What does it all mean?

[BobMcG]

Type 2 diagnosed a couple of years and finding it difficult to get a consistent answer. came across a couple of Utubes that described LCDF which at least made sense to me. they stated that there was absolutely no need for ANY carb intake despite the various Standard Daily intakes stating the opposite? eat fruit don't eat fruit, eat some fruit, eat bananas but not ripe ones eat Bananas as a source of magnesium etc etc. I tend to take a fasting BG test first thing but get a spread of results what does it all mean??

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Type 2 diagnosed a couple of years and finding it difficult to get a consistent answer. came across a couple of Utubes that described LCDF which at least made sense to me. they stated that there was absolutely no need for ANY carb intake despite the various Standard Daily intakes stating the opposite? eat fruit don't eat fruit, eat some fruit, eat bananas but not ripe ones eat Bananas as a source of magnesium etc etc. I tend to take a fasting BG test first thing but get a spread of results what does it all mean??

What's LCDF?

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi @BobMcG and welcome to the forum.
I have moved your post to a new thread as it would have been lost where you posted it.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Low carb delicious fat? Low carb duck fat?

 

[pleinster]

Type 2 diagnosed a couple of years and finding it difficult to get a consistent answer. came across a couple of Utubes that described LCDF which at least made sense to me. they stated that there was absolutely no need for ANY carb intake despite the various Standard Daily intakes stating the opposite? eat fruit don't eat fruit, eat some fruit, eat bananas but not ripe ones eat Bananas as a source of magnesium etc etc. I tend to take a fasting BG test first thing but get a spread of results what does it all mean??

Hi Bob. I found it all a bit frustrating to start with just trying to get a handle on what to eat and not eat. Since making the changes required (once I had established an approach), my levels have come down to an average of about 6.5 mmols, that's in the non-diabetic range..having been up in the high teens when diagnosed. I reckon its Low Carb High Fat you're talking about, yeah? Here is are the time saving basics (whatever else you hear) -
The general NHS line (usually from non specialists..and some dinosaurs) is to "eat healthily" -a stupid comment if you are allergic to certain foods, yes? It's equally stupid when applied to Type 2s...as so-called simple carbs (basically anything with more than 10g per 100g on the label) can and do raise our blood sugar (to varying extents across a range of types of people). I started by cutting our sugar and obvious sweet stuff while I was on Gliclazide - it had a tiny effect. Then I doubled the Gliclazide - no effect. Then I realised the single most important fact about my food - carbohydrate effectively turns to sugar/glucose in the blood; so don't just avoid sugars avoid carbs (at least "simple" carbs - bread, cereal, spuds, pasta, rice etc etc). I couldn't believe the difference it made just stopping toast in the morning.
The most crucial thing for you - test with a meter before eating and two and a half hours later. If you're not eating too many carbs, these levels will be fairly similar. If there's more than say 3mmols of a difference - its your food. Some stick to tighter margins than I do, other are more loose and casual. Do what suits, and what's sustainable for you. My advice is test and record the time, the food and the reading. That way you'll soon see for yourself what works for you. I would bet firmly that stopping simple carbs will bring your blood sugar right down. I has worked for many on this site. My own specialist has approved my diet (under 30g of carbs a day) and sees it as the way forward for type 2s (he is not the usual - he is very on-the-ball). Also ensure you are drinking plenty of fluid. I have 2.5-3 litres of very diluted juice each day. Fruit? Over-rated for us - lotsa sugar. Good fruits are avocados (also have the right kind of fat), a few strawberries, berries, olives, nuts...lemon, lime. If In doubt..google a food and on the right you'll see nutritional values. Anyway...absolutely research LCHF...and questions don't hesitate to ask. Only way forward is to be informed, to figure out your own approach and that is what gives us control.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. It's all quite simple. Diabetics are glucose intolerant. If you reduce the foods that are converted to glucose in the body (or already contain it) as a T2 you will reduce you blood sugar or if on insulin you can reduce the shots. So, reduce foods with carbs and increase protein and fats to make you fell full. Have plenty of veg and non-tropical fruit (no or few bananas). If you have a range of foods you will get all the nutrients you need.

 

[muzza3]

Hi @BobMcG

Welcome to the forum. I have tagged @daisy1 who will post an info pack for newbies that is a great introductory read. I have found this site to be tremendous to sort thru those contradictions and to ask questions on any thing I didn't understand. Have a look around the Diet Forums and ask away
Cheers

 

[daisy1]

@BobMcG

Hello Bob and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you a lot of advice on reducing carbs in your diet. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.