New and confused

[GGKZ]

Hi all diagnosed type 2 last September currently 41 on metformin and canagliflozin and really struggling with what i should and shouldn't be eating. I also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and also I am overweight however since September ive lost just over a stone but im such a fussy eater and a lazy cook so im struggling for what I should be doing. If anyone can suggests some good quick breakfast and lunch options that would be great but I am very fussy. I dont like fish I dont like humus and I hate cauliflower and hazelnuts. Willing to try new things just need some ideas please thank very much in advance
I currently have a protein yoghurt and apple slices and grapes for breakfast a benecol to help with chlorestrol and then usually a wholemeal thin with lurpak and ham for dinner snack on wot sits or monster munch and ritz crackers and walnuts and sugar free biscuits when im being good also trying to add berries to my breakfast but could I be making better choices ?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all diagnosed type 2 last September currently 41 on metformin and canagliflozin and really struggling with what i should and shouldn't be eating. I also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and also I am overweight however since September ive lost just over a stone but im such a fussy eater and a lazy cook so im struggling for what I should be doing. If anyone can suggests some good quick breakfast and lunch options that would be great but I am very fussy. I dont like fish I dont like humus and I hate cauliflower and hazelnuts. Willing to try new things just need some ideas please thank very much in advance
I currently have a protein yoghurt and apple slices and grapes for breakfast a benecol to help with chlorestrol and then usually a wholemeal thin with lurpak and ham for dinner snack on wot sits or monster munch and ritz crackers and walnuts and sugar free biscuits when im being good also trying to add berries to my breakfast but could I be making better choices ?

Have a look at this link as there are plenty of options for low carb meals which may help you with some ideas, not everything needs to be complicated.
Many find low carb helps reduce cholesterol and adding healthy fats will help as well. Nobody needs to eat foods they don't like just because they are supposed to be good. Swapping the grapes for strawberries, raspberries or blueberries would be a good option, be carful of crackers as they can be high carb and tempting to eat more than you should so the carbs mount up. Sugar free biscuits are not always low carb.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.com

 

[Ieva DUK]

Hi there, and welcome! Thanks for sharing where you're at so openly. It sounds like you’ve already made some great progress since your diagnosis (losing over a stone is no small thing!), and it’s completely understandable to feel a bit overwhelmed with food choices, especially when juggling fussy preferences and other health concerns too.
First off, you're not alone — many people find the “what should I actually eat?” question one of the trickiest parts, especially when you're trying to manage diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure all at once. It’s a learning curve, but you’re asking for ideas, so you’re on the right path.
You’re right to be mindful of fruit choices — as Leading lights said other berries are generally a better option than grapes in terms of blood sugar, but still tasty.
I've seen people share they go for boiled eggs, overnight oats (with berries/cinnamon) or low-sugar protein smoothies for breakfast. Greek yoghurt is a go-to for some folk too. For lunch some choose to go for wraps, salads (egg, chicken etc.), soup, low-carb sandwiches etc. Snack-wise: Monster Munch and Ritz aren’t “off limits,” but they can add up quickly in terms of carbs and salt. If you like cheese, Babybel or string cheese might be a better alternative, nuts, eggs, veg stick with a dip (you mentioned not liking hummus, but maybe tzatziki or salsa?), berries, sliced apple with nut butter...
Don’t feel like you have to overhaul everything at once - even small tweaks, like swapping the grapes for berries or trying a new lunch protein, can make a meaningful difference over time. Also, it’s perfectly okay to be a lazy cook — there are plenty of options out there that don’t require hours in the kitchen. It's about not allowing food to become some guilt-ridden thing, that jumps between over-indulgence or deprivation. You’re doing well already - keep asking questions and experimenting with what works for you. Keeping a food diary and looking for substitutes/alternatives in what you usually eat has helped people too

 

[Drummer]

@GGKZ If you are a fully fledged type 2 then avoiding carbs, as long as it doesn't conflict with medication, should keep you from higher blood glucose levels.
Sugar free is no advantage if the item is high carb, I'm afraid. Sugar is not the enemy, it is the advice on 'healthy' eating. After the revelation that I had been struggling to cope with carbs for a very long time (which was what I had been telling them) I analysed the carb content of everything I ate to find safe options. Now that I eat low carb all is well - so 'wraps' and carby snacks might be problematic, as might apples and grapes - as I need to avoid all grain, starchy foods and most fruit - even the small tomatoes bred to be sweet are a problem - they are botanically a fruit and the producers can't seem to comprehend that finding strains of fruit ever sweeter is not something beneficial.

 

[saffron15]

@GGKZ welcome to the forum. Do you keep a food diary? Have you got and do you sometimes use a BG monitor? We all react differently to different food. What a shame you don't like fish. It is quick to cook or there are tinned options. I particularly like sea trout which I prefer to salmon. I've got trout fillets to eat. I also like smoked salmon especially an M and S one with pepper and lemon. The slices are thin and it's not as robust and smoky as some. Does it include shellfish eg prawns and crab? Unless you are totally turned off the idea of fish could you share a meal with a fish loving friend and have a smaller portion and work out if your taste has changed? Of course even fish lovers have species they don't like. I like mackerel smoked or fresh but my sister doesn't but we both enjoy kippers. You would be wise to limit very salty items but fish is good. I tend to use the microwave to cook it or poach in a frying pan. My favourite breakfast since diagnosis is full fat ( usually 10% Greek style yoghurt) with berries strawberry, blueberry raspberry etc and some seeds or nuts. I like hazelnuts but walnut or almond are good too. I bought some Macedonia nuts at the weekend. Sometimes I add instead a handful of granola. I also like poached eggs or an omlette with mushrooms or tomatoes. Last night I had asparagus tender stem broccoli and tomatoes with pesto. Veg cooked in micro and dollop of pesto added. My local deli has some excellent pesto. I buy a pouch of baby beetroot from M and S I can heat a few as an extra veg. It's good with a dollop of yoghurt or cold with salad. Today I have bought a few potatoes. New potatoes are lovely and I enjoy a few added to a meal. I've cut pasta and rice. I either add a curry or similar to cooked veg eg fennel, celery or carrot or use a substitute cauliflower or broccoli rice or edamame pasta.
Last week I bought a Covent garden gazpacho on offer in Tesco. It includes vinegar. If you don't like vinegar don't buy. I prefer the Spanish one Sainsbury stocks but it is more expensive. You serve the soup cold. Try smaller portions of carby
items.
If you are buying something packaged carb value shows under nutrition.

 

[GGKZ]

Hi there, and welcome! Thanks for sharing where you're at so openly. It sounds like you’ve already made some great progress since your diagnosis (losing over a stone is no small thing!), and it’s completely understandable to feel a bit overwhelmed with food choices, especially when juggling fussy preferences and other health concerns too.
First off, you're not alone — many people find the “what should I actually eat?” question one of the trickiest parts, especially when you're trying to manage diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure all at once. It’s a learning curve, but you’re asking for ideas, so you’re on the right path.
You’re right to be mindful of fruit choices — as Leading lights said other berries are generally a better option than grapes in terms of blood sugar, but still tasty.
I've seen people share they go for boiled eggs, overnight oats (with berries/cinnamon) or low-sugar protein smoothies for breakfast. Greek yoghurt is a go-to for some folk too. For lunch some choose to go for wraps, salads (egg, chicken etc.), soup, low-carb sandwiches etc. Snack-wise: Monster Munch and Ritz aren’t “off limits,” but they can add up quickly in terms of carbs and salt. If you like cheese, Babybel or string cheese might be a better alternative, nuts, eggs, veg stick with a dip (you mentioned not liking hummus, but maybe tzatziki or salsa?), berries, sliced apple with nut butter...
Don’t feel like you have to overhaul everything at once - even small tweaks, like swapping the grapes for berries or trying a new lunch protein, can make a meaningful difference over time. Also, it’s perfectly okay to be a lazy cook — there are plenty of options out there that don’t require hours in the kitchen. It's about not allowing food to become some guilt-ridden thing, that jumps between over-indulgence or deprivation. You’re doing well already - keep asking questions and experimenting with what works for you. Keeping a food diary and looking for substitutes/alternatives in what you usually eat has helped people too

Thank you so much some fab ideas for me to try

 

[GGKZ]

@GGKZ welcome to the forum. Do you keep a food diary? Have you got and do you sometimes use a BG monitor? We all react differently to different food. What a shame you don't like fish. It is quick to cook or there are tinned options. I particularly like sea trout which I prefer to salmon. I've got trout fillets to eat. I also like smoked salmon especially an M and S one with pepper and lemon. The slices are thin and it's not as robust and smoky as some. Does it include shellfish eg prawns and crab? Unless you are totally turned off the idea of fish could you share a meal with a fish loving friend and have a smaller portion and work out if your taste has changed? Of course even fish lovers have species they don't like. I like mackerel smoked or fresh but my sister doesn't but we both enjoy kippers. You would be wise to limit very salty items but fish is good. I tend to use the microwave to cook it or poach in a frying pan. My favourite breakfast since diagnosis is full fat ( usually 10% Greek style yoghurt) with berries strawberry, blueberry raspberry etc and some seeds or nuts. I like hazelnuts but walnut or almond are good too. I bought some Macedonia nuts at the weekend. Sometimes I add instead a handful of granola. I also like poached eggs or an omlette with mushrooms or tomatoes. Last night I had asparagus tender stem broccoli and tomatoes with pesto. Veg cooked in micro and dollop of pesto added. My local deli has some excellent pesto. I buy a pouch of baby beetroot from M and S I can heat a few as an extra veg. It's good with a dollop of yoghurt or cold with salad. Today I have bought a few potatoes. New potatoes are lovely and I enjoy a few added to a meal. I've cut pasta and rice. I either add a curry or similar to cooked veg eg fennel, celery or carrot or use a substitute cauliflower or broccoli rice or edamame pasta.
Last week I bought a Covent garden gazpacho on offer in Tesco. It includes vinegar. If you don't like vinegar don't buy. I prefer the Spanish one Sainsbury stocks but it is more expensive. You serve the soup cold. Try smaller portions of carby
items.
If you are buying something packaged carb value shows under nutrition.

Thank you for responding I have had sea bass and didn't mind that and I like battered fish I do like prawns too so I could actually use them its mostly tuna and fresh smelly fish im not a big fan of I blame it on having cats so certain fish reminds me of their food and then I cant eat it haha i love eggs but worry about having too many because of my cholesterol levels haha I will try the suggestion of Greek yoghurt with berries and granola for breakfast that sounds nice and I will try some fish again I think just to see if I can eat it recently tried pesto and I like that so that's something else I can add in and I will have to start keeping a food diary and just trying more things

 

[GGKZ]

@GGKZ If you are a fully fledged type 2 then avoiding carbs, as long as it doesn't conflict with medication, should keep you from higher blood glucose levels.
Sugar free is no advantage if the item is high carb, I'm afraid. Sugar is not the enemy, it is the advice on 'healthy' eating. After the revelation that I had been struggling to cope with carbs for a very long time (which was what I had been telling them) I analysed the carb content of everything I ate to find safe options. Now that I eat low carb all is well - so 'wraps' and carby snacks might be problematic, as might apples and grapes - as I need to avoid all grain, starchy foods and most fruit - even the small tomatoes bred to be sweet are a problem - they are botanically a fruit and the producers can't seem to comprehend that finding strains of fruit ever sweeter is not something beneficial.

Thank you that is something for me to consider with the carbs

 

[GGKZ]

Thank you for responding I have had sea bass and didn't mind that and I like battered fish I do like prawns too so I could actually use them its mostly tuna and fresh smelly fish im not a big fan of I blame it on having cats so certain fish reminds me of their food and then I cant eat it haha i love eggs but worry about having too many because of my cholesterol levels haha I will try the suggestion of Greek yoghurt with berries and granola for breakfast that sounds nice and I will try some fish again I think just to see if I can eat it recently tried pesto and I like that so that's something else I can add in and I will have to start keeping a food diary and just trying more things

 

[saffron15]

The reply i saw said you like " tea bags" i see that is sea bass. I go to a fish van once a week. His sea bass is lovely. My sister has tesco delivery and buys hers frozen. If you have a freezer sea bass plus frozen veg is an easy meal. Many supermarkets sell fish " lightly dusted " rather than in batter. I very occasionally buy battered fish with fish and chips. Less than once a month. However a packet of fish fingers in freezer if you reduce portion size eg no more than two plus extra veg is a good standby.
I like the prawn laksa in M and S. Don't buy prawn pad Thai which has a huge carb count.
Hope you enjoy some new tastes. I have the yoghurt breakfast 4 or 5 x a week. I genuinely enjoy it.

Good luck.

 

[GGKZ]

The reply i saw said you like " tea bags" i see that is sea bass. I go to a fish van once a week. His sea bass is lovely. My sister has tesco delivery and buys hers frozen. If you have a freezer sea bass plus frozen veg is an easy meal. Many supermarkets sell fish " lightly dusted " rather than in batter. I very occasionally buy battered fish with fish and chips. Less than once a month. However a packet of fish fingers in freezer if you reduce portion size eg no more than two plus extra veg is a good standby.
I like the prawn laksa in M and S. Don't buy prawn pad Thai which has a huge carb count.
Hope you enjoy some new tastes. I have the yoghurt breakfast 4 or 5 x a week. I genuinely enjoy it.

Good luck.

Yeah my phone changed it to tea bags and I figured out i could change it haha thanks again for all your suggestions really appreciate it

 

[trophywench]

I attempt to make food choices by thinking of high carb, especially sweet things (despite what's actually been used to sweeten them) as if they were money - hence low carb low calorie anything is 'cheap' and high calorie high carb anything is 'expensive'. Best, therefore, if I happen to choose an expensive main course, to choose a cheaper dessert. On the other hand of course, sometimes I just don't fancy anything that isn't 'expensive' - oh dear! But over the course of time, as long as a greater proportion of all time falls on the lower side of the middle line than the higher one - I seem to do OK.

 

[trophywench]

Any number of folk are concerned about eggs raising their serum cholesterol, which is what the medical profession also seem to tell people. Seriously - unless you ate ONLY eggs for a very long time and no other protein ever (which you clearly do not) and also simultaneously already had advanced heart failure, it could, apparently - but the amount of eggs any normal person could consume, it is most unlikely -so please, please, try not to worry overmuch about them!

 

[debs248]

I've posted this before elsewhere,

https://newforestpcn.co.uk/low-carb/

Under Healthy Proteins they say "three eggs a day is not too many"

I agree

 

[Aish]

Hi all diagnosed type 2 last September currently 41 on metformin and canagliflozin and really struggling with what i should and shouldn't be eating. I also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and also I am overweight however since September ive lost just over a stone but im such a fussy eater and a lazy cook so im struggling for what I should be doing. If anyone can suggests some good quick breakfast and lunch options that would be great but I am very fussy. I dont like fish I dont like humus and I hate cauliflower and hazelnuts. Willing to try new things just need some ideas please thank very much in advance
I currently have a protein yoghurt and apple slices and grapes for breakfast a benecol to help with chlorestrol and then usually a wholemeal thin with lurpak and ham for dinner snack on wot sits or monster munch and ritz crackers and walnuts and sugar free biscuits when im being good also trying to add berries to my breakfast but could I be making better choices ?

Hello @GGKZ, I join others to welcome you to this wonderful forum. In addition to the tips you already received, you may find some info on this website helpful.

10 tips for healthy eating with diabetes

There are different types of diabetes, and no two people with diabetes are the s

www.diabetes.org.uk

You can keep us updated about your progress as much as you wish to.
Best wishes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you that is something for me to consider with the carbs

I believe it isn’t advised to cut down too heavily on carbohydrates when taking a ‘flozin.

Aiming to eat approx 130g a day seems relatively well tolerated, but those who aim much lower (eg Keto approaches) run the risk of a very nasty situation called DKA.

Perhaps chat with your GP or nurse to see what they advise? Or check with the qualified pharmacist at your local high st chemists?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Yeah my phone changed it to tea bags and I figured out i could change it haha thanks again for all your suggestions really appreciate it

I’ve edited the original post too, to avoid confusion.

 

[LieB]

Welcome to the forum.

The best advice here that’s been stated by others thus far as that there is no vanilla diet or plan, it’s 100% unique to each individual.

What I would say is that optimising one’s diet to manage your glucose levels is not as clear cut as ‘low carb good high carb bad’.

It’s the combination of macro nutrients. Half a pizza on its own will likely spike you - it does me. But pair that with a green salad inc avocados and cruciferous greens first, and then having the pizza - you will get a completely different glucose response - my blood sugar will never go above 6.2 mmol/l - and that’s a Pizza Hut ‘thick pan/aka what are you doing to me!?’ Pizza, not a healthy variant.

Now others may get a different response but this is where CGM tech really helps - along with diarising your food - to work out your personal thresholds.

 

[helli]

I hate cauliflower

I am so with you there.
I once tried cauliflower rice which is often lauded on this forum. Never again! And I am not generally a fussy eater.
However, have you tried roasted cauliflower? Roasting it seems to dull the"cauli-flavour" and give it more of a nutty taste. It still isn't my favourite vegetable but roasting it certainly makes it more edible for me.
I find roasted cauliflower (or broccoli) works well in a curry because there is a large surface area for the curry to stick to. I am sure it works with other saucy foods.

 

[JimG]

As said earlier, there is no "one diet" that has to be followed. I have not much to add to so many brilliant suggestions apart from a suggested alternative breakfast. Chia seed pudding can form the base for adding berries or eating without. It is quick to make and is best prepared the night before and left to chill in the fridge. A quick search online will produce several suggested recipes. My only tip is to make sure that you stir it a few times before putting in the fridge to avoid the seeds clumping together.