Oh joy just found out I have a high A1c so I’m now finding out what I can’t eat.
I’m hoping some of you can suggest sauces ,deserts bread & beverages that are good tasting & can be store bought
I don’t cook but can handle a bbq & an air fryer
Thanks in advance & please don’t suggest vegetables thanks in advance
2 Likes
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes some years back. The consistent advice from the health professionals is that nothing is forbidden but everything should be in moderation. A normal healthy diet, if you will. I’m not too good at sticking to it
4 Likes
My DH has officially crossed the line with his A1C and is considered Type 2 at the moment. He is hoping to get back into the normal range by avoiding “white” foods, alcohol and sweets. There is so much confusing information about it. I’m hoping to learn from this post.
2 Likes
Moderation is the approach these days because it’s easier to attempt moderation than an all or nothing plan long-term, and the long-term is more important here.
3 Likes
I try to avoid sweetened drinks. I cut my juices with sparkling water, use soda as an occasional treat.
I sometimes drink infused waters. I drink a lot of coffee and tea.
I don’t drink much alcohol, maybe 2 drinks a month.
Re: desserts, anything sugary, buttery or heavy is not ideal.
Pavlova, Sabayon and Eton Mess are fairly light desserts.
With breads, moderation. Try not to eat more than 1 or 2 slices at any meal time.
I limit my pasta and rice consumption to a cup or less of cooked pasta or rice at any one meal.
3 Likes
I’m fortunate that my doctors’ practice has a diabetes expert - and expert at nationwide level. A specialist nurse who provides advice to patients at something like five local practices.
I try to stick to her original advice that a main course plate of food should be 25% protein, 25% carbs and 50% vegetable. I like my veg so that’s fine.
6 Likes
Thanks yeah my Dr has a whole set up with Diabetes specialists seeing them in 2 weeks
I applied everyone’s help here
2 Likes
I can’t imagine not eating vegetables.
4 Likes
Use your imagination, other than my current situation I have run 15 marathons last one at 68 and am still in decent shape for 74
When I’m in Italy or Portugal my vegetable intake is about normal but in the states with all the hybrid stuff & agricultural conditions no thanks unless I know the source & the chef
Not here to discuss my vegetable habits trying to find a solution for my situation please respect my wishes
Thanks
1 Like
The advice your nurse gave you is in line with what I heard from my nutritionist, when I sought to lose weight and bring my a1c down from pre-diabetic to normal, a few years ago.
I was advised the same distribution as you were on the plate. However I was encouraged to make the 50% vegetables all non-starchy as much as possible (eg green leafies, brassicas, etc.); the 25% carbs should be complex carbs (no white rice or similar) - e.g. steel cut oats, whole grains, etc.).
The plate should be normal to smallish size (to aid in portion control) not ultra-large size - there is a big variation in plate sizes!
I found it easy to stick to the plan because I also love vegetables, with good results in weight and blood tests. But I fell off it last year for a variety of reasons, and need to get back on.
ETA: Plus, similar to @phoenikia, I don’t regularly have sugary drinks - juices very rarely, only diet colas once in a blue moon, alcoholic drinks maybe once in 2-3 weeks, etc. I just drink plain or seltzer water.
Same for desserts - I have dessert only rarely, but what gets me is the periodic festival season, e.g. Navaratri and Deepavali sweets every year, closely followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. Takes me the rest of the year to dig out from under the effects of those.
5 Likes
I have been insulin dependent since diagnosis in 2002. Pne thing i really believe in is your diabetes is your own. My endocrinologist taught me to test after meals to inderstand how things work in my case. So I get treats but chosen from things that will mess my blood sugar up least. My list is not the same as the medical association lists, but they work for me. This approach alpso keeps me in touch with how my body changes as the years pass by.
There are ways to take control
Knowledge is key
Losing weight helps. If you wind up on insulin, losing weight decreases insulin resistance making it easier to lose weight reducing your need for insulin. Making it easier to lose weight. Over the last 3 years i have lost 40# and cut my insulin by over 50%.
Get your supports together.
You can manage your diabetes.
9 Likes
Low carb diets have become the standard for treating type 2 diabetes. How far you should reduce carbohydrate is still up for debate, but generally speaking you need to be under 50g daily (or ~10% of total caloric intake) for your diet to be ketogenic. If that is what your doctor recommends, this means that meat, fats, cheese and eggs (plus LC proteins like tofu) will comprise the bulk of what you eat, supplemented with nuts, vegetables and the occasional fruit or complex carb. Simple carbs and sugar are pretty much out.
If your doctor recommends a more moderate approach (i.e. carbs equal to 25% of total calories), you will have more leeway to consume complex carbs, but sugar and other simple carbs are still not recommended.
Here are a few links to check out:
4 Likes
Thanks that’s really helpful I appreciate it
1 Like
As a marathon runner for over 50 years carbohydrate’s have been a mainstay of my diet
When you average 250 miles running a month for over 50 years you tend to be able to eat anything.
Weight control is not an issue either.
I have to figure out my pasta , bread ,pizza ice cream & pie replacements.
Yes brown rice for everyone & the next time I eat tofu will be my first.
Getting old sucks but the alternative isn’t an option.
Thanks to you all and ,has anyone had the frozen Greek yogurt is it any good.?
BTW Cauliflower pizza will never be in my grocery cart.LOL
To anyone who is an aficionado of Italian food & diabetic what do you eat ?
Chicken Piccata? With what?? Ugh not happy.
Do I need to get a Wok?
Yes, excess weight is often a symptom of insulin resistance (the precursor to type 2 diabetes), but not always. Your exercise habits probably kept the weight off but weren’t able to fully mitigate the other negative effects of a high carbohydrate diet.
If you are still a long-distance runner, I recommend checking out some books and forums dedicated to low-carb athletes and athletic performance on a low-carb diet - there is a good bit of anecdotal evidence as well as studies showing that after an adjustment period, athletes perform just as well on a low carb regime as a high carb diet.
3 Likes
To answer some of these food-specific questions:
Yes, Greek yogurt is delicious. I like it with savory additions like chopped nuts and olives. DH prefers it with blackberries (very low carb fruit) and a little artificial sweetener.
Cauliflower pizza is…not pizza. 
However, cauliflower makes a very good sub for potatoes in some applications. I puree it and use it as a base for creamy soups (like clam chowder, broccoli cheddar, “potato” leek, etc) and sauces (anything that calls for bechamel or mornay).
Italian can be tough. Crushed pork rinds, nuts and parmesan cheese make a good breading for cutlets, and sauces can be thickened by reducing with butter or cream instead of flour. I often make Bolognese sauce and eat it in a bowl like chili, garnished with fresh ricotta. Antipasti like cured meats, olives, cheese, etc are naturally low carb - you just have to learn to enjoy them without bread. Shirataki noodles can sub for pasta in a pinch (though I prefer them in Asian dishes).
You don’t need a wok. Stir fry can be a great low carb meal but you can make it in a regular skillet. As a long time low-carber, the majority of my meals consist of a grilled/braised/BBQed meat and a sauteed or roasted vegetable side or a salad. You said you’re not big on cooking - how do you feel about canned tuna, rotisserie chickens and other prepared proteins?
7 Likes
My dad is type II and my mom is not on top of it (she has full control over his diet).
Whenever I cook for them, this book has been helpful and we’ve had some really good dishes from here. I didn’t buy it but it’s always available at my local library when I need it.
Frankly, we could all eat fewer carbs, diabetic or not.
5 Likes
This is to @biondanonima rather than to OP.
I too like savory yogurt: tzatziki and raita and similar dishes, and am thankful I never got hooked onto sweet yogurt. But because lactose, I don’t eat raita etc with abandon either - gotta watch the portions.
I agree on cauliflower. I like cauli rice too. I often combine a small amount of white rice with a lot of cauli rice to get the fun of both. Or all cauli rice is good too.
There are a lot of smart and informed people on this board. That being said, after you have collected the information, please do cross-check with your professional healthcare expert/provider.
Why do you say no vegetables? Is it because you hate vegetables, or because you already eat a lot of vegetables (so no more room to go)?
