I am new to this and wonder about alcohol

[Lotna0001]

In the past I have drunk Bailey's and other liqueurs hols and xmas but think now I am pre diabetic it would be wise to discontinue this. When out I drink diet coke. I have been on sweeteners and sweetened powder on cereals since I was twelve. I also drank alot of diet drinks. I have been on the slimming world diet since Jan 2011. I have always had red top milk since it became available and low fat margarine. It is difficult to know where to begin now with drinking and diet. My dad had type two diabetes. I do wonder whether the artificial sweeteners have more to do with my diagnosis than sugar.
? If you kid your body into thinking it has something sweet does that then start the insulin and because there is no sugar to work on the insulin then feeds back it is not needed and after a while the cells don't react to it. Kind of simplistic but feel there might be something in that. What does everyone else drink? I have stopped the sweeteners now.

 

[KARNAK]

Hi @Lotna0001 welcome to the forum.🙂 A couple of glasses won`t hurt you, good you ditched the sweeteners sugar in disguise. As a type 1 I drink beer with no apparent problem, Baileys very smooth and to be enjoyed, don`t kid your body into anything because you are only kidding yourself and you will not be able to determine what works for you. As at risk exercise is a good reason to reduce your levels, I walk 2 miles a day, reducing the amount of carbohydrates (sugar) will also greatly help. Hope this helps, please keep us up to date and read through the forum, especially the food section, take care.🙂

 

[trophywench]

Quite a number of low fat products are higher carbohydrate than the normal fat equivalents.

T2 is not a shortage of insulin initially - it's the inability of the body to use the insulin properly and that inability (insulin resistance) can cause the body to produce more insulin because the normal amount can't deal with the glucose in the blood. It becomes a vicious circle which you can only try to escape from by reducing the amount of carbohydrate you eat and upping the exercise. As you lose weight, your body becomes more efficient again.

 

[Northerner]

In the past I have drunk Bailey's and other liqueurs hols and xmas but think now I am pre diabetic it would be wise to discontinue this. When out I drink diet coke. I have been on sweeteners and sweetened powder on cereals since I was twelve. I also drank alot of diet drinks. I have been on the slimming world diet since Jan 2011. I have always had red top milk since it became available and low fat margarine. It is difficult to know where to begin now with drinking and diet. My dad had type two diabetes. I do wonder whether the artificial sweeteners have more to do with my diagnosis than sugar.
? If you kid your body into thinking it has something sweet does that then start the insulin and because there is no sugar to work on the insulin then feeds back it is not needed and after a while the cells don't react to it. Kind of simplistic but feel there might be something in that. What does everyone else drink? I have stopped the sweeteners now.

I'd recommend having a read of Maggie Davey's letter, which should help you to understand diabetes better and a good approach to take. Although you haven't been diagnosed as yet, it's sensible to make the adaptations as if you have - a diet that is healthy for people with diabetes is one which is healthy for all, so you can have a rich, varied diet - it's just that you need to be more aware of what things may adversely impact your blood sugar levels and reduce or replace them 🙂

If you have any other questions, please do let us know and we will be happy to help 🙂

 

[Sally W]

In the past I have drunk Bailey's and other liqueurs hols and xmas but think now I am pre diabetic it would be wise to discontinue this. When out I drink diet coke. I have been on sweeteners and sweetened powder on cereals since I was twelve. I also drank alot of diet drinks. I have been on the slimming world diet since Jan 2011. I have always had red top milk since it became available and low fat margarine. It is difficult to know where to begin now with drinking and diet. My dad had type two diabetes. I do wonder whether the artificial sweeteners have more to do with my diagnosis than sugar.
? If you kid your body into thinking it has something sweet does that then start the insulin and because there is no sugar to work on the insulin then feeds back it is not needed and after a while the cells don't react to it. Kind of simplistic but feel there might be something in that. What does everyone else drink? I have stopped the sweeteners now.

I think sweeteners should be used with caution & changing your palate can only be a good thing. But whilst I don’t drink diet drinks often I do occasionally enjoy a Baileys but I make myself with xylitol as I do occasional treats. Recipe is on the recipe page for home made baileys.