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Newly Diagnosed Type 2

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BazzaH

Newbie
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Hi all just registered with the forum as very recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes just over a year after I suffered a heart attack. Was put straight onto Metformin 2 x 500mg per day.

Looking really for good advise on breakfast ideas as there doesnt seem to be much info available.
 
Hi Bazza

Welcome to the forum. I have always found it a mine of information and hope that it can assist your on your journey with diabetes. There are many views on diet for those with diabetes and I am sure that you will be able to find one that suits you and your glucose control - unfortunately one size does not necessarily suit all! To help you decide what effect different foods have on your blood sugar levels, the use of a blood glucose testing meter is so useful.

As well as your blood sugar levels, you will need to ensure that your blood fats (such as cholesterol) and blood pressure are also under control.

Take care

Doug
 
Hi Bazza, hope you are coping ok with your diagnosis.

Re breakfast, it depends if you are trying to reduce your carbs or not. One of the best carb breakfasts is porridge oats as it is low sugar and keeps you going for a while.

Low carb options are the usual cooked breakfast, boiled eggs etc. I try and avoid bread as it seems to set my sugar off and have ryvita or oat cakes instead as I find it difficult to completely cut the carbs.

Hope this helps and good luck!
 
BazzaH said:
Hi all just registered with the forum as very recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes just over a year after I suffered a heart attack. Was put straight onto Metformin 2 x 500mg per day.

Looking really for good advise on breakfast ideas as there doesnt seem to be much info available.
Click to expand...


Hi Bazza - welcome to the forum, our moderator Daisy1 will be along shortly with some very useful basic information to help you begin to understand on how you can gain good control of your diabetes.

Its important that you test your blood glucose levels before and 2 hours after a meal, only then will you know how food affects you, it all depends on how well your pancreas is still working. Some people can eat porridge for breakfast and their blood sugar doesnt spikes hardly at all, whereas if I were toeat porridge my blood glucose would be in double figures.

If I fancy cereal I make myself a flaxmeal almond porridge or granola (you will find both recipes in the forum), some people are better on All Bran, so you see there is no hard and fast answer.

Ask lots of questions, read around the forum, esp xyzzy's posts, if you need to lose weight have a look at Viv's Modified Atkins diet.

I wont say any more for now because I know that there is such a thing as information overload, take your time, but make sure that you understand and learn about diabetes, only then will you be able to control diabetes to hopefully avoid further complications developing.

All the best
 
Hi Bazza and welcome to the forum :)
There is a thread going at the moment giving breakfast ideas for people in a hurry which you might find useful. Here:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=30858

and there are others if you have a look around.

Here is the information we give to new members which I hope is helpful to you. Ask all the questions you like as there is always someone here who can give you some advice.

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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Hi

Many thanks for your replies they are really helpful. Really trying to watch what I eat in terms of carbs (try to stick to oatcakes and bergen bread if I want some) and have cut down on the spuds!!

due to the heart attack the medication i was already on controls my blood pressure (ramipril) and cholesterol
(atorvastatin) and of course my diet was not to bad and I attend a gym at least twice a week.

Have an appointment with a dietician in a couple of weeks so am just trying to get my head round everything first as everything happened so fast (diagnosed on the 13th June & saw diabetic nurse on the 14th so was bombarded with information but missed most of it but can remember her saying i had a reading of 13.9 but what this means I have no idea
 
Hello Bazza and welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you've had a tough time recently with the heart attack but you've arrived at the right place :)

Here's what I did. I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on this site I got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost over 3 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. I have normalised everything and just take Metformin to help a bit. Not a cure as I still have to be very careful what I eat but I feel loads better than I did.

Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.

The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you may find what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.

Did your doctor give you a blood meter and strips as some do and some don't? It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find the progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti! If you find your surgery is really anti then many of us would recommend getting a meter and strips yourself. If that turns out to be the case then just ask and lots of members can help.

The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.

As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

Regards

Steve

PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.

First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden

http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in

Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
 
Thanks for the reply I will give the websites a look and try to get some recipes. My doctors are anti testing and will not supply a monitor so has anyone got any details on where I can get one from :?:
 
Hi there and welcome to Diabetes.co.uk

We hope you find all the advice you need and share any tips you have with our other members.

Enjoy your stay!
 
BazzaH said:
Thanks for the reply I will give the websites a look and try to get some recipes. My doctors are anti testing and will not supply a monitor so has anyone got any details on where I can get one from :?:
Click to expand...

Many new members are buying a meter called the SD Codefree. It is a relatively new meter but has the great advantage that extra test strips are only £5 for 50 which is far cheaper than anyone else. The cheapest place to buy the meter is off the healthcare.co.uk shop on eBay where you can pick up the meter and an initial 50 strips for under £20 including P&P. Make sure you buy a UK mmol/l model and not an American mg/dl model or the numbers it will show won't make any sense. If you decide to buy that one I would recommend buying as many test strips as you can afford on the initial purchase as you will save on P&P.

Don't think that your doctor will be anti for ever. Some of us, including myself, have persuaded our doctors to prescribe strips once they see that you have got control of your condition. It's worth making a diary of your levels and what you are eating. If you can get control so that you show a significant improvement in your hBA1c then arguing the case becomes a lot easier. Also note that the NICE guidelines recommend T2's test if they prove its beneficial and also don't forget your GP now gets £2000 pa for you being registered diabetic on their books so they should be spending that on your care. As you have been prescribed Metformin you can now get ALL your prescriptions free. You can get an prescription exemption form to fill in from your surgery. We have had cases where surgeries deny this but be persistent if it happens as that is the case.
 
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