Hello ! New to the forum

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Jay 1978

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone. Recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 45 ! Prior to my diagnosis, I was flagged as pre diabetic and had a plan to reduce the sugar intake, exercise more and generally eat more healthier. Although I started to lose weight and ate better, recent blood test results confirmed the diabetes at a HbA1c level of 53. I've not been prescribed any medication just yet, as I also had concerns with the levels in my liver (liver level of 165 where a normal male should be around 65). As a non drinker this came a bit of a shock. I'm actually a blood courier on call 24/6 so I very rarely drink alcohol anyway.

Will have a good read over the forums and also search the internet for some healthy meal ideas. I'm a bit bored of poached egg on wholemeal toast at the mo ;o)
 
Hi and welcome.

Unfortunately diabetes is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates which break down into glucose in your digestive system and get absorbed into the blood stream, where we have difficulty removing them either due to insufficient insulin, insulin resistance or poor communication between the liver and pancreas often due to build us of visceral fat. I am assuming that your high liver reading indicates fatty liver problems which would suggest that your pancreas and liver may not be working in harmony to balance your BG (Blood Glucose) levels. Yes alcohol can be one cause for liver problems but a build up of fat is also a problem and this can stem from eating too many carbohydrates in general.

Unfortunately wholemeal bread/toast has pretty much the same amount of carbs as white bread/toast so you gain very little for your diabetes management just from swapping to wholemeal, although the extra fibre in wholemeal is of course good for us. You really need to start looking at reducing portion sizes of all carbohydrate rich foods including bread, pasta, rice, couscous, and anything containing grains or grain products like flour and breakfast cereals. You also need to be careful with fruit intake as fruit contains natural sugars and your body just sees it as sugar when it is digesting it, rather than ignoring it because it comes from a nice healthy source. It all takes a bit of getting your head around, especially as most of us assumed it was just sugar that was the issue before we were diagnosed.

That doesn't mean to say food has to be boring or tasteless and in fact the white/beige stuff tends to be the least tasty stuff once you think about it. They are mostly just there to carry the tasty food, so the idea is to have more of the tasty low carb brightly coloured foods (green veg, salad, tomatoes onions peppers, courgettes, aubergines....OK cauliflower and mushrooms aren't brightly coloured (mostly white beige) but are also low carb) and less of the beige stodge.
Eggs are great and if you are a carnivore, meat isn't off the menu by any means but try to reduce the amount of processed meat like bacon and sausage unless very good quality high meat content sausage and fish and full fat dairy produce is back on the menu so cheese and full fat creamy natural yoghurt and full fat milk. I have real double cream in my coffee every morning as my little daily luxury. Cream is lower cab than milk plus the fat keeps you feeling full for longer and it tastes good (to me anyway!).
@Martin.A just posted a delicious recipe on another thread for Greek turkey stuffed red peppers to be served with plenty of green veg like green beans or broccoli or spinach or cabbage. There are lots of tasty low carb recipes to try. I occasional have steak and chips made with a nice rib eye steak and celeriac chips (instead of potato chips) and a large salad with creamy coleslaw or it is quite nice with a serving of ratatouille. I have another recipe for Halloumi and cauliflower curry which is delicious and I serve it on a bed of green bean or broccoli or shredded cabbage instead of rice. You don't have to be a great cook to cook these things but if you want something quick and simple an omelette works really well with all sorts of filling from meat to veg to mushrooms or cheese or a combination of all those things. I like omelettes because they don't have a runny yolk which just begs some bread to mop it up.

Anyway, those are just some ideas for tasty low carb alternative meals.

The other option is to try to burn off whatever visceral fat your have by following a short term very low calorie diet. Usually 800calories per day for 8-12 weeks. If you are interested in this approach you need to research the Newcastle diet or Fast 800.
 
Hi, and welcome. As @rebrascora says, wholemeal in whatever form is not much lower in carbs than the white varieties - bread, pasta, rice - but it is a healthier choice, whether diabetic or not, and is generally recommended because the carbs take longer to digest than refined carbs. However, we are also advised to cut portion sizes. I usually have Weetabix for breakfast, for example, but only one.

The other option is to try alternatives. I eat red lentil pasta (there are other non-grain types too), riced cauliflower instead of rice, mashed cauliflower or mashed celeriac instead of potatoes, and celeriac chips instead of potato chips. I also use my wife's gluten-free bread as it has not much more than half the carbs of regular bread.
 
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Hi and welcome.

Unfortunately diabetes is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates which break down into glucose in your digestive system and get absorbed into the blood stream, where we have difficulty removing them either due to insufficient insulin, insulin resistance or poor communication between the liver and pancreas often due to build us of visceral fat. I am assuming that your high liver reading indicates fatty liver problems which would suggest that your pancreas and liver may not be working in harmony to balance your BG (Blood Glucose) levels. Yes alcohol can be one cause for liver problems but a build up of fat is also a problem and this can stem from eating too many carbohydrates in general.

Unfortunately wholemeal bread/toast has pretty much the same amount of carbs as white bread/toast so you gain very little for your diabetes management just from swapping to wholemeal, although the extra fibre in wholemeal is of course good for us. You really need to start looking at reducing portion sizes of all carbohydrate rich foods including bread, pasta, rice, couscous, and anything containing grains or grain products like flour and breakfast cereals. You also need to be careful with fruit intake as fruit contains natural sugars and your body just sees it as sugar when it is digesting it, rather than ignoring it because it comes from a nice healthy source. It all takes a bit of getting your head around, especially as most of us assumed it was just sugar that was the issue before we were diagnosed.

That doesn't mean to say food has to be boring or tasteless and in fact the white/beige stuff tends to be the least tasty stuff once you think about it. They are mostly just there to carry the tasty food, so the idea is to have more of the tasty low carb brightly coloured foods (green veg, salad, tomatoes onions peppers, courgettes, aubergines....OK cauliflower and mushrooms aren't brightly coloured (mostly white beige) but are also low carb) and less of the beige stodge.
Eggs are great and if you are a carnivore, meat isn't off the menu by any means but try to reduce the amount of processed meat like bacon and sausage unless very good quality high meat content sausage and fish and full fat dairy produce is back on the menu so cheese and full fat creamy natural yoghurt and full fat milk. I have real double cream in my coffee every morning as my little daily luxury. Cream is lower cab than milk plus the fat keeps you feeling full for longer and it tastes good (to me anyway!).
@Martin.A just posted a delicious recipe on another thread for Greek turkey stuffed red peppers to be served with plenty of green veg like green beans or broccoli or spinach or cabbage. There are lots of tasty low carb recipes to try. I occasional have steak and chips made with a nice rib eye steak and celeriac chips (instead of potato chips) and a large salad with creamy coleslaw or it is quite nice with a serving of ratatouille. I have another recipe for Halloumi and cauliflower curry which is delicious and I serve it on a bed of green bean or broccoli or shredded cabbage instead of rice. You don't have to be a great cook to cook these things but if you want something quick and simple an omelette works really well with all sorts of filling from meat to veg to mushrooms or cheese or a combination of all those things. I like omelettes because they don't have a runny yolk which just begs some bread to mop it up.

Anyway, those are just some ideas for tasty low carb alternative meals.

The other option is to try to burn off whatever visceral fat your have by following a short term very low calorie diet. Usually 800calories per day for 8-12 weeks. If you are interested in this approach you need to research the Newcastle diet or Fast 800.
Thank you so much for taking the time with your response. I really do appreciate any help or support. It was a bit of a shock when I found out I was now a diabetic and it was a lot of information to take in from the nurse. If I can help avoid medication and try and bring my blood sugar levels down by dieting and exercise, I will try my absolute best. I'm 14 stone 10lb (6ft tall) at the moment and would like to lose a couple of stone. I try and get in around 8-10k steps per day when possible, but understand that the diet needs a lot more focusing on.

I went through a phase a while back of using meal replacement shakes for either breakfast or lunch - but I wasn't left feeling full afterwards and that would lead to snacking on fruit or low calorie bars etc. I will definitely have a look at the Newcastle Diet or Fast 800. The meals you mentioned in your response sound lovely and will give those a try. Thanks again. Jay
 
Hi, and welcome. As @rebrascora says, wholemeal in whatever form is not much lower in carbs than the white varieties - bread, pasta, rice - but it is a healthier choice, whether diabetic or not, and is generally recommended because the carbs take longer to digest than refined carbs. However, we are also advised to cut portion sizes. I usually have Weetabix for breakfast, for example, but only one.

The other option is to try alternatives. I eat Red Lentil Pasta (there are other non-grain types too), riced cauliflower instead of rice, mashed cauliflower or mashed celeriac instead of potatoes, and celeriac chips instead of potato chips. I also use my wife's gluten-free bread as it has not much more than half the carbs of regular bread.
Thanks for your response. This is all great information and I will take it onboard. Prior to joining this forum, I was searching the internet and some of the recipes suggested wholegrains were a better option for carb digestion as you mention (in moderation of course). I have been concentrating on low sugar levels when checking the back of food packaging when I should be checking the carb intake too. It's all brand new to me and I have a lot to learn and research.

I tried a wholegrain wild and red rice last night with chicken pieces and veg (carrot / broccoli and cauliflower) and this morning for breakfast, Greek yogurt and raspberries. Thanks again for your response, it's much appreciated. Jay
 
Thanks for your response. This is all great information and I will take it onboard. Prior to joining this forum, I was searching the internet and some of the recipes suggested wholegrains were a better option for carb digestion as you mention (in moderation of course). I have been concentrating on low sugar levels when checking the back of food packaging when I should be checking the carb intake too. It's all brand new to me and I have a lot to learn and research.

I tried a wholegrain wild and red rice last night with chicken pieces and veg (carrot / broccoli and cauliflower) and this morning for breakfast, Greek yogurt and raspberries. Thanks again for your response, it's much appreciated. Jay
Those sound like good choices that you made. Full fat Greek yoghurt both tastes better and will be more satisfying and with berries makes a good breakfast choice, you may also find having a scattering of a low sugar granola mainly for the crunch will be OK for you.
Have a look at this link for some menu ideas and good explanation for a low carb approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Welcome to the forum @Jay 1978

Sound like you are making some positive changes 🙂

I have been concentrating on low sugar levels when checking the back of food packaging when I should be checking the carb intake too. It's all brand new to me and I have a lot to learn and research.

Yes that’s pretty much the impression you would have been given by food labelling, and the media in general, so it’s hardly surprising.

But of course the body often doesn’t take very long to break down those extra bonds from starch to simpler sugars, so depending on the unique make-up of your metabolism, you’ll have to pick and choose the starchy carbs (and portion sizes) that suit you individually.
 
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