Hello

[Polly 999]

I am new to this site and fairly new to type 2 diabetes, l have been on a learning course about diabetes however the theory is easier than the practice, and l am still learning what's best for me, l was interested to read the conversation about beans on toast. I am hoping to learn from you all thank you

 

[Tim Aylesbury]

Welcome to the Group Polly. Which learning course have you been on?

 

[Polly 999]

It was through Gateshead health Tim, my doctor referred me, it was very good,

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

I am guessing it may have been my comment about beans on toast you were referring to.
Unfortunately NHS advice about healthy eating for diabetics is not always helpful to people who wish to control their diabetes through diet and exercise and many of us here despair that they are still so far behind the times with this.

Whilst we having varying views on many aspects of diabetes management here on the forum, the thing that we almost universally agree on and advocate is the use of a BG meter to test your BG levels before and 2 hours after eating to see how your body/diabetes responds to the food that you eat and use that information to tailor your menu to suit your diabetes and your tastes. You may be one of the lucky ones who can manage porridge for breakfast or a slice of baked beans on toast for lunch but without testing, you will never know and it can be highly individual. If you follow NHS advice and eat things like porridge and beans on toast and fruit regularly without testing, you may end up having to start on medication (or increase medication) because your body cannot cope with the glucose derived from them.

The other bug bear is the low fat advice from the NHS. Low fat products are usually higher in carbs (both sugars and starches) because when you remove the natural fat it doesn't taste so good and the texture is watery (yoghurts are a particularly good example) so they add sugar or sweetener and starches to make it more appetising. Many of us buy whole milk or creamy Greek style yoghurt and add a few berries (berries being the lowest carb fruits and you only need a few to get a big kick of nutrients and flavour/tang) The natural fat helps to slow down the digestion of carbs from the berries and yoghurt itself, but more importantly it keeps you feeling full for longer, so that you don't have the cravings to snack between meals.
It is believed that the low fat food industry may in fact be partly responsible for the obesity and diabetes epidemic we are currently seeing because the fat which would have kept us sated has been removed and we end up eating more and more carbs because we are constantly hungry. I find it amazing how little I need to eat these days since I cut right back on the carbs and eat more fat and I often go from breakfast to evening meal without feeling hungry in between. Whereas before my diagnosis and change of diet I would have a big bowl of porridge for breakfast, 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a whole can of beans at lunchtime and still be craving a snack/chocolate bar or 3 😱 mid afternoon and still want a big meal in the evening.
Now I usually have coffee with double cream and yoghurt and berries and seeds at breakfast and then meat or fish and veg in the evening and a chunk of really nice cheese (and maybe some olives) before bed (sometimes with a glass of red wine or port) and feel very satisfied with that. If I feel a bit peckish at lunchtime I might have a boiled egg with a spoon of mayonnaise (full fat version) or a chunk of cheese or some veggie sticks with a sour cream and chive dip.
Despite eating at least 3 to 4x the amount of fat that I used to pre diagnosis, my cholesterol levels are decreasing slightly and the ratio is good and I am slimmer and feel fitter and healthier than I have for 20+years and best of all, I hardly ever have food cravings and feel like at long last I am in control of my food intake.

 

[Polly 999]

Thank you for that its very interesting, l do have a monitor and am trying to find what's best for me by testing my BG regularly even tho l was advised not to do this, but quite honestly l don't know how l would know if l was doing things right without testing, l have been offered metformin but would prefer to try and control things without medication, thank you for your advice.

 

[rebrascora]

Oh I see you are a near neighbour too! I'm just down the road near Consett!

 

[mage 1]

Hi and welcome from me too.

I am guessing it may have been my comment about beans on toast you were referring to.
Unfortunately NHS advice about healthy eating for diabetics is not always helpful to people who wish to control their diabetes through diet and exercise and many of us here despair that they are still so far behind the times with this.

Whilst we having varying views on many aspects of diabetes management here on the forum, the thing that we almost universally agree on and advocate is the use of a BG meter to test your BG levels before and 2 hours after eating to see how your body/diabetes responds to the food that you eat and use that information to tailor your menu to suit your diabetes and your tastes. You may be one of the lucky ones who can manage porridge for breakfast or a slice of baked beans on toast for lunch but without testing, you will never know and it can be highly individual. If you follow NHS advice and eat things like porridge and beans on toast and fruit regularly without testing, you may end up having to start on medication (or increase medication) because your body cannot cope with the glucose derived from them.

The other bug bear is the low fat advice from the NHS. Low fat products are usually higher in carbs (both sugars and starches) because when you remove the natural fat it doesn't taste so good and the texture is watery (yoghurts are a particularly good example) so they add sugar or sweetener and starches to make it more appetising. Many of us buy whole milk or creamy Greek style yoghurt and add a few berries (berries being the lowest carb fruits and you only need a few to get a big kick of nutrients and flavour/tang) The natural fat helps to slow down the digestion of carbs from the berries and yoghurt itself, but more importantly it keeps you feeling full for longer, so that you don't have the cravings to snack between meals.
It is believed that the low fat food industry may in fact be partly responsible for the obesity and diabetes epidemic we are currently seeing because the fat which would have kept us sated has been removed and we end up eating more and more carbs because we are constantly hungry. I find it amazing how little I need to eat these days since I cut right back on the carbs and eat more fat and I often go from breakfast to evening meal without feeling hungry in between. Whereas before my diagnosis and change of diet I would have a big bowl of porridge for breakfast, 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a whole can of beans at lunchtime and still be craving a snack/chocolate bar or 3 😱 mid afternoon and still want a big meal in the evening.
Now I usually have coffee with double cream and yoghurt and berries and seeds at breakfast and then meat or fish and veg in the evening and a chunk of really nice cheese (and maybe some olives) before bed (sometimes with a glass of red wine or port) and feel very satisfied with that. If I feel a bit peckish at lunchtime I might have a boiled egg with a spoon of mayonnaise (full fat version) or a chunk of cheese or some veggie sticks with a sour cream and chive dip.
Despite eating at least 3 to 4x the amount of fat that I used to pre diagnosis, my cholesterol levels are decreasing slightly and the ratio is good and I am slimmer and feel fitter and healthier than I have for 20+years and best of all, I hardly ever have food cravings and feel like at long last I am in control of my food intake.

Thank you it makes more sense the way you explained the food I can’t believe how behind the time the nhs is I have learned every thing from this forum thanks

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Polly, welcome to the forum.

Just popping in to say hi! There is a lot to learn but keep testing, have a look around the forum and let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

 

[Drummer]

I am very sensitive to all carbohydrates - so for me it is very simple, eat protein and fat, pick out low carb foods and laugh at the so called educators who come out with 'baked potatoes and beans are a good choice for lunch' as mine did.

 

[Polly 999]

I think l have already learned more today on here than all the lessons from NHS thanks everyone, is there any type of bread that is better to eat occasionally l already eat it sparingly and always wholemeal but l already know its not good thanks

 

[rebrascora]

Good to hear that you are already gaining Knowledge from the forum.

Livlife and Bergen are the two most often mentioned low carb breads but they can be difficult to source. A seeded bread is usually lower carb than a wholemeal but learning to look at and understand Nutritional information on packaging is one of the important aspects of diabetes. Make sure to take your reading glasses with you when you go shopping as the information is almost always printed in tiny writing on the side or back of packaging. Total carbohydrates is the info you want. Ignore the "of which sugars" part and ignore the traffic light system of labelling on the front.

There is an online company which makes a very low carb bread or a bread mix pack if you have a bread maker or want to make your own but they are quite expensive. Or there are You tube videos showing how to make low carb breads but you do require special ingredients which are not generally available in the supermarket.
@Maca44 was buying the low carb bread maker kits, so can perhaps post a link to the online website he uses.

 

[Polly 999]

Good to hear that you are already gaining Knowledge from the forum.

Livlife and Bergen are the two most often mentioned low carb breads but they can be difficult to source. A seeded bread is usually lower carb than a wholemeal but learning to look at and understand Nutritional information on packaging is one of the important aspects of diabetes. Make sure to take your reading glasses with you when you go shopping as the information is almost always printed in tiny writing on the side or back of packaging. Total carbohydrates is the info you want. Ignore the "of which sugars" part and ignore the traffic light system of labelling on the front.

There is an online company which makes a very low carb bread or a bread mix pack if you have a bread maker or want to make your own but they are quite expensive. Or there are You tube videos showing how to make low carb breads but you do require special ingredients which are not generally available in the supermarket.
@Maca44 was buying the low carb bread maker kits, so can perhaps post a link to the online website he uses.

Oh thank you for that Barbara l will look out for them

 

[Maca44]

Good to hear that you are already gaining Knowledge from the forum.

Livlife and Bergen are the two most often mentioned low carb breads but they can be difficult to source. A seeded bread is usually lower carb than a wholemeal but learning to look at and understand Nutritional information on packaging is one of the important aspects of diabetes. Make sure to take your reading glasses with you when you go shopping as the information is almost always printed in tiny writing on the side or back of packaging. Total carbohydrates is the info you want. Ignore the "of which sugars" part and ignore the traffic light system of labelling on the front.

There is an online company which makes a very low carb bread or a bread mix pack if you have a bread maker or want to make your own but they are quite expensive. Or there are You tube videos showing how to make low carb breads but you do require special ingredients which are not generally available in the supermarket.
@Maca44 was buying the low carb bread maker kits, so can perhaps post a link to the online website he uses.

Sure can I'm now making my own in bread maker then freezing it I eat lots of it very very low carb. This is what I make and it's amazing.

I buy all ingredience from here in bulk https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/

Or if you want to buy ready made https://seriouslylowcarb.com/ nice but works out much cheaper to make yourself. For one slice low carb bread like Burgen I can eat 6 slices of home made 2g a thick slice, I eat 4 a day. No nasty's in it so keep it in fridge and it keeps fine, I cut it like she does in half slice each half pop in freezer bag one in freezer one for use in fridge.

 

[Drummer]

Sure can I'm now making my own in bread maker then freezing it I eat lots of it very very low carb. This is what I make and it's amazing.

I buy all ingredience from here in bulk https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/

Or if you want to buy ready made https://seriouslylowcarb.com/ nice but works out much cheaper to make yourself. For one slice low carb bread like Burgen I can eat 6 slices of home made 2g a thick slice, I eat 4 a day. No nasty's in it so keep it in fridge and it keeps fine, I cut it like she does in half slice each half pop in freezer bag one in freezer one for use in fridge.
View attachment 16408

Any idea of the actual recipe? It gives the ingredients in the video, but not the amounts - though being in the UK I will not be adding the shovelful of sweetener. Very strange idea.

 

[Maca44]

I have worked out the exact amounts as US cup sizes are abit vague so my list is spot on after a few tweaks. Don't worry about the Honey as the yeast will eat it up but it's a crucial part so don't leave out also I use Truvia sweetener just 2 level tbsp's you can get that in any supermarket. The salt can be brought from supermarket but is costly and course so order it from the website I posted a link to you get a large pack of fine salt which will last ages same as milled flax/linseed, I have seen it in Tesco but in a tiny pack so again get a big pack from the place I recommend. The sweetener makes a big difference so start with 2 tbsp's see if you like it then you can always drop amount if you wish.

Follow video as she does it and in that order and use basic setting on breadmaker not gluten as suggested basic works best for me.

Hope you like it

 

[RirisR]

I think l have already learned more today on here than all the lessons from NHS thanks everyone, is there any type of bread that is better to eat occasionally l already eat it sparingly and always wholemeal but l already know its not good thanks

Hi Polly When I have a fancy for bread, I eat Liv life bread its small and seeded some don't like it but I do its always
moist and does fill me up I get mine from Waitrose its the only place here that sells it

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Polly 999

You have already been given a lot of advice. As you say it is a case of finding a sustainable strategy that you can stick to. Good to hear that you are already testing. Without that it is difficult to ow what is giong on.

As you come up with other questions just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.

 

[Polly 999]

Oh thanks for that, l am sure l will have silly questions in future.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I think l have already learned more today on here than all the lessons from NHS thanks everyone,

Welcome to the forum @Polly 999

Glad you are finding the forum helpful so far.

The only silly questions are the ones you don’t ask!

 

[Perfect10]

Livlife bread - only ever found it in Waitrose
Sainsbury’s near me have just started selling another called Hi-Lo which is similar to Livlife but nicer.
Then there’s Hovis lower carb bread which is just like normal bread, Sainsbury’s sometimes have it but not always.
I have never found Bergen anywhere?
If you can’t find any of the above there is always Hovis nimble wholemeal, but the slices are thin.