DiABETES UK Nutritional Guidelines

[Dave W]

What was your diet like before diagnosis Dave?

I'd say it was pretty 'normal' Matt, though I had developed a lust for sweet things (two Frys Choc creams sometimes!). Don't think I ate too many carby foods as I don't like pasta and I think the % carbs in my diet were probably lower than those in the Eatwell Guide. As far as green veg goes, I ate quite a lot as we grow a lot.
Anyway, I think my dietary foibles, do's and dont's, may soon be resolved as almost 3 years after being diagnosed T2, there's a strong possibilty I'm T1 and will be having GAD and c-peptide tests along with HbA1c next month.

 

[Northerner]

I'd say it was pretty 'normal' Matt, though I had developed a lust for sweet things (two Frys Choc creams sometimes!). Don't think I ate too many carby foods as I don't like pasta and I think the % carbs in my diet were probably lower than those in the Eatwell Guide. As far as green veg goes, I ate quite a lot as we grow a lot.
Anyway, I think my dietary foibles, do's and dont's, may soon be resolved as almost 3 years after being diagnosed T2, there's a strong possibilty I'm T1 and will be having GAD and c-peptide tests along with HbA1c next month.

Good luck Dave 🙂

 

[Hamrag]

I'm not anti low carb at all.
I'm anti zealot.
You need to accept there is more than one way, and consider they work for other people.
Not everything is simple black and white.

And that's fine, and I would not push LCHF as the only way to go. I accept that people can make choices, but those choices need to be informed. I went down the road of trusting medical staff when they told me the condition (T2) was a progressive condition and I was given ever increasing doses of medication to control my condition! my weight ballooned and I became very sick and was threatened with Insulin! The 'Eat-well' plate!! was my downfall. LCHF my saviour. So all I am saying for many with T2 this has been a revelation, and people need to make this choice if it suits them but people need to be informed.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

And that's fine, and I would not push LCHF as the only way to go. I accept that people can make choices, but those choices need to be informed. I went down the road of trusting medical staff when they told me the condition (T2) was a progressive condition and I was given ever increasing doses of medication to control my condition! my weight ballooned and I became very sick and was threatened with Insulin! The 'Eat-well' plate!! was my downfall. LCHF my saviour. So all I am saying for many with T2 this has been a revelation, and people need to make this choice if it suits them but people need to be informed.

I entirely agree.
Informing people is something this site does very very well.
Leaving them to make informed choices as adults is something this site does too.

 

[Matt Cycle]

I'd say it was pretty 'normal' Matt, though I had developed a lust for sweet things (two Frys Choc creams sometimes!). Don't think I ate too many carby foods as I don't like pasta and I think the % carbs in my diet were probably lower than those in the Eatwell Guide. As far as green veg goes, I ate quite a lot as we grow a lot.
Anyway, I think my dietary foibles, do's and dont's, may soon be resolved as almost 3 years after being diagnosed T2, there's a strong possibilty I'm T1 and will be having GAD and c-peptide tests along with HbA1c next month.

That's good. At least you'll get a definite answer one way or the other. 🙂

 

[Hamrag]

I entirely agree.
Informing people is something this site does very very well.
Leaving them to make informed choices as adults is something this site does too.

Unfortunately and this is from 40 years experience working as a registered nurse, I have found that People respond more positively when Directed! Making the right informed choices can be difficult for people when faced with often conflicting information! For 40 years or more we have been wrongly Directed (not informed) to eat Low Fat, and increase our Carbs! and the Supermarket shelves are testament to this. Which has resulted in an Increasingly overweight sick world. Given the choice to carry on eating the Food we have been brainwashed into eating rather than making more radical changes to our diet, People will opt for the easy option and maybe only make a few tweaks. And so the sickness goes on.

 

[Ljc]

With me if I am told you must, then I probably won’t , I can be my own worst enemy at times but thats just the way I am. however if I things are explained to me and I am satisfied with the answers and I trust the medic/nurse etc then I will (I must be a docs worst nightmare)
At the time of my dx the area where I lived It was the norm to be referred to the diabetic clinic at St George’s hospital. the staff there were brilliant, though they had started advocating low fat they explained carbs were the enemy and much much more , I was also provided with a meter and 50 test strips on repeat prescription. What does the nhs expect if they no longer provide those who really want to get to grips with their diabetes, the very tools that will help them do so
I will never tell a person they must do LCHF I will suggest and explain, also it is not the only way and it’s really their choice .

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Unfortunately and this is from 40 years experience working as a registered nurse, I have found that People respond more positively when Directed! Making the right informed choices can be difficult for people when faced with often conflicting information! For 40 years or more we have been wrongly Directed (not informed) to eat Low Fat, and increase our Carbs! and the Supermarket shelves are testament to this. Which has resulted in an Increasingly overweight sick world. Given the choice to carry on eating the Food we have been brainwashed into eating rather than making more radical changes to our diet, People will opt for the easy option and maybe only make a few tweaks. And so the sickness goes on.

So, as a nurse, what you are saying is its ok to continue the "one size fits all" NHS approach, there is nothing wrong with the attitude, but you are just directing everyone to eat to your personal preference, instead, which you believe will be the best choice for every diabetic regardless of their circumstances?
And this is supported by the other site?

Personally, and as this site realises, people are not machines to churn through the process, they are different, and they are also intelligent, so simply being told they are wrong and that now a single new diet will offer the only way to be able to eat must be obeyed, and that nothing else should be mentioned in case it confuses them as they wouldn't be able to understand the about diets anyway doesn't really work for me.

I prefer free discussion, and being treated as intelligent enough to decide for myself, from all the options.

Full marks to this site for encouraging that discussion

 

[Bronco Billy]

“People respond more positively when directed!”? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you are in favour of dictating to people what they should or shouldn’t do! If this forum tells us anything, it’s that there is no single solution to any aspect of dealing with diabetes. It’s about each individual finding what works for them under the circumstances they face. I would argue that the increase in overweight people is as much due to more sedentary lifestyles and too much consumption of certain types of food, rather than the amount of carbs in the food itself.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

“People respond more positively when directed!”? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you are in favour of dictating to people what they should or shouldn’t do! If this forum tells us anything, it’s that there is no single solution to any aspect of dealing with diabetes. It’s about each individual finding what works for them under the circumstances they face. I would argue that the increase in overweight people is as much due to more sedentary lifestyles and too much consumption of certain types of food, rather than the amount of carbs in the food itself.

Sadly, it seems a lot of the appeal of the sell on LCHF is that you can still eat as much as you want, and that no exercise is a good thing.
It may be a thing that sounds good, but to me, eating as much as I want, with a sedentary lifestyle didn't work.
I needed a lifestyle change, not the same as usual.

 

[Dave W]

Sadly, it seems a lot of the appeal of the sell on LCHF is that you can still eat as much as you want, and that no exercise is a good thing.
It may be a thing that sounds good, but to me, eating as much as I want, with a sedentary lifestyle didn't work.
I needed a lifestyle change, not the same as usual.

Don't know where on earth you got the idea that you can eat as much as you want with LCHF. As far as I've gleaned much depends on how much of WHAT you eat figures in the equation.
As far as exercise goes, it's a very good thing indeed and has an impact on health, but to re-quote a very common statement - 'you can't outrun a bad diet.'
If eating as much as you want with a sedentary lifestyle hasn't worked for you, it's perhaps worth thinking about what you ate and maybe getting a little bit more active.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I would argue that the increase in overweight people is as much due to more sedentary lifestyles and too much consumption of certain types of food, rather than the amount of carbs in the food itself.

I suspect that it has mostly to do with simply an increase in calories.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Don't know where on earth you got the idea that you can eat as much as you want with LCHF. As far as I've gleaned much depends on how much of WHAT you eat figures in the equation.
As far as exercise goes, it's a very good thing indeed and has an impact on health, but to re-quote a very common statement - 'you can't outrun a bad diet.'
If eating as much as you want with a sedentary lifestyle hasn't worked for you, it's perhaps worth thinking about what you ate and maybe getting a little bit more active.

Very true. It appears no matter what you eat, you need to limit calories.
And being active certainly needs to be in there too.

 

[chaoticcar]

Very true. It appears no matter what you eat, you need to limit calories.
And being active certainly needs to be in there too.

One size certainly doesn't fit all .I need as many calories as I can get but need to limit my carbs to maintain my BGs and gain weight
Carol

 

[Deleted member 21371]

One size certainly doesn't fit all .I need as many calories as I can get but need to limit my carbs to maintain my BGs and gain weight
Carol

I found over 3000 or 4000 calories a day made me gain weight!

 

[Hamrag]

Well a lively debate ensues! Some interesting points. OK Personally I agree that I need to be mindful of the quantity of food I consume, but this is largely taken care of by the High fat in my diet (satiety) keeps me feeling full. therefore my calorie intake on average is around 2200 and my Calorie expenditure nearly always exceeds! The low Carb below 50g daily keeps my BG Levels in check Hba1c 39. I exercise daily between 4-7 mile walk, which helps with BG Levels and Insulin resistance. All of that been said I am aware that there are many people due to their personal circumstances, eg, Other health/ genetic conditions, Physical Disability, Dietary/ religious beliefs, that need to find other ways of approaching their Diabetic control, and I never said that LCHF WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GO! However no one has yet shown me any other way that is as effective!?

 

[Hamrag]

“People respond more positively when directed!”? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you are in favour of dictating to people what they should or shouldn’t do! If this forum tells us anything, it’s that there is no single solution to any aspect of dealing with diabetes. It’s about each individual finding what works for them under the circumstances they face. I would argue that the increase in overweight people is as much due to more sedentary lifestyles and too much consumption of certain types of food, rather than the amount of carbs in the food itself.

None of us can avoid Carbs altogether, however the "Types of foods" that cause Obesity and are mostly responsible for the rapid increase in T2 Diabetes are those foods heavily laden with refined Carbs, Sugar and High Fructose corn syrup,(highly processed foods) all of which anyone T2, or not should avoid like the plague! So finding what works for individuals needs to be to cut out all of this as a starting point. Look at what is healthy, eat to your meter, and help to bring your BG Down. For some that might mean cutting all starchy veg Bread Pasta and rice. For others that might just mean reducing portions of starchy veg Bread etc . But at the end of the day, whatever else people do to manage their T2 This needs to be the starting point.

 

[Hamrag]

Sadly, it seems a lot of the appeal of the sell on LCHF is that you can still eat as much as you want, and that no exercise is a good thing.
It may be a thing that sounds good, but to me, eating as much as I want, with a sedentary lifestyle didn't work.
I needed a lifestyle change, not the same as usual.

Not true! LCHF Lifestyle is not about "eat as much as you want." Calories in and out, as a way of controlling diet is secondary to Eating a higher proportion of Good Fats which will keep you fuller longer. This way the calorie balance will take care of itself. Exercise is regularly cited by Diabetes.co.uk and encouraged as away of improving overall health and reducing Insulin resistance.

 

[Hamrag]

It is still important to include fruit in the diet as it contains important nutrients. But the focus should be around portion sizes and frequency rather than removing it from the diet completely, or making healthy swaps, so having tinned fruit in juice, rather than in syrup or having yoghurt that is low in fat.

@Dave W , you are referencing the page, 'What is a healthy, balanced diet for diabetes?'

All our dietary advice follows our 'Evidence-based nutritional guidelines' which are referenced at the beginning of this thread. All research and evidence has been cited in the document in 'References' from pages 40-56.

Children who use insulin to control type 1 diabetes will have different dietary needs to an adult living with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, children are not included in the scope of these guidelines. The International Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) clinical practice guidelines have been adopted by us for dietary guidance for children. More details on this page of our website.

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/profess...for-the-prevention-and-management-of-diabetes

However the Guidelines "What is a healthy balanced diet for diabetes" does not differentiate between T1 and T2 it seems to assume the same diet for both conditions! I am T2 and if I ate half of what is recommended here I would be very sick!!!

 

[Ditto]

However no one has yet shown me any other way that is as effective!?

I agree with this. I'm re-starting Atkins today, please God I can keep to it because at the minute I'm on the road to ruin.