Hi, my new boyfriend has type 2 diabetes and manages it very poorly. He's given up smoking which is a start and is open to help. The main thing I want to know is that is a high protein low sugar diet the key?
Also he has recurring thrush which I assume can be controlled by controlling his sugar levels. Any thoughts?
Thank you so much in advance, very happy to have found this resource!
Hi bod207, welcome to the forum
🙂 How long has he been diagnosed? Is he on any medication for his diabetes?
The first thing to say is that diabetes is not all about sugar, but ALL carbohydrates - sugar is simply one of a number of types of carbohydrates, others are rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, any products made with flour etc., and all of these will raise blood glucose levels. Sugar is an example of a type that will raise levels quickly, but in fact white bread will raise levels even more quickly because it undergoes fewer chemical processes in the body!
😱
What you are looking for is a diet that will have a slow, steady impact on blood glucose levels. I would suggest getting a copy of
The GL Diet for Dummies which is a very good introduction to this type of selecting and combining foods. Writing up a food diary and noting down the amount of carbohydrate in everything he eats and drinks would be very useful in getting a true picture of his carbohydrate consumption and can be used to look for areas where things might be improved.
Giving up smoking is one of the best things he could do for his health, especially when you have diabetes, so well done - he is clearly willing to make big efforts to get healthy!
🙂 Regarding the thrush - yes, this is 'encouraged' by high or fluctuating blood glucose levels as the organisms involved like the sugary environment, so getting levels under control will really help
🙂
Does he have a blood glucose meter so that he can test his reactions to different meals? This is probably the best way of determining your tolerances for things, and deciding what you can include and what you should reduce or exclde from your diet
🙂
