I was diagnosed in Feb 2017 with Type 2 Diabetes. Not had much advice really from practice nurse other than told to avoid sugary foods. Mmmm yes I get that. She has not told me anything else at all. Just read that I need to avoid carbs too.
My difficulty is that due to other health issues (IBS and acid reflux) I have to avoid gluten, dairy and any foods that cause acid too. Also started to avoid caffeine as it has helped reduce the fatigue I get with MS. So as you can see I am very limited. I love gluten free pasta and also tend to eat potatoes in various forms. Is this bad for me? I have also read that I should have breads and other foods high in protein.
It seems lots of advice is conflicting and so I have decided to join this forum today (as I did with the MS forum years ago) to get 'real' advice from people who live with this on a daily basis. What would you recommend to eat?
Sorry for the long post. I just feel pretty lost with it all.
Hi Natalie, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the problems you have been encountering
Not very useful information from your nurse!
🙄 This is not uncommon, unfortunately people are often given very vague information about diet and it really isn't good enough. The main thing to be aware of as far as diabetes is concerned is your carbohydrate intake, as it is carbohydrates that will raise your blood sugar levels the most, and often quite quickly, resulting in what are called blood sugar 'spikes'. Therefore, things like bread. potatoes, rice, pasta, sugary foods, things baked with flour etc. are all things to consider carefully. I would recommend, to begin with, writing a food diary. Write down the amount of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink for a week or two - weigh foods if necessary, and use a book like the
Collins Carb Counter to look things up. This can be a bit tedious, but it's the best way to get a good overview of your daily intake, and also provide a base for you to examine what you might reduce or replace in your diet. If you are unsure about anything, just ask us here
🙂
I would also recommend reading
Maggie Davey's letter, which contains a very good explanation of diabetes, what it is all about, and how to plan a diet suitable for achieving and maintaining good blood sugar control, and getting a copy of the excellent
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - highly recommended by many of our members.
🙂
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to finding a perfect diet for diabetes, unfortunately, as we all have our own particular tolerances for things. To have the best possible knowledge of your own particular tolerances the only really solution is to test your blood sugar levels before and after eating - read
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how to do this efficiently and effectively. You won't need to test intensively forever, just whilst you learn how different things affect you and you establish a suitable regime - once you have done this you will only need to test occasionally for spot checks and when trying something new. If you don't have a meter and test strips from your nurse/doctor then it is worth getting your own - the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50 (other High St brands can charge as much as £30 for 50 strips
😱) Worth asking your doctor for a prescription first though, although they may say that you don't need to test. Unfortunately the real reason is that they think they are saving money, but it's the only way you will know what things you may need to avoid. As an example, some people are fine with porridge, but others find it spikes their levels very quickly - it's though that our own individual gut bacteria play a big part in determining our individual tolerances for things.
I do hope I haven't overwhelmed you with information! If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know and we will be happy to help!
🙂
