Hi josiemarie, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis
Diabetes can be complicated, and there can seem to be an awful lot to learn when first diagnosed, so try not to get overwhelmed by everything. I would recommend having a read of
Jennifer's Advice and
Maggie Davey's letter, and getting a copy of
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - many of our members have found these very helpful in understanding diabetes and what it all entails. Regarding diet, this can be a very individual thing. There are some general principles that can be followed though. The main thing to be aware of is that carbohydrates will have the greatest impact on your blood sugar levels, so bread, rice, pasta, sugar are all things to be wary of. One useful method of eating that can have a slow and steady impact on your levels is the GI/GL diet (Glycaemic Index/Glycaemic Load) - I would suggest looking at
The GL Diet for Dummies as a good introduction.
Ideally, you need to be able to test your blood sugar levels before and after eating, as described in
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S . This will inform you about which foods you tolerate well and which you need to avoid (or reserve for special treats!). If you haven't been given a meter and a prescription for test strips (as is often the case, as GPs think there is no benefit in testing for Type 2s) then it would be worth getting your own and self-funding for a while, then showing your nurse of GP how the information is helping you to learn about your reactions to things and control your levels better - often they will then prescribe if they see it is helping and you are motivated
🙂 If you do buy your own, the cheapest option we have come across here is the
SD Codefree Meter with
test strips at around £7/£8 for 50.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - nothing is considered 'silly'! If it bothers or confuses you, please ask
🙂
