Holiday

[jane58]

You can substitute cauliflower rice for normal rice. Pasta - get one of the lentil or pulse based pastas and only have a small portion. Same with potatoes - a small portion.

Do you like salad? There must be some veg you like? Stir fries? Soups? Salads. I know I said it in a jokey way, but vegetables really are great - particularly green leafy veg.

i seriously dont like veg. it makes me gag

 

[jane58]

I'm afraid it is not just junk food that is the problem and many people feel they have a healthy diet but sadly it is not if diabetic as it is too high in carbs. Things like rice, pasta, bread regardless of colour are high carb as well as potatoes, breakfast cereals, pastry and tropical fruits like bananas, pineapple, mango.
An HbA1C of 63mmol/mol is quite high (the threshold for diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol) but not as high as many. However at that level I would be surprised if your GP wouldn't want you to start mediation especially as you may struggle with eating foods which are low carb like meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads and fruit like berries since you say you don't like them.
There is good explanation in this link which is for a low carb approach, you may find some meals in the menu plans which may suit you or which you can adapt. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
As for drinks, dry wines and spirits with diet mixers are usually ok in moderation but as it is likely to be hot at that time of year plenty of water and diet drinks.

one of the resons i dont want put on the meds at the moment is that i can hardly eat anything due to having gallstones in my bile duct, i heard not eating much when on meds can cause lots of hypos. i will see what the dr says regarding this. thanks for the link i will deffo have a look

 

[jane58]

If you HbA1C has gone up it suggests that you haven't made enough adjustments to your diet, however the poor dietary advice from the NHS that is perhaps understandable.
Making changes now should set you on the right track. Have a look at this link for a low carb approach https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Getting a blood glucose monitor will help you keep track of what is going on day to day, week to week rather than waiting for that shock of the periodic HbA1C which doesn't help with the NOW management of your condition.
By getting into the low carb new way of eating will help you make better choices when on holiday as you will better know what foods to avoid.

Hi thank you for the link, I see from some of what i read that a a lot of what i normally eat is replaced with veg, bit of a problem i don't and never have liked veg it makes me gag. not keen on fish either. probably why i got type 2 diabetes is because my diet has never been great and always based on high carb meals and too many sugary snacks. wish i could turn the clock back and been more sensible with my diet. ph well a bit like shutting the gate after the bull has escaped lol. feel lost but sure ill find my way. im gratefull for your response.

 

[Leadinglights]

one of the resons i dont want put on the meds at the moment is that i can hardly eat anything due to having gallstones in my bile duct, i heard not eating much when on meds can cause lots of hypos. i will see what the dr says regarding this. thanks for the link i will deffo have a look

Only some medication may cause that, but the first one normally prescribed metformin does not but on the other hand it can cause stomach issues so may not be the best option.
I am surprised if you are eating very little that your HbA1C is so high and wonder if it could be the gall stones which are affecting how the pancreas is working.

 

[Lucyr]

, i heard not eating much when on meds can cause lots of hypos

It would depend which medication. Metformin is normally the first medication for type 2 and that doesn’t cause hypos.

Gallstones diet is mainly about avoiding fat. I think you should be able to eat things like chicken without the skin, turkey, white fish, things like that? Then keep your carbs to small portions to help improve your blood sugar. I’m not sure what the cutoff for operations is but they can turn you down if hba1c is too high in some scenarios.

There are so many veg and so many different ways to cook it that if you keep trying hopefully you will come across some you like. Would including them in mash help? Eg using a combination of cauliflower and potato or carrot and swede in mash to help disguise the veg? Obviously avoid the butter in the mash for the gallstones.

 

[Inka]

i seriously dont like veg. it makes me gag

So you don’t eat ketchup? I could make a cake with courgette in and you’d never know from eating it. See, palatable veg. Obviously ketchup isn’t healthy but the point is veg encompasses a huge range of stuff, and, on top of that, you’ve got loads of ways to cook and flavour it. As an example, last week I made a bake with fennel in. When roasted, it went sweet and yummy. You’d never have guessed it was fennel.

If you didn’t like veg in the past and haven’t tried it for a while, try new veg and new ways of preparing it. It’s not soggy cabbage. It’s an exciting rainbow of different tastes. I’m sure you can train yourself to like some veg in certain forms. Not only will you be doing your health a massive favour, you’ll open up a new world of tastes.

 

[TrevA]

If you dont like veg, there plenty of meat you can eat that won’t spike your blood sugar. The typical English breakfast is pretty low carb, - sausage, bacon, egg, small portion of beans, tinned tomatoes, mushroom, black pudding - not many carbs there. I usually eat this either for breakfast or lunch. Do you like eggs? You can have Omelettes - pick your own flavour - I often have a ham and cheese 2-3 egg omelette for lunch - hardly any carbs there too.

 

[jane58]

If you dont like veg, there plenty of meat you can eat that won’t spike your blood sugar. The typical English breakfast is pretty low carb, - sausage, bacon, egg, small portion of beans, tinned tomatoes, mushroom, black pudding - not many carbs there. I usually eat this either for breakfast or lunch. Do you like eggs? You can have Omelettes - pick your own flavour - I often have a ham and cheese 2-3 egg omelette for lunch - hardly any carbs there too.

I can’t eat any of that kind of food just now I have gallstones in my bile duct. Sausages and bacon etc too high in fat I’d be in agony I need a low fat diet

 

[jane58]

Only some medication may cause that, but the first one normally prescribed metformin does not but on the other hand it can cause stomach issues so may not be the best option.
I am surprised if you are eating very little that your HbA1C is so high and wonder if it could be the gall stones which are affecting how the pancreas is working.

Do you think it would be wise to ask my dr to hold off meds for now? I think my hb1Ac rose in December from 50 to 63 is because I had been suffering depression for the past 6 months and wasn’t caring what I ate. ( I had the odd binge on junk food). I’m feeling well again and I think now my eating is under control my hb1Ac will be much lower without meds at my nxt 6 months check. And now I’m really eating little amounts of food which is low fat and hardly any carbs it is bound to come down without meds.