Hi ScottishMisty, wlecome to the forum
🙂 The advice you have been given about going on a low-fat diet is a non-starter, I'm afraid, and information that is happily being consigned to the dustbin of history
😱 Your friend has been given much better advice, to try a low-carb diet
🙂 Diabetes, as you probably know, is a condition where your body finds it difficult to deal with glucose, and as a result anything that causes your blood glucose to increase is a problem, and carbohydrates are precisely the things that will raise it the most and quite often the quickest. Fat has little or no impact on your blood glucose levels as it converts very slowly to glucose, so slowly that it can be considered negligible. The advantage of fat, however, is that it will slow the digestion of any carbohydrates you consume so they will have a slower, steadier impact on your blood glucose levels
🙂 It's not thought that the 'low-fat' advice we have been given over the past 30 years is actually what is causing us to put on weight! Many manufacturers replaced the fat in their products with carbohydrates, usually in the form of sugar, so we have been eating excessive carbohydrates but low fat, thinking it is 'healthy'
🙄
Diabetes is a serious condition, but it can be managed well with the right knowledge and application
🙂 I would recommend reading
Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good overview of how to approach a diet that will help you to manage your blood sugar levels well
🙂 Although you are currently pre-diabetic, it's best to start now as thought you have diabetes so you can develop the right mindset. Start a food diary and write down the amount, in grams, of carbohydrates in everything you eat and drink for a week or two. So, potatoes, cereals, bread, pasta, rice, pastries, as well as any sweet things and drinks such as milk should all go in your diary so you can build up an accurate picture of your current carbohydrate consumption. You can then use this to look for areas where you might reduce portions or replace items e.g. fewer potatoes, more green veg. There are lots of ideas for lower carb alternatives in our Food and Recipes sections, so have a browse. Eating a diet which is healthy for diabetes is one which is healthy for everyone, so it doesn't have to be boring or overly-restrictive
🙂
People can have very different tolerances for the same food items, so it can help if you can determine your own. You can do this by using a home blood glucose meter to meausre your response to meals - read
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how to do this efficiently and effectively
🙂 It's unlikely your doctor or nurse will give you a meter and prescription for test strips, as you are not yet diabetic and not on any medication, but it is by far and away the best method of determining your tolerances and tailoring your diet so you retain maximum flexibility (why ditch something you tolerate well?) whilst keeping your blood glucose levels under good control. If you have to buy your own, the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St brands can charge up to £30 for 50 strips
😱). It's a very worthwhile investment, and you only need to test whilst you are learning how your diet affects you
🙂
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns and we will be very happy to help out
🙂 And try not to worry, nothing drastic will happen overnight - this is about adapting to a new way of living and eating that will more than likely result in you feeling happier and healthier than you may have felt for some time!
🙂
