having a hard time understanding a diabetics carb diet?
i just found out im type 2. my first appointment with the specialist didnt go so well. this lady was super over weight and wanted to talk about everything other then my diabeties. she asked me questions about my life style and eating and actually encouraged a plan not eating lunch as i did before. umm im definately finding another doctor lol.
i dont understand the carb exchanges. i kinda feel stupid asking this. she asked me to test my blood 4 times a day and gave me the targeted ranges. amost everytime i test now im falling in the 80′s range. i still feel tired and slugish and not right. but im almost scared to eat cause i dont know what to eat. im most active at work in the morings and when i look at labels for breakfast items in soo confused. is this typical for someone new to diabeties? can anyone help me understand what to eat? what are carb friendly items i can carry on me for snacks and such?
Go to a book store or Walmart and get The South Beach Diet. My nutritionist recommended it to me. It will teach you about good and bad carbs, how fiber helps slow sugar absorption, it has a list of what you can and can’t eat. Also has recipes. It’s a good book, and easy to follow and very healthy. I got mine at Walmart for $12.00 (paperback) If you get the book and follow it, start with Phase 2 and skip over Phase 1. There are no exchange system with this book. I love it
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some low or no carb snacks:
cheese,beef jerky,celery,radishes,pickles,hard boiled eggs
References :
Never never miss a meal. Try to eat 5 to 7 times a day, very small meals.
I recommend you go find a book titled: "Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year" It will help answer most of your questions and lots you haven’t even thought of yet.
Over weight doctors and Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) aren’t failures about their food planning, and probably do know what they are talking about.
But the CDE needs to get to know about your lifestyle in order to make suggestions as what you should be including in your new lifestyle and food planning.
Yes, we should all be testing our glucose levels a minimum of 4 times a day. This gives us an idea of what our systems are doing.
Now, I follow more or less the South Beach Living phase 2 food plan. It is easy to do and works fairly well.
To test each food you want to eat: Test glucose and eat the food such as a banana, test again 90 minutes to 2 hours after the first testing. Journal all of this. If glucose spikes more than 50 points you want to decide how much of this food you really want to eat or if you want to delete it from your food plan.
I keep a journal of ALL my daily activities. Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort but does give me hints as to when I should be walking or moving more, what foods to eliminate or have less of, and since high glucose levels do a number on my ability to remember anything, tells me when I took my medications last.
I don’t mess with carb exchanges at all. They just don’t work for me.
Ok, now I eat bacon, eggs and 1/2 slice of whole grain toast almost every morning!
I have a large dark green leafy salad with tomatos and other goodies and a 3 oz serving of some kind of meat for lunch and dinner almost every day.
I have a handful of nuts, celery with peanut butter or cheese spread, apple slices with flavored cream cheese dip, things like that for snacks.
I got most of my info from the book above and from http://diabetes.about.com forum. The lovely ladies there are really helpful with their advice.
References :
Was this a Endocrinologist or a dietitian? Either way is not good. Skipping meals is a no no with this disease. In fact you should be eating smaller meals with snacks throughout the day.
Please don’t feel stupid asking questions this is how we learn. With this disease you need to learn all you can so you can take care of yourself. I bought the book " The Ultimate Calorie, Carb & Fat Gram Counter" by Lea Ann Holzmeister and kept a diary of everything I ate. I learned what cause my BS to go up and adjusted my diet. Everyone is different so no set "DIET" will work for all. No cookie cutter disease this one! : ) For me 150 carbs a day works. 35 for my main meals and 15 for my snacks.
As for your numbers and feeling ill, if your on any meds maybe they need adjusting. Call the Dr and discuss this. Me I’m best in the mid 90′s. You didn’t say anything about exercise so I will try to get in at least 30 minutes a day. It helps clear the brain and your body will thank you for it by lower BS numbers. But first talk to your Dr about the way your feeling with your numbers in the 80′s.
Good Luck and I hope this helps some.
References :
It is always confusing to anyone who just found out they have diabetes. Fire your doctor. Any doctor that would tell a diabetic not to eat lunch is incompetent. Every doctor that I know of will tell you that a diabetic needs to eat at least 3 balanced meals a day, some even recommend 6 small meals a day. This helps to keep a diabetics blood sugar from dropping.You need an endocrinologist, a diabetic specialist. He will send you to a dietitian who will teach you how to count carbs and eat low fat meals.
In the mean time I have already been through the training and I can get you started.
Carbohydrates are the starches and sugars we get from our food. 1 carbohydrate is 22 grams or less. 23 – 37grams considered 2 carbs . 38 – 52 grams is 3 carbs. etc….
On a package of ceral or a can there are Nutrition Facts.
1. It will tell you the serving size for that product. Example, I have a box of Oatmeal, serving size is 1/2 cooked in 1 cup water.
2. Read on down the label till you come to the Total Carbohydrates. My 1/2 cup of oats has a total of 27 grams of carbohydrates, which means it has 2 carbs because it is over 22 grams as I explained above. I also have a can of peaches, no sugar added. The label says the serving size is 1/2 cup, the total carbohydrates is 12 grams which is 1 carb, because it is under 22 grams.
This is a sample of our diet:
Breakfast: 1 protein, egg cooked in Pam
Carbs. { 1/2 cup oatmeal = 2 carbs
{ 1 cup 1% milk = 1 carb
{ 1 small fruit, such as 1/2 grapefruit = 1 carb.
Fats [ tablespoon of light margarine
Lunch and Dinner: 3oz. low fat meat, baked broiled or grilled Carbs { 1/2 cup of starcy vegetable ( corn or potatoes ) = 1
{ 1 cup 1% milk or butter milk = 1 carb
{ 1 small fruit = 1 carb
{ 1 slice 100% whole wheat bread = 1 carb
In additon to all the above, we have a small side salad with light dressing.
A diabetic does not have to starve to keep ones blood sugars normal.
Snacks: Murray brand has a wonderful selection of sugar free cookies, double fudge, peanut butter, chocolate chip, vanilla cream and many more. You can find these at Wal – Mart or most any food store.
Also you can get sugar free puddings, pies, and yes even cakes. I found these at my local Kroger store and Wal – Mart.
Also low fat popcorn is a good filling snack, but remember to check serving size and carbs.
I hope this helps. I sure hope you can understand about the carbs. It was confusing to me when I first started too.
References :
My husband has been a diabetic for about 18 years.
I am also a diabetic.
Dr. Jay Dey, Endocrinologist
Julia Lucius, registered dietitian
foods with the most carbs are breads, potatoes, etc. ive been type 1 diabetic for 14 years (i’m 22 now)…i try to eat as little carbs as possible, but most foods (the good stuff!) has carbs, its just watching the intake. For instance, cereals (milks and whole grain) have a good bit of carbs, but is good for you and gives you energy (energy will help you work off the carbs….lower blood sugar during the day). for lunch i try to do maybe a sandwich….wheat bread is best. cheeses are good, they dont cause your sugar to go up much. fruits have LOTS of sugar…so dont eat JUST fruits. but a banana with breakfast or with lunch is good for the body and again, promotes healthy weight and energy. pastas are loaded with carbs, so try to stay away from them as much as possible. so basically, the foods to stay away from are potatoes, breads, and pastas. this doesnt mean you cant eat these items, but it will help if you dont over-eat them. Pickles, sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello/pudding are great snacks and wont effect the blood sugar! Good luck!
References :
Of course its typical no one really goes into being diabetic and knowing everything unless they know someone that has it. Carbs can be found on the back of foods – lables.
Good Breakfast Foods – eggs, toast, oatmeal, meat, fruits, veggies, pancakes. If your more active in the morning try eating foods with carbs over 30grams, this should help keep your sugars from dropping while at work. a snack can be 10-15 grams of carbs- crackers, small pack of raisins, cup of milk things like that. I’d carry some sort of snack foods with me at all times, just in case. (try to avoid jelly with lots of sugar)
Good Lunch Foods – Sandwhiches, fruits, veggies, soup, salad. Things with carbs – not a whole lot…
Good Dinner Foods- Meat, Pasta (not alot), Sandwhiches, Soup, – the best way to explain meals is to just take the portion show at the top of each lable (it should say serving size 2/3 of a cup) and then you’d look at the carbs and thats how many carbs is in that portion of the meal.
try using a calculator when you eat…. try and make a range for yourself when you eat.
breakfast- 30 carbs (two peices of toast an milk n fruit)
lunch- 45-50 carbs
dinner- 60-65..
it really depends on how much you eat will depend on what type of carbs youll be looking for.
But changing your doctor sounds like a plus espeically if they dont help. When you find a doctor ask them for a diabetic carb counting book – and another carb counting book for resturants. their helpful.
good luck
References :
experience – type one diabetic
no i dont think so.
References :
Go to a book store or Walmart and get The South Beach Diet. My nutritionist recommended it to me. It will teach you about good and bad carbs, how fiber helps slow sugar absorption, it has a list of what you can and can’t eat. Also has recipes. It’s a good book, and easy to follow and very healthy. I got mine at Walmart for $12.00 (paperback) If you get the book and follow it, start with Phase 2 and skip over Phase 1. There are no exchange system with this book. I love it
References :