Diabetes advice

A.Penny.Saved

It would be worth eliminating carbohydrate foods from your diet until you know for sure because high blood sugars can be very damaging the longer they go on. It will not help much if your type 1 but might help if your type 2 diabetic. Either way it should help keep your blood sugar as low as you can get it without any medication. However, it is not only carbs which raise blood glucose and some insulin is needed to maintain a normal blood sugar even if you do not eat.

Be careful though because cutting carbs will also significantly lower your fibre intake which could affect your bowel function ie constipation.

sweaty_betty

Sorry to hear about your potential diagnosis, I know it can come as a bit of a shock.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes I did the following:

• tried to exercise (even light exercise like swimming, walking up the stairs etc) - not just for weight loss, but keeping fit in an attempt to ward off some of the complications of diabetes (heart problems etc)
• cut down on carbs - I found that bread, pasta, rice and potatoes all made my blood sugar rocket. I didn't want to be going from one extreme to another (high blood sugar, inject insulin, risk going too low, eating more, etc) and I've found my blood sugar is more stable doing this
• cut out processed food, ready meals etc. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but these foods are full of salt and sugar, not to mention loads of additives etc, they're just bad news. It is tricky if you don't like/can't cook (I was/am the same) - and also can be a time thing. I found the best thing to do was to find meals I enjoyed eating, then batch cook - e.g. I'd make enough lasagne for 6 portions, eat one and freeze the rest, do this with a few different dishes and before you know it you have food in the freezer for a month! Then just take them out of the freezer in the morning and heat when you get home. Or stick to simple things, such as protein (steak, salmon, chicken breast, pork chop) and veg - often easy to just put in the oven as veg are steamed/boiled and you're done.
• find out which foods affect my blood sugar most (there can be quite a difference) and reduce/cut out completely
• avoid special "diabetic" food, e.g. jams, chocolates etc. If eaten in any quantity they can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps - really, don't do it!

I hope you can get some good advice from the diabetes nurse, or better still, you find out that you don't actually have diabetes after all.

KxMx

It's really a case of finding what works for the individual. My Mother is Type 2 and manages her condition very well, has lower and lower HBA1C each time it's measured. She's doing so well her specialist Nurse is considering lowering the medication doses.

She doesn't follow low carb and does eat ready meals from time to time.

That's not the popular path these days but it certainly works in Mum's case.

I would not recommend carrying on eating ready meals all the time if you do have diabetes because good nutrition becomes even more important and you're not going to get that from ready meals all the time.

teddysmum

With type 2 , you don't necessarily need medication and may be able to manage on 'diet and exercise' for years.


Look on the internet to see if you have a local branch of Diabetes UK, as they have regular free meetings with informative talks on all aspects of the condition, as well as free literature.

rosieben

Diabetes is very different for each individual. You need to see the specialist nurse first, she will advise you what's best for your particular case.

My nurse recommended the diabetes uk website but please don't begin to follow advice you find on there until you know what's right for you. When I first read it I started messing around with my diet in a total panic, but tbh most of it is unnecessary for me.

The same applies for diabetes as for anyone else though, a good healthy diet.

mardycow

Thank you very much for your helpful replies. I have cut out all ready meals, cakes etc so far, saw gp yesterday she thinks it is probably type 2 and prescribed Metformin. i don't know about my levels as only had the original blood tests. I expect when i get to see specialist nurse in September more tailored advice will come.

A.Penny.Saved

Your fortunate, in a way, that it is only type 2 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity is a big part of it and that is largely due to the effects of diet. However there is no quick fix for dietary and lifestyle mistakes but it does give you the opportunity to rectify the mistakes, if you choose to.

I suggest that you do a search for solutions to insulin insensitivity. I seem to remember that there is a very good book on type 2 diabetes.

The food you eat causes the bacteria in your gut to adapt to food that they are fed, encouraging pathogens and damaging healthy bacteria. This is a contributory factor to weight gain, obesity and many different health problems.

Mojisola

When my BS was found to be high, I bought a monitor and tested my blood after meals. It was very easy to find the foods that pushed the numbers up. By avoiding those, I have maintained normal BS readings for years without medication.

If I had followed the NHS dietary advice, I'd have been on medication years ago. I think it's important to find what works for you.

margaretclare

Mojisola wrote: »

When my BS was found to be high, I bought a monitor and tested my blood after meals. It was very easy to find the foods that pushed the numbers up. By avoiding those, I have maintained normal BS readings for years without medication.

If I had followed the NHS dietary advice, I'd have been on medication years ago. I think it's important to find what works for you.

I agree with this. DH has been Type 2 diabetic since 1981 and he does his darndest to keep control of his BS levels. It's possible to get a free BS monitor - new versions are brought out from time to time.

Basically, foods which are quickly digested and absorbed into the blood-stream are the ones you need to avoid as much as possible. Anything with refined sugar is nowadays thought to be bad.

Normal BS, for a non-diabetic person, should be between 4 and 8 mmol/l on the 'finger-!!!!!' test. I was told I am at risk of developing diabetes because of age and weight. I get DH to test for me whenever I remember. I've already had the annual full blood screening at the GP's and it was fine.

PS: Oh dear, I didn't mean to use an offensive word! Perfectly ordinary English words are banned. What I meant was when the paramedics say 'sharp scratch...

Horseunderwater

Nurses in hospital are not allowed to use it either - so you're not alone!
I have had it officially since 2003. (Type II) I followed a healthy diet prior to that, but being a bus driver meant that meals were often irregular, so weight had gone on, but I had IBS, which was not helping as what I did eat often went through within 2 hours, so body was starving & storing - not using. Metformin can exacerbate IBS - so much so for me that I stopped it. D nurses never outright said I was Lying about the diet, but you could feel the vibes. Anyway in 2009 I got referred to what was called an injectable trial of exanetide(Byetta). After a month, my IBS stopped, weight started to go down fast & BS followed at a slower pace. I had not changed the diet at this point. I now follow a higher protein to carb ratio diet, which along with only 2 tablets of gliclazide/day keeps it in the region of 7%m/mol. I had a bad reaction to the injectable while in hospital, so had to stop taking that after 4 years. I have now lost 11 stone & all my doctors of which there are many are amazed. I cannot eat a large plate of food now, so often eat all the protein part &v leave the carb part.
Refined white sugar is what is bad for U. It hides in ready meals, reduced cal products, so it is better to cook from scratch & eat the full fat versions of mayonaise just use less. Learn to read ingredient lists on food wrappers/boxes etc. Cooking is easy - just go to Sainsbury's web site 4 example as they have a bit that gives ideas on how to cook etc.