Carbohydrates

[Nayshiftin]

I understand they turn to sugar. I don’t think I know how to go without them. I am not a meat eater. I don’t like bacon I prefer egg on toast . I don’t like these cauliflower rice n zucchini pasta I like the real stuff. Crisps cakes biscuits rice pasta bread potatoes. I want them all. Where do I start. Bm was 15.2at fast then two hrs after egg on toast down to 12. 9 . So I don’t understand really .

 

[Inka]

You don’t have to cut out all carbs @Nayshiftin Let your meter help guide you in your choices. You have to have a regime you can stick to so keep that in mind and choose what will work for you.

Keeping active after a meal can help your blood sugar too, even if it’s just moving around the house rather than sitting down.

Also, sometimes the hunger we feel can be affected by our blood sugar or insulin, so the cravings for certain foods might be ‘false’ needs if that makes sense.

There are a choice of diets that might help you. They’re not all ultra low carb. Don’t worry what others are eating. Use the information to devise your own plan.

 

[Nayshiftin]

You don’t have to cut out all carbs @Nayshiftin Let your meter help guide you in your choices. You have to have a regime you can stick to so keep that in mind and choose what will work for you.

Keeping active after a meal can help your blood sugar too, even if it’s just moving around the house rather than sitting down.

Also, sometimes the hunger we feel can be affected by our blood sugar or insulin, so the cravings for certain foods might be ‘false’ needs if that makes sense.

There are a choice of diets that might help you. They’re not all ultra low carb. Don’t worry what others are eating. Use the information to devise your own plan.

Thanks Inka , speaking to nurse today but think she might tell me to reduce them. Meds I am not sure I want them

 

[adrian1der]

Hi @Nayshiftin Diet, as @Anitram says, is up to you and has to be something you can stick to. It is up to you to choose how to manage your condition because, at the end of the day, it is YOUR condition. The general advice is to try and reduce the amount of carbs you eat. If you do you will see your BG drop. I don't know if you exercise or need to loose weight? Try coupling reducing the quantity of carbs you eat with a bit more exercise which will also help to reduce your BG. Hopefully that should result in shedding a few pounds which will also help your BG. It is a virtuous circle!

 

[Nayshiftin]

Thanks I’ll keep trying . Only looking at what to eat it says pasta in the thing I will need to get a book that starts me off with a meal plan I can stick too. Today I had toast snd egg got bfast and toast and cheese for lunch . So bread would have needed to go there . Then I had bolognaise and did not have the pasta . Going to bed feeling hungry. I’ll just have to get on with it. Not much of a life left for me. As you say it’s my choice. It’s not really when your sick you become a burden to others and that’s who I worry for . If it were just you could go snd end it I would but that’s not an option. I’ll sleep tonight tomorrow might be better. What to have for bfast. Cereal s out toast is out . Porridge I guess. Or is pats carbs too ?

 

[EllsBells]

Thanks I’ll keep trying . Only looking at what to eat it says pasta in the thing I will need to get a book that starts me off with a meal plan I can stick too. Today I had toast snd egg got bfast and toast and cheese for lunch . So bread would have needed to go there . Then I had bolognaise and did not have the pasta . Going to bed feeling hungry. I’ll just have to get on with it. Not much of a life left for me. As you say it’s my choice. It’s not really when your sick you become a burden to others and that’s who I worry for . If it were just you could go snd end it I would but that’s not an option. I’ll sleep tonight tomorrow might be better. What to have for bfast. Cereal s out toast is out . Porridge I guess. Or is pats carbs too

There are some low carb breads out there that you can swap for your normal brands. With pasta, you may not need to completely remove it - reduce the portion to half the recommended on the packet and try cooking it, let it cool completely and reheat - it can help with the absorption rate of the carbs - and measure your bloods before and 2 hours after. Your body might be able to cope with 30g carbs of pasta in an evening meal, but not 60 - or it might be only 15g. Only your blood sugar readings will tell you as you experiment. I've found that 100g cooked basmati is fine, and 100g boiled new potatoes but not maris pipers or more than a slice of brown bread every now and again. You'll find your own limits for individual items and carb loads per meal.

Porridge will spike some people but not others - so give it a try!

 

[trophywench]

Yes, oats are carb. BUT!! you can slow 'starchy carbohyrates' hitting your blood in the form of glucose down by having FAT with the starch. At least blue top ie full fat milk, if not a goodly dollop of full fat 'Greek' yoghurt - or Cream! Nobody needs to starve I assure you.

Egg on toast is OK - lovely butter on the toast - eggs are in the main protein, what's wrong with that?

 

[Ljc]

Please don’t give up trying. In time you will find what works for you.
You may well find your tastes changes .

Have a look at our recipe section as we have some great innovative cooks on here .

Recipes

Post links to your favourite recipes here! If it's not your own recipe, please share where the recipe came from

forum.diabetes.org.uk

And on this long running thread we bare all , good and bad.

What did you eat yesterday?

It can be helpful sometimes to know what sort of things people are eating, as it might give some ideas for a more varied diet. So, I'll start off with what I ate yesterday: Breakfast - 1 slice buttered Burgen toast (my breakfast every day, I don't like to run with too much in my stomach)...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

I hope you find things to tempt you on them.

 

[Nayshiftin]

Yes, oats are carb. BUT!! you can slow 'starchy carbohyrates' hitting your blood in the form of glucose down by having FAT with the starch. At least blue top ie full fat milk, if not a goodly dollop of full fat 'Greek' yoghurt - or Cream! Nobody needs to starve I assure you.

Egg on toast is OK - lovely butter on the toast - eggs are in the main protein, what's wrong with that?

The eggs are fine it’s toast toast .

 

[Gwynn]

Oh dear, I feel your pain. I don't think anyone is saying cut out all carbs, but just to reduce them to a level your body can cope with.

But to do that you need to know how many carbs are in what you want to eat. Its a juggling act and to do it successfully it might be best to use an app online for that very purpose.

The great news is that by changing your diet to a lower carb one you will likely begin to feel much better all round. The rewards alone can be worth the extra effort.

I have cerial and half a banana every single breakfast (but as cerials and m8lk and bananas are high carb many will suggest that such a breakfast might be avoided), mind you I do have only a small amount of cerial. I probably eat more variety of foods now and everything tastes so much better.

Others have said and I found it to be true that my craving for carb rich sugary foods disappeared too.

All in all I have seen so many on here (myself included) that seem to have benefitted overall, but pretty much everyone starts their diabetic journey in shock and alone and confused (I bet some are angry too). Thats where everyone here on the forum can help and support you.

I really hope that you will be able to push through the shock and see the real benefits. Good luck

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to read you are feeling so down about it all. It is difficult in the beginning but then you discover low carb things that you enjoy. If you are feeling hungry, it helps to eat more fat as that takes longer to digest and provides slow release energy. Cheese and nuts are two high fat foods which can be used as snacks when you are feeling peckish after a meal. I was a sugar addict and chocoholic pre diagnosis. Cheese is my new chocolate!
An omelette with salad for breakfast works well for me. 2 or 3 eggs cooked in butter with whatever filling you fancy.... mushrooms, onions, ham, peppers, courgettes, aubergine and cheese of course. I buy tubs of cheese coleslaw and always have a large dollop of that with my salads.

 

[Nayshiftin]

That had given me hope. I so want to achieve. It’s not anger at anyone else or the disease it’s guilt shame and knowing how bad I am to cope . I cannot afford the apps and they seem too complicated . I will not starve just feels like it. None of the foods I really love. However once I get really hungry things should taste better, Blood sugar is 12 tonight it has been 27 at some readings. So it’s not too bad for me. I’m going to test n test and see what’s best. I’ve never had full fat milk in years and cream oh my that would feel a real treat but I have masses of weight to lose so it has to be low. I’m all over the place . The comfort is you are ALL being kind and supportive . THANK YOU . I am comforted by it

 

[DaveB]

Hi. It's difficult and most have gone thru the change of diet. You need to stand back and realise that the Western diet we have all grown up with is not good and loaded with carbs thru clever marketing. You can get used to a change of foods but you don't need to stop everything. For example avoid cakes covered with icing and sugar-loaded. For chocolate have 85% Dark. Don't buy or eat crisps as they are addictive. Keep other forms of snacks around such as nuts, cheese, berries. To avoid feeing hungry have enough fats and proteins. Carbs give you a sugar-high and as you reduce them you will feel less hungry. Learn to read the back of food packs and see what the Total Carbs are.

 

[Ljc]

You have no need to feel ashamed ok .
The vast majority of us find it hard at first, then in time we learn more and start to see our efforts rewarded by much improved glucose levels and we start to feel oh do much better health wise.
For many of us diabetes is the wake up call we needed.

You just like the rest if us will have good and bad days and days when you fall off the wagon , after all we are mere humans not saints .
Work through the bad days, push yourself back up on that wagon after a fall, but please don’t berate yourself ok.

 

[Maca44]

I was like you, all the things I loved were out, but it has not worked out that way I eat lots of bread but had to make Keto bread in my beadmaker, it's better than any supermarket bread by far, so I CAN eat bread. It all takes time to settle into it but honestly you don't have to feel hungry it's lots of those things you love that is making you hungry so take your time make small changes and it all comes together. Some things I just had to stop eating like Spuds/chips/pasta/porridge but some can eat these in moderation so it's not all bad that is only in your head other foods are just as nice I can't wait to cook my dinner or lunch they are so tasty.

You will find your way just one change at a time then it wont feel like a chore you might (Like me) end up enjoying it.

 

[Gwynn]

What a great slogan...

'Test and test to see whats best'

I will remember that. Thanks

 

[Drummer]

When I am feeling a bit down these days I tend to make an egg and mozzarella batter with a small amount of whatever is to hand - coconut flour, ground almonds, psyllium husk, then I make small pancakes I can flip over with a fish slice, keeping them warm until they are all done, then I add lemon juice and a granular sweetener. It is almost zero carbs and good, even on a dull damp morning.

 

[MAC2020]

Some super advice on here already!

But really important @Nayshiftin, as had been said, to find out what works for you, what your body can tolerate in large, small or no doses of carbs.

You are unique. There's only one you in 7.8 billion people on this planet. Imagine that. You deserve some extra special care and attention.

Some great recipe links provided by @Ljc. But from me a word of caution.

I was at first confused as to why posters were eating so many, what seemed to me to be high carbs. I thought perhaps sometimes people had cheat days (which I confess sometimes I do) but also, and here is where the uniqueness comes in, we are different types of diabetics. T1s can eat carbs even high carbs and pre or post "correct" whereas some T2s can not tolerate carbs at all, or have very little. There are also LADAs, T3Cs, 1.5s, prebies and I'm sure a myriad of other types in between yet to be discovered or recognise by the medical profession.

So, take it slow, discover who you are and what you need and you too will soon be reporting the success others on here have done, I think of, for example, @Maca44, @adrian1der, @Gwynn, @Vonny, @Drummer, @Eddy Edson and many many more.

 

[pippen]

The best thing I bought was the carbs and calorie book.
Recommended on here and so easy to follow

 

[Leaderofthecats]

If you want to eat carbohydrates, I strongly recommend going for low GI foods as these are metabolised slowly, provide reliable energy, and are much more filling than simple carbs.

A lot of high carb foods have excellent reputations due to their positive effect on blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.

For example, lettuce, houmus, Quinoa, oats, and even dates... These are all high carb and low GI. Even wholegrain rice is good to eat in modest quantities, especially alongside vegetables and suchlike.