Sugar and carbs

Denthezen said:

I can't understand what's so confusing regarding the myth that carbs are bad. I am retired also martial arts instructor so discipline and understanding my body is a must. We as humans need carbs to fuel our muscles it's fuel like a car need petrol. As a recently new diagnosed diabetic I have to be extra careful. be sure that obvious sugars like deserts, drinks, sweets/chocolate biscuits sweet alchopops type drinks stick to the recommended alcohol consumption, they quickly absorb into the blood stream far quicker than carbs.
Whole meal carbs such as bread and pasta are digested even slower. Eat with plenty veg and lean meat, eat fresh fish for omega3 use olive oil based spreads. Dont eat processed food without checking the sugar content.
If you do moderate exercise minimum 30mins 5 times a week and watch what you eat there shouldn't be a problem. I am not on medication my hba1c readings are normal. I don't need to test my BG. Think of testing as as one football result it's the position at the end of the league that's important.

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Consider yourself lucky. For many this is a chronic condition that is very difficult for some to manage. It is impossible to generalize as your diabetes is as different from a T1 who swings from 60mm/dll to 300 in a days time as a stream is to the Thames River - both are bodies of water flowing to the sea. .

Everyone of us has a different tolerance to carbs and that is only part of the equation when it comes to managing diabetes.

Also, how tight of control you want to have of your BG is independent variable.

There is no doubt that one needs carbs for quick burst of energy, but the days of carbo loading prior to a marathon is fast ending up in the dustpan of sports recommendations

It is a myth that you need carbs from grains and potatoes. You can get all the carbs you need from vegetables that grow above ground and berries.

As a diabetic your body no longer processes carbs and sugars very well, so it is best to avoid starchy ones.

The reason why it is a good idea to test is to judge how much a particular food raises your blood sugar in two hours. This will tell you how your body is coping with this food and if it rises more than 2 mmol then it is probably not a good idea to either eat this food or as much of it.

Denthezen said:

I can't understand what's so confusing regarding the myth that carbs are bad. I am retired also martial arts instructor so discipline and understanding my body is a must. We as humans need carbs to fuel our muscles it's fuel like a car need petrol. As a recently new diagnosed diabetic I have to be extra careful. be sure that obvious sugars like deserts, drinks, sweets/chocolate biscuits sweet alchopops type drinks stick to the recommended alcohol consumption, they quickly absorb into the blood stream far quicker than carbs.
Whole meal carbs such as bread and pasta are digested even slower. Eat with plenty veg and lean meat, eat fresh fish for omega3 use olive oil based spreads. Dont eat processed food without checking the sugar content.
If you do moderate exercise minimum 30mins 5 times a week and watch what you eat there shouldn't be a problem. I am not on medication my hba1c readings are normal. I don't need to test my BG. Think of testing as as one football result it's the position at the end of the league that's important.

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It's not a myth if you have type 2 diabetes. If you can eat lots of carbs without your blood glucose going to diabetic levels, then you are not diabetic. Of course, you could be a diabetic and still tolerate moderate amounts of carbs, but not all diabetics can.

Talk about confusing - I'm not sure how someone can be diagnosed as diabetic with normal blood glucose levels. That defies logic. Diabetes is diagnosed based on elevated blood glucose levels - i.e. above "normal". What exactly did your doctor tell you about how you were diagnosed? Or do you mean they are normal now (i.e. HbA1c between 4.6 and 5.4%)? (see http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php)

Also, it's curious that you think we need carbs. True, if you are doing heavy labour or are a high performance athlete, carbs can be a good fuel, but for most people under normal circumstances don't need much. I eat less than 75 g of carbs a day and am quite able to hike 20k in the mountains or run 10k on this level of carb intake.

I recommend you thoroughly explore the Blood Sugar 101 web site:

http://www.phlaunt.com/

It will explain (almost) all.

Denthezen said:

I can't understand what's so confusing regarding the myth that carbs are bad. I am retired also martial arts instructor so discipline and understanding my body is a must. We as humans need carbs to fuel our muscles it's fuel like a car need petrol. As a recently new diagnosed diabetic I have to be extra careful. be sure that obvious sugars like deserts, drinks, sweets/chocolate biscuits sweet alchopops type drinks stick to the recommended alcohol consumption, they quickly absorb into the blood stream far quicker than carbs.
Whole meal carbs such as bread and pasta are digested even slower. Eat with plenty veg and lean meat, eat fresh fish for omega3 use olive oil based spreads. Dont eat processed food without checking the sugar content.
If you do moderate exercise minimum 30mins 5 times a week and watch what you eat there shouldn't be a problem. I am not on medication my hba1c readings are normal. I don't need to test my BG. Think of testing as as one football result it's the position at the end of the league that's important.

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You are forgetting a very basic, simple fact.

We are all different.

Do you have PCOS? Arthritis? Irritable bowel? Wheat, milk or any other allergy? Do you have small children? Are you a carer? Are you working 17 hours a day trying to get your business off the ground? Do you have a collapsed disc in your spine? An eating disorder? How old are you? Fallen arches? Colostomy bag? Dialysis? Heart arrhythmia? Is your income up to buying and eating exactly what you want? How high is your insulin resistance? What meds and complications are you on? Or not on? Can you walk up stairs? Charcot foot? Religious dietary requirements?

Clearly, The variations are endless.

Please do not assume that, because you have found that if a certain diet/lifestyle works for you, then it will work for me.

You are indeed lucky and I hope you stay that way.

I was diagnosed with an HbA1c of 7% so not much over the line to start with. I take no meds. I have good control. However, one single tuna sandwich on 2 slices of thin granary wholemeal bread spiked me up to 12.4 at 2 hours, and still up in the 11's at 3 hours. Goodness knows what it was at 1 hour. So yes, we are all different.

Denthezen said:

I agree complications to health caused by diabetes I am well aware of that's why I choose to try and keep it under control, and thankfully I can without medication.
I am a healthy retired male diagnosed with diabetes my experience re health issues are purely diabetes related. I can't comment on endless other ailments. As far as diabetes is concerned. My advice is
Do you smoke if yes stop.
Are you overweight if yes lose some,
do you exercise if not start.
Do you eat lots of carbs and sugar if yes don't.

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Then the advice you are giving out has already changed dramatically during the course of this thread.

Imagine how much more it will evolve, in the months and years to come.

Denthezen said:

That's bad I've never spiked on anything I've eaten. If your not on medication why are you testing? I was told a single test is not worth stressing out for. I suppose you could take a perfectly normal person give them a bottle of lucazade and test them and see the spike. It's the three monthly hba1c that's important and if you get below 7 your doing well.

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Completely disagree! I was told to eat wholemeal bread. I did, one measly sandwich. Massive spike. I would never have known abiout this had I not tested and would have continued to eat a measly sandwich daily for 3 months, then my HbA1c would have increased and I would have been given meds. all the while wondering why. Through testing I have discovered I CAN eat one slice of seeded bread. (amongst other nice things). Testing out meals has ensured I got good control.

Denthezen said:

That's bad I've never spiked on anything I've eaten. If your not on medication why are you testing? I was told a single test is not worth stressing out for. I suppose you could take a perfectly normal person give them a bottle of lucazade and test them and see the spike. It's the three monthly hba1c that's important and if you get below 7 your doing well.

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No, a "perfectly normal" person's blood glucose would not spike to diabetic levels when taking the oral glucose tolerance test.

Daily fluctuations of blood glucose are very important. A temporary high blood glucose level is causing damage:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

An HbA1c of 7% is considered good by some, but the risk of a heart attack rises with rise of HBA1C above 4.6%:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15945839.php

Again, you say you have "normal" HbA1c. Is it between 4.6 and 5.4%? (see http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php)

[QUOTE="Denthezen, post: 688082, member: 132181" I was only diagnosed end of june and considering the comments i read on here I seem to be getting an easy ride![/QUOTE]
Yes you are, apparently. And nice work if you can get it. However, we are all different, as you must have gathered from this forum. I tried the same regime as you for nine months, lost too much weight and went from prediabetic to type 2. Now I'm on LCHF my weight has stabilised and so has my BG according to my most recent HbA1c. I've reduced the spikes and now I want to reduce the base level a bit, although it may be tricky since I eat bucketsful of veg (good, but carbs nonetheless) with added good fat.
"Think of testing as as one football result it's the position at the end of the league that's important." If you're competitive that's true, but we're all going along together. It's not a case of one winner and the rest losers. It's the North Atlantic Convoy principle, when the well-armed, nimble gunboats (you) stayed behind to look after the lumbering, vulnerabale supply ships (me)

I haven't got time to give a detailed reply!
I like many others on here are carb and sugar intolerant!
That means without meds, they are like eating poison!

I am so glad you are doing so well!

By the way I walk and work more in an hour than you do in a weeks fitness regime and I still can't process carbs and sugars.
We are all different, one lifestyle is not the same as somebody else's! Ones problems are not the same as someone's else's!

Ho hum!'
Going for a walk then kids footie training to work off that salad!

Hi. Yes, we are all different. I struggled as a thin person to keep my BS down even with meds and very low carbs. The body doesn't really need any starchy carbs. What it does need is glucose which it can derive from many foods and any stored fat. The food industry has marketed the myth that we need to eat carbs for enegy; very profitable for them. Exercise is great but if you are moderately diabetic it is unlikely to be enough. I had been going to the gym for years before diagnosis.

The NHS or at least my GP's theory is that T2's don't need to test, as it is the Hba1c test taken 3 months apart that gives a definitive reading for diagnostic purposes. My DN on my first review told me to "curb" my sugar and carb intake without being very specific. The choice of drug therapy was left to my decision at that stage. I only really got to grips with diabetes after I read around the forum. The more you read the more you will understand just how out of touch the NHS is on the information it gives out and the way they deliver it.

It sounds to me that you're denying carbs are harmful ? It is only when you test do you know the "exact" reaction to whatever you have eaten. Therefore blindly eating carbs as a diabetic WILL turn to glucose which will raise your blood sugar levels. IF you're not producing the insulin to combat the difference between what your body needs as energy and what it stores as fat. Now if you don't test and control your BG levels, how is that going to impact on the long term . ? What is happening when you are resistant to insulin? How does your body and its organs deal with this? What happens if you're not producing insulin ? ALL these answers are here on this forum.

Having diabetes has a major impact on your daily life, the sooner we accept this and embrace whatever helps keep the BG under control the better your life and life expectancy will be.

As some have said, it's an individual disease, it effects people differently, what works for one, may not work for another, it doesn't mean the " other" is wrong.

We as a group are always delighted when we hear or read positive results and see someone's BG under control, but please try to understand we are not all as fortunate.

I wish you well, and good luck

Denthezen said:

I'm still trying to get to grips with it, thanks for the replies. I wondered why controlling mine seemed easier than I thought it would be? I inherited diabetes, my father died aged 57 with complications 32 years ago. Then there wasn't the food choices and labelling you get nowadays or self testing. He kept a lot to himself but never got to grips with it. if I knew then what I know now hopefully he could have had another 20 or 30 years and seen his grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up?
Re NHS not understanding I have a very good doctor who specialises in diabetes care and have access to, and advice from dieticians. So far they have been spot on.

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Losing your dad never ever gets easier, 57 is no age :-( ...I'm 58 !! and yes if you keep yourself on this course hopefully you will be around for many a happy year yet so as the saying goes, if it's working for you...then go with it.

I'm thrilled you have a good switched on GP ...it makes the world of difference.