General Chat

does anyone know what foods a type 2 diabetic can eat ? can all types of fruit be eaten, and what about shreded wheat and wheatabix with fruit and nut included. i would be glad to hear from anyone that knows how to work out a diet. Tina

Don't know what the guidelines are although my nan (who has type 2) eats a normal balanced diet but has to be careful with sweets, chocolate, cake, biscut and bananas. have a look at this site. http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Recipes__food/Food_and_diabetes/

Tina, be careful with dried fruit including in cereals. Some of it can be very high in sugar. Try the website suggested above, I used it for my mum who is diabetic and it was very helpful.

Tina I have type 2 diabetes and have been diet controlled for nearly 5 years (apart from a 6 month spell on tabs). I follow (for the most part) a balanced diet but agree about the dried fruits - some are very high in sugar. For cereals look for no or reduced sugar variety - I like T***o Reduced sugar muesli, not ideal but acceptable. Suppose porridge is the best as you can omit sugar - if you want sweetness then add an apple while it's cooking or sprinkle some sweetener on it. Avoid chips - the action of frying potatoes turns the starch into sugar! Dry roast chips like this - bake a potato, cut in wedges, spray with one cal oil or similar and oven bake. I do Roast potatoes in a similar way - parboil pots then sprinkle with a little garlic salt or puree and spray of oil then bake. Special Diabetic foods and sweets are a waste of money - you can make better and with less sugar. Fruit is good and none really to avoid - watch grapes, sometimes very sweet, but that's because you need to lose the need for the sweet taste. Good luck

Im type two, normally im very good, i just eat normally im just careful about sweet things, right now im going through a need sugar phase and my bm is all mixed up. You can buy so many things with reduced sugar etc, jams and things and they will say if a diabetic can have it. There are some good cook books for diabetics as well, but on the whole, eat normally as in healthy. Donna

When my mum was alive she had to watch her diet and when she was first diagnosed as insulin dependent type diabetes, she used all the special things available, but found the sorbitol they used as a sugar substitute I think, upset her tummy a lot. She was told by the diabetes clinic to eat ordinary things in moderation i.e chocolate and sweets and not to bother with the diabetic chocolate etc. Grapes were a no no but considering her age and her long time sweet tooth she did well really and looked after herself well, even after my dad died and she only had herself to cook for, which often leads to people not eating properly.