Hi Shazbo, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you have found us!
Knowledge is key to learning how to control your diabetes. I would suggest starting by reading
Jennifer's Advice and
Maggie Davey's letter. I would also recommend getting a copy of
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - highly praised by many of our members.
Diabetes is largely about carbohydrates, of which sugar is only one type. You also need to beware of consuming too much bread, rice, potatoes, pasta - all carbohydrates which will raise your blood sugar levels after eating. I would suggest starting a food diary and recording the amount of carbs in everything you eat and drink for a week or two (use the information on packaging, or a book like the
Collins Gem Carb Counter). This will give you a good picture of your overall carb consumption and help to identify areas where you might reduce carbs either by reducing portion sizes, or replacing items with more diabetes friendly alternatives. It's also a good idea to learn about the GI/GL (Glycaemic Index/Glycaewmic Load) approach to eating -
The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction. This is a method of choosing and combining food items so that they have a slow and steady impact on your levels, rather than fast 'spikes', which are best avoided
🙂
Please let us know if you have any questions - nothing is considered 'silly', and ther is bound to be someone with an answer for you. I look forward to hearing more from you!
🙂