Type 2 What I sould go? For Southeast Asia man...

Listlad said:

Yes, we are aware of the queues. It’s a cross between KFC and MacDonalds with spaghetti bolognese also served with added sugar with lashings of rice. So I will find it difficult to find something that will conform to low carbing.

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That's a good point, most of what you buy at Jolibee isn't very suitable for low-carbing, but I just get the Chickenjoy fried chicken bucket and help myself out of that. It's nice chicken and a couple of pieces, or say, 3 pieces is plenty for me. If you're buying a set to share with the family, it's pretty easy to negotiate a low-carb option for yourself. If you have to buy a set just for yourself, then you probably need to just leave the rice or side dish.

Geordie_P said:

That's a good point, most of what you buy at Jolibee isn't very suitable for low-carbing, but I just get the Chickenjoy fried chicken bucket and help myself out of that. It's nice chicken and a couple of pieces, or say, 3 pieces is plenty for me. If you're buying a set to share with the family, it's pretty easy to negotiate a low-carb option for yourself. If you have to buy a set just for yourself, then you probably need to just leave the rice or side dish.

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How about the balut?

Listlad said:

How about the balut?

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In a word NO.


In a few more.... :***:

jjraak said:

In a word NO.


In a few more.... :***:

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Full of protein though.

I think George a Romero helped convinced me food like that would not be to my liking.

i draw the line at Scorpions..(Thailand 2017)

jjraak said:

In a word NO.


In a few more.... :***:

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I agree entirely. I was offered them and have seen them on sale in Britain occasionally. I could not bring myself to eat them without

Aurelien_1009 said:

Hi everybody,
Thank you so much for lots of helpful information. Much appreciated.
I'm on the road so I'll reply when i'm back home



Yes, most of "Pho" and noodles were made from rice so I think it's have carbs, but Shirataki noodles seem different.
It is made from Konjac and almost no carbs. Great for fast food. It was sold a lot in Vietnam, but I didn't pay any attention to it before.
vinguyen.vn/en/product/konjac/mushibi.html

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The other food you might be able to get at work are omelettes. They seemed to e widely available in Thailand, with various fillings. Or you could make your own at home and take them in, they can be eaten cold.
In Thailand a food cart would come round selling boiled eggs which had their contents siphoned out, mixed with spices then injected back in and hard boiled. I didn't try them (maybe next trip), but they seemed popular.

Holland & Barrett health food store on the high street do various noodle dishes and you can order online too: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/food-drink/rice-pasta-pulses-grains/noodles/

They seem to contain the konjac basis mentioned above. And there’s even a pot noodle version!

You spoke about having headaches sometimes and felt curious as to why blood sugar seemed higher when eating less. I too tended to work long hours without a break and sometimes forgot to eat breakfast and lunch. Apparently that does suit some people. But it was pointed out to me that I might be getting dehydrated - hence I try to at least keep a large bottle of water on my desk now. And carrot and celery cut up, kept in a lunch box or snack bag can be useful, portable nibbles.

Also, I was told that stress can raise blood sugar. So I try to reduce stress level by pulling back from work sometimes- even doing just a few minutes meditation or breathing exercise. Or go for a quick change of scene!

I was diagnosed with pre diabetes in July last year. I decided to switch to whole food versions (ie brown) of rice and noodles and smaller portions of them. I have also stopped eating cakes and biscuits - which are typical British snacks and treats. I’ve lost weight and my HBA1C has gone down a notch so this seems to be all in a better direction. But it’s an approach that requires adjustment and won’t suit everyone. If straight swaps suit you better, the konjac versions of noodles have less carb.

Needing to have less saturated fat in the diet is something that the NHS people also recommend for people with diabetes issues - the NHS advice is not necessarily well thought of on this forum. However, it is possible that bits of it may have value, for some people. It could be worth asking the doctor about.

Do you tend to have a lot of coconut milk/cream/oil in your national food dishes? I understand those tend to be high in saturated fat. Might be worth looking for the low fat version ingredients for home cooked dishes? The bigger supermarkets tend to stock lower fat coconut milk.

For lunch needs, if you’re near a large supermarket or Boots, they sometimes sell cottage cheese with or without added flavours, which can be an option as a low fat protein snack.

Don’t know where you are based, but there is a store next to Rum Wong thai restaurant in Guildford, sells all sorts of variations of noodles - including brown rice fine noodles for noodle soups. Aldershot has a big SE Asian community so there are probably good specialist stores there, too.

I would also imagine a bit of Kimchi might be an ok snack? I found some jars of it in an independent food store. Some supermarkets may stock it too.

Would like to advise @Aurelien_1009 to take a body swerve on Jollibee. It was recommended in and an earlier post. I ate in Jollibee London today and would not recommend it for Type 2 or Prediabetics.

Aurelien_1009 said:

Hello everybody,
Thank you for lots of useful info about the foods. I'll try and make some blood suger test after meals.
I buy some Shirataki noodles as @Prem51 recommended and it's OK for me



I have never known that before. But as you said, I could be dehydrated. Because I rarely drink water when working.
And stress. Maybe.
I'll note.




Because I have dyslipidemia, so I'm also a bit confused about choosing fat foods. Which fat food I should avoid: high saturated, high polyunsaturated or monounsaturated? I wanna buy some cheese but lot of it high in saturated fat


Hi @Listlad I don't eat Jollibee or Mc Donald for a while but maybe I should try as your recommended.

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About the fats choices, in the NHS course for prediabetics, they advise that saturated fats can push up cholesterol level. And that all unsaturated fats do the least harm. So they mean that both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are better choices than saturated fats. This is updated information apparently, as they used to say that saturated fat caused insulin resistance but they now say only that it pushes up cholesterol and is the worst for the heart.

They also say that’s true of trans fats - which can form in hydrogenated oils like margarine (whether from polyunsaturated oils like sunflower or soya or monounsaturated oils like olive - or saturated like palm oil or processed coconut oil).

Trans fats may also occur when cooking with oils that can’t stand high heat and so burn easily - eg we should not cook with extra virgin olive oil but just it raw instead (eg in salad dressings).

They still say that polyunsaturated fats are not recommended in large amounts as they can have an adverse effect on HDL (ie can lower HDL) - which is usually the type of cholesterol we need more of.

Might be worth asking the medic you’re due to see a bit more about LDL and HDL and seeing what he recommends regarding fats to eat and cook with, and how much.

One thing they seem to be clear about, in the prediabetes programme, is that saturated fats should be eaten sparingly. You’re right about cheese - it tends to contain high levels of saturated fat, especially hard cheese like cheddar and similar density cheeses. But also softer cheeses like Brie and Camembert. . But you can buy lower fat versions of some of those in some supermarkets (eg Sainsbury’s and Waitrose). You can get low fat versions of cream cheese, too (and maybe substitute it for cream in cooking, even).

They generally recommend to become more aware of fat content (and carb and sugar content) per 100g of food. So if you buy pre packed cheese you can check on the label and think about how much is a wise amount for your dietary needs. But I’d definitely check with the doctors recommendations given the condition you have with processing fats - they should be able to confirm a sensible diet for that?

DianaMC said:

About the fats choices, in the NHS course for prediabetics, they advise that saturated fats can push up cholesterol level. And that all unsaturated fats do the least harm. So they mean that both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are better choices than saturated fats. This is updated information apparently, as they used to say that saturated fat caused insulin resistance but they now say only that it pushes up cholesterol and is the worst for the heart.

They also say that’s true of trans fats - which can form in hydrogenated oils like margarine (whether from polyunsaturated oils like sunflower or soya or monounsaturated oils like olive - or saturated like palm oil or processed coconut oil).

Trans fats may also occur when cooking with oils that can’t stand high heat and so burn easily - eg we should not cook with extra virgin olive oil but just it raw instead (eg in salad dressings).

They still say that polyunsaturated fats are not recommended in large amounts as they can have an adverse effect on HDL (ie can lower HDL) - which is usually the type of cholesterol we need more of.

Might be worth asking the medic you’re due to see a bit more about LDL and HDL and seeing what he recommends regarding fats to eat and cook with, and how much.

One thing they seem to be clear about, in the prediabetes programme, is that saturated fats should be eaten sparingly. You’re right about cheese - it tends to contain high levels of saturated fat, especially hard cheese like cheddar and similar density cheeses. But also softer cheeses like Brie and Camembert. . But you can buy lower fat versions of some of those in some supermarkets (eg Sainsbury’s and Waitrose). You can get low fat versions of cream cheese, too (and maybe substitute it for cream in cooking, even).

They generally recommend to become more aware of fat content (and carb and sugar content) per 100g of food. So if you buy pre packed cheese you can check on the label and think about how much is a wise amount for your dietary needs. But I’d definitely check with the doctors recommendations given the condition you have with processing fats - they should be able to confirm a sensible diet for that?

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I didn’t know they did such a course.

@Aurelien_1009

Have you eaten dried fish? It seems to be zero carbs. My wife loves it.

With Jollibee I was advising the opposite. Apologies if that wasn’t obvious from my post.

jjraak said:

hi @Aurelien_1009

welcome to the forum.
i agree with @Prem51 .... if prems checked your score on that link..its exactly what i do,
and i've gone back over other links etc and my scores match up, so i trust it.

As for the genetics...mmhhh

i keep reading about indigenous islanders whose diet was exemplary, yet who now follow a more western diet, and the population are now more obese and more prone to Type 2 diabetes.

So i have a sneaky feeling the genetic part, is simply lazy theory, and its the life style (aka Foods) that bring on the illness.
and tradition suggests lots of rice and noodles..(loved thailand, and so hoping to visit vietnam..for the stunning scenery AND the FOOD omg..Yum ) are the norm, so if no one changes that, why would the ratio of diabetics change ?
only now have i discovered the damage high carbs do..and most in the medical profession seem to want to deny that, so why would they consider any other reasons, BUT it's genetic...it just doesn't FIT their understanding of it.

so with a little guidance from you and a reduction in the high end carbs..a little tweaking really, i don't think you daughter would necessarily HAVE to become diabetic..it seems to be the same the world over..people get fatter, BECAUSE of the limits to the diet choices.
same here in UK..i'm trying to get my daughter to make all those little corrections NOW, so any diabetics odds of her getting it are reduced..you know... the burger but NO soft drink...the soft drink BUT grilled chicken NO buns.

Perhaps that might be the way for your daughter perhaps.

PS as for seeing a regular doctor...same here in UK..rarely see the same one
only reason i do now, is because i'm happy to book up weeks in advance to arrange those appointments.

Good luck on your quest.
The English was great, wish my foreign language skills stretched anywhere beyond 'hello, goodbye & one beer please '..

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Talking of indigenous islanders, my wife’s grandparents seemed to live well into their late 90’s. But as you say dietary habits have changed.