I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes 3 days ago and it was a relief to know what was behind the constant thirst, dry mouth and throat as well as dizzy spells. Already made changes to my diet such as cutting out sugar and sugary foods and beverages. Any advice as to the food that is safe and food to avoid would be appreciated. TIA
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Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter shell72
- Start Date
britishpub
Well-Known Member
Carbohydrates are the main enemy you need to avoid.
Sugar is only one of the foods you need to be aware of, as all carbohydrate will eventually turn into glucose in your body.
Protein and Fats are the "safest" foods you can eat.
Sugar is only one of the foods you need to be aware of, as all carbohydrate will eventually turn into glucose in your body.
Protein and Fats are the "safest" foods you can eat.
Liam1955
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muzza3
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Welcome to the Forum @shell72
I have been on here since the start of the year and it is a great place to find out all about looking after your T2 diabetes. Look theu the various forums and ask any questions you may have.
The best initial advice I would have liked to receive when I was first diagnosed are;
I have been on here since the start of the year and it is a great place to find out all about looking after your T2 diabetes. Look theu the various forums and ask any questions you may have.
The best initial advice I would have liked to receive when I was first diagnosed are;
- get a meter and strips and self test. - this is so important because it enables you to be in control as you know what your blood glucose levels are so you can modify your diet etc to get the desired result and tell if what you are doing is improving or worsening your levels
- You need to limit the carbohydrates you eat as these increase you blood sugar levels - this includes sugar, bread, pasta, rice,biscuits and cakes etc
daisy1
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@shell72
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. You need to cut down the amount of carby foods you eat in your diet to keep your levels under control. You will find a lot of advice about this in this information, also a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 over 150,000 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 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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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 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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. You need to cut down the amount of carby foods you eat in your diet to keep your levels under control. You will find a lot of advice about this in this information, also a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 over 150,000 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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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 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.
kjc2011
Well-Known Member
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- Salford, Manchester
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- Type 2
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- Tablets (oral)
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- Exercising lol
Hello and welcome ☺you will find so much help and advice on here, everyone is lovely. Ask away with your questions, there will always be somebody ready with an answer, if not an answer, a listening ear. Head over to type 2 life. This is where everyone chats and shares experiences. I would defiantly try low carbs, I have not totally given them up but not eating nowhere much as I was and it has really helped me reduce my bloods, but everyone is different. Also my doctor gave me testing strips last week and this has also helped me greatly to understand foods which spike me and generally help me take better control. Good luck. Xx
S
Sean01
Guest
Hi - you are in the right place _ I read all the replies - all sound advice even the quail and lobster. But here are a few extras - because it's not just about the diet.
1 Water on a diet which is going to shift emphasis from carbs to proteins - make sure you drink a lot of water to flush out your kidneys. Proteins are large molecules, you don't want to damage your kidneys by not drinking enough.
2 WALK - lots. I try to walk 30-40 mins every day. Doesn't have to be too strenuous but the exercise will get your body working. It will aid with digestion and it will fire up your metabolism.
3 Treats: nuts, cheese and very dark chocolate - I use the 90% stuff - not brave enough for the 99% stuff yet. Start ofdf on the 70% and work your way up.
4 Oily fish smells - I have to eat mine on warm evenings - outside but it is very good for you.
5 Eggs - quite possibly the best thing to eat ever - crammed with nutrients and protein. I eat 12 a day at the moment - but only 2 yolks. (Besides the daily walk, I also do some quite heavy weight lifting so I need the protein and I wont use protein powder due to the high carb content)
6 Bacon, bacon bacon. (and brilliant with eggs!)
7 Test - find out what works for you - certain foods at certain times of day. Watch the moods and energy levels. (Black coffee and black tea helps) Keep a diary until it becomes natural.
T2. Oct 15, metformin, diet and exercise. Lost 6 stone and 10 inches off waist so far. I feel 15 years younger
Good luck - you are not alone.
Sean
david1968
Well-Known Member
The key thing is the testing as it's the only real way of finding out how certain foods affect you. And that's testing immediately before you eat and then two hours again after eating, otherwise you can miss things. For example, I was eating porridge or Weetabix for breakfast but wasn't testing after two hours. Pre-lunch readings were fine so it was only by testing 2 hours after breakfast that I discovered that both were giving me massive spikes in my blood sugar - over ten in the case of porridge and around 12 in the case of Weetabix and that was from a pre-breakfast reading that was within range.
Welcome aboard and good luck!
Welcome aboard and good luck!
