thirsty and really worried

[DonnaC-T]

I buy frozen blueberries and then take out enough for breakfast the night before. It is a bit cheaper (not a lot) but you don't end up throwing any away x

 

[mpe]

Well, I'm new to this no carbs GI thing, I'll tell you what I head yesterday.
Breakfast; 4 small plums
Lunch: tuna salad with carrot, lettuce, spring onion, fennel, tomato, chick peas and a dash of olive oil.
Afternoon snack: half a banana
Dinner: chilli made with lean mince, tomatoes, onion, red kidney beans. ( no pasta or rice with it )
Then a couple of cups of tea and plenty of water all day.
How do you think that sounds?

It certainly isn't "no carb".
Probably over all can be considered "low carb". Though just fruit for breakfast and afternoon snack would not really be part of a "low carb diet". They can also have a high GI.
The other thing which stands out is the low amount of fat. You could try cream with the breakfast fruit; nuts rather than fruit as a snack; less lean beef/cooking with butter for your dinner. (Also whole milk if you have milk in your tea.)

 

[mpe]

Thank you everyone, your answers have been really helpful.
I had natural greek yogurt which says 5 g sugar per 100 so I'm hoping that's OK?
There does seem to be so much conflicting evidence and opinion as to what is 'good' and 'bad' to eat, especially in the fruit department.

People are different one person's "good" is another person's "bad" and vice versa. ("One man's meat is another man's poison." Being another way of putting this.)

Does anyone recommend a really good book or online source of GI and sugar values of a wide range of foods?

The only real way to find out is "eat to your meter". Any published GI values are the average from several people in a study. There is plenty of personal variation, even amongst non diabetics. (There can also be variation when it comes to highly processed food. e.g. Supposedly identical breakfast cereals from the UK, US and Australia having different GI values.)

It's also better to look at total carbohydrates on food labels rather than "sugars". Carbohydrates which arn't called "sugars" can have a higher GI (along with a higher GL and total glucose content) than many of those which are. This simple fact also makes a nonsense of NHS advice to eat plenty of "starchy foods" but to cut down on "sugar". (Especially if your primary concern is blood sugar levels).

 

[douglas99]

The amount of 'hidden' sugar in low fat fruit yogurts is terrifying, especially the Muller ones. I buy Morrisons own brand of Greek yogurt, plain and add my own flavours. They do a low fat one and a full fat one for comparison. The full fat one has more calories per 100 gr but less sugar than the low fat and it tastes better.

Nope, they only have the sugars I quoted.

 

[douglas99]

It certainly isn't "no carb".
Probably over all can be considered "low carb". Though just fruit for breakfast and afternoon snack would not really be part of a "low carb diet". They can also have a high GI.
The other thing which stands out is the low amount of fat. You could try cream with the breakfast fruit; nuts rather than fruit as a snack; less lean beef/cooking with butter for your dinner. (Also whole milk if you have milk in your tea.)

You could decide to load up on saturated fat, by actively adding it to your diet, or you could go for lower carb low fat diet and reduce your calorie intake as you want to lose weight.

 

[mpe]

Things like your Mueller Lite yoghurt contain sugar. Unfortunately most of our food these days has "hidden sugars". Look at the labels in the supermarket, you'll be surprised how much sugar is in packaged/processed stuff.

Just about any processed food which claims to be "low", "lite", etc is likely to contain added carbohydrates. Not always "sugars". You can also find "starches" and maltodextrins. Usually as thickeners.

You might have to rethink about some of the things in your diet. The "low calorie" maxim does not work. You need to eat, but the right foods.

It's the whole "calorie" idea which is flawed. Part of this is the idea that if you replace fat with carbohydrates having the same amount of calories it will make no difference and that if the carbohydrates have less calories then the result will be "healthier". Which in practice turns out to be not the case at all. High carbohydrate diets appear to be unhealthy for humans (and probably many other animals.)

 

[mpe]

This is exactly how my diabetes started, after two blood tests, one 20 and the second 23 my doctor said that i was type two and sent me home told to change my diet.

Did you change your diet. If so how?

Three weeks later after a prick test at tescos chemist my bgl was 31.9 and i ended up in hospital on a drip and was diagnosed type one.

Unfortunatly misdiagnosing LADA as T2 appears to happen quite often.

This is another reason why, IMHO, newly diagnosed diabetics should self monitor. At a minimum before and two hours after every meal.

 

[douglas99]

Just about any processed food which claims to be "low", "lite", etc is likely to contain added carbohydrates. Not always "sugars". You can also find "starches" and maltodextrins. Usually as thickeners.



It's the whole "calorie" idea which is flawed. Part of this is that if you replace fat with carbohydrates having the same amount of calories it will make no difference and that if the carbohydrates have less calories then the result will be "healthier".

Nope, it still only has the numbers I've quoted.
Nothing else.

As to the "flawed"
Personally, I can't understand the need to force added fat into an existing diet. The op has stated what they eat, you agree with them, but want them to pour saturated fat in.

" less lean beef/cooking with butter for your dinner. (Also whole milk if you have milk in your tea)."

So, why the need to force more calories, particular saturated fat, on top, ie extra, to an existing diet?
It's clear even you aren't suggesting removing carbohydrate here, you just suggest adding calories/fat on top of the meal.
Why will it help the op?
I'm curious here.

 

[richard256]

I buy frozen blueberries and then take out enough for breakfast the night before. It is a bit cheaper (not a lot) but you don't end up throwing any away x

 

[richard256]

SOUNDS VERY SENSIBLE NO POINT IN WASTING MONEY,I ONLY BOIL ENOUGH WATER FOR MY TEA,SAVES ON THE ELECTRIC BILL NOW THAT IS REAL MEAN !!! Richard

 

[ani010]

Did you change your diet. If so how?



Unfortunatly misdiagnosing LADA as T2 appears to happen quite often.

This is another reason why, IMHO, newly diagnosed diabetics should self monitor. At a minimum before and two hours after every meal.

I have a sweet tooth but cut out sugar in my coffee and on cerials, switched to wholemeal bread and actually started to eat lunch which i didnt before. Also we had gotten into the bad habbit of eating ice cream every nite too, so we stopped that too.

I must admit it was hard to start with but the thought of being type two terrified me because i was such a fussy eater.
Yes type one is just as hard to adjust to but ive found it so much easier to cope with and although im on insulin injections twice a day im feeling so much better. No more constant thirsts and being so tired i would fall asleep standing up, and peeing all the time.
Now im planning to get back to the gym which i became to tired for, just have to watch out for hypos now :-D.

 

[mpe]

Nope, it still only has the numbers I've quoted.
Nothing else.

Where the numbers are "calories" they have little to no meaning in relation to the metabolic processes of a complex animal.

Personally, I can't understand the need to force added fat into an existing diet. The op has stated what they eat, you agree with them, but want them to pour saturated fat in.

The OP asked for ADVICE. Terms like "force" and"pour" are yours entirely.

" less lean beef/cooking with butter for your dinner. (Also whole milk if you have milk in your tea)."

So, why the need to force more calories, particular saturated fat, on top, ie extra, to an existing diet?

From the information the OP provided their diet appears very low in fat.
Proteins and fats are essential parts of human cells (along with other important structures such as lipoproteins).

It's clear even you aren't suggesting removing carbohydrate here, you just suggest adding calories/fat on top of the meal.

You must have missed replacing the banana with nuts. The initial diet wasn't especially high in carbohydrates. [/quote]

Why will it help the op?
I'm curious here.

Diets which are low in both fat and carbohydrate tend to make humans ill. (Possibly the only reason low fat and high carbohydrate is ok for many people is that the human liver can easily turn sugars into fats.)

Vilhjalmur Stefansson documented that the Inuit diet was, most of the time, carbohydrate free. He (along with fellow explorers of European ancestory) was perfectly healthy eating the same diet. But when asked, as part of a clinical, study to try eating only lean meat he fell ill within days.

 

[douglas99]

...............Where the numbers are "calories" they have little to no meaning in relation to the metabolic processes of a complex animal.
.........Vilhjalmur Stefansson documented that the Inuit diet was, most of the time, carbohydrate free. ........................

hmm I posted

13.3g carbs
12.4g of which are sugar.

numbers are "calories" to you?
g means grams to everyone else.


Inuit diet? They also have one of the shortest life expectancy, so I may not be rushing down that route either.
In fact I've probably passed their average already on my self confessed cr*ppy diet, yet alone my improved one..

As for Vilhjalmur Stefansson, he did a diet for a year, not life, and didn't succumb to scurvy, I'd be interested in any link to his fat free diet, as don't know ant reference to that, so I'd be interested in it..

 

[mikegresty]

when I was first diagnosed I'd been extremely thirsty for weeks and lost a very unhealthy 2 and a half stones in 2 weeks due to my blood sugars being over 44 mmol these sort of levels will lead to coma and even death if left untreated and so yes test your bloods immediately and if above normal get to a hospital without any delay if you have no meter then any hospital will perform the test with your symptoms but urgency should be a priority