BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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 carbohydrates
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.
- 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 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.
Somewhat cynically, I think that both statements are correct - BG should be less than 8.5 mmol/l after a meal to reduce the risk of complications (I aim for <6.5 mmol/l because that's easy if you are on insulin) but I think I remember having read that only 20% of diabetics actually achieve this.Im also not sure about the advice I have had from my doctor as I was always told that 2 hrs after a meal it was normal for my sugar levels to reach 14 and then start to drop, but after reading your post it seems it shouldnt go above 8.5.
didie said:Personally I would not be happy with the levels your doctors say are ok, but I admit that not being on medication I'm not 100% sure about control with meds.
I don't think anyone is including {perhaps especially} the medical profession!Just as we all react differently to food we also react differently to medication. That is why the guidelines are jut that - guidelines.
Unfortunately some HCP's do not seem to understand this - usually because thy have little education/understanding of diabetes and this can lead to patients becoming confused and upset.
AMBrennan is quite right about the sugar - for me anyhow. A small amount of sugar doesn't affect my levels - half a slice of bread -well!
This was not the case when I was first diagnosed. My diet did not seem to affect my levels at all.
After a couple of years of medication I found that I had a very low tolerance of carbs.
I was never given the opportunity to try diet and exercise alone - but I dont think I would have had the correct dietary advice anyhow so it may not have helped.
I think that anyone on medicaion has to keep testing - although not as much as in the beginning, because things can and do, change.
gaz1971 said:Well this has been an eye opener. I cant even grasp how little I would have to eat in order to stop my glucose levels going over 8.5. Ive just eaten a handful of bran flakes and my levels have gone to 9!
I was at 5 when I woke up
AMBrennan said:Somewhat cynically, I think that both statements are correct - BG should be less than 8.5 mmol/l after a meal to reduce the risk of complications (I aim for <6.5 mmol/l because that's easy if you are on insulin) but I think I remember having read that only 20% of diabetics actually achieve this.
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