• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

New member

Daddypaul

Newbie
Messages
3
Evening all. Newly registered in the last half hour. Always new diabetes would come knocking on my door due to father & sister being diagnosed and was duely diagnosed type 2 just over a month ago. Nurse as put me on Dacadis 30mg and Metformin 500mg this as now been changed to Bolamyn SR. My problem is I am suffering terrible stomache cramps along with diorhea and awful gas. On top of this I have read through this forum that most of my favorite foods inc potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread are not good for me. Could anyone supply me with the title of a good cook book or a site that could show me the correct foods to eat. Just to say that i am also a coeliac so flour based products are a no go also will my stomache symptoms subside
Many thanks in anticipation :(
 
Hi DaddyPaul

Welcome to the forum. You will find it a place of support, information and advice.

Diet will be a particular issue for you, having two medical conditions to consider. The list of foods you have quoted are not necessarily bad for diabetics - I eat them (but not in huge quantities) and am doing well with glucose control. I am hoping that there is a forum member who has both conditions and can discuss diet issues with you.

Metformin can produce stomach problems as a side effect but not for everyone.

Please keep at you healthcare providers to give you the help you need to live with both conditions.

Hope this helps

Regards

Doug
 
Hi DaddyPaul

Welcome to the forum. My other half is T1 and we have reduced our carb intake over the past 12 months, which like you are my favorite foods. We mainly eat cous cous, salad and veg with most of our meals and to be honest i really enjoy it. It has certainly made us feel alot healther and alot less bloated. We do still eat potatos, pasta and rice but teeney tiny portions and we eat wholemeal rice instead of white. Theres plenty you can eat, i just go on the internet to get ideas but if your looking for books i'm sure someone will come along soon with some good one's.

LL x
 
Hi LL

It just goes to show that we are all different: couscous spikes my blood higher than potatoes do :(

Peter
 
Hi Paul and welcome to the forum. I'm glad your doctor has changed your Metformin, as stomach cramps and problems are very common with this medication. I have heard of some members who are both diabetic and coeliac so I hope they will read this and come along to help.

I think from what you said that you may have read this, but just in case you haven't, I'm repeating it for you. This is the information that has been written for new members. Ask as many questions as you like as there is usually someone here who will have an answer.

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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.
 
Back
Top