Every cloud! But not to be sneezed at at £9 per item now if you have to pay!
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New type 2
- Thread starter Red2019
- Start Date
Every cloud! But not to be sneezed at at £9 per item now if you have to pay!
Traceymac23
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 603
- Location
- London,England
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Moaner
Winnie53
BANNED
If I were recovering from a toe amputation, like Traceymac23 was, knowing what I know now, I might take medication for a couple of weeks, but only to enhance recovery from the surgery and to reduce the risk of infection. It's a tricky business though. When medication works, it's great, but if there are side effects, such as diarrhea, I'd continue on medication temporarily, but switch to a different medication. That said, Metformin would be what I'd try first. Glad medication worked out for Traceymac23.
With that said, I also believe you made right choice to delay taking medication and to begin with the low carb diet!
My A1c was 9.9% (US) or 84.7 (UK) when I was re-diagnosed with T2DM 50 months ago. Within three days I started the low carb ketogenic diet in the 30 - 42 carb a day range. And with five days, I found my way here. Lucky me. Lucky you. I can think of no better place to begin your diabetes education.
[Edited to add]: It took a full 4 weeks to get my glucose levels down with further improvements over the next year. I graphed my levels daily with graph paper. Had good and bad days. Give the diet the time needed for it to work.
So here's what you need to know now before your body begins the transition from "sugar burner" to "fat (and sugar) burner"...
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is best, but I typically alternate drinking hot tea (black for breakfast; green after lunch; coffee and herbal teas are okay too) - with a cup or two of water. I actually take filtered hot and cold water with me to work, or when I'm going to be away from the house for an extended period of time.
- As your body begins releasing your "water weight" initially, you'll begin to lose sodium, so depending on what you're eating, you may start craving salty foods - (in my case it was corn chips topped with grated cheddar cheese, the former definitely not low carb!) - or you may begin to have headaches. When that happens, take in some salt. I experimented with different ways to do that. Ultimately what worked best for me was to grate sea salt into a cup of hot water and drink it - (I was trying to avoid all the food additives that are in many of the bouillon cubes and powders). I started with a 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) and worked up to 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon). I continue to do that as needed to this day because I greatly limit processed foods and keep forgetting to add salt to the meals I prepare from scratch from real, whole foods.
- Magneisum. If you begin to have muscle cramps because you're like me and not able to get enough from the foods you're eating, be prepared to take a daily magnesium supplement. Avoid magnesium oxide even though it's cheap. I suggest magnesium citrate if you tend toward constipation or magnesium glycinate if you develop diarrhea on the magnesium citrate. There are other forms of magnesium too. Members here may be able to suggest specific brands available in the UK. That said, not everyone needs to supplement this mineral. It's highly individual.
- Constipation. I eliminated grains from my diet almost from day one on the low carb ketogenic. Not sure why, but I tend toward constipation even though I eat above ground leafy greens and/or vegetables with all meals. I have two strategies: take magnesium citrate, 150 mg with breakfast (or lunch if I'm skipping one meal a day) and 300 mg with dinner (but initally I only took 150 mg with breakfast and then 150 mg with dinner; it's best to work up slowly). Another strategy that works is taking 500 - 1000 mg or more of vitamin C with each meal. Or a combination of both.
- Raw nuts are an excellent source of protein, healthy fatty acids, minerals and fiber. I enjoy alternating between raw almonds, pecans, hazel nuts, also referred to as filberts I believe, and walnuts. Macadamia nuts are popular too. They're great on salads or if I have to delay a meal and just need something to keep me going until I can eat again. Roasted and flavored nuts are so tasty, but I reserve eating those as a special treat on holidays because I don't know how heat affects the fatty acids and I avoid eating anything made with highly processed and damaged omega-6 seed oils - (corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, saffola, peanut).
- Healthy oils and fats. Extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette I add to my salads (or cooked vegetables just before serving); mayonnaise made with eggs and avocado oil for my chicken or tuna salad; butter, ghee, avocado oil, possibly coconut oil, or animal fats for sauteing vegetables or preparing stove top meals made with meat, poultry, fish or seafood with vegetables, herbs, and spices.
- Eggs. I eat 1 to 2 eggs a day. They can be boiled and refrigerated as a grab and go food or used to make a frittata with your favorite combination of butter, egg, vegetables, cheese and seasonings. My favorite meal any time of the day when I have time to cook in the morning, or as a quick and easy dinner when I arrive home late, am starving, and just want something simple before I go to bed.
- Soup and stovetop meals prepared ahead and frozen in individual servings. Almost everything I eat is prepared fresh from scratch, but sometimes I need grab and go meals. Soups are frozen in glass jars, meals are frozen on a small plate, then removed and bagged frozen. Before work, I just grab a frozen jar of soup or a frozen meal and bring a glass container with lid to thaw the meal at work.
- Deli meats and cheeses. If I'm out with friends who don't eat the way I do, and I need a grab and go food that doesn't require thawing or any food prep, I find a grocery store with a deli, and have them slice meat and cheese for me to roll up and with some cut up raw vegetables.
- Above ground leafy greens and vegetables. I include generous servings, raw or cooked, with every meal. Keep your microbiome fed and happy.
- Grains, tubers, and sugar. Greatly limit or eliminate. I sometimes will eat a very, very small portion as a treat though rarely sugar.
- Low carb fruits and berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, lemon, lime, plums, apricots. Enjoy in small amounts. When I reintroduced them to my diet after 4-6 weeks on the low carb ketogenic diet. I started with six blueberries. Oh my gosh. They tasted so good. While I can't eat a whole orange any more, I do tolerate a 1/2" (13 mm) slice of orange with the peel. I enjoy a similar slice of grapefruit too, but halved, without the peel though. Yum.
- The other "fruits". Whole green olives, avocado, and coconut are all low carb and additional sources of healthy fats.
- Beans and Legumes. I do eat small amounts of these in soups or salads. Taco salad is one of my favorite ways to eat whole beans.
- Meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Greatly enjoyed with most meals.
- Alcohol. Beer has carbs. Red wine and spirits without sugary additions are okay for many of us.
[Edited to add] - Dairy. Cheese and unsweetened, full fat yogurt are good sources of protein and fat. I tolerate hard cheeses, cream cheese, and heavy cream well. Sour cream not so much. Milk not at all, it's too high in sugar. One of my favorite snacks when I first started the diet was rolling sliced ham and cream cheese or provolone cheese, around a slice or two of a dill pickle. So good.
How much whole food starches and sugars we're able to tolerate varies greatly. What isn't tolerated well initially, may be tolerated better as insulin sensitivity improves with the diet over time. "Eat to your meter" is excellent advice.
When I have a high glucose level or eat a food that I know will spike my glucose level, I try to make time to walk it off an hour or so after I first sat down to eat the meal. Some day I'll get an exercise bike. As you gain more experience you'll come up with your own strategies that work best for you. I'm certain I'm forgetting something, but hopefully you find the above helpful.
With that said, I also believe you made right choice to delay taking medication and to begin with the low carb diet!
My A1c was 9.9% (US) or 84.7 (UK) when I was re-diagnosed with T2DM 50 months ago. Within three days I started the low carb ketogenic diet in the 30 - 42 carb a day range. And with five days, I found my way here. Lucky me. Lucky you. I can think of no better place to begin your diabetes education.
[Edited to add]: It took a full 4 weeks to get my glucose levels down with further improvements over the next year. I graphed my levels daily with graph paper. Had good and bad days. Give the diet the time needed for it to work.
So here's what you need to know now before your body begins the transition from "sugar burner" to "fat (and sugar) burner"...
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is best, but I typically alternate drinking hot tea (black for breakfast; green after lunch; coffee and herbal teas are okay too) - with a cup or two of water. I actually take filtered hot and cold water with me to work, or when I'm going to be away from the house for an extended period of time.
- As your body begins releasing your "water weight" initially, you'll begin to lose sodium, so depending on what you're eating, you may start craving salty foods - (in my case it was corn chips topped with grated cheddar cheese, the former definitely not low carb!) - or you may begin to have headaches. When that happens, take in some salt. I experimented with different ways to do that. Ultimately what worked best for me was to grate sea salt into a cup of hot water and drink it - (I was trying to avoid all the food additives that are in many of the bouillon cubes and powders). I started with a 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) and worked up to 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon). I continue to do that as needed to this day because I greatly limit processed foods and keep forgetting to add salt to the meals I prepare from scratch from real, whole foods.
- Magneisum. If you begin to have muscle cramps because you're like me and not able to get enough from the foods you're eating, be prepared to take a daily magnesium supplement. Avoid magnesium oxide even though it's cheap. I suggest magnesium citrate if you tend toward constipation or magnesium glycinate if you develop diarrhea on the magnesium citrate. There are other forms of magnesium too. Members here may be able to suggest specific brands available in the UK. That said, not everyone needs to supplement this mineral. It's highly individual.
- Constipation. I eliminated grains from my diet almost from day one on the low carb ketogenic. Not sure why, but I tend toward constipation even though I eat above ground leafy greens and/or vegetables with all meals. I have two strategies: take magnesium citrate, 150 mg with breakfast (or lunch if I'm skipping one meal a day) and 300 mg with dinner (but initally I only took 150 mg with breakfast and then 150 mg with dinner; it's best to work up slowly). Another strategy that works is taking 500 - 1000 mg or more of vitamin C with each meal. Or a combination of both.
- Raw nuts are an excellent source of protein, healthy fatty acids, minerals and fiber. I enjoy alternating between raw almonds, pecans, hazel nuts, also referred to as filberts I believe, and walnuts. Macadamia nuts are popular too. They're great on salads or if I have to delay a meal and just need something to keep me going until I can eat again. Roasted and flavored nuts are so tasty, but I reserve eating those as a special treat on holidays because I don't know how heat affects the fatty acids and I avoid eating anything made with highly processed and damaged omega-6 seed oils - (corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, saffola, peanut).
- Healthy oils and fats. Extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette I add to my salads (or cooked vegetables just before serving); mayonnaise made with eggs and avocado oil for my chicken or tuna salad; butter, ghee, avocado oil, possibly coconut oil, or animal fats for sauteing vegetables or preparing stove top meals made with meat, poultry, fish or seafood with vegetables, herbs, and spices.
- Eggs. I eat 1 to 2 eggs a day. They can be boiled and refrigerated as a grab and go food or used to make a frittata with your favorite combination of butter, egg, vegetables, cheese and seasonings. My favorite meal any time of the day when I have time to cook in the morning, or as a quick and easy dinner when I arrive home late, am starving, and just want something simple before I go to bed.
- Soup and stovetop meals prepared ahead and frozen in individual servings. Almost everything I eat is prepared fresh from scratch, but sometimes I need grab and go meals. Soups are frozen in glass jars, meals are frozen on a small plate, then removed and bagged frozen. Before work, I just grab a frozen jar of soup or a frozen meal and bring a glass container with lid to thaw the meal at work.
- Deli meats and cheeses. If I'm out with friends who don't eat the way I do, and I need a grab and go food that doesn't require thawing or any food prep, I find a grocery store with a deli, and have them slice meat and cheese for me to roll up and with some cut up raw vegetables.
- Above ground leafy greens and vegetables. I include generous servings, raw or cooked, with every meal. Keep your microbiome fed and happy.
- Grains, tubers, and sugar. Greatly limit or eliminate. I sometimes will eat a very, very small portion as a treat though rarely sugar.
- Low carb fruits and berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, lemon, lime, plums, apricots. Enjoy in small amounts. When I reintroduced them to my diet after 4-6 weeks on the low carb ketogenic diet. I started with six blueberries. Oh my gosh. They tasted so good. While I can't eat a whole orange any more, I do tolerate a 1/2" (13 mm) slice of orange with the peel. I enjoy a similar slice of grapefruit too, but halved, without the peel though. Yum.
- The other "fruits". Whole green olives, avocado, and coconut are all low carb and additional sources of healthy fats.
- Beans and Legumes. I do eat small amounts of these in soups or salads. Taco salad is one of my favorite ways to eat whole beans.
- Meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Greatly enjoyed with most meals.
- Alcohol. Beer has carbs. Red wine and spirits without sugary additions are okay for many of us.
[Edited to add] - Dairy. Cheese and unsweetened, full fat yogurt are good sources of protein and fat. I tolerate hard cheeses, cream cheese, and heavy cream well. Sour cream not so much. Milk not at all, it's too high in sugar. One of my favorite snacks when I first started the diet was rolling sliced ham and cream cheese or provolone cheese, around a slice or two of a dill pickle. So good.
How much whole food starches and sugars we're able to tolerate varies greatly. What isn't tolerated well initially, may be tolerated better as insulin sensitivity improves with the diet over time. "Eat to your meter" is excellent advice.
When I have a high glucose level or eat a food that I know will spike my glucose level, I try to make time to walk it off an hour or so after I first sat down to eat the meal. Some day I'll get an exercise bike. As you gain more experience you'll come up with your own strategies that work best for you. I'm certain I'm forgetting something, but hopefully you find the above helpful.
Last edited:
Traceymac23
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 603
- Location
- London,England
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Moaner
If I were recovering from a toe amputation, like Traceymac23 was, knowing what I know now, I might take medication for a couple of weeks, but only to enhance recovery from the surgery and to reduce the risk of infection. It's a tricky business though. When medication works, it's great, but if there are side effects, such as diarrhea, I'd continue on medication temporarily, but switch to a different medication. That said, Metformin would be what I'd try first. Glad medication worked out for Traceymac23.
With that said, I also believe you made right choice to delay taking medication and to begin with the low carb diet!
My A1c was 9.9% (US) or 84.7 (UK) when I was re-diagnosed with T2DM 50 months ago. Within three days I started the low carb ketogenic diet in the 30 - 42 carb a day range. And with five days, I found my way here. Lucky me. Lucky you. I can think of no better place to begin your diabetes education.
[Edited to add]: It took a full 4 weeks to get my glucose levels down with further improvements over the next year. I graphed my levels daily with graph paper. Had good and bad days. Give the diet the time needed for it to work.
So here's what you need to know now before your body begins the transition from "sugar burner" to "fat (and sugar) burner"...
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is best, but I typically alternate drinking hot tea (black for breakfast; green after lunch; coffee and herbal teas are okay too) - with a cup or two of water. I actually take filtered hot and cold water with me to work, or when I'm going to be away from the house for an extended period of time.
- As your body begins releasing your "water weight" initially, you'll begin to lose sodium, so depending on what you're eating, you may start craving salty foods - (in my case it was corn chips topped with grated cheddar cheese, the former definitely not low carb!) - or you may begin to have headaches. When that happens, take in some salt. I experimented with different ways to do that. Ultimately what worked best for me was to grate sea salt into a cup of hot water and drink it - (I was trying to avoid all the food additives that are in many of the bouillon cubes and powders). I started with a 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) and worked up to 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon). I continue to do that as needed to this day because I greatly limit processed foods and keep forgetting to add salt to the meals I prepare from scratch from real, whole foods.
- Magneisum. If you begin to have muscle cramps because you're like me and not able to get enough from the foods you're eating, be prepared to take a daily magnesium supplement. Avoid magnesium oxide even though it's cheap. I suggest magnesium citrate if you tend toward constipation or magnesium glycinate if you develop diarrhea on the magnesium citrate. There are other forms of magnesium too. Members here may be able to suggest specific brands available in the UK. That said, not everyone needs to supplement this mineral. It's highly individual.
- Constipation. I eliminated grains from my diet almost from day one on the low carb ketogenic. Not sure why, but I tend toward constipation even though I eat above ground leafy greens and/or vegetables with all meals. I have two strategies: take magnesium citrate, 150 mg with breakfast (or lunch if I'm skipping one meal a day) and 300 mg with dinner (but initally I only took 150 mg with breakfast and then 150 mg with dinner; it's best to work up slowly). Another strategy that works is taking 500 - 1000 mg or more of vitamin C with each meal. Or a combination of both.
- Raw nuts are an excellent source of protein, healthy fatty acids, minerals and fiber. I enjoy alternating between raw almonds, pecans, hazel nuts, also referred to as filberts I believe, and walnuts. Macadamia nuts are popular too. They're great on salads or if I have to delay a meal and just need something to keep me going until I can eat again. Roasted and flavored nuts are so tasty, but I reserve eating those as a special treat on holidays because I don't know how heat affects the fatty acids and I avoid eating anything made with highly processed and damaged omega-6 seed oils - (corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, saffola, peanut).
- Healthy oils and fats. Extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette I add to my salads (or cooked vegetables just before serving); mayonnaise made with eggs and avocado oil for my chicken or tuna salad; butter, ghee, avocado oil, possibly coconut oil, or animal fats for sauteing vegetables or preparing stove top meals made with meat, poultry, fish or seafood with vegetables, herbs, and spices.
- Eggs. I eat 1 to 2 eggs a day. They can be boiled and refrigerated as a grab and go food or used to make a frittata with your favorite combination of butter, egg, vegetables, cheese and seasonings. My favorite meal any time of the day when I have time to cook in the morning, or as a quick and easy dinner when I arrive home late, am starving, and just want something simple before I go to bed.
- Soup and stovetop meals prepared ahead and frozen in individual servings. Almost everything I eat is prepared fresh from scratch, but sometimes I need grab and go meals. Soups are frozen in glass jars, meals are frozen on a small plate, then removed and bagged frozen. Before work, I just grab a frozen jar of soup or a frozen meal and bring a glass container with lid to thaw the meal at work.
- Deli meats and cheeses. If I'm out with friends who don't eat the way I do, and I need a grab and go food that doesn't require thawing or any food prep, I find a grocery store with a deli, and have them slice meat and cheese for me to roll up and with some cut up raw vegetables.
- Above ground leafy greens and vegetables. I include generous servings, raw or cooked, with every meal. Keep your microbiome fed and happy.
- Grains, tubers, and sugar. Greatly limit or eliminate. I sometimes will eat a very, very small portion as a treat though rarely sugar.
- Low carb fruits and berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, lemon, lime, plums, apricots. Enjoy in small amounts. When I reintroduced them to my diet after 4-6 weeks on the low carb ketogenic diet. I started with six blueberries. Oh my gosh. They tasted so good. While I can't eat a whole orange any more, I do tolerate a 1/2" (13 mm) slice of orange with the peel. I enjoy a similar slice of grapefruit too, but halved, without the peel though. Yum.
- The other "fruits". Whole green olives, avocado, and coconut are all low carb and additional sources of healthy fats.
- Beans and Legumes. I do eat small amounts of these in soups or salads. Taco salad is one of my favorite ways to eat whole beans.
- Meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Greatly enjoyed with most meals.
- Alcohol. Beer has carbs. Red wine and spirits without sugary additions are okay for many of us.
[Edited to add] - Dairy. Cheese and unsweetened, full fat yogurt are good sources of protein and fat. I tolerate hard cheeses, cream cheese, and heavy cream well. Sour cream not so much. Milk not at all, it's too high in sugar. One of my favorite snacks when I first started the diet was rolling sliced ham and cream cheese or provolone cheese, around a slice or two of a dill pickle. So good.
How much whole food starches and sugars we're able to tolerate varies greatly. What isn't tolerated well initially, may be tolerated better as insulin sensitivity improves with the diet over time. "Eat to your meter" is excellent advice.
When I have a high glucose level or eat a food that I know will spike my glucose level, I try to make time to walk it off an hour or so after I first sat down to eat the meal. Some day I'll get an exercise bike. As you gain more experience you'll come up with your own strategies that work best for you. I'm certain I'm forgetting something, but hopefully you find the above helpful.
Yep.......plus I knew dressings and painkillers would cost a bomb......you don't HAVE to take 'em......just make sure you keep the prescription alive
Pinkorchid
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,927
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Those levels are really good after what you were getting so well done
If I were recovering from a toe amputation, like Traceymac23 was, knowing what I know now, I might take medication for a couple of weeks, but only to enhance recovery from the surgery and to reduce the risk of infection. It's a tricky business though. When medication works, it's great, but if there are side effects, such as diarrhea, I'd continue on medication temporarily, but switch to a different medication. That said, Metformin would be what I'd try first. Glad medication worked out for Traceymac23.
With that said, I also believe you made right choice to delay taking medication and to begin with the low carb diet!
My A1c was 9.9% (US) or 84.7 (UK) when I was re-diagnosed with T2DM 50 months ago. Within three days I started the low carb ketogenic diet in the 30 - 42 carb a day range. And with five days, I found my way here. Lucky me. Lucky you. I can think of no better place to begin your diabetes education.
[Edited to add]: It took a full 4 weeks to get my glucose levels down with further improvements over the next year. I graphed my levels daily with graph paper. Had good and bad days. Give the diet the time needed for it to work.
So here's what you need to know now before your body begins the transition from "sugar burner" to "fat (and sugar) burner"...
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is best, but I typically alternate drinking hot tea (black for breakfast; green after lunch; coffee and herbal teas are okay too) - with a cup or two of water. I actually take filtered hot and cold water with me to work, or when I'm going to be away from the house for an extended period of time.
- As your body begins releasing your "water weight" initially, you'll begin to lose sodium, so depending on what you're eating, you may start craving salty foods - (in my case it was corn chips topped with grated cheddar cheese, the former definitely not low carb!) - or you may begin to have headaches. When that happens, take in some salt. I experimented with different ways to do that. Ultimately what worked best for me was to grate sea salt into a cup of hot water and drink it - (I was trying to avoid all the food additives that are in many of the bouillon cubes and powders). I started with a 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) and worked up to 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon). I continue to do that as needed to this day because I greatly limit processed foods and keep forgetting to add salt to the meals I prepare from scratch from real, whole foods.
- Magneisum. If you begin to have muscle cramps because you're like me and not able to get enough from the foods you're eating, be prepared to take a daily magnesium supplement. Avoid magnesium oxide even though it's cheap. I suggest magnesium citrate if you tend toward constipation or magnesium glycinate if you develop diarrhea on the magnesium citrate. There are other forms of magnesium too. Members here may be able to suggest specific brands available in the UK. That said, not everyone needs to supplement this mineral. It's highly individual.
- Constipation. I eliminated grains from my diet almost from day one on the low carb ketogenic. Not sure why, but I tend toward constipation even though I eat above ground leafy greens and/or vegetables with all meals. I have two strategies: take magnesium citrate, 150 mg with breakfast (or lunch if I'm skipping one meal a day) and 300 mg with dinner (but initally I only took 150 mg with breakfast and then 150 mg with dinner; it's best to work up slowly). Another strategy that works is taking 500 - 1000 mg or more of vitamin C with each meal. Or a combination of both.
- Raw nuts are an excellent source of protein, healthy fatty acids, minerals and fiber. I enjoy alternating between raw almonds, pecans, hazel nuts, also referred to as filberts I believe, and walnuts. Macadamia nuts are popular too. They're great on salads or if I have to delay a meal and just need something to keep me going until I can eat again. Roasted and flavored nuts are so tasty, but I reserve eating those as a special treat on holidays because I don't know how heat affects the fatty acids and I avoid eating anything made with highly processed and damaged omega-6 seed oils - (corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, saffola, peanut).
- Healthy oils and fats. Extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette I add to my salads (or cooked vegetables just before serving); mayonnaise made with eggs and avocado oil for my chicken or tuna salad; butter, ghee, avocado oil, possibly coconut oil, or animal fats for sauteing vegetables or preparing stove top meals made with meat, poultry, fish or seafood with vegetables, herbs, and spices.
- Eggs. I eat 1 to 2 eggs a day. They can be boiled and refrigerated as a grab and go food or used to make a frittata with your favorite combination of butter, egg, vegetables, cheese and seasonings. My favorite meal any time of the day when I have time to cook in the morning, or as a quick and easy dinner when I arrive home late, am starving, and just want something simple before I go to bed.
- Soup and stovetop meals prepared ahead and frozen in individual servings. Almost everything I eat is prepared fresh from scratch, but sometimes I need grab and go meals. Soups are frozen in glass jars, meals are frozen on a small plate, then removed and bagged frozen. Before work, I just grab a frozen jar of soup or a frozen meal and bring a glass container with lid to thaw the meal at work.
- Deli meats and cheeses. If I'm out with friends who don't eat the way I do, and I need a grab and go food that doesn't require thawing or any food prep, I find a grocery store with a deli, and have them slice meat and cheese for me to roll up and with some cut up raw vegetables.
- Above ground leafy greens and vegetables. I include generous servings, raw or cooked, with every meal. Keep your microbiome fed and happy.
- Grains, tubers, and sugar. Greatly limit or eliminate. I sometimes will eat a very, very small portion as a treat though rarely sugar.
- Low carb fruits and berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, lemon, lime, plums, apricots. Enjoy in small amounts. When I reintroduced them to my diet after 4-6 weeks on the low carb ketogenic diet. I started with six blueberries. Oh my gosh. They tasted so good. While I can't eat a whole orange any more, I do tolerate a 1/2" (13 mm) slice of orange with the peel. I enjoy a similar slice of grapefruit too, but halved, without the peel though. Yum.
- The other "fruits". Whole green olives, avocado, and coconut are all low carb and additional sources of healthy fats.
- Beans and Legumes. I do eat small amounts of these in soups or salads. Taco salad is one of my favorite ways to eat whole beans.
- Meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Greatly enjoyed with most meals.
- Alcohol. Beer has carbs. Red wine and spirits without sugary additions are okay for many of us.
[Edited to add] - Dairy. Cheese and unsweetened, full fat yogurt are good sources of protein and fat. I tolerate hard cheeses, cream cheese, and heavy cream well. Sour cream not so much. Milk not at all, it's too high in sugar. One of my favorite snacks when I first started the diet was rolling sliced ham and cream cheese or provolone cheese, around a slice or two of a dill pickle. So good.
How much whole food starches and sugars we're able to tolerate varies greatly. What isn't tolerated well initially, may be tolerated better as insulin sensitivity improves with the diet over time. "Eat to your meter" is excellent advice.
When I have a high glucose level or eat a food that I know will spike my glucose level, I try to make time to walk it off an hour or so after I first sat down to eat the meal. Some day I'll get an exercise bike. As you gain more experience you'll come up with your own strategies that work best for you. I'm certain I'm forgetting something, but hopefully you find the above helpful.
Hi, thanks so much for all that useful information. I have been out shopping today and I’m going to give a lot of your suggestions a go
. I’ve got a constant headache so I’ll try the salt (generally I never add it to food).I’m gonna to try making some pots of soup and meals for work.
Winnie53
BANNED
I never added salt to my food either before going low carb. Getting a bit better but old habits die hard. [giggle] You're off to an awesome new beginning!
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Red2019
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.
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 well over 300,000 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 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 Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.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 well over 300,000 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 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.
