Question:
HI I am trying to get my blood sugar under control and it is not working My levels are very high still. I am trying to eat healthier and getting frustrated. I am staying away from bread and I have been trying to eat fruits which now I realize is not the best thing as my sugar was 400 tonight. My question is what do you eat? Breakfast is a big problem for me and then what do you eat for snacks in the middle of the afternoon when the hunger hits. What are your tricks? I need advice badly. I am currently on 2 kinds of insulin the slow acting one and the fast acting one. please help me.
Answers:


First off, I found that ANYTHING with High Fructose Corn Syrup in it raised my BG levels. I cut it out completely. It is in SO MANY things...including soups, condiments, crackers...heck, I even have found it on dried fruit. This ingredient tends to make my numbers go into the 200s! Cutting it out has helped.

I also do not eat anything with enriched flour in it. It too raises my numbers up. I eat only whole grains, and those with the highest fiber. Fiber is slowly digested and gives your body a chance to catch up...making your numbers more stable.

I do not eat heavily processed foods...this also makes me go into high digits.

What I DO eat is whole grains, and high fiber. (I try for 30 grams a day-often 10g a meal) I limit my fat intake (I have GERDS and risk of colon cancer, so I do not eat high fat-it literally hurts me), I eat around 65g of fat a day...mostly from healthy fats like nuts, olive oil and avocados.

I eat LOTS of vegetables. I eat 2 servings at lunch and dinner.

I eat fruit, raspberries and other high fiber fruits. I eat those that are low glycemic index. They keep me more moderate in my numbers.

For breakfast, I am boring. I have Special K Protein cereal with Unsweettened soy milk, raspberries, and pecans. Some days I will have a whole grain waffle with turkey bacon, fruit, and Walden Farms Syrup.

I also like crustless quiches, and sometimes a good omlet.

Remember though, for breakfast-if it is edible...it it breakfast. No one said it has to be traditional food for breakfast. My teenagers can tell you leftovers heated up tastes great! And, it is quick!

I am a hungry snacker...so I make sure my snacks are ready to grab and eat...otherwise I will eat too much. I like some of the 100 calorie packs...though I again look for high fiber. I like fruit, crackers (whole grain of course), nuts, and I even sometimes have just a rolled up piece of turkey around a dill pickle. I also like cheese cubes. (In the evening, I sometimes have popcorn, or those Bold Almonds)

My tricks are to know myself and to prepare in advance. I make sure I have snacks ready, lunch planned, and lots of healthy foods around. Folks say I make great gourmet salads. I think it is because I always have the ingredients around. I keep fancy lettuce, spinach, avocados, nuts, meats (turkey, low fat ham, tuna, crab meat, etc.), peppers, tomatoes, broccoli slaw, cucumbers, low fat cheeses, radishes, green onions...you get the point. I can slap together a Mediterranean salad, or a California salad really quick. I have the stuff on hand.

Hope this helps.
Answers:
I eat fruit and a bowl of cereal, or an AllBr*n bar for breakfast,

Nuts, more fruit and raw/steamed veggies at lunch. Protein choices as allowed.
For low carb fill up, try cottage cheese.

Supper is LOTS of raw and fresh veggies, snack as i cut up the food. Then I sautee some veggies and add broth to make a stew/goulah. Cook with protein choices as allowed.

For snacks, try Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip) with veggies,

Hey, do you cook?
Answers:
For breakfast: First, let me say I must eat pretty quickly after getting up, and get up BEFORE 8 (not working right now so sleeping is erratic), otherwise my liver kicks in and I start my day off high. My usual breakfast is 3/4 cup (yes I measure it every time) of Special K Protein Plus (regular spikes me too much), with either 1/2 cup blueberries, or 1/2 small banana, and 3/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk. Sometimes I will have 2 high fiber waffles and 1/4 cup of light syrup (I can't do artificial sweeteners, wish I could), and sometimes I will do 2 eggs scrambled and one piece of Sara Lee delightful 45 whole wheat bread and maybe 1/2 cup good and pulpy orange juice. This usually totals 30 to 45 carbs.

AM SNACK: I don't usually need, but if I do I will eat anything I just watch the carbs so I do not eat more than 15 grams. Sometimes just the other half of my breakfast banana.

LUNCH: Either I am very good and eat a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen dinner. I prefer Healthy Choice since you get a meat, starch, veggie AND desert and all for around 40-45 carbs (there are some higher carb ones I don't eat), very satisying. I eat low carb soup with lots of veggies and a few crackers or a piece of my bread. Occasionally I will have a PB&J made with low carb PB, low sugar jam and my Sara Lee 45 bread for around 27 carbs. And then when I am bad it's a burger.

PM SNACK: is usually a low carb, low calorie ice cream like eskimo pie or fudgesicle for around 15 carbs, by this time of day I want a little spurge and something cold.

DINNER: might be Dreamfields Pasta with sauce and meat OR a great big salad, OR meat, starch and veggies. usually around 45 carbs.

EVENING SNACK: might be another low carb ice cream or fruit or lately a low carb version of strawberry shortcake. Try to keep it 15 to 20 carbs.

BEDTIME SNACK: I eat this not to keep my sugar even since I am no longer on insulin, but because I have meds to take at bedtime and I don't like to take pills on an empty stomach. I usually eat 5 whole grain crackers and low carbs peanut butter OR string cheese or cheese and crackers. It depends on my numbers and what I ate for dinner and snack.

My three big things that dictate how I eat is my meter, if it is reading higher than I eat less carbs, if it is lower than I can eat a little more. And timing, I try to spread out my eating by two to three hours. If I eat breakfast later than 8, than no AM snack, but I eat lunch a little early. If I have lunch at 1 than my PM snack is around 3 or 4. Dinner is usually around 6 so an evening snack is around 9. And portion control, it's big for me for my numbers but also to lose weight. And like I said I eat around my meter.

I eat more carbs than most on this forum about 180-195), but since losing 50 pounds my numbers are much lower and even when I don't take my metformin, my numbers are usually no higher than 140. I do need to eat more veggies, but the family is so darn picky about veggies it's limiting. We do eat a lot of veggies at dinner, I usually eat 2 or 3 cups of cauliflower or broccoli or asparagus. And salads are nice and big with a variety of veggies, beans, and cheese.

The big thing to me is eat by your meter AND space out your eating. Test before AND after each meal so you know how foods affect YOU and don't eat how other diabetics eat - eat how your meter tells YOU to eat. I know others will cringe at what I eat, but it is working for me, A1c is 5.6, lost 50 pounds and BG is usually no higher than 140. My doctor is happy so I know I am doing something right FOR ME, not for what you should do. and another thing, listen to Val and Alan, They give great advice and talk to your doctor.

Good luck

Char
Answers:
I eat whole grains, lean meat, lots of fresh fruit & veggies. I avoid most things white (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread)

BUT

I have found, for me, it's not so much WHAT I eat, but portion size and more importantly, EXERCISE. Are you physically active? If you are not, then you might give it a try...even a short walk after meals can help. I know it is what made ALL the difference for me.

Also, I have lost about 90 lbs since I was diagnosed and I believe that has "turned off" the insulin resistance which caused my blood sugar to be elevated in the first place. So lose weight if you can. Exercise helps a lot with that too.

Good Luck!
Answers:
WOW I could never eat as many carbs at a meal as some of the people above eat.

20g of carbs and I need insulin to keep from going over 180

I cant handle a banana they are VERY glycemic barres are ~ OK

In the AM most people are most insulin resistant meaning a few carbs will raise there BGL a lot
I have eggs and Bacon or sausage.

controlling your BGL is your #1 job

test before you eat, test 1 hour after you eat that is the BGL spike.
test 2 hours after you eat, BGL should be headed down.

Carbs raise BGLany carb raises BGL
eat foods from the low end of the Glycemic index

Answers:
Since we are all so different I think for some like you until you find foods that work stay on the side of caution when it comes to carbs. The other posters are sharing things I cant eat and that is even with insulin. So eat then two hours later test if your high the food you ate you have to avoid. Eat more protein, eggs, cheese, nuts and veggies. Avoid high carb fruit, eat more berries they are lower carb. Its har I know I lived it and live it but my bs are now in a good range. I try hard to limit carbs because I have to, each one of us is different find what works for you. Remember most grains turn to sugar, if your one of the lucky ones that can eat grains then thats great if not find substitutes.
Answers:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup oatmeal with 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil, butter and stevia (few raisins)
2 eggs fried in coconut oil with added whipping cream and cheese (e.g. Laughing Cow)
Coffee with whipping cream

(I need to exercise after this breakfast because it is pretty high in carbs)

Lunch:
1/4 - 1/3 lb. fatty beef such as short rib meat, flap meat, flank steak, etc.
Green veggies (string beans, broccoli and the like) with lots of butter & lemon juice
Hibiscus drink (cold) with Stevia

Dinner:
Similar to lunch
Salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar w/ tomatoes

If you take something like this as your starting point (you might have to leave out the oatmeal depending on the severity of your condition and your level of exercise), you should get lower numbers and then you can adjust from there possibly adding back a few carbs if you can get away with it, but NO white foods or sugars.

Eating like this, I have absolutely no need for "portion control". I am satisfied at every meal and all of my numbers (BG and heart) are excellent and improving without any medications. I try not to miss my exercise but even when I do, the diet is enough to maintain great numbers. When you exercise, focus on building muscle mass because that has a long term benefit. Aerobic exercise will help immensely in burning the calories actually present in your system but with little long-term benefit. In my case, I strongly believe that muscle wasting was the primary cause of my diabetes.

I would suggest you completely forget about fruit for now. After you are in control, you can experiment starting with things like blackberries and the lower carb fruits.
Answers:
For breakfast I eat 1/3 cup old fashioned cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp hazelnut oil

1 egg fried in olive oil topped with salsa, jalapeno and cheese

1/2 cup pepper stirfry fried in olive oil

3 oz berries with whipped cream.

The other stuff I spread out so much, it would take too long to describe.
Answers:
Breakfast was hard. I could never find a boxed cereal that didn't raise my BS, so I have 1/2 cup of oatmeal for breakfast. I add a small amount of almonds or pecans. I also have a cup of green tea. I know that oatmeal is high in carbs, but it keeps me satisified until lunch. If you have time to cook, an omelet made of egg whites is a suggestion.

I try to stay away from processed foods (canned, frozen)- anything that's convenient, of course. I had to lose weight and I think cutting out the salt in these foods helped my in my weight loss. A stovetop grill for meat and the microwave for fresh vegetables helped a lot and now I don't miss the frozen meals or boxed foods.

Snacks are hard. When I was first diagnosed I stayed away from fruit because I was used to eating large servings (a whole apple or banana, for instance). I added them back gradually and started off with small servings. I found some whole wheat crackers that helped for snacks. Also, nuts help fill you as long as you eat small amounts. The almonds in the snack jar are filling and convenient to keep in your car.

Fiber bars - you will have to experiement - have not raised my BS. In the beginning I would eat 1/2 of a bar but can now tolerate an entire bar as a snack. They are high in carbs but the fiber helps offset this; they are my indulgence.

Please realize that it's hard to find what works for you and be patient with yourself. I was diagnosed 1.5 years ago, and it took me a long time to figure out a plan. I was very lucky in that my family, coworkers and friends have backed me all the way.