What is the best foods to eat for Type2 diabetes

[Sparks465]

I am 69yrs old and was diagnosed as type2 nearly 10yrs ago. That was discovered when I was being tested for something unrelated. It transpired that diabetes was in my wider family circle, so mine is in the genes and not through being overweight etc. I am stating this because, everything I have read here appears to indicate you are all talking about people who are overweight and are trying to eat the correct foods but nothing is ever mentioned about those amongst us who are not overweight but still need to eat correctly as diabetics. Luckily for me I have never really had a sweet tooth so I have found it relatively easy to stay away from sweet things. I am 6ft 4ins tall and weigh 86kgs (13st 7 and 1/2lbs)My blood tests every 6 months or so, always produce excellent results - so I must be doing something right!. Even after 10yrs I still have questions. I eat 3 square meals per day with a maximum of 5hrs in between those. Two questions if I may on this my first visit. Can anyone advise me on the best `snacks` to eat between meals to keep the energy levels up. I am thinking particularly about when on holiday overseas and carbs like sandwiches are not available due to the location when out and about. Secondly, low carb eating seems to be a common thread here yet, I recall when first diagnosed the NHS recommended the `plate`analogy ie a diabetic should have 3/4 of the plate as carbs with the remainder vegetable and say meat. Any comments gratefully received. Congrats to all of you who take time out to participate in this forum, your advice and experiences are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

 

[Resurgam]

You have no need to keep up energy levels by eating - your body is perfectly able to store and release energy as required when working properly, and for a type 2 diabetic it is probably better to allow that to happen rather than be constantly topping up with anything likely to give rise to a release of insulin.
Low carb eating reduces the stimulation of the pancreas to make and release insulin, as type 2 is a resistance to further storage of glucose from the blood, which is why blood glucose levels rise and remain high.
Like many people on this forum I am baffled that there should be advice such as the 'eatwell' plate being handed out, when from the results on my meter I can see that high carb foods can push my levels up to about where they were at diagnosis, and low carb will drop them down to about normal, and keep normalising for as long as I stick to it.
I eat only twice a day, and fairly frugally, as I have always had to maintain a meagre input to fight my ever so efficient metabolism. It is perfectly easy to keep your weight constant even if you avoid carbs - the Atkins diet was developed as part of a regime to assist Dr Atkins medical practice, and was only put out to a wider public as it proved so effective for weightloss too.

 

[Debzz_]

I am 69yrs old and was diagnosed as type2 nearly 10yrs ago. That was discovered when I was being tested for something unrelated. It transpired that diabetes was in my wider family circle, so mine is in the genes and not through being overweight etc. I am stating this because, everything I have read here appears to indicate you are all talking about people who are overweight and are trying to eat the correct foods but nothing is ever mentioned about those amongst us who are not overweight but still need to eat correctly as diabetics. Luckily for me I have never really had a sweet tooth so I have found it relatively easy to stay away from sweet things. I am 6ft 4ins tall and weigh 86kgs (13st 7 and 1/2lbs)My blood tests every 6 months or so, always produce excellent results - so I must be doing something right!. Even after 10yrs I still have questions. I eat 3 square meals per day with a maximum of 5hrs in between those. Two questions if I may on this my first visit. Can anyone advise me on the best `snacks` to eat between meals to keep the energy levels up. I am thinking particularly about when on holiday overseas and carbs like sandwiches are not available due to the location when out and about. Secondly, low carb eating seems to be a common thread here yet, I recall when first diagnosed the NHS recommended the `plate`analogy ie a diabetic should have 3/4 of the plate as carbs with the remainder vegetable and say meat. Any comments gratefully received. Congrats to all of you who take time out to participate in this forum, your advice and experiences are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi Sparks ! Nuts are a good snack and olives - which will also be available in an abundance on holiday - Also cheese - I was always a grazer until recently so I often have the mentioned items for my lunch - easy peasy - good wishes

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome @Sparks465

Before anyone can give you useful information on a correct diet, we need to know which (if any) diabetes medications you are taking as this can make a big difference to what and how you eat.

 

[Sparks465]

You have no need to keep up energy levels by eating - your body is perfectly able to store and release energy as required when working properly, and for a type 2 diabetic it is probably better to allow that to happen rather than be constantly topping up with anything likely to give rise to a release of insulin.
Low carb eating reduces the stimulation of the pancreas to make and release insulin, as type 2 is a resistance to further storage of glucose from the blood, which is why blood glucose levels rise and remain high.
Like many people on this forum I am baffled that there should be advice such as the 'eatwell' plate being handed out, when from the results on my meter I can see that high carb foods can push my levels up to about where they were at diagnosis, and low carb will drop them down to about normal, and keep normalising for as long as I stick to it.
I eat only twice a day, and fairly frugally, as I have always had to maintain a meagre input to fight my ever so efficient metabolism. It is perfectly easy to keep your weight constant even if you avoid carbs - the Atkins diet was developed as part of a regime to assist Dr Atkins medical practice, and was only put out to a wider public as it proved so effective for weightloss too.

Many thanks for your prompt reply. I will take on board any information given to me by members and make a judgement. I take your point about the `eatwell` plate, however, it seems to have worked for me for 10yrs. I have porridge with a tiny bit of greenish banana and blueberries EVERY morning and find it fantastic as slow releasing energy. I would thoroughly recommend the porridge to everyone. For lunch I regularly have sandwiches, wholemeal or granary bread either 3 or 4 slices. So, I eat carbs at lunchtime and for dinner early evening. As I say, the `eatwell`plate appears to work for me. However, I will be having words with the nutrionist next time I pass her door at my local hospital, with regard to the information I have seen on this forum. Low carbs seem to be recommended in the USA and appear to work well - as advised by my uncle there who is a diabetic. Thanks again Resurgam - keep taking the tablets lol

 

[Sparks465]

Hi Sparks ! Nuts are a good snack and olives - which will also be available in an abundance on holiday - Also cheese - I was always a grazer until recently so I often have the mentioned items for my lunch - easy peasy - good wishes

I do eat a small handful of nuts - when I remember. As for cheese, I have never liked that from early childhood so I never eat cheese. Thanks for your input.

 

[Resurgam]

Ah - don't tell my doctor - but I stopped taking Metformin and the statin before Christmas - I couldn't remember where I parked the car in the supermarket car park, and when I found it the back was already full of shopping I'd forgotten about. Combined with the internal problems, I decided enough was enough. Life being incontinent and permanently bewildered was not incentive enough - so I stopped the tablets and am sticking to low carb. There are worse things than being suddenly dead.
I am, however very sensitive to carbs, porridge is out, all cereals, potatoes, starchy veges and sweet fruits, and everything I can eat, in moderation. I can eat the Lidl protein rolls, but nothing else remotely breadlike.
You can obviously tolerate far more carbs than I can deal with.
Lucky dog!!

 

[Jay-Marc]

Not everyone metabolises the same way; a whiff of porridge would probably send my levels higher - or that matter anything with oats in. Even though your blood tests over six months may be 'excellent' how are you one or two hours after eating your current meals?

 

[Sparks465]

Hi and welcome @Sparks465

Before anyone can give you useful information on a correct diet, we need to know which (if any) diabetes medications you are taking as this can make a big difference to what and how you eat.

Just had my bloods taken last week so awaiting results. I am still on Metformin 1700mg per day plus a few other meds. Appreciate your reply. Regards.

 

[Sparks465]

Not everyone metabolises the same way; a whiff of porridge would probably send my levels higher - or that matter anything with oats in. Even though your blood tests over six months may be 'excellent' how are you one or two hours after eating your current meals?

Hi Jay-Marc. It has been 3hrs since breakfast and they are now 4.9

 

[Lamont D]

The answer to your first question is whatever suits your body!
By that I mean your tolerance to foods especially carbs and sugar. Most protein and non starchy vegetables are foods that most diabetics have no trouble with. It is the carbs, that the eat well plate is often criticised for because the quite large portion of carbs with every meal. Even suggested are carbs that are high gi, which would rocket T2s very quickly, which most diabetics don't need or want.
Some diabetics struggle with their blood glucose levels even with low GI carbs as their intolerance to grains and starchy vegetables.
Why, because most diabetics are better off keeping away from high spikes and keeping their blood glucose levels steady as that helps their bodies work better and can be beneficial by reducing insulin levels, glucose, levels and insulin resistance. This will lead to weight loss (if needed) and the cycle down to better hba1c levels.

My surgery are trying to inform their T2 diabetics to avoid high GI as much as possible and eat low carb, higher fat because of the great results they are seeing!

 

[Pinkorchid]

Well done to you for keeping your diabetes in control for 10 years you do not seem to need any advice more than for the snacks so keep it up. We all react to carbs in different ways some can only eat a few and others like you can eat far more so carry on having what you enjoy it is obviously working for you so no need to stop them

 

[zand]

@Sparks465 It would be good to know your results when you get them through then we will be better able to help with suggestions.

 

[BarbaraG]

I am stating this because, everything I have read here appears to indicate you are all talking about people who are overweight and are trying to eat the correct foods but nothing is ever mentioned about those amongst us who are not overweight but still need to eat correctly as diabetics.

.

While the majority (about 80%) of people with T2 are overweight at diagnosis, the other 20% are not. I've seen plenty of posts in which people say "I'm eating low carb to control my BG but I can't afford to lose any more weight"

While low carb eating is effective for weight loss, it is also very good for BG control. A move to low carb from a diet such as the one you describe will result in a reduction in BG levels within days. For those who don't need to lose weight, they need to substitute fat for the carbs they take out in order to keep their energy intake up.

If the meds you take include a sulfonylurea, you would need to be very careful about reducing your carb intake, as it could make your BG too low.

If your only diabetes med is metformin, reducing your carbs would allow your BG's to come down further if they are anything above perfect, but also allow your insulin levels to fall. This will reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke and reduce your BP - if you are taking a BP med, you would need to monitor closely.

A low carb diet will also reduce your triglycerides and raise your HDL while in most cases making no difference to your LDL. That may allow you to stop taking a statin if you're on one.

In other words - in my opinion, based on the evidence - a low carb diet is a much better way of eating for people with T2D than the eatwell plate. If you don't want to go lowcarb, though, few dietitians would disagree with the suggestion that eating whole unprocessed food is better than processed things with lots of additives. Nuts, olives, cheese, hard boiled eggs, breakfast muffins, cold meat, pork scratchings and beef jerky are common suggestions.

 

[Jay-Marc]

You didn't indicate at first that you were taking any medication which I think made some people think (certainly me at least) that you were controlling based on diet alone. Subsequently you have mentioned metformin towards the maximum therapeutic dose plus some other non-specified treatment. Whilst none of this undermines at all your success at control, it could affect suggestions on diet modification that could be appropriate, particularly depending on the 'other' parts.