# Food, carbs, sugar and fat?



## Hungry (Jan 21, 2022)

Hi.
Very new to diabetes, I’m type 2.
Can someone please point me towards a food app or a simple way to manage my food, carbs, fat and sugar? What should I be looking at, I’m struggling with creating meals and need a simple guide to what’s good. Currently eating some keto foods, swapping white bread, pasta, rice etc for brown alternatives. We have hello fresh meals which I’m now unsure about…help!


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## Drummer (Jan 21, 2022)

For a type two, as long as you are a plain, unexciting one, all you need be aware of is the carbohydrates.
Brown bread, rice and pasta are not low carb
Basing meals around meat, fish, seafood, eggs, cheese then adding low carb vegetables, mushrooms or salad, and using spices and herbs for extra flavour has worked for me.
We need protein and fat, they are vital for life.


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## Felinia (Jan 21, 2022)

There are some apps online - MyFitBit is popular, and I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month.  It was the first thing I did when diagnosed and I input my plan for the day first thing.  In fact I have just done so!!  
You are looking at reducing *ALL* carbs per day.  It is suggested to less then 130gm per day but some people go a lot lower, depending on how sensitive they are to carbs - we are all different.  I experimented and settled on 90gm a day.  But it's best not to go too drastic too quickly, as it can affect your eyes.  
I personally look for alternatives, rather than go for brown versions, with one exception.  A Warburtons small wholemeal loaf is 9gm carbs per medium slice.  Then there are low carb breads - I tried them all.  Some people get on fine with them but I preferred Warburtons.  Rather than potatoes I have carrot/swede puree, squash wedges, cauliflower mash, or just plain cauliflower cheese.  Cauliflower makes decent rice as well - it's my new best friend.  For pasta, you can get courgetti, boodles or there are carb free versions.  I tried them as well, and some were OK, but I prefer the vegetable versions.  When I do a stir fry, I use bean sprouts instead of noodles or rice, and soy sauce and 5 spice powder instead of sugary sauces like sweet and sour.
Ready meals of all sorts often have hidden things in them, which is why I cook from fresh, to be in control.  I use my slow cooker and also make lots of my own soups, without potato or flours as thickeners.  I puree or part puree the vegetables as thickeners.  I also use beans like butter, haricot, cannellini and borlotti.  They do have carbs, but are full of fibre and are good for thickening soups and bulking out stews.  I also use herbs and spices as flavourings.  In fact being diagnosed has led me to trying all sorts of different foods, which has been fun.
I suggest you look at the thread "What did you yesterday" for ideas about what Type 2 eat.  It's different for Type 1 and they adjust their insulin to suit whatever foods they choose. And enjoy experimenting.


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## Hungry (Jan 21, 2022)

Drummer said:


> For a type two, as long as you are a plain, unexciting one, all you need be aware of is the carbohydrates.
> Brown bread, rice and pasta are not low carb
> Basing meals around meat, fish, seafood, eggs, cheese then adding low carb vegetables, mushrooms or salad, and using spices and herbs for extra flavour has worked for me.
> We need protein and fat, they are vital for life.


Cheers. My hba1c was 54 last week, I’ve since lost 4Ib’s. I’m now 99kg and 6 x1. I’m guessing I’m at the lower end of the type 2 range? My problem is my diabetic ignorance and lack of food nutritional knowledge! Thank you for your advice


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## Hungry (Jan 21, 2022)

Felinia said:


> There are some apps online - MyFitBit is popular, and I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month.  It was the first thing I did when diagnosed and I input my plan for the day first thing.  In fact I have just done so!!
> You are looking at reducing *ALL* carbs per day.  It is suggested to less then 130gm per day but some people go a lot lower, depending on how sensitive they are to carbs - we are all different.  I experimented and settled on 90gm a day.  But it's best not to go too drastic too quickly, as it can affect your eyes.
> I personally look for alternatives, rather than go for brown versions, with one exception.  A Warburtons small wholemeal loaf is 9gm carbs per medium slice.  Then there are low carb breads - I tried them all.  Some people get on fine with them but I preferred Warburtons.  Rather than potatoes I have carrot/swede puree, squash wedges, cauliflower mash, or just plain cauliflower cheese.  Cauliflower makes decent rice as well - it's my new best friend.  For pasta, you can get courgetti, boodles or there are carb free versions.  I tried them as well, and some were OK, but I prefer the vegetable versions.  When I do a stir fry, I use bean sprouts instead of noodles or rice, and soy sauce and 5 spice powder instead of sugary sauces like sweet and sour.
> Ready meals of all sorts often have hidden things in them, which is why I cook from fresh, to be in control.  I use my slow cooker and also make lots of my own soups, without potato or flours as thickeners.  I puree or part puree the vegetables as thickeners.  I also use beans like butter, haricot, cannellini and borlotti.  They do have carbs, but are full of fibre and are good for thickening soups and bulking out stews.  I also use herbs and spices as flavourings.  In fact being diagnosed has led me to trying all sorts of different foods, which has been fun.
> I suggest you look at the thread "What did you yesterday" for ideas about what Type 2 eat.  It's different for Type 1 and they adjust their insulin to suit whatever foods they choose. And enjoy experimenting.


Thanks again for your help and apologies for the continuous posts…just confused!


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## Gwynn (Jan 21, 2022)

Some great advice already.

I too, at the start,  was rather ignorant about food, nutrition, diabetes, etc, so the learning curve was steep and confusion high.

I decided to find out what I was battling (limits on carbohydrates, calories, fats etc) and I decided to calculate the calories, carbohydrates and fats for each meal and juggle the foods/meals until the days numbers were 'sensible' to enable me to keep carbs low and lose some weight.

Initially it was very hard work on bits of paper. I refused to go down the monthly subscription route and get one of the many useful (essential ?) Apps, so I wrote my own. Now I couldn't do all the food, appointment, meds, health stuff without it.

I am still learning about it all every day.

My recommendation is to find 'something' that will enable you to plan your daily meals and nutrition if you can. 

An interesting aside, because I plan foods, recipes, meals I experient more with my food and have discovered all sorts of foods and meals that I really like too. A voyage of discovery. Really interesting too.

Good luck


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## Hungry (Jan 21, 2022)

Gwynn said:


> Some great advice already.
> 
> I too, at the start,  was rather ignorant about food, nutrition, diabetes, etc, so the learning curve was steep and confusion high.
> 
> ...


Thanks Gwynn, it’s interesting how diabetic management is basically the same but so many different coping strategies?


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## pippen (Jan 22, 2022)

I absolutely love the carbs and cals book.so easy to understand


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## LINMARIE (Jan 24, 2022)

Felinia said:


> There are some apps online - MyFitBit is popular, and I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month.  It was the first thing I did when diagnosed and I input my plan for the day first thing.  In fact I have just done so!!
> You are looking at reducing *ALL* carbs per day.  It is suggested to less then 130gm per day but some people go a lot lower, depending on how sensitive they are to carbs - we are all different.  I experimented and settled on 90gm a day.  But it's best not to go too drastic too quickly, as it can affect your eyes.
> I personally look for alternatives, rather than go for brown versions, with one exception.  A Warburtons small wholemeal loaf is 9gm carbs per medium slice.  Then there are low carb breads - I tried them all.  Some people get on fine with them but I preferred Warburtons.  Rather than potatoes I have carrot/swede puree, squash wedges, cauliflower mash, or just plain cauliflower cheese.  Cauliflower makes decent rice as well - it's my new best friend.  For pasta, you can get courgetti, boodles or there are carb free versions.  I tried them as well, and some were OK, but I prefer the vegetable versions.  When I do a stir fry, I use bean sprouts instead of noodles or rice, and soy sauce and 5 spice powder instead of sugary sauces like sweet and sour.
> Ready meals of all sorts often have hidden things in them, which is why I cook from fresh, to be in control.  I use my slow cooker and also make lots of my own soups, without potato or flours as thickeners.  I puree or part puree the vegetables as thickeners.  I also use beans like butter, haricot, cannellini and borlotti.  They do have carbs, but are full of fibre and are good for thickening soups and bulking out stews.  I also use herbs and spices as flavourings.  In fact being diagnosed has led me to trying all sorts of different foods, which has been fun.
> I suggest you look at the thread "What did you yesterday" for ideas about what Type 2 eat.  It's different for Type 1 and they adjust their insulin to suit whatever foods they choose. And enjoy experimenting.


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## LINMARIE (Jan 24, 2022)

Thank you for all the info you provided i am doing low carb and no sugar diet i cant do liquid for 2 days  so eating good every day and so far in 2 weeks lost over half stone so i am well pleased and i am so into trying new recipes some are good some bad but spending a lot of time in the kitchen and once one meal over with I am thinking about the next meal but hopefully that will go once into it all a bit more I realise now i dont have to have a plate  of if potatoes to enjoy my food but always thought eating a tuna and sweetcorn spud was healthy lol


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## Leadinglights (Jan 24, 2022)

LINMARIE said:


> Thank you for all the info you provided i am doing low carb and no sugar diet i cant do liquid for 2 days  so eating good every day and so far in 2 weeks lost over half stone so i am well pleased and i am so into trying new recipes some are good some bad but spending a lot of time in the kitchen and once one meal over with I am thinking about the next meal but hopefully that will go once into it all a bit more I realise now i dont have to have a plate  of if potatoes to enjoy my food but always thought eating a tuna and sweetcorn spud was healthy lol


Sadly 'healthy' foods for non diabetics are not necessarily so for Type 2 diabetics. A mindset change is needed to get to grips with a new way of eating but it will become second nature not to fill your plate with high carb foods.


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## Charlie Moore (Jan 28, 2022)

opt for low glycemic food items, start with cutting down portion of meals you used to eat earlier, avoid sugar and processed foods, Download an app to track your foods, buy kitchen weighing scale too if you want too. 
Some of the food options- eggs, almond milk/coconut milk, oatmeal bowl, apple porridge, strawberry smoothie, avocado toast, green vegetable soup, nuts- almonds/walnuts, seeds- chia/flax seeds, lentils, chicken and fish as curry or salad.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

I batch cooked yesterday and today.   Does anyone still eat potatoes, if so how many and how often (Sometimes my food doesn’t feel right without them), and also does anyone have a good version of making kale and also courgettes tasty?


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## Drummer (Feb 9, 2022)

No potatoes, I make mashed swede, with cream, and if there is any left I add an egg and leftover veges to make bubble and squeak.
I don't eat kale, but courgette cooked in butter or with a stir fry seems OK - I cook it gently to dry it out a little, using a cast iron frying pan.


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## NotWorriedAtAll (Feb 9, 2022)

Annette&Bertie said:


> I batch cooked yesterday and today.   Does anyone still eat potatoes, if so how many and how often (Sometimes my food doesn’t feel right without them), and also does anyone have a good version of making kale and also courgettes tasty?


No potatoes. But celeriac does everything a potato can do and it does it with hardly any carbs in comparison.I find I get a very happy mash substitute by boiling/steaming/microwaving (whichever is easier) a mixture of celeriac and cauliflower and then mashing with butter and almond milk and seasoning. I don't enjoy them mashed on their own as much but the mixture seems to get the flavour and texture right for me.
Celeriac roasts beautifully and makes excellent crisps and chips using the same method as for potato versions. Celeriac and/or cauliflower subs into soups and stews. I make an excellent corned beef and 'potato' pie using celeriac and cauli mix and non-diabetics eat it happily without even noticing it is very low carb.
My husband who is non diabetic hates courgette but I make courgetti from it using my zester tool and he eats it happily tossed in garlic and butter.  He also likes it made into strip noodles using the potato peeler.  I find it works in a chinese style stir fry and absorbs the flavours well.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

Drummer said:


> No potatoes, I make mashed swede, with cream, and if there is any left I add an egg and leftover veges to make bubble and squeak.
> I don't eat kale, but courgette cooked in butter or with a stir fry seems OK - I cook it gently to dry it out a little, using a cast iron frying pan.


after my own heart Drummer, but I’m going to give kale a go.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

NotWorriedAtAll said:


> No potatoes. But celeriac does everything a potato can do and it does it with hardly any carbs in comparison.I find I get a very happy mash substitute by boiling/steaming/microwaving (whichever is easier) a mixture of celeriac and cauliflower and then mashing with butter and almond milk and seasoning. I don't enjoy them mashed on their own as much but the mixture seems to get the flavour and texture right for me.
> Celeriac roasts beautifully and makes excellent crisps and chips using the same method as for potato versions. Celeriac and/or cauliflower subs into soups and stews. I make an excellent corned beef and 'potato' pie using celeriac and cauli mix and non-diabetics eat it happily without even noticing it is very low carb.
> My husband who is non diabetic hates courgette but I make courgetti from it using my zester tool and he eats it happily tossed in garlic and butter.  He also likes it made into strip noodles using the potato peeler.  I find it works in a chinese style stir fry and absorbs the flavours well.


Sounds a good idea, I’ll try.   I no longer get my fruit, veg, meat or fish from any supermarket as I have found they go off quickly.    I am stuck in the house now, so I have started online direct from fishermen in Peterhead, guy who goes to the fruit market in the wee small hours in Glasgow very fresh fruit and veg, love it and I freeze a lot.


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## Leadinglights (Feb 9, 2022)

I never get water anywhere near a courgette, cook in butter, stir fry, add bit of pesto. They are better when small and homegrown so you can pick them young although one always escapes and ends up like a marrow.


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## janw (Feb 9, 2022)

I cook my sliced courgette in butter with some lemon slices and black pepper, sometimes I add a small garlic clove too. (I keep slices of lemon in the freezer, folded over in a sheet clingfilm to keep them individually frozen - great for cooking and popping into water/drinks). I also use my spiraliser to make noodles/zoodles/courgetti to have instead of spaghetti - you can freeze these raw in ziploc bags for future use, as you can cauliflower "rice". 
I had half a courgette left so today it is chopped up in the slow cooker, helping to make the beef stew for tonight.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

Thanks, I saw online someone sliced them dipped in egg, and ruskoline breadcrumbs, dipped again in egg and fried. Of course that sounds fine if you can have breadcrumbs


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

aubergenes are another I’m never sure of, let’s face it we could just fry everything LoL.   Can someone tell me what celeriac tastes like?


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## Windy (Feb 9, 2022)

Annette&Bertie said:


> Can someone tell me what celeriac tastes like?


It's tastes like celery - it's the same plant as celery, but grown for it's bulbous root.

Kale - I like kale crisps. I've never made them with ras el hanout, but I use chilli powder, salt and ground pepper on mine.

Aubergine - nice in curries and as Aubergine parmigiana. They don't have masses of flavour by themselves, but soak up the flavour of the sauce.


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## Elenka_HM (Feb 9, 2022)

I used to slice the courgettes and pan fry them in a bit of olive oil with a mix of dried herbs, it's nice as a side. My mom makes a soup with boiled courgettes, a small potato (but you can skip that for low carb) and a couple cheese triangles, like Dairylea or Laughing Cow. Very simple but we like it. 
Also, a great way to sneak more veg in a Bolognese sauce, I usually cut courgettes in tiny cubes and add them, or you could grate them if you prefer that texture.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

ideas here I never thought of.  Lovely


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## Gwynn (Feb 9, 2022)

Yes, about once a month I have a small baked potato with butter and cheese


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## Leadinglights (Feb 9, 2022)

Annette&Bertie said:


> ideas here I never thought of.  Lovely


aubergines are good in moussaka, or curries.
I love ratatouille (aubergine, courgette, pepper, onions)  but OH hates it even though he likes all those ingredients individually or any three out of four.
Aubergine slippers are nice. https://mutti-parma.com/en/recipes/papoutsakia/


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 9, 2022)

oh I absolutely love ratatouille, and make it often, lov  it cold or warmed.  I have never had a taste for highly spiced food so tend never to have curries etc.


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## Lucyr (Feb 9, 2022)

Thought they were going to be actual slippers shaped like aubergines then, for aubergine lovers.


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## Annette&Bertie (Feb 10, 2022)

I was told when first diagnosed that a good breakfast for me was porridge, fast forward a couple of years and it is not.    However, I shall continue to have it, either at breakfast or evn at lunch depending on my notion.

I discovered recently that I was not prepared when ordering my groceries, to spend f9rever looking the nutritional contents for carbs because frankly it mant doing so took ages and greatly annoyed me.   I also have rolls, bread and potatoes as and when I feel like it, bcause I work on the principle that by doing so it is not something I have every day, if it was that would throw up problems of course.


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