Officially diagnosed as type2 but is my old diet now a no-no

fivedegrees · Feb 7, 2012

Hi All
Over the past few years my weight yo-yo'd over a 2-3 stone difference and mood swings after continuous activity such as strenuous DIY made me suspect that it was only a matter of time before my doctor diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes. I have no issue with the diagnosis however I do find the advice a little contradictory.

My doctor has given me literature that says all fruit and vegetables are good but I then read that the sugar in some fruit should be avoided.

I pretty much eat most foods (hence the yoyo weight!!) so I dont have a problem with salads and grilled or boiled meats like pork and chicken. I am happy to eat oily fish like sardines, mackerel etc and I also eat the likes of cottage cheese with salad and crispbreads; therefore I dont have a problem with what I would consider my main meal of the day - it is the breakfast and afternoon meals which concern me.

I used to eat porridge religiously each morning and put fruit puree in it as a sweetener instead of sugar or honey. I just blend a couple of bags of frozen fruits like berries and mango and then add a couple of spoons to finished porridge - is this bad news now I am type 2 diagnosed?

I also used to eat 5+ fruit each day; mainly oranges, tangerines, apples, bananas, grapes, kiwi, melon along with some natural yoghurt as an afternoon 'meal'. As the majority of these fruit are naturally sweet then is it still a good idea to continue eating them.

I also have a fairly strict regime where I dont eat after 1800hrs each day. I find this helps preventing snacking when sitting in front of the TV but if I was absolutely ravenous then I would have a crispbread and a few grapes - still okay?

From the above it sounds like a reasonable diet and it is these factors I want to keep. The addition of the likes of salami, cheese and other delicious things I enjoy will be left on the shelf at the supermarket.

Finally I do enjoy a social drink and lager has always been my tipple of choice but I accept this is likely going to be a thing of the past. I am happy to drink longs drinks like gin and (plenty of) slimline tonic or vodka and diet coke so is this the better solution. I dont say best solution as I am sure there are those that would say 'no alcohol is best' but I am never ever going to be one of those people who drinks diet coke on a night out

Appreciate any advice that you may have and look forward to hearing from you all

Regards

5D

daisy1 · Feb 7, 2012

Re: Officially diagnosed as type2 but is my old diet now a n

Hi 5D and welcome to the forum While waiting for some members to come along and give you some detailed advice on your diet and your favourite foods, here is the basic information we give to new members which will get you started on looking after yourself as well as possible. You will find that you can eat a lot of the things that you like. The main thing to cut down on is carbohydrate, which will improve your levels. With fruit, strawberries, raspberries and any other fruit which ends in "berry" is fine as they contain less carbs. The main thing you need to do is to test before and after eating in order to see what particular foods do to your levels (see the information I have posted). You have to find this out for yourself as it is different for everyone. Often it is just a case of reducing quantities of certain foods. Any other questions, just ask and there will always be someone to reply.

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.

Pneu · Feb 7, 2012

Re: Officially diagnosed as type2 but is my old diet now a n

You will most likely find your diabetes easier to control if you avoid or minimise starchy carbohydrates such as; bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc... Fruit is fine in small doses, i.e. an apple, an orange, etc... I wouldn't sit and binge on it! Vegetables (other than root veg) you can eat as much as you like, root veg again should be eaten in moderation.

A good way of finding a diet that works for you is to initially cut out most of your carbohydrates and then slowly re-introduce them see what you can and can't tolerate. I would suggest that you buy yourself a blood glucose meter and do 2 hour post meal tests to see how you react to different foods.

Reference low-carb food ideas you want to take a look in the low-carb sub-forum.

Officially diagnosed as type2 but is my old diet now a no-no

fivedegrees

Newbie

daisy1

Legend

Pneu

Well-Known Member

Officially diagnosed as type2 but is my old diet now a no-no

fivedegrees

Newbie

daisy1

Legend

Pneu

Well-Known Member

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