60 seconds' information? If you go to the low carb forum you will see it near the top of the list of threads posted by Brunneria. It is really useful

 

[Poolkid83]

I will look, cheers. I constantly find myself looking at low sugar, low salt, low carbs and I find it definitely confusing. I am finding this group extremely useful though, cheers

 

[mo53]

@Poolkid83 just ask. Everyone on here is very helpful and we've all gone through the initial struggle to make sense of the information and plan what best for us.

 

[daisy1]

@Poolkid83

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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 235,000 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 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[Poolkid83]

Brilliant, thank you

 

[Resurgam]

The nurse warned me off strawberries but said potato was ok so she's definitely confused me lol

Nope - strawberries are low carb and potatoes are high. Blueberries are the highest of the berries, should be eaten in moderation or - to be safe, not at all.
I use frozen berries and cherries, not tinned, eaten with cream

 

[Bluetit1802]

Just stick to strawberries (only 2 or 3 biggish ones) or half a dozen or so raspberries with double cream or full fat Greek yogurt.

Your nurse was very wrong about potatoes. My meter tells me all the time that my body copes with a couple of small new potatoes with butter on, 2 small pieces of roast (in animal fat) or half a dozen homemade chips (cooked in animal fat). However, by no means everyone can cope with this. I am lucky.

Why did she warn you off strawberries?

 

[Alexandra100]

Why did she warn you off strawberries?

People with impaired kidney function shouldn't eat strawberries because they are high in potassium (and fluid). Perhaps the nurse got her diets mixed up.

 

[Poolkid83]

She didn’t warn me off as much, she just said there were better fruits than them. She was all about eating things low in sugar and low in salt. She never mentioned carbs which seems strange

 

[Rachox]

She didn’t warn me off as much, she just said there were better fruits than them. She was all about eating things low in sugar and low in salt. She never mentioned carbs which seems strange

Here’s a guide to carb content of fruits:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fruits

 

[EllieM]

Your spaghetti and meatball ready meal is 44g carbs

Just curious, but how do you work that out? The information page seems to suggest it's only 12g, so I'm obviously looking at it wrong... (And I agree if I was eating out and guessing I'd be assuming the 44g not the 12g).
https://groceries.asda.com/product/...zone-turkey-meatballs-spaghetti/1000003091928

 

[Rachox]

Just curious, but how do you work that out? The information page seems to suggest it's only 12g, so I'm obviously looking at it wrong... (And I agree if I was eating out and guessing I'd be assuming the 44g not the 12g).
https://groceries.asda.com/product/...zone-turkey-meatballs-spaghetti/1000003091928

I scrolled down to the nutritional info and there it is, no working out necessary!