Hello there. In June my HbA1c was 89, three months later it was 34. So reducing your exposure to carbs and sugar takes effort and determination but it can be done. I largely eat to my meter. Read all food packaging. Good manufacturers put a sort of traffic light nutrition info on front of packaging but this never lists carb %. As they say, carbs turn to sugar after you eat them. Make sure you know what you are reading. Values should be per 100gms. Sometimes they are not and it can be deceptive. My yardstick is about 10% unless I am having a naughty moment which this evening will be corn on the cob. Great for the gut but a little heavy on carbs.
If you want crunchy then try pork scratchings. Oddly, walkers cheese n onion crisps have little effect on me but all other carbs are bad news for me...including milk. Sometimes you have to decide your priorities and mine is it’s ok to have 2 cups of coffee per day with full fat milk. Full fat less carbs than skimmed. Whipping cream less carby than everything! Cheese is good, meat, I like chicken livers which are pretty cheap. Fried up with onion, garlic and chilli, it’s delicious.
I can’t abide artificial sugars, so diet products are out for me. I use xylitol which is expensive but tastes same as sugar no effect on blood sugar, 40% of calories of sugar. I do all sorts with it.
Beer is very carby but dry red wine not. So guess what I drink of an evening?
I make lemon juice to dilute as a drink. Bung in xylitol I have made into a syrup with boiling water. Actually very nice. Very tasty if you fancy a vodka or rum with lemon.
Veggie soups. Cut down on spuds in it though. Green leafy veg. I can eat baked potato skins (the very best bit!!) if I scrape out the middles. Mash that for beloved if you can...cheese, butter, bacon, eggs, avocado, nuts, olives, fish, chicken but not the coatings of processed grub, it’s all carby. Hamburgers...you can eat hamburgers, just ask no bun, extra salad / cheese if poss. No sauces, they are all sugar based. As is most Chinese nibbles, need to be careful with Indian curries too. No rice, breads.
If you have a sweet tooth, full fat Greek yoghurt with a spoonful of xylitol is nice. Beware fruit, all have fructose, a sugar variant. Blueberries best but only a few.
Everyone is different. Some of us tolerate a bit of carb, others don’t. A few can eat porridge, I certainly can’t. Full English breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages (good quality as cheap ones are full of filler carb) maybe black pudding. Best of luck! Test everything until you get an idea of the effects of foods on your bg. Some of us weigh portions, some of us just do it by eye. It’s an adventure.
