• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Convenience Foods

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
J

jenpet

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
I need some advice please. I have just been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes (male 67 yrs old).
My work involves anti-social hours.
I do not cook & do not have time to.
Are there any convenience meals I can buy as I have no idea how many carbs there should be in a meal to
be eaten safely?
Also, is there any way I can measure my glucose levels & what should they be?
Would be grateful for all the help people can offer.
 
You can get a meter that is cheap to use from a couple of places - I went direct to Spirit Healthcare made an account and then waited for the email where I could confirm I was diabetic, then I could order a Tee2 + meter kit, plus strips and lancets.
Ah - I slipped there and wrote 'was diabetic' - I was down to normal numbers very quickly, no longer in the diabetic ranges, so I have been going along eating the same type of foods for some years now.
I do cook - but I use things with timers and temperature controls.
Convenience foods do tend to be made more profitable by making their carb content higher - I used to work for Allied Lyons in R & D and it is not at all surprising that it is the case.
However - it is possible to drop the contents of a few packs of food into the right device and have a meal ready with very little effort.
 
jenpet said:
I need some advice please. I have just been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes (male 67 yrs old).
My work involves anti-social hours.
I do not cook & do not have time to.
Are there any convenience meals I can buy as I have no idea how many carbs there should be in a meal to
be eaten safely?
Also, is there any way I can measure my glucose levels & what should they be?
Would be grateful for all the help people can offer.
Click to expand...
I found using a slow cooker, and leaving it on all day worked for me.
I often made a large batch, then froze the rest.
Or made a base of chicken, or mince, and added to a portion to made a stew, or a curry, or a chilli, or a bolognaise.

Failing that, have a look at the back of the ready meals.
After the recent purge on sugar, it's surprising how low the carb content can be now.
Even a Morrison's Beef Lasagne is only around 10% carbs.
Ok, if you are a small meal eater, maybe not as good if you eat two at one sitting.
It's all down to portion size for me.

I'm sure you will advice on carbs per meal, or carbs per day from this forum though.
 
You could buy ready-cooked/prepared meat, veg and salad. Minimal carbs in those. You could also look at the Healthy ready meals in the supermarket. Many of those are lower carb.
 
I'm retired and live on my own, so even though I usually cook sometimes I don't have the time, or I don't feel like it
So here's a quick & easy meal that requires hardly any preparation or time

Stock up your freezer with frozen stir fry vegetables and fish pie mix, or other frozen fish

Fry the fish & veg in a frying pan or a wok with a splash of olive oil

Then you might try a variation, like different veg and chicken pieces or strips
 
Drummer said:
You can get a meter that is cheap to use from a couple of places - I went direct to Spirit Healthcare made an account and then waited for the email where I could confirm I was diabetic, then I could order a Tee2 + meter kit, plus strips and lancets.
Ah - I slipped there and wrote 'was diabetic' - I was down to normal numbers very quickly, no longer in the diabetic ranges, so I have been going along eating the same type of foods for some years now.
I do cook - but I use things with timers and temperature controls.
Convenience foods do tend to be made more profitable by making their carb content higher - I used to work for Allied Lyons in R & D and it is not at all surprising that it is the case.
However - it is possible to drop the contents of a few packs of food into the right Use the device and have a meal ready with very little effort.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. What does this meter do? What results would I be looking for?
 
Inka said:
You could buy ready-cooked/prepared meat, veg and salad. Minimal carbs in those. You could also look at the Healthy ready meals in the supermarket. Many of those are lower carb.
Click to expand...
Thank you. How many carbs should I be looking for on packaging?
 
jenpet said:
Thanks for the info. What does this meter do? What results would I be looking for?
Click to expand...
The meter requires a tiny drop of blood and it tells you how much glucose there is in your blood at that moment.
It is really useful to see how your numbers are at the start and how they go up or down according to what you eat.
Proteins have pretty much no carbs - though sometimes cooked meat has added starch or sugar, but that shows up of the full disclosure of ingredients.
I usually stick to under 10 percent carbs, except for the 95 percent cocoa chocolate I buy from Lidl - but I only have one square of that at a time, and do not eat it every day.
 
jenpet said:
Thank you. How many carbs should I be looking for on packaging?
Click to expand...
I have spent 4 hours today in Tesco & Aldi looking at food labels. All seemed very high in Carbs. Is there anywhere I can shop that has a range of low carb/low sugar foods. I have no idea how many carbs we should be eating. Awaiting an appointment with the Nurse at our practice that specialises in Diabetes. At the moment we only know by a blood test my husband is diabetic. Where do you find meals that are only 10 carbs, nothing I looked at today apart from a chicken were anywhere near that low. + Once you add vegetables etc it puts the carbs up. We are finding it a nightmare, especially as we do not know how high the blood test result was.
 
Last edited:
jenpet said:
I have spent 4 hours today in Tesco & Aldi looking at food labels. All seemed very high in Carbs. Is there anywhere I can shop that has a range of low carb/low sugar foods. I have no idea how many carbs we should be eating. Awaiting an appointment with the Nurse at our practice that specialises in Diabetes. At the moment we only know by a blood test my husband is diabetic. Where do you find meals that are only 10 carbs, nothing I looked at today apart from a chicken were anywhere near that low. + Once you add vegetables etc it puts the carbs up. We are finding it a nightmare, especially as we do not know how high the blood test result was.
Click to expand...
Most food which is processed is going to be higher in carbs, as they are added to make it cheaper to produce.
First, any meat, fish, sea food, eggs or cheese is going to be almost no carbs.
I buy low carb veges - I have a lost of the usual purchases, salad stuff in the summer is ideal, but now that the days are getting colder I have been having bubble and squeak made with swede rather than potato. I cook the whole thing, cubed, and eat some for dinner then next morning the rest is mashed, a couple of eggs added, then veges, and it is cooked in a frying pan, then put under the grill. It is good with bacon, or sausages, or just with grated cheese on top before it goes under the grill.
I tend to shop in Lidl, they have stir fry both fresh and frozen, quite a selection of above ground veges and mixtures which are frozen - if you look for ones without sweetcorn they are lower carb as sweetcorn is a grain.
I have only around 10 gm of carbs in the mornings, as I am more resistant to insulin then, but in the evening I eat more - it depends on how much can be coped with, there is no exact number, nor an exact list of foods, as some people can cope with a food, others can't - I spike if I eat a normal portion of peas or beans.
Of course there will be similar options in most supermarkets, but Lidl has been the cheapest option so far.
For dessert I make jellies with Greek yoghurt whipped in as it reaches room temperature, then I eat them with berries and cream.
If you'd like a list of low carb veges let me know and I can send it as a personal message.
 
jenpet said:
I have spent 4 hours today in Tesco & Aldi looking at food labels. All seemed very high in Carbs. Is there anywhere I can shop that has a range of low carb/low sugar foods. I have no idea how many carbs we should be eating. Awaiting an appointment with the Nurse at our practice that specialises in Diabetes. At the moment we only know by a blood test my husband is diabetic. Where do you find meals that are only 10 carbs, nothing I looked at today apart from a chicken were anywhere near that low. + Once you add vegetables etc it puts the carbs up. We are finding it a nightmare, especially as we do not know how high the blood test result was.
Click to expand...
10% carbs, not 10 carbs.
However, that is just a rule of thumb, you need to invest in a meter, and see what effect foods have on you, we all react differently, and all carbs are different.
 
Carrying on with the frozen food theme, as we know frozen food sections are full of chips, pizzas, ready meals, and ice cream
But have a good root around the furthest reaches of frozen food sections and stores like Iceland, and you can find different kinds of mixed veg, plain veg, cauliflower rice, and fish in sauce

So you just need two pans - one for the veg, and one for the plastic bag of fish in sauce
But check that the fish in sauce doesn't have too much carbohydrate or anything else you don't want
And/or do a blood glucose check to see how it affects you
 
Last edited:
Cold meats, cheese, crustless quiche and salads…that’s what I have when I don’t fancy cooking.
 
Lidl do frozen fish unadorned - I get basa fillets, cod, kippers, white and smoked haddock, pollock, even salmon and tuna when I find it marked down.
I cook it gently in butter, olive oil, or even water with a glug of cream, in a heavy pan with a lid on most of the time, then remove the lid, increase the heat SLIGHTLY and spoon the juice over the fish until it is becoming just a little drier.
So often the packs of fish with sauce turn out to be mostly sauce with a tiny bit of doubtful looking - something - hidden beneath it.
 
jenpet said:
I have spent 4 hours today in Tesco & Aldi looking at food labels. All seemed very high in Carbs. Is there anywhere I can shop that has a range of low carb/low sugar foods. I have no idea how many carbs we should be eating. Awaiting an appointment with the Nurse at our practice that specialises in Diabetes. At the moment we only know by a blood test my husband is diabetic. Where do you find meals that are only 10 carbs, nothing I looked at today apart from a chicken were anywhere near that low. + Once you add vegetables etc it puts the carbs up. We are finding it a nightmare, especially as we do not know how high the blood test result was.
Click to expand...
If you go onto the Tesco website all the food has nutritional information on it.
Look at the carbs and anything that is fewer than 5g per 100g is pretty good.
Ready meals usually have rice and pasta and stuff added which pushes the carb content too high.

Tinned food is a bit easier to manage.
Tinned Danish ham, Premium cured chicken breast, corned beef, tuna, sardines - very low carbs.
Tinned hearts of palm, chinese bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green beans, mushrooms - very low carbs.
Jarred gherkins - Dawtona, Stockwell pickled onions, Pickled eggs - vey low carbs

Mayonnaise - Hellmans Organic,
Cheese - most cheeses are ok - check each one - the harder the cheese the lower the carbs and many are almost zero

Very low carb vegetables - celeriac, cauliflower, swede, green beans, mushrooms.
Very low carb fruit - blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb

Double cream is your friend.
Zero carb sweetener that is least problematic - erythritol

If you can get hold of chia seeds (amazon if Tesco is out of stock) you can make jam by nuking a few berries in the microwave and then stirring in erythritol and chia seeds and then letting it cool and thicken. You can then have this in high fat Greek yoghurt.

I keep my carbs to fewer than 20g per day and I find that quite easy these days.

Konjac rice/pasta/noodles ( zero carbs) can be bought on Amazon and then you can use these instead of the carby ones.
 
jenpet said:
I need some advice please. I have just been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes (male 67 yrs old).
My work involves anti-social hours.
I do not cook & do not have time to.
Are there any convenience meals I can buy as I have no idea how many carbs there should be in a meal to
be eaten safely?
Also, is there any way I can measure my glucose levels & what should they be?
Would be grateful for all the help people can offer.
Click to expand...
Do you cook at weekends, or on your days off if you shift work?
 
Drummer said:
Most food which is processed is going to be higher in carbs, as they are added to make it cheaper to produce.
First, any meat, fish, sea food, eggs or cheese is going to be almost no carbs.
I buy low carb veges - I have a lost of the usual purchases, salad stuff in the summer is ideal, but now that the days are getting colder I have been having bubble and squeak made with swede rather than potato. I cook the whole thing, cubed, and eat some for dinner then next morning the rest is mashed, a couple of eggs added, then veges, and it is cooked in a frying pan, then put under the grill. It is good with bacon, or sausages, or just with grated cheese on top before it goes under the grill.
I tend to shop in Lidl, they have stir fry both fresh and frozen, quite a selection of above ground veges and mixtures which are frozen - if you look for ones without sweetcorn they are lower carb as sweetcorn is a grain.
I have only around 10 gm of carbs in the mornings, as I am more resistant to insulin then, but in the evening I eat more - it depends on how much can be coped with, there is no exact number, nor an exact list of foods, as some people can cope with a food, others can't - I spike if I eat a normal portion of peas or beans.
Of course there will be similar options in most supermarkets, but Lidl has been the cheapest option so far.
For dessert I make jellies with Greek yoghurt whipped in as it reaches room temperature, then I eat them with berries and cream.
If you'd like a list of low carb veges let me know and I can send it as a personal message.
Click to expand...
travellor said:
Do you cook at weekends, or on your days off if you shift work?
Click to expand...
Hi No I don't cook at all. I work away from home several days a week & have always eaten out cheaply & used Tesco Meal deals. I work weekends mostly. My wife cooks (but hates it) & is tearing her hair out at what to buy. She posted above how she spent over 4 hrs in Tesco & could not find anything anywhere near 10 carbs. Also we look on websites & there are so many conflicting suggestions that we get more confused on which advice is right & which is wrong! I would like advice on what low carb veg is ok as the websites contradict each other. I saw suggested that if you soak potatoes for an hour before roasting then most of the starch will be taken out. Is this true?
 
jenpet said:
Hi No I don't cook at all. I work away from home several days a week & have always eaten out cheaply & used Tesco Meal deals. I work weekends mostly. My wife cooks (but hates it) & is tearing her hair out at what to buy. She posted above how she spent over 4 hrs in Tesco & could not find anything anywhere near 10 carbs. Also we look on websites & there are so many conflicting suggestions that we get more confused on which advice is right & which is wrong! I would like advice on what low carb veg is ok as the websites contradict each other. I saw suggested that if you soak potatoes for an hour before roasting then most of the starch will be taken out. Is this true?
Click to expand...
That's what I thought.
So all the "cook" posts don't work.
Maybe now people can answer the question you originally asked.
What ready meals work?
I found there are some good ones out there.
Initially aim for 10g of carbs per 100, there are quite a few.
But really you do need to check BG as suggested earlier.
That way you know if it's working for you.
 
jenpet said:
Hi No I don't cook at all. I work away from home several days a week & have always eaten out cheaply & used Tesco Meal deals. I work weekends mostly. My wife cooks (but hates it) & is tearing her hair out at what to buy. She posted above how she spent over 4 hrs in Tesco & could not find anything anywhere near 10 carbs. Also we look on websites & there are so many conflicting suggestions that we get more confused on which advice is right & which is wrong! I would like advice on what low carb veg is ok as the websites contradict each other. I saw suggested that if you soak potatoes for an hour before roasting then most of the starch will be taken out. Is this true?
Click to expand...
It is early days yet - don't worry as soon as you begin to sort out what you can and can't eat things will become clearer.
I have a grill which can be set to the level of cooking required and you just let it warm up, put the food in and it 'peeps' when it is done - the halogen oven can be set to the temperature required and the time - up to an hour.
There is a Tefal air fryer - tip in a pack of chicken thighs and set it to go for 40 minutes, take out the chicken and keep it warm in the halogen oven whilst you cook some stir fry in the Tefal device - very simple.
Most type twos will spike eating potatoes, however they are treated. I use swede instead, or cauliflower, or celeriac as they are lower carb.
I set my limit at 10 percent carbohydrate - that isn't 10 grams per item.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top