JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 5,982
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
So my diabetic nurse had advised me to keep below 25g of sugar per day (130g carb, 56g protein and 55g fat).
When using my fitness pal to log nutrients the fruit I am eating is taking me over my sugar allowance. i.e blueberries in my porridge is 8g. And a pear at lunchtime is 14g.
Should I be reducing my fruit intake to one portion a day to keep below the limit?
Interestingly I can have an 'Aldi - Specially Selected - Dark Chocolate Flavour Coated Peanut Butter Bars (Gluten Free)' which is 7g of sugar for the whole bar (more calories I know but nice as a treat)
Also should I be using skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed to keep the sugar down?
Confused . . . my diabetic nurse is not help and the dietician at the hospital was worse. I have hypothyroidism with T2 and she told me she didn't know anything about hypothyroidism and not to worry about it but to concentrate on the diabetes!!!
You want full fat milk, and help with your thyroid. I do hope you're getting thyroid hormone supplements. If you're not, see an endo a.s.a.p! Also, if you want something quick to eat you might want to just go for low or no-carb snacks, because that bar is most likely not doing you any favors either. Go for cheeses (baby bell?), sausages like Bifi's, boiled eggs, pork scratchings (I like 'em with mayo), some extra dark chocolate (not a whole bar, a few squares are usually enough). Forget about sugar allowance, as carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so.... There may be no sugar in pasta, but it sure is carby and will make you spike!
Don't be frustrated with yourself, you're doing what you can with the advice given. Sadly though, it's just bad advice. If you want to go in-depth, read The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung, or go through the dietdoctor.com website. But the bottom line, anything wheaty/grainy/starchy is too full of carbs to consider healthy for a T2. Avoid potatoes, bread, cereal/porridge/muesli, rice, pasta, corn... And the fruit advice is nonsense. Most fruits are a no-go, save for berries, avocado, tomatoes and starfruit. Everything else is very carby, banana's and other tropical fruits especially so. If you eat a whole lot of vegetables you should be fine where vitamins are concerned, or you could add supplements to make sure.
So you could eat, without issue:
Scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, maybe some high meat content sausages?
Eggs with ham, bacon and cheese
Omelet with spinach and/or smoked salmon
Omelet with cream, cinnamon, with some berries and coconut shavings
Full fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
Leafy green salad with a can of tuna (oil, not brine!), mayonaise, capers, olives and avocado
Leafy green salad with (warmed goat's) cheese and bacon, maybe a nice vinaigrette?
Meat, fish or poultry with veggies. I usually go for cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, with cheese and bacon to bulk it up. Never the same meal twice in a row because of various herbs/spices.
Get a meter, and test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If you don't go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, that meal was all good and not too carby. If it's higher, it was more than you could process back out again, and needs adjusting.
That's a lot of info in one go, (sorry, if it's an overload) but I hope it's useful.
Good luck!
Jo