Newbie's partner

[Col&Jayne]

Hi all,
My partner was diagnosed with type 2 three weeks ago. He is dealing with it in his on way but I feel like a duck on a pond, all calm and serene on the surface but paddling like a mad woman underneath
one of my biggest concerns is that I am not getting the food right

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Col&Jayne 🙂 What particular concerns do you have about the food?

 

[Col&Jayne]

Welcome @Col&Jayne 🙂 What particular concerns do you have about the food?

Thank you 🙂
The Doctor has advised a low carb diet and I just worry that I am getting it right. I have got some great recipes off the website. I am cooking everything fresh, no ready meals etc but just get stressed.

 

[Inka]

I’m sure you’re doing fine 🙂 Think about what he ate before. I bet you’ve improved on that, right? All you need to do is keep going. Don’t worry about an odd slip-up. Slow, steady and consistent is the way.

If in doubt, add more low carb veg and reduce the carb portion. If he’s eating out, that’s a simple way to choose wisely too.

Are you using the meal planners on this site? Remember you don’t have to do every single meal from the planner. You can miss a few out or make substitutions.

 

[Col&Jayne]

I have been taking the recipes for the evening meals. He is not a big breakfast person so he has a banana. Then a soup or chicken salad or sandwich for lunch
I have not looked at the meal planners, but will do
I think part of the problem for the last year is the fact we ate lots of Sainsbury ready meals due to the hours I work, so that hasn't helped.
But I have change my hours now and I am home more to make sure we are eating healthily 🙂

 

[BlueArmy]

It’s important to eat a good breakfast with diabetes, and bananas have a surprisingly large amount of sugar in them so you may want to look at that. Berries better, maybe with yoghurt and nuts.

 

[Col&Jayne]

It’s important to eat a good breakfast with diabetes, and bananas have a surprisingly large amount of sugar in them so you may want to look at that. Berries better, maybe with yoghurt and nuts.

 

[Col&Jayne]

Thank you. I have just been looking at different fruits and breakfast options
I think apples, pears and oranges and berries come up as a better option

 

[BlueArmy]

not to say you shouldn’t eat bananas as they are fine and needed, but they do pack a fair amount of carbs and sugars, albeit it natural. I tend to reserve them as a treat and go for other fruits

 

[rebrascora]

Can you give us a bit of information about how his diagnosis came about and the result of his HbA1c blood test which is used to diagnose his diabetes. It is usually a number of 48 or more but can be into 3 figures if things have gone particularly awry. It gives us an idea of how significant his dietary changes might need to be and has he been given any medication and if so, what, as that can affect the dietary advice which would be appropriate?
For instance a banana as a piece of fruit is something that we would probably advise against for (edited to add... Type2) diabetics as it is probably the highest carb fruit you can find, but if he is only having a banana for breakfast, then it is probably a lot better choice than a bowl of cereal of 2 slices of toast, but if his HbA1c was very high at diagnosis, it might be better to choose something slightly lower carb for breakfast, like natural Greek yoghurt with a few berries which are the lowest carb fruits and because they are a bit tart and packed full of nutrients and flavour, a small portion is enough. But then he may not like yoghurt of be allergic to berries. It is about learning to tailor your diet to your tastes and diabetes.

Many people here on the forum find it invaluable to invest in a Blood Glucose (BG) meter as that enables them to home test their levels on a meal by meal basis and see what impact their meals have on their BG and use that information to tailor their diet to their individual body's tolerance. Being able to "see" what is happening on a day by day and meal by meal basis can be quite helpful both in motivating good choices and discouraging not so good ones 😳 ..... I still remember the night my BG levels went up to 27 😱(they should be 4-7 or at least under 10) after eating a large packet of Jacob's salt and vinegar crackers. It discourages me every time I see them in the shop and hanker after them.

Anyway, just wanted to welcome you and say how great it is that you are prepared to help your partner with his dietary changes as that really should make a difference in how he copes with his diagnosis. If you can also encourage some exercise like a daily walk after your evening meal then that will also have a significant impact.

Good luck and feel free to ask about any aspect that you don't understand or need more information on.

 

[Inka]

The Diabetes U.K. Meal Plans are here @Col&Jayne :

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans

As you can see, there’s a fair bit of choice and you can amend them to suit too.

 

[MRS-S]

I to went into a spin when hubby was first diagnosed Type2 last November and did a lot of research about he could and couldn’t eat and tried to apply it, started with a smaller dinner plate and no puddings (he loved his puddings!) I found help from the Diabetes Uk “Carbs and Cals Counter Pocket Book” I found really helpful when my husband was diagnosed last November - it’s laid out very simply giving you grams, portion sizes, calorie and carbs contents. I swapped crisps for - fava bean & chickpea healthy snacks and similar.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Col&Jayne

Great to have you here, and good news that your GP is recommending a lower carb approach to food.

We have a number of people of the forum with different approaches to their menu, Some have found that they are particularly sensitive to carbohydrates and it helps them to really cut back and/or use low carb substitutes for the ‘beige filler’ parts of meals, while others do well just with a bit of portion control and avoiding specific sources of carbs that their bodies don’t tolerate well.

It’s a lot of information to take in at the beginning, but try not to get too stressed about it. Just keep chipping away and experimenting, and you’ll get there 🙂