My Diet to deal with reversal of Type 2

[wallycorker]

Hi shelleyknees,

People seem to keep mistaking what I say about my diet - I'm certainly not on what people consider to be a low-carb diet because I'm eating around 100g to 200g per day of carbohydrate. However, I eat hardly any starchy carbohydrate whatsoever - i.e. cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, pizza etc. These days almost all of the carbohydrate that I eat comes from fruit and vegetables. Certainly, I don't "cut out carbs altogether" as you say. I'd say that I'm on a low-fat and a very-much-reduced starchy carbohydrate diet - with a low alcohol intake also.

It does sound as though the symptoms that you describe may be hypo' symptoms - either real or false. If you do go low then have a snack - my snacks are almost always a small piece of fruit. I carry fruit with me wherever I go. If you aren't going low then the symptoms could be false and happening because your blood glucose levels are dropping sharply from previous highs. I don't experience any such symptoms even when my blood glucose levels drop below 4 - I occasionally experience readings below 4 and as low as 3.2 on one occasion recently.

I don't really have any special menus other than things that I've described in my original post - I simply choose non-starchy carbohydrate options from what food is available to me at any particular time - i.e. it's more about what I don't eat rather than what I do eat. For example, tomorrow my wife may prepare a typical Sunday roast joint lunch to cater for the entire family - i.e. about 8 to 10 of us including two vegetarians. If she does then I'd likely eat everything except the potatoes - i.e. I'd eat the meat or fish and all of the vegetables. Quite simply, I'd not eat the potatoes and perhaps the Yorkshire puddings.

Today for example, instead of my usual grilled breakfast, I had low-fat natural yoghurt with bluberries plus two teaspoons (i.e. 10g) of Lizi's granola. I was in a pub situation for lunch and chose ham and eggs - i.e. the least starchy carbohydrate option available - however, on this occasion, I had a few chips too. With my lunch I drank a couple of glasses of red wine - i.e. the low-carb option compared with drinking the beer and lager that my friends drank. For snacks I have eaten a pear, an apple and two satsumas and a small cereal bar. I didn't have an evening meal tonight but I'm thinking about having a tin of sardines for supper with salad items and various pickles for supper.

No - I haven't tried butterbean mash - and maybe I will. However, I must say that I'm not desperately looking around for new things to eat because - in my opinion - I have absolutely loads of very suitable foods to choose from. I'm finding it quite easy to make my food choices these days now I have learnt what foods I need to avoid. I was on holiday last week and eating in pubs and restaurants most of the time. However, I must say - that really isn't a problem to me. I just tend to choose different things to those that my non-diabetic wife might choose.

Ask away, if there is anything else you'd like to know.

Best wishes - John

 

[wallycorker]

I agree with Shellyknees, let's have some more menus from you Wallycorker and i'm going to try the cauli mash and the butterbean very soon 🙂

OK Carina - here is today's fairly typical family Sunday lunch - i.e. I stress made for the family and not for me in particular.

4.2 - Before eating

2 pork sausages (Debby & Andrew's of Harrogate brand bought from Tesco - 97% pork - i.e. low carbohydrate)
Cauliflower mash
Carrots
Brussel sprouts
Swede and potato mash (small portion for me)
Mashed potato (none for me)
Onion gravy
Strawberries for afters

4.9 - 60 mins after finishing eating
5.0 - 90 mins after finishing eating
4.1 - 120 mins after finishing eating

A great result as far as I'm concerned!

Again, I stress as explained to Shellyknees, it's more about what I didn't eat rather than any special meal or menu being prepared for me.

Best wishes - John

 

[Carina1962]

thanks again Wallycorker, those BS results are great and good tip about the sausages as i didn't realise that sausages contain carbs until someone else happened to mention it on here once.

Did you say that you take metformin? if you do, don't you think that this helps you to achieve your excellent levels?

 

[wallycorker]

thanks again Wallycorker, those BS results are great and good tip about the sausages as i didn't realise that sausages contain carbs until someone else happened to mention it on here once.

Did you say that you take metformin? if you do, don't you think that this helps you to achieve your excellent levels?

Yes Carina - I do still take metformin but I don't think that metformin is contributing hardly anything at all to my levels these days. It certainly didn't seem to be having any effect before I changed my diet - my HbA1c at that stage was still in the 8s and 9s. I'm expecting my GP to take me off metformin before too long but I'm not pushing the issue at present.

I keep telling you Carina that, in my opinion, it's cutting back on the starchy carbohydrate that makes the biggest difference and not the tablets, weight loss or exercise!

Best wishes - John

 

[shellyknees]

Ah! enlightenment! Feels good dun it?

Hello Johh.
Thank you for your reply. I think Im finally understanding where you are coming from. Cereals, potatoes, pasta and things that have flour in like bread must be what people call Complex Carbs. I did not know fruit had carbs in too though.

I guess I need to learn more about what the difference between complex carbs and carbs are and learn which foods are the safe ones to eat, like pulses, beans etc.
I take metformin and Glemipride, and I test with wee strips. I do it three times a day and as long as I get a negative reading I think Im doing ok! Do you think I should get one of those blood sugar monitors where you prick your finger. In order that you get more detailed reading.

I must admit, I do get confused because I do not understand a lot about how carbs and complex carbs work and what else can raise blood sugars. Or I do but I just dont know it. (I know that sounds daft but I've just come out of the denial stage of being a diabetes type 2 and have been sticking as much as I can to fruit, veg, meat and fish, but I could also be eating too much cereal and Bread.

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Hello Johh.
Thank you for your reply. I think Im finally understanding where you are coming from. Cereals, potatoes, pasta and things that have flour in like bread must be what people call Complex Carbs. I did not know fruit had carbs in too though.

I guess I need to learn more about what the difference between complex carbs and carbs are and learn which foods are the safe ones to eat, like pulses, beans etc.
I take metformin and Glemipride, and I test with wee strips. I do it three times a day and as long as I get a negative reading I think Im doing ok! Do you think I should get one of those blood sugar monitors where you prick your finger. In order that you get more detailed reading.

I must admit, I do get confused because I do not understand a lot about how carbs and complex carbs work and what else can raise blood sugars. Or I do but I just dont know it. (I know that sounds daft but I've just come out of the denial stage of being a diabetes type 2 and have been sticking as much as I can to fruit, veg, meat and fish, but I could also be eating too much cereal and Bread.

Dear shellyknees,

I'm sure John won't mind me butting in on his thread, but you have the complex carbs thing wrong. Bread is a simple carb (starch), and a good way of finding out what are simple carbs is to look at the glaecemic index (GI). If it is high (>50) then it is almost certainly a simple carb. Veggies and fruit, especially if they grow above the ground are complex (low GI) and so raise you blood sugar slowly, so along with portion control, are generally OK. However, as John keeps saying, you need to test your BS to determine what foods you can tolerate.

Regards Dodger

 

[wallycorker]

Hello Johh.
Thank you for your reply. I think Im finally understanding where you are coming from. Cereals, potatoes, pasta and things that have flour in like bread must be what people call Complex Carbs. I did not know fruit had carbs in too though.

I guess I need to learn more about what the difference between complex carbs and carbs are and learn which foods are the safe ones to eat, like pulses, beans etc.
I take metformin and Glemipride, and I test with wee strips. I do it three times a day and as long as I get a negative reading I think Im doing ok! Do you think I should get one of those blood sugar monitors where you prick your finger. In order that you get more detailed reading.

I must admit, I do get confused because I do not understand a lot about how carbs and complex carbs work and what else can raise blood sugars. Or I do but I just dont know it. (I know that sounds daft but I've just come out of the denial stage of being a diabetes type 2 and have been sticking as much as I can to fruit, veg, meat and fish, but I could also be eating too much cereal and Bread.

Hi again shellyknees,

Sorry for the delay in replying - I've been away for a few days.

Yes - I firmly believe that testing blood glucose levels is a good idea. If we don't do that then how do we know what is happening?

However, simplifying things, in the absence of testing, if you stick "fruit, veg, meat and fish" and cut back as far as you can on "eating too much cereal and Bread" then you'll be not too far off the right track.

Good luck and best wishes - John

 

[thedame]

Hi John

I have found you post very informative and encouraging🙂

I am now getting acceptable control of my sugar levels on a combination of Byetta and Metformin but battle with weight loss. I too have been advised to stick to a balanced diet but one which included carbs. Although I am pleased to get better control of my sugars, it would be fantastic if I could get to a point when I can drop some of the meds as I am on 6x500g Metformin plus the Byetta- a trunk load of stuff to get through each month!

I eat a lot of bread and cereals and other starchy foods- potatoes and rice, albeit wholemeal and with portion control, so a regime like yours will be a big change. However, I would like to give it a try and see the effects this has on both my levels and my weight. I see my DSN in about 3 weeks for regular checkup and would like to run some of these ideas past her and have a few questions, if you would be kind enough to help:

Bearing in mind that you developed this regime over a period of trying and testing, would you think it wise to start with maybe one meal at a time - say cut out the cereal or toast I usually have for brekkie and try bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, the odd egg, yoghurt (not all together of course!) which you have yourself, as I enjoy all these foods and would find this the easiest meal to swap over too. I would like to see how sustaining I find these foods and how it effects my levels as I find it can take 3 hours for my levels to come down again after having my breakfast.

Would it be acceptable to substitute a sandwich at lunchtime for a lower value item such as Ryvita with something like ham and some salad - I am not a great vegetable lover unless taken with the meat and starchy stuff, so I am thinking, one step at a time! In other words, would the effect of taking less carbs with a meal be that the lower sugars/weight loss is slower than virtually cutting them out? I ask as I know that some diets- and I don't mean the faddy sort, only become effective if certain foods are not mixed with others? Hope this makes sense!

Thanks in advance😉

 

[wallycorker]

Hi,

It's quite hard for me to make an accurate guess as to how things would effect you. However, I'd say that any starchy carbohydrate that you cut out would likely lead to lower blood glucose levels. Certainly, that is how it worked for me.

I found that I had more problems dealing with carbohydrate at breakfast time and several other people Type 2 say that it is the same for them too. So, I'd say cutting back on carbohydrate at breakfast time is likely to have the biggest effect. The first things that I cut back on was the cereal at breakfast - closely followed by any bread or toast because I found that even half a slice of low-carb burgen toast still raised my levels unduly.

I suppose not long after that I cut out sandwiches for lunch and moved onto a salad with meat, fish or cheese.

Later in the day, I've found that I can take quite a lot more carbohydrate especially if I take it as brown rice - or spelt or pulse pasta. However, these days, I've adapted my diet and largely cut most - but not all - of that sort of thing out too.

I suppose what you are suggesting is quite similar to how my own personal diet developed and I'd expect that you could quite quickly expect to see significant improvements. If you are similar to me, then I'd expect that once you start to see your blood glucose levels improve then that itself will have a massive effect on improving your motivation to modify your diet further to try to achieve even further improvement. I've found that lowering blood glucose levels can be quite addictive!

You sound to be on the right track - I am confident that you will do well. My advice would be to just take things slowly but always moving in what you know to be the right direction. In my opinion, now is the time to do it before your GP starts talking about moving onto injecting insulin.

Good luck and best wishes - John

 

[thedame]

Hi John

Thank you so much for the advice and the encouragement - you have helped me so much to get motivated and I will start with breakfasts as soon as I get organized then off to the shops again to stock up (or should that be stock down!!!!) But I will not rush it- one step at a time and monitor - it took me nearly 60 years to get to this stage - I am sure a week or two planning will be be far more beneficial than the panic approach which has left me falling of whichever diet wagon I climbed on for a quick fix in the past. Such a shame it takes so long to get older and wiser😉

 

[wallycorker]

Yes - just take things steady and making small adjustments but keep moving in the right direction. I'm confident that you'll get there! Think of it like learning to walk - once you set off you'll soon be running.

Keep monitoring too but make the strips count don't just test at any old time and waste them. It's too easy to do that.

Good luck and best wishes - John

 

[thedame]

Week 1 of testing after usual cereal and toast confirmed it takes 3 hours for my levels to come down after brekkie. Will report back when I have done my week of low carb brekkies. Bit of a lark this😉 Disgusted at the choice of cereals in Sainsburys though - I am used to the weetabix, shredded wheat or nothing in the main section of the cereal shelf but no "heathier" option of oaty muesli stuff offered anything under 30g of carbs per 50g - Lizi's being a modest 5.5g I believe? Why do they stuff these products with dried fruit - I prefer to add my own fresh fruit? Oh well, will try Tesco next or mail order from the web site.

Will report back after my bacon and egg fest😉 My friend has chickens in her garden and she gave me a selection of her organic free range eggs to start me off, including 2 blue ones!🙂

 

[wallycorker]

Bacon and eggs sounds the best option!

 

[williammcd]

bump this should be sticked guys some great advice 🙂

well done wallycorker and thnx 🙂

 

[diadeb]

Cauli-rice

Hi John, yes, many thanks for all of your information and I too have taken a leaf out of your book and reduced my blood glucose levels. If you understand what diabetes is then it seems so obvious to me to reduce the intake of complex carbs, why do "Diabetic Nurses" say to increase them?
Anyway thank you for all of the information, I now eat pulse pasta and cauli-mash but can you tell me what is cauli-rice please?
Keep up the good work, Debra

 

[wallycorker]

Hi Debra,

Thanks for your kind words. It always makes me happy to hear that my experience of what has happened to me might have been of some use to others. That makes my posting on these diabetes forums worthwhile.

It still totally confuses me as to why the healthcare professionals so often give the "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate" to Type 2s. Despite me questioning loads of healthcare professionals on the subject nobody has ever given me a remotely meaningful explanation.

I've never eaten cauli-rice myself and I'm ashamed to say that I can't cook hardly anything whatsoever. However, as I understand things it's grating the cauliflower into small rice-sized particles and then frying the stuff. I'm certain that you'll be able to find the method by searching these diabetes forums. I'll take a look myself and post a link if I can find anything.

Very best wishes - John

 

[diadeb]

Cauli-Rice

Hi John, just been on Google and watched video of cauli-rice being made.
Chop cauliflower into normal sized pieces
Place in food processor or hand grate into very fine pieces
Place into micrwavable dish, do not add any water and cook on full power for 4-5 minutes and comes out looking like rice.
The cooked cauli-rice got 4.6 % reviews out of a possible 5 % so I will give it a try.
Regards, Debra :

 

[wallycorker]

Glad about that Debra - but it all sounds too complicated for me. I'll pass the details onto my cook. 😱

Let us know how it goes - particularly what result you get when eating it.

Best wishes - John

 

[diadeb]

Cauli-rice

HGi John, tried cauli-rice last night and it tasted fine. The problem was because I don't have a food processor and had to grate it by hand I found it to be too laborious, so I will stick to brown rice for the moment.
Regards, Debra

 

[wallycorker]

Hi again Debra,

Thanks! You sound to be on the right track. Keep us all updated on your progress.

Best wishes - John