Book recommendations

[Maz1980]

Hi all,
My level control is useless. I take 500 metformin at breakfast, linagliptin at lunch and 500 metformin with my evening meal.
GP doubled metformin before last HbA1C, (2x500 daily) but had to go back to original dose as didn't tolerate the higher dose. Therefore my levels were up, so he gave me the linagliptin to take, telling me if my levels hadn't gone down, it was looking like I'd have to go on to insulin.
My cholesterol was also on the high side, but tried several statins and couldn't tolerate them either.

The thing is, I can't understand where I'm going wrong with my diet. Can anyone recommend a good book that can point me in the right direction please?

Many Thanks
Maz

 

[Northerner]

I found The GL Diet for Dummies pretty useful. GL (Glycaemic Load) is an approach to selecting and combining foods so that they have a slow, steady impact on blood glucose levels. It's a refinement of the GI (Glycaemic Index) approach, but takes portion size into account, so far more practical. For example, melon has a very high GI, but as it is mostly water a portion that you would reasonably consume would contain relatively small amounts of carb - GL considers this 🙂 It's a starting point, and using a blood glucose meter to determine your tolerances (as described in Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S ) can really get levels under good control 🙂

Bear in mind though that much will depend on your pancreas' ability to provide you with sufficient insulin, and this can also be very variable. With some people, their pancreas is able to produce lots of insulin, but control is hampered by insulin resistance - placing less stress on the pancreas by modifying the diet and exercise/losing weight can help a lot in this situation. However, some people have a declining ability to produce insulin, and this can lead to the need to introduce more medication for a 'helping hand' - that's not a failure, just the way things are. Without any doubt is that every effort you make is not wasted, as everything will help minimise the need for medication and slow any progression if things are heading that way 🙂 Insulin is often used as a 'threat' to people with Type 2, which I think is very wrong, as it may be totally beyond their control and they should not be made to feel like they are failing, despite making every effort.

 

[KookyCat]

You might not be doing anything wrong Maz, as Northerner says you might just not be producing enough insulin, in which case insulin therapy is really the only viable option. Diet wise what type of things are you eating, and do you know that low fat high carb (the traditional healthy eating model) is not necessarily the best option for those of us who have a wonky pancreas? I mention that because lots of the allegedly healthy options like jacket potato and cottage cheese, or rice salad with veggies and a drop of dressing are low fat and lower in calories but high in carbohydrate which we don't tolerate very well 🙄

 

[Maz1980]

Thanks Northener and Kookycat for your replies. I'm beginning to think it's the type of carbs I'm eating that's affecting me. I had a bowl of bran flakes with semi skimmed milk for breakfast, started to feel really tired a couple of hours later and my reading was 17.6!!
I then daren't have any lunch! I don't have a 'sugary' diet, and I get quite fed up.

 

[Martin Canty]

I don't have a 'sugary' diet, and I get quite fed up.

Hi Maz, it's the carbs in total not just the sugar.....
You could try experimenting, say just have protein for breakfast (A lot of D's find that as they do not tolerate carbs first thing)

 

[Northerner]

Thanks Northener and Kookycat for your replies. I'm beginning to think it's the type of carbs I'm eating that's affecting me. I had a bowl of bran flakes with semi skimmed milk for breakfast, started to feel really tired a couple of hours later and my reading was 17.6!!
I then daren't have any lunch! I don't have a 'sugary' diet, and I get quite fed up.

When I was first diagnosed I ate bran flakes because I thought they were 'healthy' - then I discovered their effect on my levels 😱 They're only healthy if your body can tolerate them, and even then it's probably dubious, as are the claims of most cereals. I now just have a slice of Burgen Soya and Linseed toast for breakfast (not a big breakfast eater) and that is fine for me. Most people are more insulin-resistant in the mornings - you'd probably get a better result if you ate your Bran Flakes in the evenings! Some people get on OK with porridge in the mornings, but if you want to try it go for the 'real' stuff, not packet 'instant stuff that is so processed it hits levels fast.

It's a bit of a minefield, but keep trying and testing and in time you will understand what works well for you and what is to be avoided. As Martin suggests, try a protein breakfast and you'll no doubt see a massive difference! 🙂