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Hi everyone

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Tezos

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I’ve just been diagnosed with type 2.
I’m doing slimming world and on that you can eat as much fruit as you like.
Is this ok? Wondering about sweet fruit like cherries, raspberries, nectarines etc
Thank you. Never done this before !
 
Hi Tezos someone will be along soon with far more experience than I have, raspberries are ok as far as I know, carbohydrates are the ones to watch for
 
As a Type 2 diabetic it is carbohydrates that convert to glucose so it is your intake that need to be reduced to a level that YOUR body can tolerate.
Some of the slimming world meals may well be fine as long as you are careful about the amount of carbs in that meal. As for fruit that is something to be wary of as some fruits particularly tropical fruits are very high carb, however people find that the berries are the lowest but blueberries are a bit higher than the others. Bananas, pineapple and grapes are ones to be avoided.
Have a look at this link and see how the suggested dietary regime compares to your SW one and you may pick up some substitutions which would be better. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
I'd need insulin to cover a ripe Nectarine - and if they aren't ripe, but nasty hard and unripe - I wouldn't be eating it. Those hard ones 'ripen at home' are a waste of time and money. They don't ripen.
 
Hi @Tezos, welcome to the forum! 🙂

Keeping fruit in your diet is great for the nutrition and should be okay for your diabetes if they don't have any added sugar. It's just important to be aware of the portion sizes and carb content.

You might also find it better to eat small portions of fruit throughout the day instead of all at once. I find it very easy to overdo it with grapes if I'm not careful, for example! They're just too yummy!
 
Hello @Tezos welcome to the forum.
The basic concept of Slimming World is really not suitable for a type 2 particularly if you are not on any glucose lowering medication.
Type 2s are often unable to cope with high carb foods both starchy and sugary, and some, like me, need to reduce intake right down in order to get normal results.
I make a sugar free jelly with extra gelatine and then add frozen mixed berries and sugar free squash. When it is set I eat that as I please, with cream, and then might not make any more for a week or so. As my numbers are normal and my metabolism seems well enough, this seems to work for me
Be very wary of the concept of a 'healthy' diet high in carbohydrate - for someone unable to cope with carbs it can be disastrous. I was almost spherical, and rather dismal after almost 2 years of low fat and high carb to lower cholesterol - which it didn't. I was then diagnosed type 2 and went low carb, and after a rather rocky start due to Metformin and Atorvastatin, I am now doing well.
 
cameron said:
Keeping fruit in your diet is great for the nutrition and should be okay for your diabetes if they don't have any added sugar
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But diabetes isn't just about added sugar but all carbohydrates including the natural sugars in fruit (your body doesn't care where the sugar comes from) and for many dietary controlled Type 2s fruit needs to be selected for it's low "natural sugar content as well as limiting the portion size and of course not adding sugar to it.
What I mean is that a banana will have about 20g carbs but a portion of 10-12 raspberries will probably only have 7 or 8g carbs. You could add a spoon full of sugar (4g carbs) to your raspberries and it would still be lower carb than your banana and your body would likely cope with it better than the banana. I am not suggesting people have sugar on their raspberries or any other fruit or don't eat bananas but understanding the carb content of the respective fruits can help make more informed decisions about which are more beneficai than others for managing their diabetes and limiting the portion size, so maybe just half a banana or 4-5 grapes as oppose to 10 rasps..... I know which I would rather have :D I love rasps!

I think many people have lost any understanding of what a portion is these days generally but with diabetes portion control is much more important. So for me a banana, which is probably the highest carb fruit is a very occasional treat and I will have half one day and the other half the next or 2 days later, or possibly even just a third if it is a large banana.
A portion of raspberries for me is about 10 raspberries. The great thing is that they are one of the lowest carb fruits and like many of the berries, they are high in important nutrients and flavour so you don't need many to enjoy the taste and dietary benefits. I usually alternate raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, occasionally strawberries, apricots, stewed gooseberries or rhubarb, sour cherries and plums on a daily basis with my breakfast yoghurt and that is usually my fruit portion for the day and it is enough to provide all the vitamins and minerals I need from fruit as I get the rest from other foods like dairy and vegetables and meat and eggs and the occasional fish if I have to 😉.
 
cameron said:
Hi @Tezos, welcome to the forum! 🙂

Keeping fruit in your diet is great for the nutrition and should be okay for your diabetes if they don't have any added sugar. It's just important to be aware of the portion sizes and carb content.

You might also find it better to eat small portions of fruit throughout the day instead of all at once. I find it very easy to overdo it with grapes if I'm not careful, for example! They're just too yummy!
Click to expand...
What might be fine for you as Type 1 might not be so suitable for those who are Type 2 in particular grapes which often they cannot cope with.
 
Yes, as a type 1 I can eat any fruit I want, but only if I inject insulin for it. I might be able to eat a few berries without an injection, but not any other fruit. So I'd say berries are the best fruit for type 2s, and you might be able to get away with an apple or a pear now and again, but definitely not a nectarine or grapes or bananas or any other exotic fruit. And especially not dried fruit or fruit juice as they will send your blood sugar up very fast (to the extent that insulin-users can use them to treat dangerously low blood sugar).
 
Erm, I've eaten - and seen - loads more luscious juicy sweet sunripened nectarines on offer in France and Spain than I have anywhere remotely 'tropical'. Ditto oranges - tons on the Algarve but only occasionally in France and Spain, despite actually spending a few days in Seville.
 
I did Slimming World for a few years and successfully lost weight. But, you do have to be careful about the amount of carbs you eat. SW “free” foods include high carb things like pasta, potatoes, etc. and only “syn” high sugar treats like chocolate, sweets, etc. As others have said, starchy carbs get converted into sugar and you should look to reducing those as well. A slice of bread that has 20g carbs converts into the same amount of sugar as an equivalent amount of pasta or fruit. The sugars in fruit, fructose I believe, converts very quickly into glucose in the body, causing a spike in your blood glucose levels. Our SW consultant always warned against having lots of fruit. I guess everything in moderation is the rule.

I found that I initially lost a fair amount quite quickly but hit a plateau and needed to really look at portion control to reduce the overall intake of carbs and continue to lose weight. That said, it does promote healthy eating and makes you think twice before munching on the odd chocolate bar or snacking between meals. All good to help with diabetes. Don’t forget to ask your SW consultant for the diabetes leaflet if they haven’t already given you one. It has some general advice about dieting with diabetes and may be helpful to you.

Good luck with SW, I’m sure you will be able to make it work for you and help with your diabetes!
 
Eternal422 said:
I did Slimming World for a few years and successfully lost weight. But, you do have to be careful about the amount of carbs you eat. SW “free” foods include high carb things like pasta, potatoes, etc. and only “syn” high sugar treats like chocolate, sweets, etc. As others have said, starchy carbs get converted into sugar and you should look to reducing those as well. A slice of bread that has 20g carbs converts into the same amount of sugar as an equivalent amount of pasta or fruit. The sugars in fruit, fructose I believe, converts very quickly into glucose in the body, causing a spike in your blood glucose levels. Our SW consultant always warned against having lots of fruit. I guess everything in moderation is the rule.

I found that I initially lost a fair amount quite quickly but hit a plateau and needed to really look at portion control to reduce the overall intake of carbs and continue to lose weight. That said, it does promote healthy eating and makes you think twice before munching on the odd chocolate bar or snacking between meals. All good to help with diabetes. Don’t forget to ask your SW consultant for the diabetes leaflet if they haven’t already given you one. It has some general advice about dieting with diabetes and may be helpful to you.

Good luck with SW, I’m sure you will be able to make it work for you and help with your diabetes!
Click to expand...
The problem with fructose is more than when we consume too much, too fast, our digestive system can't process it all in time, so it travels to the liver and is converted to fat (the type we don't want, around the liver). Fatty liver contributes to obesity and diabetes. So it's better to consume smaller amounts of fructose, and according to the study I read this all in better in food than drink, and better to spread it out across the meal not eat fructose containing foods all at once.

 
42istheanswer said:
The problem with fructose is more than when we consume too much, too fast, our digestive system can't process it all in time, so it travels to the liver and is converted to fat (the type we don't want, around the liver). Fatty liver contributes to obesity and diabetes. So it's better to consume smaller amounts of fructose, and according to the study I read this all in better in food than drink, and better to spread it out across the meal not eat fructose containing foods all at once.

Click to expand...
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing - amazing how complex everything is and how little we still understand about how the body works!
 
Hope you are getting on well with your SW plan and finding it a helpful framework @Tezos

Portion control generally seems to be away to make most eating plans diabetes-friendly.

Let us know how you get on and what tweaks you make to SW to help it work for you - I’m sure others would find that helpful.
 
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