Diebetes Type 2

Lynibis sounds confusing indeed.. my mum has heard fruit you can eat as much as you want with diabetes. There is much conflicting advice out there, even from health experts.

I wonder if diabetes is somewhat hereditary too.

Nadiaparveen yes it is hereditary in many families but I guess you can also develop it from an unhealthy lifestyle.

The fruit thing is terribly confusing even though I know it contains lots of sugar. So between us we have 3 different scenarios for the fruit eating, how is anyone meant to deal with their illnesses when told such conflicting advice.

Then again being told to eat the traffic light system foods showing green and amber only, rice and pasta all green but then told don't eat them!

Lynibis exactly! Also can you have reduced sugar products ? Is each person's case different to the next?

Nadiaparveen well again, I am doubting all I have been told now as initially on a day course the diabetic nurse told me you can drink diet cola etc and have sweetners in tea etc. Then my own nurse said your body gets fooled and thinks it is real sugar so treats the same way.

I don't have a huge problem cutting sugar (I can often manage my willpower and avoid temptation) but it is the carbs that get me. Life without rice, pasta, potatoes, pastry, pies and so on seems really empty to me, and so does my tummy!

Yes I believe everyone is different. When I spoke to colleague with diabetes (who constantly eats sweets, choc, biscuits, fruit in large quantities and all the carbs I mentioned) and her sugar level is currently just 1 point below mine, however, she takes 4 metformin a day and I refuse to do that, I would sooner use my common sense and willpower than use drugs as a crutch.

Lynibis good on you I think you should checkout any foods specially made for diabetics and even weight watchers, though you have to be careful with them, as apparently what is low in fat often is high in sugar. I can sympathize with not being able to eat carbs I think you should try eating the healthier versions of such carbs.. so have brown rice instead of white, whole-wheat pasta instead durum wheat... brown sourdough..have quinoa and oats.

If you like Asian food ..lentils and beans are great for controlling diabetes.

My mum took bitter gourd which isn't pleasant but it significantly reduced her sugar levels.

Lynibis There is a huge amount of conflicting advice regarding diet and health. I'm sure type 2 Diabetes has been shown to be reversible in many people as they eat more healthily, diet and exercise. I've seen advice that fruit is actually fine because the sugars are locked into the fibres and the body struggles to digest them so your healthy bacteria would consume those sugars where as if you had lets say orange juice with high levels of fructose that is very unhealthy. The processing of food seems to be the main issue. I mean how many oranges would you need to make one large glass of orange juice?

I think one of the main ways to tackle diabetes is to eat less often so you have less insulin spikes, less snacking and perhaps only 1 or 2 meals a day but that advice is never given by the NHS.

If you google Type 2 Diabetes diet studies or words to that effect you might find medical research that shows real data on what is the best diet. I've got into the habit now of looking for data rather than opinion. Same with politics just look at the actual data, the numbers rather than what people are saying because the real truth is fact based.

Nadiaparveen what is bitter gourd and where can I find it please? I do love Asian food but will in future swap rice for alternatives.

I have just bought lots of different beans and will use some in a chilli, maybe with real mince to start off with. I also have lentils which I will add to stews and casseroles in the colder weather.

BonzoBanana 3 people have told me that the doc I saw (never see same one twice), sounded wrong that I should ignore what he said, which of course goes against the grain. He was the oldest doc I have ever seen (and fat, which is not setting a good example, especially when telling me to lose more weight!) and although one might say they have experience, I do wonder if they keep up with all the modern advances and new ideas in medicine.

Another confusion you have raised is that of eating. I have been told to eat little and often in order to keep levels steady and avoid hypos, which I have never had, though a bit dizzy sometimes.

I never snack during the day and cannot face food until about 11 at which time I have what I call brunch, I then don't eat again until 6 or 7. Some may say that is late but I don't go to bed until 11.30 at the earliest so if I ate earlier I would be starving by bed time.

Evenings after dinner are the worst for me but for the last week I have managed to stop myself snacking while watching tv and starting to see results on scales. Lost two stone when first diagnosed, have kept it off, and am not obese. Losing weight is so much harder at my age and doesn't help having under active thyroid. All 4 siblings have that too so family trait.

Lynibis that's great because it means you can try many Asian dishes, particularly Indian as they love their veggies/legumes.

Bitter gourd it's a green vegetable, looks similar to a cucumber but is more rough textured from the outside and bitter

tasting. My mum would eat a piece raw daily, her sugar levels went down her doc wanted to take her off her meds.

You can buy them from Asian or maybe even Carribbean Grocer stores and it can be cooked in many different ways

But I saw there are tablet versions of them selling online if you don't want to eat it, with positive reviews

uk.dhownaturefoods.com/products/bitter-melon-capsules?variant=37654423339174

Nadiaparveen brilliant, thank you very much. It seems nature has a cure for most minor ailments.

Lynibis you're welcome often food if processed and overdone on is the disease and food is the cure

There is a powder version too to mix with water.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07663XCFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_T4JKE9DPXD5ASXF8833Q_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Lynibis im sorry your havving a tough time

SusanEaston327 thank you my dear, but I am fine just confused as discussed above. I am quite healthy otherwise and manage my home and job without any problems. Looking after 2 dogs at the moment as well!

Lynibis you can put type 2 diabetes into remission, many people do with lifestyle changes, healthy eating and exercise and keeping up to it.

Has your weight increased recently. Weight can be a huge factor for some people not everyone.

If you've been on Metformin and eating treats maybe you've gained some extra weight.

Ideally you want to follow a low carb diet for now if your sugars are high at the moment but I think over all your goal should be focusing on weight lose, if you cannot commit to low carb commit to another form of healthy eating for weight lose.

Long term any healthy balanced diet should be ok for type 2 diabetes once you drop the weight, you'll be fine having occasionally treats it won't always have to be so restricted.

I would strongly recommend joining a diabetic forum which will be full of good advice and support.

www.diabetes.co.uk/

Calorie counting / tracking is a good weight management tool but admittedly quite time consuming initially. Loads of free tool to find out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight.

Heres's one example

www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

Not sure what your mobility is like but for most people regarding exercise simply walking should be enough if you do it regularly try increasing your pace if you can. The 10,000 steps a day goal is a good one and something to build up to.

I know people have busy lives with lots going on but your own health is so important. I feel you should really try and invest some time in yourself, researching type 2 diabetes, focusing on weight lose and exercise. It doesn't have to be expensive, you don't need to buy gym membership or special foods, apps. You can walk for free and use the internet for free resources for weight lose.

Good luck with your journey to remission.

ILOVEFANTA thank you very much for your helpful advice. As soon as I was diagnosed I lost 2 stone very quickly, and kept it off. Since seeing the doc a couple of weeks ago I have lost another half stone and hope to continue this.

Carbs are my main problem as I love fresh bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc and am finding it hard to make meals devoid of those, especially potatoes. However, exercise is a problem. I am active in as much as doing housework, gardening and my job entails lifting babies, toddlers in and out of vehicles, often the babies weigh a ton in those car seat cradles. But I live in a concrete jungle with broken glass, dog poo and assorted rubbish, this totally spoils any walks I may think of having, besides which I am so tired by end of day as I have under active thyroid too.

But hopefully with the steps I am taking there will be improvement when I next see doc.

I am 70 next year, which I know isn't ancient nowadays but I do sometimes feel it lol.

jwhitaker537 when I was first diagnosed I was put on a one day course and what shocked me was that out of 8 people only 3 could be termed obese, 2 were just biggish and the other 3 were slim. In fact the fattest person in the room was the nurse lecturing us about what we could and couldn't eat!

sylviawatts1963 you can put it into remission on your notes if you have had under control for over 12 months with no medication (so HbA1c results in the normal range)

But yes it does stay with you forever as you are always at increased risk of it coming back