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I’m scared of food!

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I_am_me

I_am_me

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Two weeks ago I was ignorant, then “BAM” life changing moment via a phone call and I am diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic.
So no medication, all diet controlled. But that is the problem! What does that mean? I think I am doing it right... cut out all the sugary processed foods, no cheap white carbs, no red meat, plenty of fruit, salad and veg (always ate loads of veg anyway) reduce my portion sizes a bit so I can try and shift a few middle age poundage that’s crept on.
BUT... I am hungry, I feel rubbish and tired all the time. I woke up with the shakes this morning. I am a scared of food, I don’t know what I can and can’t eat, some say avoid apples and carrots, other say apples and carrots are fine, test your blood glucose levels and you’ll know, but no one told me to or showed me how.
My Hba1c was 53 I think (sure that’s what she said in the phone call)
I was supposed to see a diabetic nurse on Monday but he is off sick... so I am just getting on with it.
Please give me some advise about food! I’m so clueless!
oh and I have been for a walk every evening after tea for 30 minutes...
 
Carbs are carbs no matter where they come from they all turn to glucose

As a non medicated Type 2 they don't have to provide you with a BG meter and test strips unfortunately so if able to do so you'd need to look into self funding, the SD Gluco Navii is one of the cheapest we know of for self funders

Fruit depending on type probably isn't a great idea as most are higher carb

We'd generally test before eating and then 2 hours after looking for no more than a 2-3mmol rise post meal so without this none of us could tell you what foods would work for you as the individual you are I'm afraid
xx
 
Whoa, @I_am _me, don't panic!

A HbA1c of 53 means you are just over the diabetic limit and that some simple changes should get it back down. The thing to do is to reduce your carbohydrate intake, not eliminate carbohydrate, just reduce it to a level that your body can cope with. Carbohydrates appear in almost all food stuffs and the trick is to understand how much there is in the various things you eat and then reduce portion sizes of those things that are high in carbohydrate and replace with things that are lower.

There are obvious things you can do. Sugar is a carbohydrate so cutting back on sweet things is good. So, if you are used to a sweet to finish a meal, swap it for some cheese and a couple of small crackers. Another big source of carbohydrate in a modern diet are grains - wheat and corn - which turn up everywhere. Here you need to cut back and a couple of simple tricks will help. @Anitram likes weetabix (high carb) so now he eats one instead of two for breakfast with strawberries (low carb). When you are buying things in the supermarket check out the nutrition label - its black, small and usually on the back of the packet. That will give you the total carbohydrate in the product. Pick the version with the lowest carbohydrate. If you have nothing better to do one day then go through all the soups on the supermarket shelf and you will be amazed at the range of carbohydrate contents even for soups, like tomato, which you might expect to be fairly standard.

Meat, cheeses, dairy products are generally low carbohydrate and so are good things.

Fruit is a bit of a grey area. For some it is not a problem, for others it is. So to start with, ease back on the fruit.

I hope you are getting the idea that in my opinion (and there are loads of opinions about) the best route is to become aware of carbohydrate and how it works in the body and then to make a few deliberate swaps and choices to get your carb intake down. Big instantaneous changes for those who are just over the diagnosis level are for me not a brilliant idea. It leaves you confused and the body can react badly to the change as perhaps you are finding.
 
Hello @I_am_me
I fully understand the problem, but try to be patient. There are good solutions but it takes a little time to find what is right for you.
As you can see from the replies above we are all different particularly in our reaction to carbs.
It took me a while to work it out and end up with a clear view of the total number of carbs I can eat per day, and which foods caused my blood sugars to rise most.

The 2 main tools I used was a book http://www.carbsandcals.com/thebook.html which is a colourful view of what foods have what carbs and portion sizes, I then bought a glucose meter and kept a diary of the results for a while.
(test-review-adjust gives information on when to test)
It has now become the 'new normal' and I know what and how much carbs I can tolerate. I enjoy what I eat and rarely feel hungry.

I emphasis that this is only what works for me - but this is my 'normal' eating plan.

As well as cutting out all the sugary things, I cut down on the starchy carbs particularly the ‘white’ ones (white bread and flour,rice,pasta,etc )
I mainly eat fish, poultry, yoghurt, some cheeses, nuts and seeds, and have learned to love vegetables .
I also try to avoid too much processed food, and to include plenty of fibre some from the veg, plus seeds and pulses.
Fruit is quite high in natural sugars but these are still carbohydrates and will raise the Blood Glucose, so I limit to just one portion a day. Usually berries like raspberries or strawberries or blackberries.
Green leafy vegetables, that grow above the ground are lower carb and important for nutrition. Root vegetables, can be included but are higher carb.

Best wishes and take your time to fin what is right for you and what is sustainable,
 
Hi @I_am_me, welcome to the forum.

Very good advice already given, but if you have any questions please ask away, as no question is considered daft - we have all been where you are and can offer help. At a reading of 53 you have every chance to get below the threshold of 48 (some of us were in 3 figures when diagnosed!) so take your time, read around the forum and let us know how you get on.
 
I_am_me said:
no red meat, plenty of fruit,
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As far as I know, there isn't an issue with any meat for diabetics. Fruit has sugar in. Otherwise sounds like you've made a good start.
I_am_me said:
I am a scared of food, I don’t know what I can and can’t eat
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It's not food that raises our blood glucose (BG) levels. It's carbohydrates in particular, as well as sugar.
I_am_me said:
test your blood glucose levels and you’ll know, but no one told me to or showed me how.
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Unfortuneatly, we aren't shown :( . Testing is the advice I'd give though, so you can see the affect food has on your BG. Unless I've completely failed to understand mine, they're easy enough to use.
 
Hi @I_am_me and may I say, please don't panic. Your levels are 53 (I would kill for 53 😉) you are very slightly over the borderline. You've said you're terrified and you're probably taking in all this information and thinking you have to put it all into practice NOW. You don't! One thing diabetes teaches you is patience, patience with your own body and the healthcare system. If I were you I would wait until your appointment with the Nurse before you make any big lifestyle and food overhauls. It's not just about food - illness and stress contribute to high Blood Glucose (BG), as do hormones. You say you're menopausal; those hormones will be affecting your BG. For example, my BG is high the week before a period no matter what I do and this is because of the way female hormones affect the body. My advice is to keep up the walks, eat normally for now (and don't binge on choc or alcohol or whatever your poison is if you can avoid it - eating disorders and diabetes can go hand in hand I'm afraid) don't buy a meter just yet and look for some meditation apps or guides to help manage the stress and shock you're feeling. The Calm app is good or you can find guided meditations on YouTube. And forgive yourself. Sending a big digital hug! xx
 
Not got it quite right I'm afraid.
You can eat meat, fish seafood, eggs, cheese, full fat yoghurt, cream - and I find that most foods with a carb content under 11 percent is fine, so I have stirfries and salads, and roasted veges all the time, though I only need to eat twice a day as I am not hungry.
There is no reason to avoid red meat.
You Hba1c is barely into diabetic numbers, so just being careful about sugary things, which includes fruit other than berries, and brown as well as white carbs should do the trick for you in a little while. You might have to maintain the caution, but you should slide back into normal numbers fairly swiftly.
 
Hi. You've had a lot of good advice so far. Fats and proteins are fine together with veg and non-tropical fruit.
 
You don't have to go through your local hospital, there is a site called My Desmond , you just register.
 
anybody had the no sugar sweets or cake or biscuits,most of them have maltinol in them as sweetner,but advice is not to eat anything with it in.and what is the average intake of carbs per day
 
I personally don't like the after taste of many artificial sweetners, and some even have laxative effects after eating them .
 
I went through a phase of eating them (particularly on long car journeys until I eventually weaned myself off the habit altogether. I'm happier to have a chunk of cheese or some nuts now.
There are a few carbs in each of those tiny sweets though so despite being sugar free you will likely get a rise in your BG levels if you eat a few. I found the rhubarb and custard ones really hit the mark, taste wise and my non diabetic partner was happy to share so must have tasted alright. I was getting the Sula ones from the Morrisons "Free From" or maybe the "Health Food" aisle but Lidl and Aldi do them too, just not in the rhubarb and custard flavour. Never been all that keen on mints so never tried those.
 
Anitram said:
Morrisons do a range of sugar free sweets and I usually have some of the humbug ones in the larder. The pack is only matchbox size but if I ate the whole pack I would consume not far off 100g of carbohydrate for zero nutritional value, so I don't have more than 2 or maybe 3 a day. The sweeteners are isomalt and sucralose.

Martin
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yes i used to get them from morrisons but i found amazon had a bigger variety,thanks
 
I_am_me said:
Thank you everyone for your fabulous advice.
I feel reassured and shall await my appointment with the nurse before panicking further.
Stay safe and lots of love xx
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Glad to hear you’ve been reassured @I_am_me

A few sensible tweaks and changes are a better start. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater as they say. Small sustainable changes are easier on the body, and you have to find a way of eating that you can maintain long-term.

Good luck and let us know how your appointment goes (though don’t be surprised if they discourage you from checking your own BG)
 
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