Recipes on website

[hornbeam98]

Im very new to this.

Are the recipes on the website all ok to use.

My wife recently got diagnosed with type 2 and is on Metformin and trying to lower Blood Sugars.

We was told to avoid all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and high carb food and sugars.

But I see lots of these used in the recipes on the diabetes UK website.

Thanks in advance

 

[Lucyr]

Everyone’s diabetes is different. Your wife might find a very low carb diet excluding all those foods completely best to manage her diabetes, others will include those foods in appropriate portions and still keep to a fairly low carb diet, others might eat a standard balanced diet.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum.
The recipes will contain different amounts of those foods as people with Type 1 diabetes (a different condition from Type 2) can eat a 'normal' diet as they take insulin to take account of the carbohydrates they have.
You will have to make a judgement as to what would be suitable depending on what dietary approach your wife is following.
Many people find a low carbohydrate approach works for them and reduce Total carbohydrates to less than 130g per day though some people do go lower than that but that is a good starting point.
Making a food diary of everything eaten and drunk with an estimate of the total carbs will show you how far you need to go and then reducing slowly over a period of a few weeks will be less likely to cause eye or nerve issues but cutting carbs too quickly.
Having meals based on protein, healthy fats, vegetables, salads and fruit like berries will still give you options for tasty meals, there are some substitutions people can make for those high carb foods.
The book Carbs and Cals is a good resource for giving carb values or look on packets for total carbs or internet search for Food X total carbs. There are also apps that people use.
Have a look at the Learning Zone for a better understanding of managing the condition.
What is your wife's HbA1C as that will indicate how much she needs to do, this might be just cutting portion size of high carb things and cutting out some.
You may also find this link useful.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[hornbeam98]

HbA1C we are only just understanding.
When she was taken to A&E in December with a diabetic episode. It was 18 I think. Now it's down to 9-10.
Only just learning about the three month test average. No info was given on release from hospital. Just Metformin, Statins and blood pressure

 

[hornbeam98]

Meds etc.
We have gone low carb. We have lost just under a stone.
I'm doing this with her as I got a checkup and was 6.1.

She takes a blood sugar reading 2 hours after a meal. But the reading still jumps about from as low as 9 up to 13.

 

[trophywench]

As you've only just started low carbing it's early days - but an increase of 4.0 before/after indicates that whatever carb was in the food, is a bit too much for that body to handle. Gradually as you continue reducing carb, that 9 pre meal should reduce! - it takes time though.

I'm wondering what on earth you mean by the words 'diabetic episode' ? What's one of them?

 

[hornbeam98]

'Diabetic episode'
Doctor's words, she fell really unwell. Blood Sugars measured 19. Blood pressure through the roof. And cholesterol very high. He said her body was shutting down, so I took her to A&E at his request.

A very sobering experience sitting outside A&E waiting for 12 hours as your not allowed in with her because Covid.

 

[Leadinglights]

An HbA1C test used for diagnosis will be a number over 48mmol/mol as that is the diagnostic threshold and would be from a sample taken from the arm and sent to the lab.
This will be different to the spot tests you get from a blood glucose monitor which gives the result in mmol/l
In the early days of changing your diet then testing before you eat and after 2 hours will give an indication of whether she has tolerated the amount of carbohydrate in the meal. An increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l is what you should be aiming at. If it is more than that then you need to cut down or eliminate the high carb component of the meal.
Perhaps you would like to post the sort of meals you are having so people could spot any problem foods.

 

[Leadinglights]

'Diabetic episode'
Doctor's words, she fell really unwell. Blood Sugars measured 19. Blood pressure through the roof. And cholesterol very high. He said her body was shutting down, so I took her to A&E at his request.

A very sobering experience sitting outside A&E waiting for 12 hours as your not allowed in with her because Covid.

Was it this 'episode which led to the diagnosis?
Do you know if they have actually done an HbA1C test.

 

[Drummer]

Im very new to this.

Are the recipes on the website all ok to use.

My wife recently got diagnosed with type 2 and is on Metformin and trying to lower Blood Sugars.

We was told to avoid all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and high carb food and sugars.

But I see lots of these used in the recipes on the diabetes UK website.

Thanks in advance

That is why you need to test blood glucose after meals, so that you can build up a library of what is suitable.
If your wife is an ordinary uncomplicated type 2 then a low carb diet can resolve it, but there are more types than have been given numbers and genetics plays a significant part.

 

[hornbeam98]

An HbA1C test used for diagnosis will be a number over 48mmol/mol as that is the diagnostic threshold and would be from a sample taken from the arm and sent to the lab.
This will be different to the spot tests you get from a blood glucose monitor which gives the result in mmol/l
In the early days of changing your diet then testing before you eat and after 2 hours will give an indication of whether she has tolerated the amount of carbohydrate in the meal. An increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l is what you should be aiming at. If it is more than that then you need to cut down or eliminate the high carb component of the meal.
Perhaps you would like to post the sort of meals you are having so people could spot any problem foods.

Thanks

Food is now fish, meat, eggs and above ground veg based, mainly green veg.

In the first few week she was still having cornflakes/porridge/bananas some mornings as nurse said it should be ok.

Now swapped this out for Advocado/egg/berries.

Potatoes swapped for celeriac/cauliflower cheese/lentils.

Sometimes a small portion of low-fat/sugar beans.

Spiralized Courgette/carrots.

Added flavourings paprika/tumeric/cumin etc.

Hardly any bread at all. About one slice of multi grain in the last week.

No pasta or wheat at all. Apart from some Red Lentil pasta from Sainsbury's.

We check every label now for carb and sugar.

Hopefully the weight lose will continue and stabilise things then we can add the odd thing back in small quantities.

 

[Drummer]

Oh those nurses they do like their little joke - many people are at their most resistant to carbs in the morning, and then they get the advice to slam in the starch - nothing like starting off the day with too much glucose in the blood.

Good Lord I'd better go and get a coffee as forgetting to eat this morning seems to have fired me up - I was supposed to have a pork chop and sweet pepper and just seen it still sitting waiting to be cooked.

Watch out for beans - they are fairly high in carbs anyway, and some people - me being one of them - can apparently extract more carbs than most. I calculated that they are 180 percent above the standard value when I eat them.

You don't need to check both the carbs and the sugar, sugar is a carbohydrate and is included in the count as such.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks

Food is now fish, meat, eggs and above ground veg based, mainly green veg.

In the first few week she was still having cornflakes/porridge/bananas some mornings as nurse said it should be ok.

Now swapped this out for Advocado/egg/berries.

Potatoes swapped for celeriac/cauliflower cheese/lentils.

Sometimes a small portion of low-fat/sugar beans.

Spiralized Courgette/carrots.

Added flavourings paprika/tumeric/cumin etc.

Hardly any bread at all. About one slice of multi grain in the last week.

No pasta or wheat at all. Apart from some Red Lentil pasta from Sainsbury's.

We check every label now for carb and sugar.

Hopefully the weight lose will continue and stabilise things then we can add the odd thing back in small quantities.

You sound to have made some really good changes and I hope you are both enjoying your new menu. A few other things you could add for variety are nuts and seeds and there is no need to avoid full fat dairy as low fat often has higher carbs. As said just look for total carb as that is the critical thing.
You could also try edamame or black bean pasta as that is low carb.
A favourite breakfast of many people is Full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and just a small amount of a low carb cereal like granola, Lizi's is one or All Bran or nuts and seeds.
Well done on the weight loss so far.

 

[hornbeam98]

You sound to have made some really good changes and I hope you are both enjoying your new menu. A few other things you could add for variety are nuts and seeds and there is no need to avoid full fat dairy as low fat often has higher carbs. As said just look for total carb as that is the critical thing.
You could also try edamame or black bean pasta as that is low carb.
A favourite breakfast of many people is Full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and just a small amount of a low carb cereal like granola, Lizi's is one or All Bran or nuts and seeds.
Well done on the weight loss so far.

We are becoming experts with a spiralizer and a courgette.

Still can't take to cauliflower rice yet though.

 

[Leadinglights]

We are becoming experts with a spiralizer and a courgette.

Still can't take to cauliflower rice yet though.

I sometimes find it a bit bitter but do add to stir fries.
I have tried this and it is quite nice.
chopped or grated cauliflower, ginger, garlic, carrots diced, corn kernals, peas, spring onions, cashews or almonds, soy sauce. Stir fry and then add a chopped omelette on the top.

 

[hornbeam98]

I sometimes find it a bit bitter but do add to stir fries.
I have tried this and it is quite nice.
chopped or grated cauliflower, ginger, garlic, carrots diced, corn kernals, peas, spring onions, cashews or almonds, soy sauce. Stir fry and then add a chopped omelette on the top.

Our best so far was.
Two coz lettuce leaves at the base.
Spiralized Courgette/Carrots with onion, garlic, pepper. Stir fried and put on top of lettuce.
A big juicy Sirloin steak sliced and placed on top.
Topped with a poached egg.
Then drizzle steak juices over.