Sugary foods?

[handmademitlove]

As a type 2, do you ever eat sugary foods such as biscuits or cakes or do you avoid completely? Obviously the advice is not to eat them but I wonder how much people follow that to the letter?

It’s carbohydrates that turn into glucose not just ‘sugary foods.’ So a scoop of ice cream or a chocolate digestive will do the same to your blood glucose levels as a small slice of bread. Obviously more calories and fat though. Have a look at diabetes Uk. Avoid diabetic labelled foods. Carbs and Cals is a good book too

I am currently off sugars and refined carbs following the advice of the dn, but speaking to diabetic friends they all seem to ignore this advice! So just wondering what others do - it is difficult to sustain completely long term..

I've just posted my story further up thread, and I would say it's better to avoid cakes and biscuits altogether.
None of us 'need' them, and they are part of the reason we're in this diabetes-prone mess as a society in the first place.
I for one have found it easier to walk past the cakes and puddings with a blanket 'that's not for me' mind set, rather than having a fight with myself every time!

Thank you @walkacrossthesand that is how I am currently managing. But almost all my friends / acquaintances with diabetes seem to eat/drink as normal when they are out of the house! I imagine it is a slippery slope once you say 'well, just this once' unless you have fantastic willpower, which I don't!

Do you test your blood glucose to see how it reacts to various things? I find that an extremely protein meal can be taken with carbs without raising my bloods too much. So a steak and salad main course could be followed by a dessert without too much issue, but a biscuit on an empty stomach gives a spike.

I am in negotiation with my DN on the subject... she has given me one cassette to "get a feel" for things but is very clear it is not necessary long term...

but interesting what you say about combinations of foods. The DN suggested that I should have some greek yogurt with fruit as that would mitigate as it were..

The glucose metre is useful. I don't use it all the time but if I'm trying a new meal or eating plan then I take a baseline measure before the meal, then take a reading at two hours and again at four hours to see how much my blood glucose goes up. So, for example, I know that three scrambled eggs on a granary bagel barely budges my bloods, whereas a bowl of porridge shoots it way up despite my old DN saying it was the best thing for breakfast because it's slow release. It's how I know that a nice steak can either have a small/medium portion of chips or a small dessert without any worry.

It is total carbs you should track, rather than "of which sugars". But obviously the carbs add up quicker when you're eating sugary food - so you eat less mass overall.
Re food combos, if you eat carbs with other energy sources (particularly fat) they will take longer to get into your bloodstream, hence type 1s should eat jelly babies (not chocolate) if they are hypo.
My son is type 1 so I don't know if you have to consider anything different / extra to what we've learnt.

I make my own cookies with ground almonds and xylitol. There's lots of low carb recipes on YouTube.