Questionnaire///Wanting To Learn More.

Hi Amy,
Good luck on the GCSEs,
As background, I am T2, Weaned myself off insulin & D drugs to diet only by eating a lower carb higher fat diet.
Running "normal2 HbA1c and "good" cholesterol.

1) What type of foods do you have to be most careful of and why?
Carbohydrates as they convert to glucose and hence raise my Blood Glucose concentrations
2) Do you have to be careful of calorie intake?
Yes but not as much as carbohydrates.
3) How careful are you really with sugar intake?
NOT JUST SUGAR, No refined sugar, fruits mainly as berries, Carbohydrates cut back to green veg.
4) Whats the ratio between exercise and activities for you and a teenager without diabetes?
Not sure of exercise of teenager, but me, ~1 hour walk/ frisbee with collies in a.m. 1/2 hr walk at lunch with collies, 1 hour walk/ frisbee with collies in evening.
5) How have you changed your diet due to diabetes?
Cut out sugars, starchy carbs, upped veg,oily fish & good fats.
6) What is your favourite dish to eat? Have you had to change or substitute anything in that dish?
Fish pie, Yes substituted celeriac for potatoes
7) What foods do you feel like you miss out on most?
Home baking.esp breads
8) Any other information you feel like could be any use for and you would like to me to talk about in my assessment?
a) substitutes for flour in baking.
b) The ease of producing ,at home, nutritional and cheap food without spending too much extra time (e.g. by using a "slow cooker" and/or salad/veg dishes using a leaf to replace the bread)
9) Are there any dishes you love to eat but cannot eat too often that you would like me to adapt for you? (I can post the recipe on here soon after my research)
thanks but I love the challenge of playing around with food & finding alternatives.

Hi Everyone, My name is Amy, UK

I'm currently studying Food and Nutrition at GCSE. I am also currently researching for my second and last controlled assessment which is worth 40% of the GCSE as a whole.
My project is:
Teenagers are encourgae to follow a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. i have to investigate the importance of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, develop a range of interesting dishes that could for a part of that balanced diet.
I have a few questions if anyone is up for helping me out

1) What type of foods do you have to be most careful of and why? Anything containing flour or sugar which covers many pre prepared foods of doubtful content in packets in supermarkets.

2) Do you have to be careful of calorie intake? Not so much. The flour and sugar have a much bigger effect.

3) How careful are you really with sugar intake? Don't use it at all knowingly.

4) Whats the ratio between exercise and activities for you and a teenager without diabetes? The knees make that a fairly high ratio. Walking is performed though.

5) How have you changed your diet due to diabetes? I make my own meals with ingredients I recognise.

6) What is your favourite dish to eat? Have you had to change or substitute anything in that dish? I like stir fries or meals of real meat. I leave out refined carbohydrates now.

7) What foods do you feel like you miss out on most? I am lucky there. I never had a sweet tooth and I have forgotten about bread.

8) Any other information you feel like could be any use for and you would like to me to talk about in my assessment? Yes, the balanced diet. Much quoted and never defined. Five different people will give five different answers and if in doubt quote the NHS Healthy Eating Plate. While you are at it define Healthy Eating and Diabetic Food.

9) Are there any dishes you love to eat but cannot eat too often that you would like me to adapt for you? (I can post the recipe on here soon after my research) Illogical. If I used to eat a dish often I do not want it altered.

Disclaimer // I am not a diabetic myself and i understand how serious it can be at times for diabetics. I'm simply here for primary research and for a few ideas on dishes that i could possibly make. I appreciate any answers/information given back to me. I am a T2 so read my answers in that context

Thank you

Hi Amy

good luck with the project. Answers as follows:

1) What type of foods do you have to be most careful of and why? 'white' foods with refined sugar eg white bread, as it causes my blood glucose to spike after meals, and a lot of so-called ''diet' foods (certain cereals, low-fat yoghurts etc) - most contain a lot of sugar as a ratio to the total amount of carbs, and this again rockets my bloods

2) Do you have to be careful of calorie intake? no more so than anyone else,, blood glucose of more importance, but I like to maintain a healthy weight, and try to limit foods that can raise blood pressure (important for diabetes, and especially as I have diabetic retinopathy)

3) How careful are you really with sugar intake? Very!! It's just not worth the hassle of correcting high blood sugars for the sake of 10 minutes of enjoyment from something 'naughty'. I'm not a saint though......

4) Whats the ratio between exercise and activities for you and a teenager without diabetes? Dog walk 40 mins AM, try to go to the gym couple times a week. Did aerobics as a teenager. When I could be bothered!

5) How have you changed your diet due to diabetes? Had diabetes since age 4, so don't remember anything else. But more education as an adult has seen me reduce the amount of carbs I eat, despite being told for years that they should make up a large proportion of my diet. Just doesn't work me - or most people with diabetes. I'm Type 1 BTW.

6) What is your favourite dish to eat? Have you had to change or substitute anything in that dish? Spag Bol. And, yes, childhood/teenager meals saw a big portion of white pasta. Now small portion of wholewheat pasta or rice, sauce bulked out with kidney beans.

7) What foods do you feel like you miss out on most? Jacket potatoes. Despite weighing etc, I have never been able to correctly work out the insulin dose to take. My dietician tells me whole research projects have been done on this!

8) Any other information you feel like could be any use for and you would like to me to talk about in my assessment? That's a toughie. A lot of quoted 'health' food advice - such as eat more complex carbs - works well for people without diabetes, but not for those of us with it. The same principles apply, though, in some situations. When friends have a McDonalds etc, and then complain they're ravenously hungry after an hour or so, I can simply tell them the refined sugar spiked their blood glucose and now they're having a low (and I mean that in the context of non-diabetes sugar levels)

9) Are there any dishes you love to eat but cannot eat too often that you would like me to adapt for you? (I can post the recipe on here soon after my research) As a Type 1 on a pump, and who matches insulin to food, I can, in theory, eat anything. But some meals cause more hassle than others. You learn to recognise them, and have them as an occasional treat. So I won't tamper with them!

Hope that helps.

Karen