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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hi
- Thread starter Lynndavs
- Start date
- Status
Hello @Lynndavs and welcome to the forum .
Type 2 Diabetes doesn't have to be a progressive disease, many of us have stopped it or even reversed it just by changing what we eat and testing our blood before and after every meal (for the first 2 months or so) to find foods that don't spike our Blood Glucose.
Carbohydrates are the problem for Type 2's - not just sugar but starchy foods as well. So for me so-called healthy foods like whole grains and fruit juices are off the menu. Replaced with fatty fish, fattier cuts of meat (chicken with the skin on, lamb chops etc) and eggs, full fat cheese, olives , avocados and things like blitzed cauliflower to replace rice or mashed potato.
Type 2 Diabetes doesn't have to be a progressive disease, many of us have stopped it or even reversed it just by changing what we eat and testing our blood before and after every meal (for the first 2 months or so) to find foods that don't spike our Blood Glucose.
Carbohydrates are the problem for Type 2's - not just sugar but starchy foods as well. So for me so-called healthy foods like whole grains and fruit juices are off the menu. Replaced with fatty fish, fattier cuts of meat (chicken with the skin on, lamb chops etc) and eggs, full fat cheese, olives , avocados and things like blitzed cauliflower to replace rice or mashed potato.
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @Lynndavs and welcome.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but although diabetes Type 2 is a serious condition, it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available.
You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.
There is no single solution, we are all different and so are the solutions.
It will mean making changes that lower your blood glucose levels, and the 3 main tools for doing this are diet, increased exercise and maybe medication if prescribed.
If you click the link 'useful links for people new to diabetes' at the top of this section, and also have a look at the learning zone on the orange tab, there are some useful pointers.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but although diabetes Type 2 is a serious condition, it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available.
You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.
There is no single solution, we are all different and so are the solutions.
It will mean making changes that lower your blood glucose levels, and the 3 main tools for doing this are diet, increased exercise and maybe medication if prescribed.
If you click the link 'useful links for people new to diabetes' at the top of this section, and also have a look at the learning zone on the orange tab, there are some useful pointers.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Lynndavs
Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.
One of the biggest questions when newly diagnosed is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and after eating to check how well your metabolism copes with that meal or snack. Many folks on the forum find this test-review-adjust approach, as described by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you need to self fund your BG meter (many GP surgeries are reluctant to prescribe BG meters to people unless they are on certain meds that cause hypos), the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
For an overview of diabetes, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.
Good luck, and keep asking questions!
Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.
One of the biggest questions when newly diagnosed is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and after eating to check how well your metabolism copes with that meal or snack. Many folks on the forum find this test-review-adjust approach, as described by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you need to self fund your BG meter (many GP surgeries are reluctant to prescribe BG meters to people unless they are on certain meds that cause hypos), the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
For an overview of diabetes, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.
Good luck, and keep asking questions!
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