Confused about what to eat

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Theo

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At risk of diabetes
When I was told that my sugar levels were higher than usual but still at pre diabetes level I was shocked as thought I ate healthily and kept active.
Took advice from diabetic nurse and have really taken it seriously cutting out all cakes, pastries , biscuits, chocolate, smaller portions of potatoes and even make my own soup as was told tinned soup is hig in sugar. Therefore have lost weight but I find it all very confusing knowing how much carbohydrates I’m allowed and sugars as everything seems to contain carbohydrates. How do I keep my weight as it is on the diet I’m on. As the diabetic nurse and my GP said everything in moderation and to have a little treat occasionally but scared to do so. Think I’m probably taking things too far. Just determined not to get to diabetic level if I can. Advice please would be appreciated. Thanks
 
If you want to eat less carbs but maintain your weight could you add in more healthy fats? Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, etc. could swap to full fat milk, have a bit of cheese, etc.

Not all tinned soup is high in sugar but you do need to read the label. The ingredients list will tell you if sugar is added and the carbohydrate content will give you an indication of how much it will increase your blood sugar.
 
As @Lucyr suggests, have you tried nuts? They are low carb but high in calories, and although mostly fat it's predominantly unsaturated - the 'good fat' - and very little saturated - the 'bad' fat. 100g of walnuts, for example, is less than 4g carbohydrate but around a whopping 700 calories, and 90% of the fat is unsaturated. My diet includes a handful of walnuts, and also peanuts, every day.
 
Welcome to the forum
Most folks who limit carbs here aim for a maximum of 130g carbs a day (or less depending on their diabetes). I've been having about 100g carbs a day myself.
Carbs are also in breakfast cereals, rice and pasta, yup, they are everywhere. Always check the 'per 100g' info on the back of food packets and adjust portion sizes to suit your carb target.
 
Come on! Ruddy lettuce and cucumber, celery etc ALL contain flippin' carbs. Go for LOW carb content - not NO carb. Sugar itself is merely a carbohydrate, but since it is near enough 100% carb, simply better to cut it out where you can - so at the very least, severely reduce the spoonfuls of it in teas and coffees, before starting on everything else.
 
Hopefully you will have picked up a few pointers from the other thread I saw you had popped in on but just to highlight a couple of things.
Look for the carbohydrate content of foods usually on the back of the packet, tin etc, ignore the 'as sugar'. Carb value of fresh foods, meat, fish, cheese, veg, fruits etc can be found by putting food X and carb content. Will be either or both per 100g or per each like slice or portion.
Getting some scales so you can weigh your portion of any high carb food as it is easy to under estimate to actual weight. After a while you will be able to eyeball it.
It can be easier to batch cook some meals so you can freeze some for home made ready meals.
You can still have tasty meals by using herbs and spices and dry rubs rather than jars of sauces whuch can be high carb but there are certainly low carb ones around.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is a useful resource as it gives carb values for a whole range of portion sizes ad foods.
This link hopefully will also give you some ideas, https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Theo said:
Took advice from diabetic nurse and have really taken it seriously cutting out all cakes, pastries , biscuits, chocolate, smaller portions of potatoes and even make my own soup as was told tinned soup is hig in sugar. Therefore have lost weight but I find it all very confusing knowing how much carbohydrates I’m allowed and sugars as everything seems to contain carbohydrates.
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Sounds like you’ve made some great positive changes @Theo

You’ll be giving your metabolism a great chance of keeping your glucose levels in range having cut out those empty processed carbs, and keeping an eye on portion sizes of starchy carbs like potatoes will be helpful too.

Theo said:
As the diabetic nurse and my GP said everything in moderation and to have a little treat occasionally but scared to do so. Think I’m probably taking things too far. Just determined not to get to diabetic level if I can. Advice please would be appreciated. Thanks
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I think they have a good point. Giving yourself a little latitude every so often, and an intentional treat or two that you decide on in a controlled way can really help stay ‘on the wagon’ other times. And keeping some flexibility in your menu can help make it more sustainable. 🙂
 
Thanks for your replies that at least don’t tell me to cut out all carbs as some posts on this forum do. One even said to not eat any carbs even brown bread, brown pasta , brown rice or any potato or even porridge, as all these were as harmful as white varieties . When I said the diabetic nurse had said these were ok in moderation and as I said if I gave them up totally plus seeing I’d also given up all cakes , biscuits, pastries and choc it leaves nothing to eat . As I am an active person I get hungry and need something to look forward to eating. Was going to come of the forum altogether because I do find all the different advice very confusing and quite depressing. As even my gp said everything in moderation as otherwise we wouldn’t stick to it. It just has so much conflicting advice.
Reading these has cheered me up. Thanks
 
There are various diets you could try @Theo You must choose what works for you - in all ways. Type 2s here eat a variety of diets. Some eat oats, bread, pasta, etc, some don’t. Here’s a thread that emphasises there are a number of diets:

forum.diabetes.org.uk

A broad church - low carb is not the only way

Just a gentle reminder to members that our forum is supposed to be a friendly and supportive place, which encourages members to find their own way through the available options to find a diabetes management approach that meets their ambitions, and is appealing and sustainable for them. While...
forum.diabetes.org.uk forum.diabetes.org.uk

I hope you’re reassured and I look forward to hearing more from you on the forum 🙂
 
Theo said:
Thanks for your replies that at least don’t tell me to cut out all carbs as some posts on this forum do. One even said to not eat any carbs even brown bread, brown pasta , brown rice or any potato or even porridge, as all these were as harmful as white varieties . When I said the diabetic nurse had said these were ok in moderation and as I said if I gave them up totally plus seeing I’d also given up all cakes , biscuits, pastries and choc it leaves nothing to eat . As I am an active person I get hungry and need something to look forward to eating. Was going to come of the forum altogether because I do find all the different advice very confusing and quite depressing. As even my gp said everything in moderation as otherwise we wouldn’t stick to it. It just has so much conflicting advice.
Reading these has cheered me up. Thanks
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One of the important things is to find a way of eating that works for you as an individual. Everybody is different in their tolerance of carbohydrates which is why you will find people suggesting that certain foods are a no no whereas others will say they are fine because for them that is what they find.
Having a blood glucose home testing monitor does allow you to tailor you diet to what suits you as you can then exclude foods which increase your blood glucose too much but you may find there are foods which you have avoided are perfectly fine.
It is all about not eating foods which consistently will increase your blood glucose too much as that is when people will start to get symptoms.
 
Leadinglights said:
Everybody is different in their tolerance of carbohydrates
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@Theo The reason you see conflicting info is diabetes is not 'one size fits all' due to different types and severities of diabetes, different reactions to carbs, co-existing health issues etc.
When you do read posts always take into account whether the person is saying it's what they do, or if they are posting general advice. General advice for diabetes is a pretty decent foundation. Start there find out what works for your type/severity of diabetes and how your body reacts.

You have done the key thing in cutting out cakes, pastries, biscuits, chocolate etc. Now is the time to make changes at a speed comfortable for you as your body relearns a new way of eating.
This is the point where you find a sustainable diet for yourself which works as a lifestyle change. Some folks like a specific diet to follow, others just learn what is high carb, and how much carbs is ok for them, then they eat accordingly. The only thing that matters is you are healthy, your HbA1c reduces as much as possible, and your diet changes are sustainable.
 
I'm quite frustrated too as I love my complex carbs (wholegrains, oats, sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, etc) but they all spike me. Look up the Glucose Goddess - she's on social media giving advice about how to flatten your glucose curve. There are some tricks you can use to lessen the impact and still eat some of the foods you love.

Here are some of her suggestions and they do work! Before a meal, eat some fibre rich, low carb veggies (like broccoli) or a green salad with vinegar. This will slow the absorption of the carbs in the meal. If you absolutely have to eat something naughty like bread, biscuits, chocolate, sweet fruits (in strict moderation) eat them at the end of a larger meal - they will have a smaller impact than eating them on an empty stomach. My personal favourite of all the hacks is going for a walk immediately after a meal (or even eating while I walk!) - this can almost eliminate any high spike. I try to stick to wholefoods though and avoid processed foods - you never know what's in them, even after reading the label. The manufacturers hide sugar under different names.
 
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Welcome to the forum @chuchy

Glad you’ve joined us 🙂

Feel free to introduce yourself in your own intro thread, and tell us a little about your experiences of diabetes so far if you’d like to.
 
Theo said:
Thanks for your replies that at least don’t tell me to cut out all carbs as some posts on this forum do. One even said to not eat any carbs even brown bread, brown pasta , brown rice or any potato or even porridge, as all these were as harmful as white varieties . When I said the diabetic nurse had said these were ok in moderation and as I said if I gave them up totally plus seeing I’d also given up all cakes , biscuits, pastries and choc it leaves nothing to eat . As I am an active person I get hungry and need something to look forward to eating. Was going to come of the forum altogether because I do find all the different advice very confusing and quite depressing. As even my gp said everything in moderation as otherwise we wouldn’t stick to it. It just has so much conflicting advice.
Reading these has cheered me up. Thanks
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The high carb foods are simply the easy targets - and there are many other options which are probably going to be a game changer when it comes to the diabetes.
Personally I find that having a high carb food in moderation is the worst of both worlds. and would rather have lots of such things as mushrooms and swede based bubble and squeak with breakfast, stir fry with dinner, and see lower blood glucose results.
I look forward to the steak, chops, chicken, even a salad of egg and cheese after a long hot summer afternoon.
I have absolutely no trouble in sticking to low carb eating the way I do it. After 7 years all is going well.
 
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