Newbie here

[Shakiyra]

Hi, i was diagnoised as Diabetic in 2007 and even though i accepted it, i'm still no further up the line with what to eat. I bought so many books i'm completely at a loss. My Diabetic nurse said to follow Low GI diet. I haven't seen a dietian as such. Well i did and she asked me some questions and then said "well i can't really tell you anything you know what to eat", but i think she was talking about Losing weight not the Diabetics.
Any help would be appreciated. IE Portion sizes and anything about carbs
I'm on Metformin and Gliclazide and Simvastatin and Ramipril.
Thanks Shakiyra

 

[Synonym]

Hi Sahkiyra and welcome to the forum.

I wonder what the reason is for you asking about what to eat, is it BG levels or is it trying to put weight on or trying to take it off? What are your BG levels and do you self test to keep an eye on them. If you let us know a bit more we may well be able to help you.

Your cupped had is your portable portion sizer and is a good indication of how much generally and your thumb from top to bottom including the very base is a fairly good guide for things like meats and cheese.

A carb counter book gives values of a wide range of foods and would help you to make wise food choices; I use the Collins gem Carb Counter but there are others. Many of us have found it necessary to cut down or cut out the starchy carbs to maintain good BG levels but it really is only through testing before and 2 hours after your meals that you will know what you need to change since we are all different. We could tell you what works for us but it may well be very different for you.

As I said give us a bit more information and there will be someone along to help.

 

[Shakiyra]

Hi, When i was diagnoised my BS was 6.7 and i was given Metformin 500mgs 3x daily.
My Colesterol was 4.7 and they put me on Simvastatin 40mgs 1 daily and my BP was 174/90 so i was given Ramipril 2.5mg 1 daily.
When i went back 6 mths later BS had gone up to 6.9 and Meds were increased to Metformin 850 mgs 3x daily. I couldn't cope with this made me feel like i was on another planet so i have to have 850mg AM and PM and 500 mg Lunch time.
In November last year BS had gone up to 7.4 so i now have to take Gliclazide 40mg AM. March i was back to 6.9. Colesterol is 3.4 and BP 138/69.
I was also told to lose some weight as i was nearly 18st.
I haven't seen a Doctor only the Diabetic Nurse. He told me to eat Wholegrain breads, pasta and rice.
cut down on potatoes. To eat Pulses and Vegetables and cut down on the portions of Protains. Basiclly to follow a low GI Diet. I have read so many books i have confused myself. Now there's also GI and GL diets. I just don't know what to do.
I was told i could eat a large plate of salad but what do i have with it.
I thought that i was having a good heathy breakfast with 2 Weetabix and a couple of ready to eat Apricots plus skimmed milk. Now a lady who is Diabetic told me this is the worse thing i can have and to have Bacon and Eggs, no bread of course.
I have never done a test for Blood Sugars wouldn't know how.
One thing that's bothering me is in the last couple of weeks when i get up in a morning as i sit up i go giddy and have to sit still for a while,never had this before and sometimes i go a little woozy in the day.. Wondered if this had anything to do with not eating the right things or eating to much.
Thanks for any help Shakiyra

 

[sugarless sue]

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different .

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

Feeling giddy could be low blood sugar but the only way you will know is to test ! You can buy blood sugar monitors in the chemists but the strips are expensive if you can't get them on prescription.