I’ve recently been diagnosed with type two diabetes and I’m having a hard time finding information concerning what I should be eating. If I’m 5″4 and 150lbs, how many grams of sugar and carbs should I be eating on a daily basis? Is eating a recommended amount of fat, calories and fibre basically doing the same thing, or should I be paying particular attention to sugar and carbs? I would appreciated any links to sites with good information as well. Thanks
Answer
Carbohydrates raise blood sugar the highest and the fastest. Protein raises blood sugar a little, but the rise is usually gradual and not very high. Fat doesn’t raise blood sugar at all. That’s why you need to pay particular attention to all carbohydrates, even non-sugar carbohydrates like grains and rice, because you may be unable to eat them without major blood sugar spikes.
Fat and calories aren’t going to affect your blood sugar, but you may moderate or increase either depending on other dietary needs, like kidney problems or weight loss. As far as blood sugar is concerned, though, carbs are what matter the most.
As for how many you should eat, that all depends on what your meter tells you. Try to stay below 140 mg/dL (7.7 mmol/L) two hours after a meal and under 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L) between meals and in the morning before you’ve eaten. Experiment with types of carbs as well as quantities to figure out what you can eat and maintain your BG goals.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with type two diabetes and I’m having a hard time finding information concerning what I should be eating. If I’m 5″4 and 150lbs, how many grams of sugar and carbs should I be eating on a daily basis? Is eating a recommended amount of fat, calories and fibre basically doing the same thing, or should I be paying particular attention to sugar and carbs? I would appreciated any links to sites with good information as well. Thanks
You really need to see a dietitian about this ASAP. Don’t trust the internet with something this big.
It depends on whether you are on insulin or not and how you are being treated. I was taught to avoid everything with the letters “ose” on the end of it, or at least keep it to a minimum. These would be glucose, fructose (you can still have fruit but only enough to fit in the palm of your hand) lactose (milk).
As to how much you should consult your diabetic nurse or a dietician with experience in treating diabetes.
Your doctor didn’t discuss this with you when you were diagnosed? Ask for a referral to a nutritionist or dietitian. Everyone is different so that is no set standard. You may need to do some extra blood testing after a few meals to see if your medication is helping. The information you will find on line varies dramatically. Type 2 can actually be a little more tricky to regulate than type 1 because there’s some many different factors. Are you insulin resistant or not producing enough insulin? There are many many different kinds of meds for type 2 and sometimes you need a combination to work for you. What works for one person may not be adequate for another person.
It’s best to consult with an endocrinologist if you are not having much luck regulating your blood glucose level.
I try to keep my grams of carb to under 100 per day! this is easy when you remember eggs and meats, bacon and sausage, have no carb grams. toast is whatever is on the package. then chef salads for other meals, and apples or other crisp tart fruit for snacks with cheese.
I follow the phase 2 of South Beach Living food plan. The head Endo at Univ of Georgia recommends this food plan and encourages his whole staff to follow it.
self education site at http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes
My diabetes educator said that she recommends most people eat about 150 grams of carbs a day, although that can range up and down quite a bit depending on your body, your diabetes, your lifestyle, ect. Start at 150 and see what your blood glucose tells you- and work out! If you can’t get consistently good readings after the first few months of carb limiting and working out, go back to your doctor and discuss other treatment options.