Newly diagnosed mother, any advice please

[MGG120a]

Hi everyone,

My mum has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, just kind of asking for a bit of advice?

I sometimes do the cooking in the house, but I don't know what things to cook for my mum because she's told me she can't eat a lot of things, is there anything that's a no go?

Just any advice would be so helpful! Thank you

 

[Lamont D]

Welcome MGG

@daisy1 will be along shortly with the info you will need to start. Read it.
Then have a read around the forum about diets, recipes etc.
Come back and ask questions.
There are some very knowledgable people on here who have been through it all.
Hopefully you can get control.

Keep posting

 

[daisy1]

Welcome MGG

@daisy1 will be along shortly with the info you will need to start. Read it.
Then have a read around the forum about diets, recipes etc.
Come back and ask questions.
There are some very knowledgable people on here who have been through it all.
Hopefully you can get control.

Keep posting

@MGG120a

Hello and welcome to the forum

Basically, your mum has to cut down on carbohydrates in her meals. In this information we give to new members there is a lot of information about carbs which you should find helpful. Have a look at the Food, Nutrition and Recipes forum and I hope you will find plenty of ideas in there. Ask questions and someone will be able to give you some advice.


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 over 130,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[MGG120a]

@MGG120a

Hello and welcome to the forum

Basically, your mum has to cut down on carbohydrates in her meals. In this information we give to new members (newly diagnosed or not) there is a lot of information about carbs which you should find helpful. Have a look at the Food, Nutrition and Recipes forum and I hope you will find plenty of ideas in there. Ask questions and someone will be able to give you some advice.


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 over 130,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.

Thank you so much, that's really helpful

 

[Mike d]

because she's told me she can't eat a lot of things, is there anything that's a no go?

Just any advice would be so helpful! Thank you

Can you advise what she "can't eat" or more importantly what she does eat? Mike

 

[MGG120a]

Can you advise what she "can't eat" or more importantly what she does eat? Mike

We usually have pasta or rice dishes. For example curry, lasagne and all the usual things. I think the nurse advised her to cut down on bread?

 

[MGG120a]

We usually have pasta or rice dishes. For example curry, lasagne and all the usual things. I think the nurse advised her to cut down on bread?

She is on diet based at the moment, but has been told she will probably have o go onto tablets

 

[Mike d]

Pasta and rice are NOT good at all. They are perhaps the worst things you can eat. Neither is / are most (but not all) breads. Next question is what she thinks she can't eat.

A diet change is in order, but don't worry, there are HEAPS of alternatives.

Need further info re her weight and her BS / HBA1c numbers as well

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hello and welcome. How old is your mother, can she cook and get about ? It's good she's on diet alone, I know from many type 2's on the forum that cutting out or cutting down on ( possibly a smaller sized plate) certain carbs has been very beneficial to their control. Good luck, if there is anything you need to know, just ask

With best wishes RRB

 

[DeejayR]

Welcome. Do you know the results of your mum's tests which showed her to be Type 2? The HbA1c number would be helpful. It might be 40-something, or a percentage. It will be great if you can help her stay off medication. We can tell you how to aim for that.

 

[AnnieC]

A lot depends on how your mother is does she have any other health issues or take medications for other conditions or is she overweight if so she should check with her doctor before making changes She has probably been told to cut out sugar stuff like cakes biscuits etc and that is the first step Going low carb will mean loosing weight even if she does not need to and loosing to much is not good.so all this has to be taken into consideration.

 

[Eurobuff]

I'd also say to read food labels. All foods aren't the same as each other, eg all porridges vary depending on manufacturer etc. sometimes it's the shop's own brands that are the healthier choice.

 

[irenemacp]

Hi everyone,

My mum has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, just kind of asking for a bit of advice?

I sometimes do the cooking in the house, but I don't know what things to cook for my mum because she's told me she can't eat a lot of things, is there anything that's a no go?

Just any advice would be so helpful! Thank you

I would suggest good home cooked food. Not sure what age your mum is? Older people tend to like homemade soups, stews, mince and potatoes, chicken, roasts etc. you CAN be more adventurous if she likes things like chilli con carne curry. Go for slow release carbs e.g replace white rice with basmati or brown(remember brown rice takes longer to cook, seeded bread instead of white. Porridge instead of sugary cereals, use honey or agave syrup to sweeten it rather than white sugar. Really, there's nothing that your mum can't have in moderation. Even if she likes chocolate, try 70% cocoa solids (Lidl do a lovely one for £1.15 a bar), she'll need less of it to feel she's had something nice. Be aware that bananas, raisins and other dried fruits raise the blood sugar quicker than some fruits so keepmthese to a minimum

 

[nigelho]

Hi everyone,

My mum has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, just kind of asking for a bit of advice?

I sometimes do the cooking in the house, but I don't know what things to cook for my mum because she's told me she can't eat a lot of things, is there anything that's a no go?

Just any advice would be so helpful! Thank you

Tell your Mum to ask her GP/diabetes nurse if they will issue her with a blood glucose meter and strip. I know that Type 2 aren't generally issued with meters but if you plan to keep on top of her diabetes you will need to know how her meal react to her tablets or whatever she's prescribed. I'd keep a food diary noting what eaten and the carb content. This will enable you to see what happens to her blood sugars before and approx 4 hours after the meal. To do this a blood glucose meter will be needed. Good luck.