hi, i'm tim age 52, was diagnosed type 2 in december, been to the clinic, had the meetings, got loads of leaflets, girlfriend put charts up all over kitchen. been told to diet control but as we told the clinic and at the meetings we've not really had to make that many drastic changes to our diet or the way it's cooked as that's what we've been eating and the way we've cooked things all along anyway, yes i've drastically cut down on the sweets and choc's, no real hardship there and we are taking more serious notice of the traffic light label system, i was told i don't need a monitor dah, my readings at the clinic all along have been high but no-one has told me how to bring them down ???? yet early hours of morn last week i had a low which sent me shaking so bad i pulled a muscle in my side. we understand that diet is just a question of balancing out the intake each day but the thing that's really got us stumped is it's all very well to say you can have 0 - 4 portions of sugar and there's for example 0.5g of sugars in one thing but 8.5g in something else but how much of that g percentage is a portion or how many g's can be safely consumed in one day ?????? :crazy: any help greatly appreciated, thanks
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still confused
- Thread starter timothy3
- Start Date
daisy1
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Hi Tim and welcome to the forum 
This is the information we give to new members and I think you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will 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 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:
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
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 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.
This is the information we give to new members and I think you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will 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 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
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
- 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 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.
Superchip
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- 512
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- Suffolk
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Cheap Whisky !
WOW Tim what a start !
Daisy will be along to give you the heads up on diet etc......
There is quite a lot to learn, BUT it is not difficult....
Most of us on here live perfectly good and happy lives with our condition, I choose not to call it a disease.
Welcome, you have most definately come to the right place !
Superchip
Daisy will be along to give you the heads up on diet etc......
There is quite a lot to learn, BUT it is not difficult....
Most of us on here live perfectly good and happy lives with our condition, I choose not to call it a disease.
Welcome, you have most definately come to the right place !
Superchip
dawnmc
Well-Known Member
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- 2,455
- Location
- Sheffield
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi Tim, no idea what you have been told to eat, but the best thing to do really is get a meter, and test 2 hours after eating, that way you know what the food is doing to your blood sugar.
I eat low carb and no processed food, no white stuff eg pasta, bread, rice or pastries.
Google diabetes 101 for some very good info.
I eat low carb and no processed food, no white stuff eg pasta, bread, rice or pastries.
Google diabetes 101 for some very good info.
thankyou so far, however as i said our diet is exactly what we've been told to do but without a meter i can't work out what foods are doing what for me i take it i can put my foot down and insist on getting one, well i hope so as we are not enjoying playing guessing games with my health. thanks dawnmc i will have a look through the site but i am also worried that overload of info might do more harm than good as i've found some conflicting advice out there so far. we're glad we found this place though as it's nice to just " talk " to someone else about it all :think:
dawnmc
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,455
- Location
- Sheffield
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
You won't get a meter from the doctors (although you can ask). Look for meters on ebay with the chapest strips, I got my meter free via the company I emailed.
Daibell
Master
Hi. Tim. Yes, there is a lot of conflicting advice out there and sometimes even on the forum as we are all different and some health professions are better trained and more up to date than others. The consensus of most on this site is that keeping your carbs well under control and low-GI normally helps a T2. Carbs are immediately converted to glucose in the blood and that's what your blood sugar measure is. Low-GI carbs such as multigrain/wholemeal flour bakery products, beans & pulses and so on are low-GI and absorbed more slowly so avoid blood sugar spikes. Avoid products based on processed white flour and keep portion sizes sensible. Meters are always useful as they help you find out what foods affect you most. This is a true measure and not guesswork. You can buy meters anywhere or even ask the manufacturers to send one for free. The strips do cost but try the web and choose a supplier that doesn't charge VAQT as diabetics don't pay medication VAT. You don't have to measure every day but do it 2 hours after a new or different food. The reason the NHS doesn't offer meters as standard is about cost and a bit of arrogance. With regard to sugar avoid it as far as you can. It is bad for you and offers no benefits; put quite simply the target is zero!. You can get all the energy you need from fats, proteins and low-GI carbs. You can't avoid sugar but you can keep it to a minimum.
