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Did you know it is OK for a type 2 to eat white bread and pasta?

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Greymouser

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
That is what I was told today by a dietician, along with mash and dried fruit being fine, grapes too! She claimed I should not worry about counting carbohydrates, nor testing my BG, ( obviously...) that I should still be having about a quarter of my diet as carbohydrates. Are you kidding me NHS? She was a supposed trained health professional, giving me advice, to not worry about carbs; my blood sugar; nor my weight! I was a little gobsmacked.

Today was the first time I had seen a dietician. It will also be the last. Useless! o_O
 
I was told by the Cumunity Diabetes Dietician (job title) to ignore my BG levels and not manage carbohydrates. And she got all bothered by me having bacon once.
The other one: was doing labels and saying to look at sugar. I said I'd been told to look at total carbohydrates instead, not just "of which is sugar"
"I don't know why you've been told that!"
 
Well, I have come to the conclusion that what I'm doing is working so why change it.... I don't ever want to go back to the way I felt pre DX. Besides I'm getting so more veggies these days rather than bulking up my meals with carbs
 
Northerner said:
Sadly, some are still stuck in what was 'standard' advice many years ago :( There are some good dieticians, but unfortunately a lot who don't appear to update their knowledge :(
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Basically the same advice I was given but I feel it is potentially lethal advice and something needs to be done quickly to educate the "health professionals" into the errors of thier ways. It actualy astounds me that people who we should be relying on for guidance could potentially cause us, diabetics, very serious and life changing issues. I for one will have this discussion with my GP when I return to the UK. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
 
Really very sad Greymouser. Did you attempt to se the record straight at all? Share your own experiences and results?
 
Shocking. The best help seems to be online rather than through the NHS.

I don’t need a double blind clinical trial to tell me low carb is key.
 
Yes, pretty similar to the advice I was given and still get from the nurse who specialises in diabetes. I now just nod and say nothing. Don't know what would have happened if I had not found the forum. She tells me that I can have up to two slices of cake a week. one biscuit a day plus four squares of chocolate and a bunch of grapes and a banana each day. 60% of meals should be carbohydrate based as these are the "building blocks of life" LOL 🙂
 
These 'specialists' know carbs raise blood sugar. It's common knowledge. It's how the human body works. Carbs convert to glucose. These 'specialists' are causing a strain on the NHS by giving diabetics bad advice!😡
 
At my last review the table in the waiting area was full of various low carb leaflets. Not sure what advice is being given out but that looks promising.
 
From a Type 1 perspective (or any type who is able to adjust insulin doses to match carb intake) there is another aspect to the advice given. I know of many Type 1s, particular younger people, who have been told that because they are on insulin they can eat what they want. There still needs to be a caveat to this - anything within reason. Overloading your body with carbs makes dose calculation far more difficult and far less predictable. Also, you can't just bolus and eat a chocolate bar, the insulin doesn't get to work immediately, and you'll get an inevitable spike. I have known people on pumps sit and eat a whole bag of jelly babies and just press a couple of buttons and think everything will be fine. They're then confused when their levels shoot up to 20+, do frantic corrections, then drop like a stone into hypo territory. Everything in moderation, and know your limits! 🙂
 
happydog said:
Yes, pretty similar to the advice I was given and still get from the nurse who specialises in diabetes. I now just nod and say nothing. Don't know what would have happened if I had not found the forum. She tells me that I can have up to two slices of cake a week. one biscuit a day plus four squares of chocolate and a bunch of grapes and a banana each day. 60% of meals should be carbohydrate based as these are the "building blocks of life" LOL 🙂
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60%?? 60%!?! I am gobsmacked and have nothing to add, except to echo what everyone has said... :(
 
happydog said:
Yes, pretty similar to the advice I was given and still get from the nurse who specialises in diabetes. I now just nod and say nothing. Don't know what would have happened if I had not found the forum. She tells me that I can have up to two slices of cake a week. one biscuit a day plus four squares of chocolate and a bunch of grapes and a banana each day. 60% of meals should be carbohydrate based as these are the "building blocks of life" LOL 🙂
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Omg 60% No wonder their is a T2 epidemic and lots of diabetic complications.
 
Back in the early 90s when I was diagnosed, the hospital clinic I was under, informed me though carbs were needed, carbs were the enemy.
I could eat no more than 2 slices of bread a day preferably wholemeal.
I remember they had a traffic light system leaflet
green was ,good to eat.
yellow was , ok in reduced amounts.
And a ruddy great long list in the red column of must not eat. With suggestions of substitutes.
Some fruit I had to avoid, others but for one was strictly limited, the one fruit I could eat as much as I liked of was .........
.....

Wait for it ........

Redcurrants 😱:D.

I have no idea why they are now putting people at risk by advocating far too many carbohydrates.
 
My nurse (who is not a trained diabetic nurse) gave me the best advice. She simply said, ‘it’s your diabetes so do what works for you but keep variety in your diet and remember you still have to live!’) I do incorporate the odd biscuit and cake into my diet but it’s by choice and I realise the implications.
In the pursuit of the very low carb options early on, I don’t think I did myself any favours eliminating most fruit so now I do have the odd banana because the potassium does me good.

I honestly think dietitians are afraid people will start to follow ‘fad’ diets and think they have to totally eliminate certain foods. However, it’s clear that they’re still not getting the fundamental message about carbs.
 
Ljc said:
Back in the early 90s when I was diagnosed, the hospital clinic I was under, informed me though carbs were needed, carbs were the enemy.
I could eat no more than 2 slices of bread a day preferably wholemeal.
I remember they had a traffic light system leaflet
green was ,good to eat.
yellow was , ok in reduced amounts.
And a ruddy great long list in the red column of must not eat. With suggestions of substitutes.
Some fruit I had to avoid, others but for one was strictly limited, the one fruit I could eat as much as I liked of was .........
.....

Wait for it ........

Redcurrants 😱:D.

I have no idea why they are now putting people at risk by advocating far too many carbohydrates.
Click to expand...
Sounds like much more appropriate advice 🙂 How on earth did it become so ridiculously distorted? I suspect part of the problem is the 'fat is evil' mantra of the past several decades, and the fact that weight can be a significant factor in insulin resistance for many people - the belief being that fat needs to be avoided in order to lose weight and carbs being seen as a more benign alternative, totally ignoring their direct impact on levels! 🙄
 
Since criticism of some healthcare professionals seems common, it got me thinking that surely with such a common condition there must be a common script for what to tell newly-diagnosed patients.

Looking for the NHS position took me here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-2-diabetes/treatment/

So the section on diet doesn't specifically mention carbs, infact the word carb only appears on the page in reference to some treatment drugs. There's a Healthy Eating link which just goes to a generic healthy eating page, not Diabetes specific. And a link to Diabetes UK.

The Diabetes UK page here
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...with-diabetes/what-is-a-healthy-balanced-diet
... seems to follow the same line, concentrating on low fat moreso than low carb.

Looking also at the relevant NICE page here:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/chapter/Key-priorities-for-implementation#dietary-advice
... doesn't give much dietary advice at all.

So is it unfair to criticise individual diabetic nurses if the information from above is woolly? (I guess I don't know the answer, just thinking outloud. And I suspect this has been debated at great length here before!).
 
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