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Food Help Needed

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mark1985

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Hi
ok so the last week has been a bit of a head spin. i have managed the hard part for me and now able to do finger pricks which is a big help but now im getting so many mixed messages on what food to keep in and what food to stop and how many carbs and things i should have each day. my a1c result is 100 which i know is high and my bg readings have been between 8.7 and 14 over today,( 1st day eating 3 meals at normal times for years and trying to think about what i eat.
Is there any websites or guides out there to help with this at all
 
mark1985 said:
Hi
ok so the last week has been a bit of a head spin. i have managed the hard part for me and now able to do finger pricks which is a big help but now im getting so many mixed messages on what food to keep in and what food to stop and how many carbs and things i should have each day. my a1c result is 100 which i know is high and my bg readings have been between 8.7 and 14 over today,( 1st day eating 3 meals at normal times for years and trying to think about what i eat.
Is there any websites or guides out there to help with this at all
Click to expand...
Perhaps the most direct track to lower numbers would be to pinpoint the foods you are eating which are highest in carbs and either reducing or replacing them.
Do you have a record of what you ate when your BG went up to 14 - that is, if you have been testing at the 2 hours after eating point.
Are you on any medication which affects blood glucose levels?
 
PS My HbA1c was 91 and I dropped down to the top end of normal in 6 months - BUT I am a very ordinary type 2, nothing at all interesting, so reducing carbs meant reduced BG - job done.
 
mark1985 said:
Hi
ok so the last week has been a bit of a head spin. i have managed the hard part for me and now able to do finger pricks which is a big help but now im getting so many mixed messages on what food to keep in and what food to stop and how many carbs and things i should have each day. my a1c result is 100 which i know is high and my bg readings have been between 8.7 and 14 over today,( 1st day eating 3 meals at normal times for years and trying to think about what i eat.
Is there any websites or guides out there to help with this at all
Click to expand...

When I was diagnosed I bought some recipe books by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, and used them for 3 months along with exercise and a low dose of Metformin - hba1c returned to normal and I lost a lot of weight. I still use their books now.

The 30 minute diabetes cook book is particularly good, as the recipes are easy and very tasty.

The recipes are generally < 20g of carbs per meal.
 
There are some meal plans here @mark1985 :

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

And some recipes to choose from, bearing in mind your individual situation and carb amounts. They also have the nutritional info for each recipe to help you choose:

Recipe finder - Enjoy Food | Diabetes UK

www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
@mark1985 Welcome to the forum. I haven't sorted myself out yet so can be of limited help. My breakfasts tend to be mushroom omlette or full fat yoghurt with blueberries or raspberries sometimes added seeds or a few nuts. I was told my cholesteral was nudging up so cut out the treats naughties like cake pastry etc. I chose to cut out meat too. I love fish and so it wasn't a problem. I asked for a diabetes test when I discovered they hadn't tested me for 10 years. In my head I knew I would be diabetic but was deeply shocked when told it was 69. I stopped sugar in drinks and cereals in my teens and have never liked fizzy drinks. I then cut out potato except new potato in skins pasta rice etc. I have had a couple of small fry ups out minus beans hash browns and toast. I still eat some bread if I go out to eat but rarely buy bread and if I do it is M and S robust rye that I have with smoked Salmon and cream cheese open sandwich ie one slice. I now think except for very high carbs you can eat anything if it is a small portion with lots of veg. On reflection I cut too much out but I was losing just under a kilo a week. It was summer so there is a huge variety of veg. Winter you can look at soups and stews. I've started eating porridge which I do in the microwave. Make sure you are eating things you like. Your palate will change and along the way you will have new favourites. I keep a food and motions diary. The three people who have replied above me are all kind generous founts of knowledge. They have previously posted links to the Freshwell site some of the infographic are excellent. Basically veg below ground like carrots is more starchy than above ground. Still eat but smaller portions. I have now been put on a drug which requires some carbs to work so I need to be nearer 130 grams a day whereas originally I'd usually be nearer 80.
Many people suggest it is not good for your body to drop too fast. Have an achievable plan. Good luck.
 
New here myself, but general advice seems to be less carbs (all carbs), not just spuds, rice, pasta and bread.
As above if you finger prick before eating, then approx 2 hours after, that will tell you how much that meal has spiked your BG.
You can then adjust meals to hopefully lower BG. Good luck with it. Plenty of good info on here....
 
The Carbs and Cals book is also useful as it has several photos showing portion sizes of many common foods. I have reduced my carbs but medium rather than low carb due to medication and pushing my bg levels too quickly was affecting my eyesight and causing neuropathy in my feet.
 
Leadinglights said:
This program has menu plans and many suggestions for meals. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Click to expand...
Hi @Leadinglights i really like the look of some of the recipes on here, but there is no carb count listed on them. Are you aware whether there is a place that i could find that information without having to go through each of the ingredients individually? (Has someone already done the hard work so i don't have to basically!)
 
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