I was a new patient in the doctors practice. They gave me a health check. My cholesterol was 6.7. I told the doctor that I would lose some weight and up my exercises, rather than consider medication at that stage. I am 71 years young, 6'2" tall and weighed in at 15st.10lbs. After six months and on my third visit for post bloods result and at 13st., no mention of cholesterol level, only I was entered in their records as a new diabetic. I have no advice as yet, and in fact have just registered with a new doctor's practice as I have moved home. I immediately ordered a BS monitor kit and now seeking to understand the cause and effect of various foods in my diet. I have no processed sugars in my diet, but I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Having looked up sugars in fruit was delighted to see avocadoes are definitely a winner, but disappointed to lose grapes. Depending on source of information mangoes could be good or bad. I have an appointment with my new doctor next Tuesday. I guess they will have to get records transferred before any action anyway, so I will have to continue self analysis. After 9 days results my lowest reading is 5.2, highest 11.5. I will do a spreadsheet to include what I eat at each meal in order to diagnose a pattern. I take my BP regularly it is usually around 110/65, probably because I do 20 mins exercise every morning. Any advice gladly received?
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
New diabetic
- Thread starter Esalglop
- Start Date
Daibell
Master
chalup
Well-Known Member
Hi there, sounds like you are definitely on the right track. Most of us find that fruits and root veggies are not good for blood sugar and tropical fruits in particular are bad. Berries are the best along with above ground veggies and of course avocados and olives are fantastic. Cutting out all grains including rice and corn as well as peas will help as well. Ideally you do not want your blood sugar to go over 7.8 at any time but you need to decide what levels you are comfortable with. It is important to note the rise after eating. If you test before eating at 6 and at 1 hour you are at 7and at 2 hours at 6.5 that would be a great food. If you started at 4 and rose to 7 at 1 hour and 6.5 at 2 hours that would be a much higher rise and not so good a food. The end numbers are the same but the overall rise is much bigger. My apologies if I am telling you something you already know. It takes time for the numbers to come down but you are well on the way to sorting out the best diet for you and are "eating to your meter". I will tag @daisy1 to send you some very good information. Welcome to the forum 
Hiitsme
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,986
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi and welcome @Esalglop
Well done on the weight loss as that will help and also on the actions you are taking. I found a meter really useful as it showed me what I could eat and what was better avoided. I haven't tried mangoes since being diagnosed but would suggest why not try them. Test before eating and 2 hours after and see what the difference is. If you've come down to the level before eating then fine. If the difference is 4 or 5 then you probably should avoid them for now. With testing you find what you can manage and we are all different. To begin with I was aiming for no higher than 2 points difference after 2 hours. Now I try for being close to my before reading after 2 hours. I've been working on this for 18 months. Have you been told your HbA1c? Mine was very high at diagnosis and I had to take a lot of action. If yours isn't too high you may only have to do a bit of tweaking of your diet. Do ask questions and people will try and help,
Well done on the weight loss as that will help and also on the actions you are taking. I found a meter really useful as it showed me what I could eat and what was better avoided. I haven't tried mangoes since being diagnosed but would suggest why not try them. Test before eating and 2 hours after and see what the difference is. If you've come down to the level before eating then fine. If the difference is 4 or 5 then you probably should avoid them for now. With testing you find what you can manage and we are all different. To begin with I was aiming for no higher than 2 points difference after 2 hours. Now I try for being close to my before reading after 2 hours. I've been working on this for 18 months. Have you been told your HbA1c? Mine was very high at diagnosis and I had to take a lot of action. If yours isn't too high you may only have to do a bit of tweaking of your diet. Do ask questions and people will try and help,
pleinster
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,631
- Location
- Scotland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- ignorance
Hi. Your initial approach demonstrates that you will get things well under control. It was through self-testing and recording times, foods, and readings that I identified the patterns and managed to address things pretty well. Good advice above. You clearly have the intention of informing yourself and making the changes required...so you will. Well done. Stay confident.
The basic advice I would give :
test before food and 2.5 hours after food;
record those readings and the food (and liquid);
record any other meds taken;
record all times involved;
look at carbohydrate content rather than sugar....cut down the carbs wherever you can;
get one with life.
The basic advice I would give :
test before food and 2.5 hours after food;
record those readings and the food (and liquid);
record any other meds taken;
record all times involved;
look at carbohydrate content rather than sugar....cut down the carbs wherever you can;
get one with life.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Esalglop
Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information, mentioned above, that we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 210,000 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information, mentioned above, that we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 210,000 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Pinkorchid
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,927
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
You seem to be doing really well at the moment. We are all very different people and foods affect us in different ways so what one person can eat someone else may find they can't, some go very low carb others can manage more it is all trial and error to find out what suits you personally
Thank you. I was a Founder Fellow of the Institute of Fresh Produce 45 years ago. The Institute died with the greengrocers but it's "5 a day" campaign survives. I usually have at least ten fruit and veg daily and of course the volume bulk or greater mass will be roots, so I you have enlightened me. Well done!Hi there, sounds like you are definitely on the right track. Most of us find that fruits and root veggies are not good for blood sugar and tropical fruits in particular are bad. Berries are the best along with above ground veggies and of course avocados and olives are fantastic. Cutting out all grains including rice and corn as well as peas will help as well. Ideally you do not want your blood sugar to go over 7.8 at any time but you need to decide what levels you are comfortable with. It is important to note the rise after eating. If you test before eating at 6 and at 1 hour you are at 7and at 2 hours at 6.5 that would be a great food. If you started at 4 and rose to 7 at 1 hour and 6.5 at 2 hours that would be a much higher rise and not so good a food. The end numbers are the same but the overall rise is much bigger. My apologies if I am telling you something you already know. It takes time for the numbers to come down but you are well on the way to sorting out the best diet for you and are "eating to your meter". I will tag @daisy1 to send you some very good information. Welcome to the forum
