phillipsj2
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hello all,
I've been diagnosed with T2 in the past few months and have been bombarded with conflicting information about what I can and can't/should or shouldn't do and eat, to the point that I'm finding navigating these conflicting sources of information more depressing than the diagnosis itself.
When I was diagnosed in July, my HbA1c was 6.8%. The GP who delivered the diagnosis suggested that I go on the keto diet and cut out carbs as far as possible in favour of red meat, etc. (what he was describing actually sounded far more like the Atkins diet...) which isn't an option for me as I have Crohn's also and you're strongly advised to limit your intake of meat in order to keep your bowel healthy.
The nurse who did my foot check, on the other hand, suggested more mutually contradictory diets. According to her, I should either portion food out according to the size of parts of my hand (is that a literal little finger of fats, or is it proportional?), or I should eat half of what I normally eat, or I should change nothing about my diet. She also said that I could increase my intake of Mars bars: I can eat one a week, which would be an increase of, well, one, and that there is no difference between white and brown bread. All this in a ten-minute monologue...
Meanwhile, this site says somewhere that juices and smoothies are a bad idea, for reasons that make perfect sense, but equally I've been given a Hairy Bikers cookbook that's allegedly been written with a nutritionist and its first recipe is a smoothie. I don't give much credence to the book, not least because it is full of language about calorie-counting which I've never thought much of, but it's just another example of utterly contradictory information for the pile. The GP gave me a link to an NHS app called Changing Health, which I've found of limited use (exercise is good for you? what a novel idea!).
I'm fairly sure I've no way of checking my glucose levels short of buying devices myself (which I really can't afford), so I don't think I have access to any reliable way of finding out what food does and doesn't work for me. Since being diagnosed, I've made a few changes that seem common-sensical to me, like not buying sugary snack foods and joining the gym. But I'm second-guessing everything that I buy or eat, and it's turned things like food shopping into incredibly stressful activities. It would be one thing if I were told I had to follow a really restrictive regimen like the soup and shake diet, as at least that would provide clarity, but I'm just confused, and that confusion is making me depressed.
I'm not sure if there is a question at the end of this, or if this is just a rant. Anyone have any advice?
Josh
I've been diagnosed with T2 in the past few months and have been bombarded with conflicting information about what I can and can't/should or shouldn't do and eat, to the point that I'm finding navigating these conflicting sources of information more depressing than the diagnosis itself.
When I was diagnosed in July, my HbA1c was 6.8%. The GP who delivered the diagnosis suggested that I go on the keto diet and cut out carbs as far as possible in favour of red meat, etc. (what he was describing actually sounded far more like the Atkins diet...) which isn't an option for me as I have Crohn's also and you're strongly advised to limit your intake of meat in order to keep your bowel healthy.
The nurse who did my foot check, on the other hand, suggested more mutually contradictory diets. According to her, I should either portion food out according to the size of parts of my hand (is that a literal little finger of fats, or is it proportional?), or I should eat half of what I normally eat, or I should change nothing about my diet. She also said that I could increase my intake of Mars bars: I can eat one a week, which would be an increase of, well, one, and that there is no difference between white and brown bread. All this in a ten-minute monologue...
Meanwhile, this site says somewhere that juices and smoothies are a bad idea, for reasons that make perfect sense, but equally I've been given a Hairy Bikers cookbook that's allegedly been written with a nutritionist and its first recipe is a smoothie. I don't give much credence to the book, not least because it is full of language about calorie-counting which I've never thought much of, but it's just another example of utterly contradictory information for the pile. The GP gave me a link to an NHS app called Changing Health, which I've found of limited use (exercise is good for you? what a novel idea!).
I'm fairly sure I've no way of checking my glucose levels short of buying devices myself (which I really can't afford), so I don't think I have access to any reliable way of finding out what food does and doesn't work for me. Since being diagnosed, I've made a few changes that seem common-sensical to me, like not buying sugary snack foods and joining the gym. But I'm second-guessing everything that I buy or eat, and it's turned things like food shopping into incredibly stressful activities. It would be one thing if I were told I had to follow a really restrictive regimen like the soup and shake diet, as at least that would provide clarity, but I'm just confused, and that confusion is making me depressed.
I'm not sure if there is a question at the end of this, or if this is just a rant. Anyone have any advice?
Josh