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Just diagnosed last week with diabetes (302 blood/high type 2) and am now taking medication for that, taking a cholesterol medication also (cholesterol 234) and am checking blood sugar at least twice a day. Keeping track of all "checks" on a chart we made up.....weight, b/P (taken at our local grocery store and glucose levels (meter). Now looking at both sugar content, cholesterol content of almost all food we buy now. But, aren't cutting out everything we use to eat drink, just watching how much I use. As far as exercise goes, can't do to much due to hip replacement and rotor cup/shoulder surgery in the last couple years. But, do what I can. Wife was told she is "border-line" diabetes. We will do whatever is necessary to help this medical problem.
I think eating more "naturally" and simple might help. Meats broiled, vegetables in their natural state w/ just a bit of olive oil or non-trans fatty dressing, whole breads, whole grains, complex carbs versus refined ones, less processed foods (coldcuts, snacks, soda, white bread). I think you have to look at the overall picture, not just a few foods here and there. It's hard to change old eating habits.
I find that the blood sugar levels are better controlled when eating a fuller meal earlier in the day. I've prepared a meal plan for my elderly mother who has diabetes. She has limited ability to exercise because of her age. She tends to be more active around her house in the afternoon. As a result, her blood sugar after a lighter dinner has dropped from around 160+ to 120. You might walk after dinner to condition your body to metabolize the sugars. Although not diabetic (yet), I find a big difference when I test my levels if I have a 45 minute walk or jog before or after dinner.
A great deal of the conventional wisdom about diabetes and cholesterol is just plain wrong. Even the ADA (American Diabetes Association) has been slowly changing its food recommendations over the past few years. It is a long and complicated relationship between what you eat and how your body responds to it. There is no one answer for you, since each of us is different.
I will suggest that the best way to solve your "what to eat" dilemma, and get some motivation to make changes - slowly, and one at a time - is to learn more about it. I highly recommend the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" since it has so much documentation on the diabetes-lipids-blood pressure cluster - "metabolic syndrome".
To get a sense of the changes taking place, read this piece with the author Gary Taubes, in an MIT Interview.
One word of advice - if you are diabetic, do not go on a very low fat diet since it has been often found to raise triglycerides as the carbs are converted to fat. (If you can't eat fat, then what do you eat? Carbohydrates mostly.)
Also think of visiting the ADA forum - where diabetics like us talk about this in some detail. Adults Type 2 (http://community.diabetes.org/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=adatype2 - broken link)
We've been most successful concentrating on carbohydrates.
Sustantially reducing the 3 "whites" Considering how much processed white flour makes up our 'filling' foods, replacing it with whole grains means a pretty big change.
White potatoes makes up a big part of the 'filling' part of a meal so the same.
Using olive oil instead of others if you still want fried and sauteed foods helps a lot too.
If the condition is worse more needs to be done but when it's not to high or borderline, these alone can make a huge difference.
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and am now taking medication for that, taking a cholesterol medication also (cholesterol 234) and am checking blood sugar at least twice a day. Keeping track of all "checks" on a chart we made up.....weight, b/P (taken at our local grocery store and glucose levels (meter). Now looking at both sugar content, cholesterol content of almost all food we buy now. But, aren't cutting out everything we use to eat drink, just watching how much I use. As far as exercise goes, can't do to much due to hip replacement and rotor cup/shoulder surgery in the last couple years. But, do what I can. Wife was told she is "border-line" diabetes. We will do whatever is necessary to help this medical problem.
