Can you help with a diet sheet for type 2 diabetes?

I am not diabetic, but my chemotherapy & steroids have upset my sugar levels - high sometimes 29.5 low 3.1! I've been put on slow release Metformin to try and control it. I keep asking what I should and should not eat, but I keep being told - just eat a healthy diet! I already do and obviously there's more I need to know. I knew someone once with Type 2 and he used to have to eat a sandwich at a certain time of day and avoid certain foods. Please help - it's bad enough trying to survive Stage 4 bowel cancer which has now spread to both my lungs and my liver, and the Deep Vein Thrombosis I get as a side effect of the chemo, so I should be pig sick to die of Type 2 Diabetes and the side effects!!

Help! and Thanks.

JUDY A - yes it's true, I do have all those problems! but I made 67 in November so that's good. Diagnosed with Bowel Cancer Stage 3 in June 2002, had chemo and it went away until some time in the summer of 2005. Scan in September discovered at least 5 tumours across both lungs and one in my liver - had chemo from November 2005 to June 2006, then time off, but a few more arrived in my lungs during the time off, so started another course of chemo in October [another 6 months] I feel fine, just needed help to do the right thing with the sugar problem. Thanks for your info - sounds just like the man I knew years ago - who always had a sandwich in his bag incase he reached a certain time! Hope you read this!

i,v had diabetes for 48 years now they no longer give diet sheets out you just have to carefully on how much and how often you eat
1, breakfast
2, small snack : 2 biscuits(plain)
3,lunch
4,small snack
5,tea, dinner
6,small snack
eat little and often,1,3,5 are the main intake of food,do not go over board with these AND NOT TO MUCH CAKES OR SWEETS a little of these in small
portion ,i.e cake in normal cake cases are fine ,DO NOT FORGET you need these food regular so you do not go( hypo= no or very little sugar in blood)
just live life to the full i do nobody knows you have this to you tell them
you have a few problems there hope this is a genuine question

It's worth trying diabetes uk (the charity). They have a careline where you can get all sorts of advice relating to diabetes.

diet sheet are availble from your local GP hunni
best wishes
C.J
xxx

check the american diabetetes association website for an actual diet plan and recipes...a representative from the ada came to my job to do a presentation and i have since checked their website. last time i checked there was a list of foods to eat and avoid, as well a recipes. the link is below

I'm insulin dependant - the key thing (for me) is balance. I have to avoid anything with too many carbs but that doesn't mean I can't eat chocolate or bread or pasta. Merely that in moderation and balanced by an intake of insulin and exercise, my blood sugar levels remain pretty flat.

On a more basic level, my diet consists of lots of veg (not too much potato), fish, dairy products (for calcium), fruit, poultry and some red meat.

Your consultant should be able to put you in touch with an NHS dietitian who can assist with planning meals to avoid causing problems with your medication. I had access to one when I was first diagnosed about 20 years ago and even then, they were a great help. Now that, as a nation, we are far more concerned with healthy eating the choices are much wider and easily identified.

Make that call - and good luck.

The website below looks really good. Can't provide any extracts, as you have to register to view recipes, etc., but registration and access to its contents is free. I do hope you will find it helpful and I'm truly sorry to hear of all that you're enduring just now. My best wishes to you.

Diet Guidelines
http://www.diabetes911.net/readit/chapte...

A typical day of healthy eating for me (with someone who has Type 2 diabetes):

Breakfast: Wholegrain porridge oats with semi skimmed or skimmed milk and water (to taste) that is sweetened with Splenda Low Calerie Sweetener (you can buy it in granular/powder type form) and a small glass of unsweetened orange juice

Mid morning: Piece of fruit (apple/pear - not too sweet)

Lunch: Wholemeal bread sandwich with tomato, cucumber and flaked tuna (you might prefer a different type of protein such as tinned red salmon/pilchards etc but I cannot stand this!) - The bread is slow release carbohydrate and if you have the salmon/pilchards it counts as a good Omega 3 food source and you get brownie points from your dietician and Diabetic Nurse!

Mid Afternoon: Another piece of fruit or something like a small portion of grapes/banana

Evening Meal (try and eat by 6pm latest): Either something with brown rice or brown pasta or something with potato (not fried or roasted unless without fats/oils). You should also ensure that you have at least 2 and possibly 3 portions of vegetables (such as brocolli, carrots or peas) with your main evening meal.

Test your blood sugars regularly (first thing in morning, before lunch and after evening meal and you might want to also test 2 hours after each meal if you results are so up and down as you have said). You can get all the necessary testing strips, lancets and a machine for free on an NHS prescription in the UK if your doctor has diagnosed you as diabetic and has completed the Medical Exemption Certificate form for the NHS Prescription Authority (who will send you a credit card sized card confirming your exemption from charges.

As others have suggested you might want to look at www.diabetes.org.uk as they have a number of fact sheets that you can download and some useful recipes if you need to be inspired with health eating.