What should I eat

[Youngdiabetic]

Hi there, I’ve got type 2 diabetes in late 20s. Got gestational diabetes during pregnancy and diagnosed with type 2 after pregnancy.

I need help. What do I eat. My sugar level is always high 11 is normal level for me but it’s high . Should I be having low carb at lunch and high carb in evening. I’m more active during the day

Breakfast 1 clementine

Lunch usually low with carbs Fish finger or chicken or tuna Mayo salad sandwich

Dinner usually high with carbs e.g curry with chapatti or bowl of tuna pasta or a air fryer carby meal

Sometimes I have a bowl of shreddies a few hours later

Don’t have any snacks. I do feel quite hungry during day but my sugar levels are high after meals going upto 11 to 15. I feel dizzy and have a headache so try to be active to lower it down

I’ve stopped having any cereal as it shoots my sugar level up

Please help I don’t want to go on medications I’m a young mother too so don’t want health complications

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Youngdiabetic The first thing to ask is do you have any Type 2 risk factors, eg being overweight or having a family history of it. I ask just to make sure because at least three women I know were diagnosed with gestational diabetes when they actually had the early stages of Type 1.

What you’re eating seems quite high in carbs. Your breakfast seems a bit minimal in food overall but your evening meal seems very carby. There’s no reason why you should have a carby evening meal. I’m not sure where you got that idea from?

Try plain Greek yoghurt plus a few berries for breakfast, or eggs plus tomatoes, etc. For lunch, have a big salad with green salad veg, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrots, etc etc and some protein. Your evening meal should be lower in carbs. Have a curry but have cauliflower rice and no chappati or naan bread. Don’t eat cereal for a snack. Try something with less carbs like raw veg dipped in hummus, a Babybel, a few nuts, etc.

 

[Youngdiabetic]

I am slightly overweight when I look at my BMI but I am slim in figure with a mummy belly. My parents and grandparents 1 from each side have diabetes type 2

I just really want to eat like a normal person I think that’s why I struggle in the evenings as all day I’ve eaten nothing no snacks just a sandwich. For breakfast I need something that’s quick as I’m usually rushing dropping kids off etc I don’t like the taste of yoghurt. I can eat plain but not very keen and feel nauseous with flavoured yoghurt

I’m usually making meals for my family so i don’t know what would be best to recommend to cater for us all or maybe it would be best for me to have a seperate meal that’s just catered for my diabetes as I tend to do that at times

 

[Inka]

Weight around the tummy is a risk factor for Type 2.Sometimes people are just genetically prone to store it there (apples) rather than on their hips and bum. You clearly have a strong family history too. Any exercise you can do should help. Just walking rather than taking the bus is good. Keeping active after meals can help as well. If you can’t go for a post-meal walk, do chores that involve going up and down stairs a lot, eg putting washing away, tidying, etc The idea is to get the exercise in so take up washing bits at a time rather than in one go.

Hmmm, if you don’t like yoghurt, could/would you have some like hard-boiled eggs (boiled the day before) and ham with red pepper, tomatoes, cucumber or so on. That can be very quick and is filling too.

If you want some carbs for your evening meal, you could try just reducing the portion. There are also things like lower carb pastas made from pulses (they taste pretty much the same) but, again, keep your portion moderate. You can also try courgetti (‘pasta’ made from courgettes using a spiraliser or Y shaped peeler).

Hopefully you shouldn’t have to make a separate meal, just adjust the meal slightly for yourself. That’s easiest and means you don’t feel too left out.

 

[Leadinglights]

Yoghurt is a go to for breakfast but the flavour of full fat Greek yoghurt is way different to the rather acidic low fat or zero fat that many try and don't like, so it may be worth a try to see if you like that with a few berries added with some added seed or nuts or a small portion of low sugar granola.
Your meals need to fit in with family meals so you may find this low carb approach which is based on real food helpful to find a way forward https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It is better to spread out the carbs you have between meals as there is only so much that your body can cope with all at once rather than few in a couple of meals then lots in one. The suggested amount of carbs is no more than 130g per day so keeping a food diary can be a good way of seeing where you are with your carb intake.

 

[Drummer]

Hi there, I’ve got type 2 diabetes in late 20s. Got gestational diabetes during pregnancy and diagnosed with type 2 after pregnancy.

I need help. What do I eat. My sugar level is always high 11 is normal level for me but it’s high . Should I be having low carb at lunch and high carb in evening. I’m more active during the day

Breakfast 1 clementine

Lunch usually low with carbs Fish finger or chicken or tuna Mayo salad sandwich

Dinner usually high with carbs e.g curry with chapatti or bowl of tuna pasta or a air fryer carby meal

Sometimes I have a bowl of shreddies a few hours later

Don’t have any snacks. I do feel quite hungry during day but my sugar levels are high after meals going upto 11 to 15. I feel dizzy and have a headache so try to be active to lower it down

I’ve stopped having any cereal as it shoots my sugar level up

Please help I don’t want to go on medications I’m a young mother too so don’t want health complications

If you eat starch or sugar then it will raise your blood glucose levels - so fruit, the bread coating on fish fingers, bread as a sandwich, Shreddies, chapatti, pasta, all will elevate glucose levels, and also will result in hunger as your need for protein and fats is probably not being met.
I brought up a family eating low carb and it was not difficult to add in some 'ordinary' foods for them and a lower carb option for myself or we all had the same thing and I made a dessert for the rest of the family.
When I was first diagnosed I reduced my intake of carbs to get under 8mmol/l after meals and that seemed to turn things around. I kept to the same meals and saw my numbers going down. I am eating less now, sometimes only once a day, as I am never hungry.

 

[Jodee]

Hi there, I’ve got type 2 diabetes in late 20s. Got gestational diabetes during pregnancy and diagnosed with type 2 after pregnancy.

I need help. What do I eat. My sugar level is always high 11 is normal level for me but it’s high . Should I be having low carb at lunch and high carb in evening. I’m more active during the day

Breakfast 1 clementine

Lunch usually low with carbs Fish finger or chicken or tuna Mayo salad sandwich

Dinner usually high with carbs e.g curry with chapatti or bowl of tuna pasta or a air fryer carby meal

Sometimes I have a bowl of shreddies a few hours later

Don’t have any snacks. I do feel quite hungry during day but my sugar levels are high after meals going upto 11 to 15. I feel dizzy and have a headache so try to be active to lower it down

I’ve stopped having any cereal as it shoots my sugar level up

Please help I don’t want to go on medications I’m a young mother too so don’t want health complications

Hi youngdiabetic, Can you access one of the diabetes courses run by the hospital, there is a lot of educational information on these courses but of course I don't know if they are still running these days, but definitely worth attending if you can. I would say reduced carbs and smaller portions, with healthy snacks between meals when you are hungry. You do say you are quite active so this may not be the best advice. Check diabetes org home page for more info and perhaps have a chat with the helpline.

Diabetes education: learning to look after your diabetes

Having diabetes doesn't have to rule your life. It can feel overwhelming, but no matter how long since your diagnosis, you can benefit from support and information. It’ll help you manage your diabetes, so it's easier to live with and reduces your risk of developing complications. Ask your doctor...

www.diabetes.org.uk

On the courses I have attended in the past, ok snacks were boiled egg, celery with peanut butter, nuts, apple, a handful of grapes (actually only about 5-8 is what I do), I only eat half a banana in one sitting, ie half with breakfast, the other half as snack or with lunch etc.
All the best

 

[Jodee]

Yoghurt is a go to for breakfast but the flavour of full fat Greek yoghurt is way different to the rather acidic low fat or zero fat that many try and don't like, so it may be worth a try to see if you like that with a few berries added with some added seed or nuts or a small portion of low sugar granola.
Your meals need to fit in with family meals so you may find this low carb approach which is based on real food helpful to find a way forward https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It is better to spread out the carbs you have between meals as there is only so much that your body can cope with all at once rather than few in a couple of meals then lots in one. The suggested amount of carbs is no more than 130g per day so keeping a food diary can be a good way of seeing where you are with your carb intake.

Great link Leadinglights, thanks for sharing that 🙂