Fruit question

[lamb curry]

I have just been diagnosed with type2 diabetes.I am a 37 year old male slightly overweight.

Prior to diagnosis i often snacked on cookies , potato chips lots of regular coca cola and chocolate bars.

Now i have switched to 15 clementines , 5 apples , a little honeydew melon , fresh carrot juice and lots of diet coca cola.I have also stopped taking sugar in my coffee.

Is this a safe switch ? Natural sugar is ok for me isn't it? What else can i snack on as the fruit just makes me more thirsty and hungry.

Id be grateful if anybody replying do not use any jargon or shorthand as im finding it difficult to understand terms like DX etc.


thanks Lamb Curry

[princesslinda]

Welcome Lambcurry, glad you found the forums!

Do you have a meter? Do you check you blood sugar often?

The best way to learn how to eat is to "eat by your meter," eat, then test 2 hrs after your first bite of food. This will show you how different foods affect your blood sugar, and help you make smarter food choices. You blood sugar goal at the 2 hr mark is 140 or less.

Fruits are loaded with natural sugar and can cause your blood sugar to elevate--this is probably why you are getting so thirsty.

Personally, I can tolerate a few berries or 1/2 a banana or a small green apple--but certainly not all of these at once.

If you're eating that much fruit in one day, I feel safe in saying that's way too much fruit.

I have found that limiting "white foods" such as potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, helps keep blood sugar more stable.

If you enjoy chips, try pork rinds, as they have no carbs, but plenty of crunch. Nuts would also be a good snack as well as cheese or sugar free jello.

Your best bet is to eat a healthy diet, lots of green veggies, salads, unbreaded, unfried meats and fish, that type thing.

Hope you post often, as there's lots of support and encouragement to be found here. And be sure and question anything you don't understand. Sometimes we who have been here awhile forget that everyone doesn't "speak our language at first."

[Granny Shanny]

Welcome, LC. Natural sugar can cause just as much havoc with our sugar levels as the most highly refined products.

If you haven't already gotten a glucose meter, be sure to get one and start testing. Safe levels of blood glucose are roughly 80-140 mg/dl.

Then you'll need to "eat to your meter", which is done by eating the food, testing an hour later, and testing again two hours later. This accomplishes two things: the 1-hour test tells approximately how high that food spiked your glucose, and the 2-hour test tells you if it has begun to drop back down (which it hopefully HAS).

Many diabetics find they can eat all they want of proteins & fats, without elevating their glucose levels much at all. Some diabetics can tolerate fruits, especially berries, without disturbing the balance too much. But eating large amounts of sweet juicy fruits is prob'ly going to cause trouble, just the same as eating "white" foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, bread . . . anything made with white flour and/or refined sugar.

(edit) Ooops! PrincessLinda got in here first - and made several points I forgot about . . . listen to PrincessLinda!

[KatGirl]

Hello and Welcome!!

The biggest thing to watch out for are carbs. Fruit can have a lot of carbs that that can have a huge impact on blood sugar. Carrots in generally have quite a few carbs as well. Sugar in fruit can increase your blood sugar just as much as a candy bar.

The fruit may be making you more thristy and hungry because it is raising your blood sugar too high. Are you testing after you eat these foods?

If you are looking for snacks here are a few that I eat: almonds (watch the portion sizes), cheese (not low fat), sugar free jello. Protien and fat are not bad. You can also snack on veggies. If you really want fruit, try a few berries.

The biggest thing is to test after you eat. That way you know what foods work for you.

[lamb curry]

I was told a week ago i was officially diabetic , i've not been explained what a meter is yet. I have been booked to see a dietician but it may be in 6/8 weeks time. ( i'm in u.k. not u.s by the way)

Iv found replacing cookies and candy with fruit very easy but i am eating 2/3 pieces of fruit per hour.I'm shocked to read that fruit is bad for me i always thought they were good for you.

Thanks for the jello advice

Katgirl don't you mean low fat cheese. Fatty cheese is full of saturated fat

Princesslinda white starches ( white rice , pasta , potatoes ) represent over 50% of my daily intake.What should i replace it with?

Is there any type of fruit which is lower in sugars which i can eat on a regualr basis?

[KatGirl]

For me anything that is low fat tends to have higher carbs. They have to substitute the fat with something and that something is usually carbs.

To give you an idea, here is my typical daily diet. Others might come on here with other opinions but this is what works for me. My blood sugar rarely goes above 100, even after eating:

Breakfast: I will have eggs, a low carb protein drink, some berries (blueberries, strawberries). Of all the fruits berries seem to agree with me the best.

Lunch: salad, almonds, tunafish, raw veggies w/ full fat dip, grilled chicken, protein drink.

Dinner: lean protein (chicken, fish, steak), veggies

Snacks: cheese, jello, almonds, a small apple with natural peanut butter.

I stay away from all white foods (pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar). These foods generally raise your blood sugar the most.

I also exercise 2 hours a day six days a week. That also helps with the blood sugar control.

There is nothing wrong with fruit but moderation is key. For example, I can't eat bananas, pineapple or watermelon.

[foxl]

That look about right, to me, too!

[princesslinda]

LC, I was a carb-a-holic myself, I loved all the white foods. Making these changes were hard for me, but I felt so much better once my blood sugars normalized.

Are you having difficulty controlling your hunger? You mention eating 2-3 pieces of fruit/hour, would you normally eat on the hour? I'd encourage you to have 3 good sized meals a day, and a snack mid-day and a snack in the evening (esp. if you tend to much while watching TV). Have a filling breakfast (omelette or eggs and bacon--or egg substitute and turkey bacon) or a protein shake. For lunch and dinner, have a big salad with you favorite veggies and grilled chicken or turkey or ham on top..or a bunless burger with all the trimming, or a nice steak or piece of fish with green veggies (green beans, asparagus, broccoli).

After you get a meter and get your blood sugars under good control, you can try adding back some of your favorite foods/fruits in small amounts to see which ones you can best tolerate ...but in the meantime while you have no way to monitor your blood sugar, it's best to eat low-carb and avoid the fruits and white foods. Eating the protein, fiber and fat also keep you feeling full longer.

Don't look at it like "I can't ever have ________." You're chosing not to have ________ right now because you will feel better with lower blood sugars, and you'll hopefully avoid the complications of prolonged high blood sugars.

[musique913]

15 clementines a day would spike me, I know!! Much worse than three pieces of dark chocolate.:P

My snacks are things like almonds, nuts like pistachios, stuff like that and cheese(yes full fat cheese) and some fruit, but definitely not as much as you had mentioned.

I munch on blueberries and strawberries a lot, because they don't spike me.

[Alan S]

I was told a week ago i was officially diabetic , i've not been explained what a meter is yet. I have been booked to see a dietician but it may be in 6/8 weeks time. ( i'm in u.k. not u.s by the way)

Iv found replacing cookies and candy with fruit very easy but i am eating 2/3 pieces of fruit per hour.I'm shocked to read that fruit is bad for me i always thought they were good for you.

Thanks for the jello advice

Katgirl don't you mean low fat cheese. Fatty cheese is full of saturated fat

Princesslinda white starches ( white rice , pasta , potatoes ) represent over 50% of my daily intake.What should i replace it with?

Is there any type of fruit which is lower in sugars which i can eat on a regualr basis?

Please obtain your meter as a priority.

In the meantime this may help; note the comment on fruits:

What to Eat at First

Every so often a newly diagnosed person arrives on the various forums I read who has no meter and is unlikely to get one for a period. Of course, I suggest they don't delay in correcting that, but that doesn't help in the short term. So this page is some suggestions for people in that position. Not advice for a permanent menu, but as a temporary measure until a meter is available and blood glucose testing can be started.

These are broad guidelines that should help minimise post-meal blood glucose spikes without jeopardising overall nutrition. Note that these are just my opinion, I'm a diabetic, not a doctor. If you are on insulin you should discuss them with your doctor - but if you are on insulin you should also have a meter.

Minimise:

Anything made in a bakery.
Pasta.
Rice.
All wheat products.
All corn products.
All cereals and other processed grains.
Starches - especially root vegetables.
All sugared drinks - sodas, sport drinks, milk.
All juices.
All fast foods.
And ignore colour, fibre content, or advertising hype about wholegrain or low-GI.

Be wary of:

Fruits, good in small portions, possibly harmful in large portions.

Maximise

All vegetables, apart from root vegetables.

Use in appropriate portions:

Fish
Meats (trimmed well of fat)
Eggs
Beans
Nuts
Avocado

Those lists are not exhaustive but I think you'll pick up the trends.

[slewpnj]

Hi Lamb Curry and Welcome --

I was diagnosed (DX) in late Sept. I had been eating a half banana and 1 or 2 apples a day. If I ate the half banana with a high fiber cereal (shredded wheat), I didn't spike but did spike if I ate it alone. Also, I was not losing any weight, so I have recently cut out all fruits, as well as the breakfast cereal -- making it up with veggies.

Fruit was the hardest "give up" for me but it was more of a weight loss issue than a sugar issue. You say you are slightly overweight and I probably have about 70 more lbs to lose, so you might handle the fruit better. As the other posters have noted, you'll have to monitor the amount of fruit as well as the affect they have on your glucose levels.

Good Luck!

[chord]

Hello Katgirl please can you mention the name of the protein drink you take and where I can get it so I know what to ask for when I go shopping for it. Thanks

[ShottleBop]

EAS AdvantEdge is one brand that some folks here have tried and liked (2-3 grams of carbs per serving, low in polyunsaturated fats, about 17-18 grams of protein). For me, it helps to add heavy cream.

Premier Nutrition (sold at Costco) is another low-carb, low PUF brand. It has 30 grams of protein. I find that is sometimes too much for me at breakfast. Again, adding heavy cream helps for me.

Atkins shakes are low-carb, but have more PUF (7 or 8 grams, vs. 2-3 for the others). I prefer to avoid the PUF.

Then, there are low-carb protein powders you can mix with the liquid of your choice. I like Designer Whey, from Trader Joe's. I mix it with unsweetened almond milk and a little heavy cream.

In general, I'd say look for something with no more than 5-6 grams of carbs per serving, but the best way to see if something works for you is to test before drinking it, then test at 60 and 120 minutes (or even every 30 minutes, if you like) to see what it does to your BGs.

[KatGirl]

Hello Katgirl please can you mention the name of the protein drink you take and where I can get it so I know what to ask for when I go shopping for it. Thanks

It's called EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control. You can find it at Walmart or you can get a case at Sam's Club. It comes in Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate. I use the vanilla and strawberry with my berries and the chocolate for a snack or part of a meal. Net carbs are usually 1-2 (2 for the chocolate).

[Seagal]

Welcome Lambcurry, a meter is a small battery operated device used to test your blood sugars. It is used in conjunction with test strips which should come with the meter. Without a meter, you have no idea how what you eat affects your "sugars".

Since you were not given one on diagnosis, try looking on the internet to see the various choices(you are looking for "glucose meter"), or go to a pharmacy and speak to a representative there.

What were your blood sugar numbers when you were diagnosed? Did they do a fasting glucose test? Have you had an HbA1c (a test that shows previous 3 months b.s)? These are numbers you should have and the dr. could give you a copy of your labwork (I'm not familiar with the UK procedures though).

You have come to the right place, you just need to read as much as you can re type 2 diabetes. There are many informative and helpful people here

Keri