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Newbie saying Hello to everyone

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L

LindaW-C

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone

I have recently been diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. I knew it was coming my way as I have a number of family members that are suffering and have suffered from it. Still a bit of a shock though.

Not sure how I am coping as I do not test my blood sugar level, not been asked to. I am supposed to be keeping an eye on my diet, but not sure what I am supposed to be eating or drinking or not!

Any help and guidance you can offer would be very much appreciated.
 
Hi Linda and Welcome

You can buy test kit on Amazon - you test before food and 2 hours after to tell what may raise your blood sugars too much. codefree is the most economically to buy, you need test strips and lancets to go with. Codefree do a starter kit.

In the main, reducing carbs lowers the blood glucose levels (and exercise) so check on the back of a packet or on line what the total carbs are per portion, aiming around 25 -30 g carbs per main meal and 10g carbs max snacks.

the carbs and cals book is also a good guide for this - https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/products/carbs-cals

drop the fizzy drinks, cakes biscuits etc. or have one for treats occasionally (although I am the naughtiest one ever)

Protein, cheese, eggs meat, fish and loads of vegetables. Have a look around https://www.diabetes.org.uk/

loads more information available here and on diabetes.org pages.
 
Jodee said:
Hi Linda and Welcome

You can buy test kit on Amazon - you test before food and 2 hours after to tell what may raise your blood sugars too much. codefree is the most economically to buy, you need test strips and lancets to go with. Codefree do a starter kit.

In the main, reducing carbs lowers the blood glucose levels (and exercise) so check on the back of a packet or on line what the total carbs are per portion, aiming around 25 -30 g carbs per main meal and 10g carbs max snacks.

the carbs and cals book is also a good guide for this - https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/products/carbs-cals

drop the fizzy drinks, cakes biscuits etc. or have one for treats occasionally (although I am the naughtiest one ever)

Protein, cheese, eggs meat, fish and loads of vegetables. Have a look around https://www.diabetes.org.uk/

loads more information available here and on diabetes.org pages.
Click to expand...

Hi Jodee

many thanks for that.

I am just going through the Learning Zone now. At my last visit to the Diabetes Nurse, it was recommended that I attend a course on Diabetes, but I thought I would leave this until after this Covid-19 mess has finished, so may be a while. I will however look at the shop diabetes and look at getting a kit.

Many thanks again
 
what I really need to know what are the definite NO NO's that I should stay away from.
🙂
 
LindaW-C said:
……...

Not sure how I am coping as I do not test my blood sugar level, not been asked to. I am supposed to be keeping an eye on my diet, but not sure what I am supposed to be eating or drinking or not!

Any help and guidance you can offer would be very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
You have just highlighted the crazy state of T2D care in the UK. GPs and DNs don't advise testing even though it is only by testing before and then 2hrs after first bite , that you can discover the 'right way of eating' for you! We all have differing Insulin resistance, different genes, different gut microbe and different cultural and personal tastes in food items.

They quote various reasons for us not to test and some even try to dissuade us from self-funding and testing. But the only valid reason for them saying not to test is because that way they can't be accused of not giving us proper care when they refuse to prescribe BG meters and sufficient test strips.
 
LindaW-C said:
what I really need to know what are the definite NO NO's that I should stay away from.
🙂
Click to expand...
Sugars and Starches. They all turn into sugars within second to minutes of going in your mouth.
The problem being that it's almost impossible to avoid all of them, especially since it isn't necessary to avoid them all (or even close to them all) for most people. But without testing you will never know.
 
As you can't test yet, avoiding bread, pastry cakes and biscuits, crisps, potatoes in general, starchy veges such as parsnip, sugary fruits - I get packs of frozen berries and eat them with cream no more than twice a week. I make sugar free jellies and often whip in yoghurt of creme fraishe, just as it is thinking about starting to set.
I got the Tee 2 meter from Spirit Healthcare - it is in the UK so might be more accessible in these strange days. Or it could be completely shut down - but worth a try.
 
ianf0ster said:
You have just highlighted the crazy state of T2D care in the UK. GPs and DNs don't advise testing even though it is only by testing before and then 2hrs after first bite , that you can discover the 'right way of eating' for you! We all have differing Insulin resistance, different genes, different gut microbe and different cultural and personal tastes in food items.

They quote various reasons for us not to test and some even try to dissuade us from self-funding and testing. But the only valid reason for them saying not to test is because that way they can't be accused of not giving us proper care when they refuse to prescribe BG meters and sufficient test strips.
Click to expand...


Hi ianf0ster

totally agree, how do I know if I am coping if I don't know if I am eating correctly.

I am more than prepared to purchase what I need to help me, and help them to help me.

many thanks for that
 
ianf0ster said:
Sugars and Starches. They all turn into sugars within second to minutes of going in your mouth.
The problem being that it's almost impossible to avoid all of them, especially since it isn't necessary to avoid them all (or even close to them all) for most people. But without testing you will never know.
Click to expand...
Drummer said:
As you can't test yet, avoiding bread, pastry cakes and biscuits, crisps, potatoes in general, starchy veges such as parsnip, sugary fruits - I get packs of frozen berries and eat them with cream no more than twice a week. I make sugar free jellies and often whip in yoghurt of creme fraishe, just as it is thinking about starting to set.
I got the Tee 2 meter from Spirit Healthcare - it is in the UK so might be more accessible in these strange days. Or it could be completely shut down - but worth a try.
Click to expand...

Hi Drummer

many thanks for that.

Oh dear, I have just baked a batch of cakes and tarts, and I can't eat them. I love parsnip especially baked. I love bread, but try not to eat too much in one day. Oh dear, not a happy teddy bear :(

but thanks for that I will took at Spirit Healthcare, thanks
 
Hi and welcome from me too

You have come to a great place for advice. This forum has been a game changer for me over the past year in learning how to eat to manage my diabetes.

I am not sure how much you know about nutrition but carbohydrates are both sugars and starches, so any foods and drinks which are high in sugar like cakes, biscuits, sweets, most chocolate, regular carbonated drinks, even fruit and particularly fruit juice, but also milk and beer and cider. Obvious starchy foods are anything made from flour/grains, so bread, pasta, couscous, noodles, pastry, breakfast cereals (often contain both high levels of sugar and starches) even otherwise healthy porridge is high in starches, and potatoes in all their guises.
Some of the foods above will affect your BG (blood glucose) levels more than others and varies significantly between individuals, which is where testing comes in, to find out what your body will tolerate without blowing your BG sky high. It can even make a difference when during the day that you eat certain foods and many people find that at breakfast time their BG levels are more likely to sky rocket, so avoiding breakfast cereals and finding a low carb breakfast that you enjoy can really get you off to a great start in managing your diabetes. Eggs are ideal if you like them... I enjoy an omelette with a variety of fillings usually involving onions, mushrooms and cheese plus whatever else I have in the fridge and I have it with a salad and cheese coleslaw or a quicker lighter option can be creamy natural Greek yoghurt with a few berries, chopped nuts and mixed seeds and maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg..... or there are countless other low carb options like peppers baked with a cheese and egg and ham filling or avocado with egg....

It does take a while to learn what to buy and how to cook it, to follow a low carb way of eating and as others have dais, your BG meter will tell you how much carbohydrate you can get away with but ditching the cakes and biscuits and sweets, which are just empty calories is a good start. It helps to have plenty of low carb treats to replace those nice things though, otherwise you feel deprived, so have a nice chunk of your favourite cheese, or a handful of your favourite nuts.... brazils, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds are the lowest carb, or a tub of olives if you like them or veggie sticks with a sour cream and chive dip, or a cooked chicken drumstick or cooked sausage, or a boiled egg with mayonnaise. These things are all filling and will help keep the "munchies" at bay.

Anyway, I don't want to overload you with too much info as I know how overwhelming it all is at first but hopefully it gives you an idea of a direction to go in.

The SD Gluco Navii Blood Glucose Meter or the Spirit Health Tee2 meter are the ones which are most recommended here on the forum as they have the cheapest test strips @£8 for a pot of 50 as compared to almost 3x that for some other brands and models and since it is using the test strips which really tots up the finances, it makes sense to buy the meter which has the cheapest.

Good luck and keep us posted with your progress and please feel free to ask if you don't understand anything of get stuck.... or just need a bit of moral support. The members here all live with this condition, so we know how frustrating and emotive even, it can be and some days you just need to come here and let off steam or seek a bit of motivation to get you back on track and we all get that.
 
Would just like to add that I had a really bad sweet tooth before diagnosis and loved bread. Now I just love other things and the amazing thing is that most of the time, I don't miss that stuff or even wobble when others are eating it in front of me, so long as I can have a nice piece of my favourite cheese or some antipasti or whatever other low carb treats I have in. There are also some really inspirational bakers here on the forum who create all sorts of lovely low carb cakes and biscuits using novel ingredients like almond flour and psyllium husk..... @NotWorriedAtAll is someone who springs to mind and will no doubt be happy to give you tips on low carb baking and perhaps show you photos of the amazing results which can be achieved, if you are interested.... No reason why your whole family cannot enjoy your low carb produce.... especially as there is a genetic element to diabetes.... so perhaps doing them all a favour.
 
There are lots of low carb recipes - but you need to be careful as often the serving size is really small as they are not all that low carb. Also, after avoiding sweet things for a while, the amount of sweetener advised is far too much.
These days I eat roasted swede and turnip as they are low carb, and roasted cabbage, cut into slices dusted with black pepper and then olive oil on top, also mushrooms, courgettes, bean sprouts, aubergine, cauliflower and broccoli, lots of salad stuff. Even the 40 gm of carbs a day which is my maximum can be very tasty, and I don't get hungry. I found recently that the small tomatoes on the vine are really high in sugar - I get the ordinary salad ones and am fine to have one of those.
 
Thanks for the tag @rebrascora
Hi @LindaW-C Welcome to the forum,
I have a Facebook page with a lot of recipes and pictures and ideas of how to turn eating in a way to tackle being diabetic into an absolute pleasure. If you enjoy cooking you are about to find a world of fun and enjoyment.

I kept having to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming because it turned out that cooking and baking using the right ingredients to make keto versions (very low carb high fat) that are actually good for me was so much easier than carb cooking and the results so much nicer. My husband now eats most of the same things I do even though he isn't diabetic and he feels better and likes my stuff more than the old way of eating.




It is here:

www.facebook.com

My Experience of Tackling Diabetes with Very Low Carb/Keto

My Experience of Tackling Diabetes with Very Low Carb/Keto. 53 likes · 12 talking about this. Jan HbA1c=67 mmols: diabetes 6 weeks on HbA1c=55 mmols. July HbA1c=42 mmols: normal Aiming to be low...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
Welcome to the forum @LindaW-C

You have already had a lot of useful information.
I will just encourage you to keep coming back and asking any questions that you have.
 
This is my post that shows the stuff I usually rely upon as staples.

The things you ought to buy (easy to get hold of via Amazon) so you can get off to a flying start with very low carb baking are 1. Almond Flour 2. Psyllium husk (the blond version as the other type turns your food a blue colour which can be off-putting) 3, Sweetener - I use Erythritol with some Stevia mixed in - there are a number of suitable brands - Truvia and Natvia spring to mind and once you get more secure in what you are buying and are sure you will use it up you can buy a cheaper brand on Amazon in bulk.

Eggs are your friend.If you don't have egg allergies you will find they are great in all sorts of recipes.
Also double cream - yum.


https://www.facebook.com/MeTacklingDiabetes/photos/a.101017291263306/118270386204663
 
Welcome to the forum @LindaW-C

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and that you seem to feel a bit left in the dark by your GP surgery.

As others have said, reactions to foods can be very individual, so while others are sharing what works for them and what *they* need to avoid in order to maintain in-range BG levels, your own ’go to’, ‘in moderation’ and ‘best avoided’ lists will be unique to you. So don’t assume anything is off limits until you’ve checked for yourself - that’s one of the powers and strengths of checking for yourself.

Many members over the years have found test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework and approach to checking their individual reaction to foods.

For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes

Members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.
 
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