Newly diagnosed...please does anyone know if volvic sugar free flavoured water is okay to drink

Petaluk said:

I tried to do this...but I couldn’t find settings :/

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Click the menu icon, top left (three little horizontal strips) then scroll down to profile and settings. Hope that helps.

@Petaluk

Hello Petaluk and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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 235,000 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

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

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Petaluk said:

What browser are you using? I am also on a iPad so maybe that is why I can’t see the lines ? Hopefully I will find another way to access it. Thanks anyway

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I access MySugr via the app, not sure about via a browser. This is what the stages look like on my iPhone (iPad looks identical)

Petaluk said:

Oh is it called my sugr app .. I’ve been navigating the diabetes Uk forum app! Just seen similar pictures in App Store!

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Yes sorry! We were talking at crossed purposes! Yes I’ve been referring to the MySugr app!

Petaluk said:

I can’t drink just water..I know it sounds silly..but I can’t drink more than a couple of glasses of plain water..

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Hi I'm newly diagnosed also. I used to drink the tesco fruit flavoured sparkling waters but for two reasons I stopped. One the plastic issue and the flavoured issue. I went and bought a soda stream, now I have plain tap water all fizzed up which helps me take in just plain water. Helped me get away from the bought stuff and no more plastic bottles. Bought one of the reusable ones that runners use.

Rachox said:

I hate plain water too!

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I hate plain water too but i drink 0 sugar dilute orange juice

Rachox said:

If I start gaining weight as @Guzzler explained might happen, I would reconsider but for now the weight is still dropping slowly, so I’m happy to have drinks with sweeteners. I suggest you research sweeteners and test, to reach a decision that’s right for you.
I drink no added sugar squashes and occasional Diet Pepsi.

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I drink 0 sugar dilute orange juice

SOPHIE2006 said:

I drink 0 sugar dilute orange juice

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If that is 'no added sugar', then check on the nutritional information just how much natural sugar there is in the juice - it is a nice diversionary tactic which can play havoc with your blood glucose.

Allanmax said:

Hi I'm newly diagnosed also. I used to drink the tesco fruit flavoured sparkling waters but for two reasons I stopped. One the plastic issue and the flavoured issue. I went and bought a soda stream, now I have plain tap water all fizzed up which helps me take in just plain water. Helped me get away from the bought stuff and no more plastic bottles. Bought one of the reusable ones that runners use.

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Well done on the conservation front! I'd like to do this too, as I consume lots of fizzy water, I find it so much nicer than plain and I can drink a lot more. I looked at the Soda Stream but it seemed terribly expensive compared to huge bottles of fizzy water from Morisons that cost only 0.17p.