WHAT FRUITS CAN I HAVE

[xfieldok]

Don't touch anything labelled low fat and be suspicious of anything sugar free until you have read the ingredients. It's a minefield out there.

 

[johnrubinstein]

OK thanks, I have been pre-diabetic for a number of years, I have not eaten any sweet stuff, for ten days now, must say I am very surprised by the fruit as I was usu=ing them as a substitute for sugary treats.

Could you recommend any yogurts or treats that will not affect my sugar levels.

@DEBAND, if you live in the UK, then Marks & Spencer’s authentic 10% Greek yoghurt is my absolute favourite

They’re right. Avoid fruit except berries. I like my yoghurt with a small handful of blueberries.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

 

[bulkbiker]

@DEBAND, if you live in the UK, then Marks & Spencer’s authentic 10% Greek yoghurt is my absolute favourite

View attachment 29478

They’re right. Avoid fruit except berries. I like my yoghurt with a small handful of blueberries.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

Hi John
Do you happen to know the carb content of that one? infuriating that M&S don't have a food website with nutrition info on...

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Do you happen to know the carb content of that one?

According to Fat Secret UK it is 4%.

https://www.fatsecret.co.uk/calories-nutrition/marks-spencer/authentic-greek-yogurt-10-fat/100g

 

[bulkbiker]

According to Fat Secret UK it is 4%.

https://www.fatsecret.co.uk/calories-nutrition/marks-spencer/authentic-greek-yogurt-10-fat/100g

Thanks for that I'll check it out next time in M&S

 

[johnrubinstein]

Thanks for that I'll check it out next time in M&S

Hi @bulkbiker

FYI

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi @bulkbiker

FYI
View attachment 29493

Cheers sir many thanks

 

[daisy1]

@DEBAND
Hello Andy and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[carty]

The best advice I ever had is "eat to your meter" if you haven't got a meter yet codefree is cheap . Test before you eat and 2 hours after ,that will tell you how the food you have eaten has affected you we are all different and tolerate foods different ly
Carol

 

[PenguinMum]

@DEBAND, if you live in the UK, then Marks & Spencer’s authentic 10% Greek yoghurt is my absolute favourite

View attachment 29478

They’re right. Avoid fruit except berries. I like my yoghurt with a small handful of blueberries.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

Hi John I am trying to like plain yogurt but cant abide the strong flavour. I imagine some are better than others but would you say this is a mellow flavour? I simply cant eat cream unless its cooked into something. Thanks.

 

[johnrubinstein]

Hi John I am trying to like plain yogurt but cant abide the strong flavour. I imagine some are better than others but would you say this is a mellow flavour? I simply cant eat cream unless its cooked into something. Thanks.

It’s not cream, it’s yoghurt! . My daughter loathes cream but is happy with yoghurt.

The M&S brand I use is very thick and creamy in texture. It has a mild tangy bite to it.

If you’re in the UK go ahead and buy the small 200 gram tub.

Hope this helps.

John

 

[HSSS]

Hi John I am trying to like plain yogurt but cant abide the strong flavour. I imagine some are better than others but would you say this is a mellow flavour? I simply cant eat cream unless its cooked into something. Thanks.

You could try smashing the berries up and stirring them in. Or add a little natural sweetener such as stevia or eyrthritol (Amazon) which won’t affect your sugar levels

Remember when looking at labels carbs are what to look at (not sugars as they are just one type of carb) as all carbs turn pretty much instantly to glucose

 

[DEBAND]

So are the carbs more important to look at when buying, than the sugars?

Please excuse my ignorance but when a product states say for instance 6% sugar, does this mean that this is 6% of the sugar that should be consumed in one day?

 

[PenguinMum]

Thanks for the suggestions above.

 

[Energize]

So are the carbs more important to look at when buying, than the sugars?

Please excuse my ignorance but when a product states say for instance 6% sugar, does this mean that this is 6% of the sugar that should be consumed in one day?

Hi @DEBAND

Usually, in the listed Nutritional Values, it will say Carbs <value>, and "Of which Sugars <value>" This Sugar <value> is a Carb and Carbs include sugars, starch, grain etc.

So, ignore the 'Of which sugars <value>' and only consider the 'Carbohydrates <value>'

Once you start looking at the labels, you'll quickly see that Sugars <value> will never exceed Carbs <value> - Sugars are Carbs; Carbs includes sugars etc.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer ... ???

 

[DEBAND]

Thanks for that Energiza, that is very useful.

What would you say would be a product % of carbs that would be safe when buying food or drink?

 

[HSSS]

Depends how much of it you intend to eat. A teaspoon of higher carb food will do less damage than a plate full of low carb.

Labels show the % (uk) and the serving size actual gram amount Being mindful your serving size might not be the same as the recommended one (so might need adjusting up or down) that can give you an idea of how much towards your daily total you’re eating.

 

[DEBAND]

I have just found out my blood sugar levels which are currently 10.8.

Any indication as to how high this is would be appreciated.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I have just found out my blood sugar levels which are currently 10.8.

Any indication as to how high this is would be appreciated.

Yes, it is high. It means your average blood sugars over the previous 2 to 3 months were high. I can't give you any links about this as I am away from home without my personal bookmarks, but I'm sure someone else will be along to explain how this converts. I'll tag @Rachox who will help.

 

[Rachox]

I have just found out my blood sugar levels which are currently 10.8.

Any indication as to how high this is would be appreciated.

Yes, it is high. It means your average blood sugars over the previous 2 to 3 months were high. I can't give you any links about this as I am away from home without my personal bookmarks, but I'm sure someone else will be along to explain how this converts. I'll tag @Rachox who will help.

Thanks for the tag @Bluetit1802 . Here’s a chart to help you with the conversion @DEBAND