Hi Derek, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Unfortunately, despite much of the media attention pointing at lack of exercise and obesity as a cause of Type 2 it can also happen to those who are not overweight at diagnosis - around 20% of cases, I believe, which makes a sizeable minority of several hundred thousand cases in the UK.
The good news is that diabetes is a condition that can be controlled well with the right sort of knowledge and application, and there's no real reason that you shouldn't be able to do anything you wish to do. Are you on any medication for your diabetes? Does anyone in your family have it?
One thing you will need at the beginning is patience. It is not a sprint, you do not need to know everything right from the outset, rather it is using information coupled with experience that will help you get things under control and keep your diet flexible and healthy. I would recommend reading
Jennifer's Advice and
Maggie Davey's letter for starters, and
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is an excellent book to dip into as you progress. In terms of 'what can I eat?' - this is a little tricky, as people can have very different tolerances for the same foods, so you need to discover how you personally are affected. The only real way to do this is to test your blood sugars regularly, using a guide such as
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S . Before very long the numbers will begin to mean much more to you! There are some basic things that are true for everyone: diabetes is all about carbohydrates and the rate at which they convert to glucose and raise your levels. So, it is best to try and keep carbs moderate to low until you discover how you are affected, and go for types that will release their energy slowly and steadily - white flour and sugary products are the worst for raising levels quickly and 'spiking'. I would recommend getting a copy of
The GL Diet for Dummies as a useful introduction to choosing appropriate foods and food combinations.
Please ask any questions you may have and we will try our best to help out!
🙂
