New - any tips for sweet tooth?

[Sandy0209]

Hi
I’m am right on the line between pre-diabetic and diabetic.

I made the decision to take six months to try and reverse the situation myself before taking any medication.

I am overweight and have a very sweet tooth.

I have been furloughed and may not return to work until September and I’ve decided that this will be my turning point and I want to return to work a new person.

Today I searched for a Forum and I’m delighted to have found this one. I’d be grateful for any tips anyone has.

I hope you are well and safe.
Many thanks
Sandy

 

[Kaylz]

Hi there and welcome to the forum 🙂
How much research have you done into diabetes? Unfortunately many are led to believe that all they need to do is cut out sweet things which isn't the case, total carbohydrate intake needs taken into account rather than just sugar so cutting back on things like bread, potatoes, rice/pasta, cereals etc is a better option as high carbohydrate effects BG the most
I'm not quite sure what your asking for fully? whether your wanting tips on what you could eat instead of sweet sugary things? But high cocoa % chocolate is lower carb than your general chocolate, I personally only eat Aldi's Moser Roth 85% bars at under 5g carbohydrate per 25g bar and Lindt Excellence 90% which is 1.4g carbohydrate per square
If there's any more specific things you have to ask then do feel free
xx

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Sandy0209 🙂

Sugar-free jellies are also another carb-free thing you can have. You can get pots and keep them in the fridge ready to eat when you crave something sweet. You might want to keep a food diary for a week to see where you can cut down eg on the amount of carbs you’re eating.

Losing weight and exercising will also help 🙂 Your resolve to be a new person by the time you return to work is great.Small changes all add up.

 

[Sandy0209]

Thank you Kayla & Inka, It is mainly food suggestions at the moment. I‘ve changed to wholemeal bread and I made some sugar free jelly today. I’ve also bought some sugar free cream soda. What do you tend to have instead of potatoes, rice and pasta or do I just need to eat minimal amounts? I read that weetabix is okay, is that correct? I’m waiting for a call from a diabetic nurse so when I get to speak with her, I hope to be better informed. I will be treating myself to a nice bar of Lindt Excellence chocolate, thanks for that tip too.

 

[Felinia]

You can make a sugar free jelly go further, by whisking up an egg white, and folding it into the cold about to set jelly.

 

[Kaylz]

Thank you Kayla & Inka, It is mainly food suggestions at the moment. I‘ve changed to wholemeal bread and I made some sugar free jelly today. I’ve also bought some sugar free cream soda. What do you tend to have instead of potatoes, rice and pasta or do I just need to eat minimal amounts? I read that weetabix is okay, is that correct? I’m waiting for a call from a diabetic nurse so when I get to speak with her, I hope to be better informed. I will be treating myself to a nice bar of Lindt Excellence chocolate, thanks for that tip too.

Honestly it's completely individual what you could manage, as your not diabetic I assume you aren't testing your blood glucose? The only way to tell what and how much of something we can manage as the individuals we are is to test BG before eating and then again 2 hours later, ideally you'd be hoping to see no more than a 3mmol rise post meal to mark that down as "safe", we also manage things differently at different times of the day, your more insulin resistant in the morning meaning your less likely to tolerate the carbohydrates that you could later in the day, I don't substitute potatoes, me and Inka are in a different situation though as we are Type 1 diabetics so we can adjust our insulin to cover the carbohydrates we consume but there are a lot of Type 2's that I'm sure could suggest alternatives, I believe cauliflower rice is widely used in the Type 2 community in place of normal rice
xx

 

[Inka]

Thank you Kayla & Inka, It is mainly food suggestions at the moment. I‘ve changed to wholemeal bread and I made some sugar free jelly today. I’ve also bought some sugar free cream soda. What do you tend to have instead of potatoes, rice and pasta or do I just need to eat minimal amounts? I read that weetabix is okay, is that correct? I’m waiting for a call from a diabetic nurse so when I get to speak with her, I hope to be better informed. I will be treating myself to a nice bar of Lindt Excellence chocolate, thanks for that tip too.

Everyone is different with regard to how many carbs they can tolerate. Your food diary will show you where you can cut down - ie cut your carb portion down per meal.

If you can get a blood sugar meter, you’ll be able to see if potatoes, for example, work for you or not. Same with pasta and rice. Cauliflower rice is a good substitute and has far fewer carbs.

For cereals, you might be ok with them, or you might not. Generally, the ones like jumbo oats and All Bran in small portions work for some, but others find they need to change to a much lower carb option eg a boiled egg.

If you’re currently eating lots of carbs, any reduction will help eg if you generally have 4 roast potatoes, have 1 or 2. Cut your pasta portion right down and have extra veg and salad, etc

 

[Deleted member 25429]

I’m type 1 but decided to go low carb , cauliflower rice is a great alternative. Most of the foods that are sold as low calories tend to still have a fair amount of carbs in them . If I go for a walk straight after a meal it helps keep my sugar levels down rather than injecting more insulin . Very much trial and error . I don’t touch potatoes , but can eat the high fibre pasta . Testing and keeping a diary really helps you make informed choices . I’ve lost almost 8 stone in the last 2 years down to a healthy BMI and really enjoying new foods that I had never considered trying . I eat onions peppers or beetroot if I want something sweeter . Good luck it does get easier x

 

[Sandy0209]

I do have a blood sugar monitor. I am 7.1 in the morning before food. I will check it after breakfast tomorrow and see what the difference is.

I will give the egg whites and jelly a go, thank you.

 

[Drummer]

I use full fat yoghurt or creme fraiche to whisk into jelly.
I'm afraid that starches are just as much carbohydrates as sugar - changing your dense starch foods to low starch ones will have just as much effect as reducing the sugar.
The idea that eating brown starch instead of white starch is a cruel one as for many people there is no difference at all.

 

[Flower]

Hello and welcome @Sandy0209 🙂

Something like Options or Highlights hot chocolate drinks might be good, made with hot water they've got approx 5-6g of carbs in and take a while to drink as they're hot! It would provide you with a sweet chocolate taste and not influence your blood sugars much. 🙂

 

[Sandy0209]

Wow, 8st, that’s impressive well done. Going for a walk after a meal is a good tip too, thank you.

can I ask why you use full fat yogurt, does is contain less sugar.

In years gone by, I have had success with Slimming World and I notice that some of the rules that apply on their plan are not the same for diabetic weight loss, i.e. low fat yogurt.

 

[Sandy0209]

Thank you, that’s another thing for my shopping list!

 

[Felinia]

Just to tell you what my DSN told me. A portion of potatoes is 2 small new potatoes. A portion of rice is wholegrain rice but half the recommended portion size. A portion of fruit is 80gm and no more than 2 portions a day. Bread is 4 slices from a small wholemeal loaf per week, but you can actually get low carb bread with half the carbs of normal bread. Hovis do a decent low carb wholemeal or seeded loaf, and there is also one called Hi-Lo. You can get carb free pasta substitutes like Bare Naked Noodles.
As for substitutes, I have roasted squash or carrot/swede mash instead of potatoes. Others recommend cauliflower rice. But to be honest I'll just have a selection of veggies and not miss the potatoes. Then they become an occasional treat. I have a lot more beans these days - haricot, cannellini, butter beans, which mash OK. But they are high in carbs.
One thing I did do was join a website with a downloadable app, which measures cals, carbs, sugars, fats, sat fats, protein, fibre and salt for thousands of foods, including all the ready made and takeaway stuff. That way I can record by meal, by day and by week, everything I eat and know the contents. There are various ones - some I think are free, the one I use is £3.99 per month for the app, or £7.99 per month for the website, which has more features. It is not just for dieters, but for gainers (Yes there are some wanting to gain weight), healthy eaters, people with medical conditions (like us).
I'm no saint and do have the occasional treat, as I am just on the pre-diabetes/diabetes level now. The DSN said the occasional treat was OK, so I have been known to have a piece of KFC or a scoop of ice cream. But we are each different and have to find our own way. Not so easy in these difficult times as I am discovering!

 

[ianf0ster]

I use Celeriac as a substitute for potatoes as well as Cauli rice (for rice or mash). Traditional Fats and Oils have been given an undeserved bad name. Eggs, Cheese, full fat Greek style yogurt are all good in reasonable portion sizes.
Personally I also eat fatty cuts of meat, fatty fish, nuts, olives and avocados.
As a sweet(er) treat I often have a few squares of dark 90% chocolate, or a handful of berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries) in double cream or full-fat greek yogurt. To make it more filling I add some chopped nuts to it.

 

[Kaylz]

I was sitting last night and remembered I tried a recipe out when I was newly diagnosed that I thought might suit you perfectly so I went on a hunt for the recipe (it was saved on the laptop that now doesn't have a functioning screen thanks to the other half) try this, I found it really good and I will be making it again now I've found the recipe, take a look around the site too as they have some good looking recipes in all areas

Low Carb Molten Chocolate Lava Cake - Recipe - Diet Doctor

Dessert has never been more decadent. Imagine warm, melting, buttery chocolate headed your way. Now, make it happen with this simple <a href="https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb">low carb</a> take on a lava cake.

www.dietdoctor.com

xx

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Sandy0209

You’ve had some great ideas already, and it’s great to see that you already have a meter. A framework like ‘Test Review Adjust’ by AlanS can help you examine your current diet, and see what small, sustainable changes you can make towards better BG outcomes.

When I was first diagnosed (nearly 30 years ago) I was given carb limits per meal, which I found a useful approach - I could eat some things freely (eg leafy veg), other things in appropriate portions that didn’t affect BG very much (fats and proteins), and have a controlled allowance of whichever carbs I fancied - ideally ones which absorbed more slowly.

I quickly discovered that some things seemed a ‘waste’ of my carb allowance, and made choices which were more filling and sustaining.

At the time I always had sugar in tea and coffee and made the decision to just go without, rather than switch to sweeteners. I am so glad I did, because my tastebuds quickly changed, and within a month or two I found a accidentally sipped sugary coffee tadted horrible! So be encouraged - your sweet tooth will adapt and change very quickly.

Having said that it’s important to also have occasional sweetened treats I think. Just make sure they are only occasional, to speed the adaptation of tastebuds 🙂

People often find that including some full fat items makes them feel fuller for longer, and also slows down absorption of carbohydrate. Be careful though... it’s not a completely open ticket. The combination of fat and sugar is one of the most addictive appetite drivers (which is why chocolate is so moreish!). However there is some evidence that fat has had a bit of an unfair rap over the years, and that a reasonable proportion of good fats can be included in a healthy and BG-friendly meal plan.

Good luck with your experiments, and let us know how you are getting on 🙂