The FNG

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you'll get lots of replies, all different lol ! I would advise reducing carbs where possible but just try to find what works for you. Diets are short term. You need to experiment so you can make it a lifestyle. Also, please try to include regular exercise.
Mo


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Hi Cassiday,
There are several dietary options that people here follow with good results. It really is finding something that suits you using trial and error. You could eat something that other people swear by and yet your results may not be the same as the ones that they get., diabetes is an individual disease and there is no blueprint for dietary success. Don't look on it as a diet but an eating plan that you like and that keeps your blood sugars at an acceptable level.

The one thing that is paramount in your success is to avail yourself of a blood glucose meter and testing strips. If your G.P. will not provide on then you will have to buy your own. You need to be able to test your reaction to certain foods. Keeping a food diary also helps as it is a quick reference for yourself to see what raises your blood sugars.

There is some good advice for Newly Diagnosed in general terms and may help you understand the way forward.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/

Hope this helps, any questions please ask.

CC.

I'm going to be blunt ref diets as I usually am on the forum! The NHS advice to have starchy carbs with every meal is totally wrong and would make your T2 worse unless it was very small carb portions for each meal. The NHS is behind the times in this area and the American Diabetic Association for example, has recently moved away from this advice whereas Diabetes UK is somewhere in the middle. As you may know all carbs are converted to glucose and increase blood sugar. Having low-GI carbs when you do have them slows absorption and therefore helps to smooth blood sugar spikes. Having fat with carbs also help slow absorption. As Mo suggests avoid short-term commercial diets or books, although some like the Atkins have their value. Adopt a long-term lifestyle that reduces carbs but includes a wide range of proteins, fats, veg etc. Yes, and do include exercise. The meter will tell you which foods affect you most and help you define a lifestyle that works for you. If this doesn't control you blood sugar enough then meds can be added by the GP.

Hi Welcome

Spirits do not contain sugar but any mixer you have might. Wine does not contain very much sugar and the stronger it is the less sugar it is likely to have. Drinking wine in quarts can be a problem. Sadly beer has sugar in it and the big problem is that no-one drinks just a half pint and walks away from the bar so expect to notice the effects of beer.

Alcohol also affects the action of the liver and the liver will not provide back up sugar supplies while it is getting rid of the alcohol so your hangover blood sugar level might be quite low. This is true of non diabetics also but for some diabetics it is important to remember this.

I know that alcohol gives the liver something to do other than provide back up for your sugar supply but I am not sure of the chemical process of its absorption so I looked it up. Very complicated. So I settled on giving you this link which is all I know really.

http://skinnychef.com/blog/does-alcohol-turn-to-sugar-in-your-body