Taste⁴sugar

Try the herb Gymnema sylvestre - its been used for years for diabetes - but its seriously useful for getting rid of a sweet tooth. Sugar is unfortunately just as addictive as the old cigs. It takes a few days but it alters how your brain 'tastes' sugar. You can take the capsules or use them as a tea - either work. I was just as bad - I've had a very sweet tooth since childhood. I buy them from healthmonthly.co.uk - decent prices and free delivery.

Cravings of the type you describe have been experienced by many people - it is just that they are dismissed. The trigger is normally falling blood sugar, as your brain has been taking a long sugary bath and thinks it is what it deserves ad infinitum.
There are supplements you can take, but eating something like macadamia nuts or avocado might help if you just eat a little at a time.

markpaine1969 said:

iv also been told SUGAR can effect VISSION from day²day.... sometimes my eyesight is blurry then better without FACEfurniture (glasses) for distance... then sometimes better next day, using reading glasses for distance.... Grrrr . . . . . On, off, oN, OFF, my arm achz

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Yes, fluctuation in the concentration of glucose in the tissues affects the lens of the eyes so it changes size/shape - it will settle down once your blood glucose levels stabilise.

markpaine1969 said:

. by the way ... is that HacB1? jargon ur sugar test.. srry im new to this! lol

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markpaine1969 said:

all that is confuzing me i.e potatoes, pasta, fruit etc.... i even stopped fruit cos of natural sugar

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Hi @markpaine1969 and welcome to the forum.
HbA1c is the blood test for blood sugar levels, where a small vial of your blood is taken to be sent to the lab for analysis. It measures the level of blood sugars in your body over the last 8-12 weeks, as it takes up to 12 weeks for the red blood cells in your body to be replaced.
Type 2 diabetics should not only avoid sugar, but also avoid or limit starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta bread and rice because starchy carbs turn to sugar in our bodies.

Sugar is addictive, which is why manufacturers add it to a lot of processed foods to make it taste better to us. It can be difficult at first to give it up, but after a while your palate adapts and you won't miss it.
I use artificial sweeteners in coffee and tea now. There are many available which can be bought in supermarkets and health shops. I like Splenda.
When I was first diagnosed as diabetic I missed sweet stuff, but I replaced chocolate, sweets, biscuits and cake with non-sugar sweets like Sula and Ricola which can also be bought in supermarkets and health shops. I was eating 20-30 a day, but rarely eat them now.

markpaine1969 said:

all that is confuzing me i.e potatoes, pasta, fruit etc.... i even stopped fruit cos of natural sugar

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It isn't confusing if you have the correct information - carbohydrates are what diabetics can't deal with - so you need to reduce the amounts of sugars and starches in your diet so as to allow your metabolism to sort itself out.
Everyone has a level of carbohydrate consumption at which they can maintain safe blood glucose - as long as they have a functioning pancreas, which many type 2s have.
Cutting out the heavy weight carbs, potatoes, grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, lowers the blood glucose down from the dangerously high concentrations usually found at diagnosis. That stops the frantic messages to the pancreas to keep making insulin. Continuing with low carb foods allows peace to descend, sometimes erratically, but average levels drift downwards, the cell membranes can start to work properly, stored glucose can be used for energy, excess weight starts to vanish away.