just diagnosed....diabetic with thyroid problems

[dwnloom]

I just found out I am diabetic with a low thyroid(?) My question is......how do you learn to eat and cook.....I haven't met with a dietician yet......Dr just have me a few hand outs. I want to do this right.....thanks for any help you can give.

[thefrug]

Here ya go. I'm giving you some links. Check these out. They should get you started off right.
American Diabetes Association Home Page - American Diabetes Association Thats the American Diabetes Association's site

Goals for Blood Glucose Control | Joslin Diabetes Center
Thats the Joslin diabetes Center. They're affiliated with Harvard Medical School

Diabetes | Type 1 Diabetes | Type 2 Diabetes
thats the DLife program's site.Lots of info

diabetes home
That is Kraft Foods diabetes food section. It shows how you can eat like other people. Great recipes

Diabetes - Low Carb Friends
Thats a message board of other diabetics.

[Russ]

One of things my wife works on the hardest is keeping her sugar level constant and not allowing it to spike up and down. She does that by eating a little something every few hours.

[HappyMama]

For low thyroid avoid Goitergens!

Goitrogens are naturally-occurring substances that can interfere with function of the thyroid gland. Goitrogens get their name from the term "goiter," which means an enlargement of the thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland is having difficulty making thyroid hormone, it may enlarge as a way of trying to compensate for this inadequate hormone production. "Goitrogens," like circumstances that cause goiter, cause difficulty for the thyroid in making its hormone

Here are some foods to avoid with low thyroid ( goitergens)

* Broccoli
* Brussel sprouts
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Kale
* Kohlrabi
* Mustard
* Rutabaga
* Turnips

Millet

Peaches

Peanuts

Radishes

Soybean and soy products, including tofu

Spinach

Also try to avoid caffeine drinks and junk food which tend to interfere with hormonal levels and make it difficult for the thyroid to work.

[Neeley]

I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 30. I meet with my dietitian once a year. For me, it all comes down to portions, carb counting, learning which foods raise your levels more so than others and exercise.

You need to get the basics down first. Keeping up with your carb intake is important. You need to learn what the portion size of foods are that equal 15 grams of carbs. Like, 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta, 1 small apple, 1 slice of bread, etc...There are many resources on the internet and lots of pocket sized books to use as a reference for this. Don't forget that drinks have carbs. Sweet tea, non-diet sodas, milk, juices, etc...all will raise your glucose levels. Personally, the easiest thing for me to do to reduce my carb intake was to cut out the carbs in my beverages.

You also, over time, will see that certain foods will raise your glucose levels higher and faster than others. For example, potato chips make mine go sky high, but a small baked potato doesn't. I know if I eat potato chips, I need to walk a little extra or take some extra insulin to keep my levels in line.

My dietitian recommends 30 carbs at breakfast, 15 morning snack, 30 at lunch, 15 afternoon snack, 30 at dinner and 15 night snack for starters. She has her patients follow this for a few weeks, then she rechecks A1C and tweaks it from there. A food diary is a great tool in the beginning. Wake up. Check your sugar. Eat. Two hours later check your sugar. Repeat throughout the day. Write down your food (along with number of carbs in each meal/snack) and your levels over a couple of weeks. Also, make note of what kind and the time you exercise along with things like if you are sick that day, under stress, etc...All of these things effect your levels. Take this with you when you meet with a dietitian. It will help give him/her a better idea of how you eat so they can tailor things to fit your lifestyle.

Just because we are diabetic does not mean we have to give up bread, potatoes, cake and sweets. It just means we have to be more aware. We can have the slice of cake. But, maybe a smaller one and we have to counter it with exercise and/or medication. Nothing irritates me more than for my grandmother to take the dinner roll off of my plate at dinner and tell me diabetics cannot eat bread or my mother to scold me for having an ice cream cone. A man in my diabetic class is my inspiration. He loves to eat out, have desert and drink sweet tea. Since he was diagnosed, if he eats out, has a desert, etc...he has his wife drop him off a mile from home and he walks. He told me if he is going to indulge in something then he will force himself to walk to counteract his indulgence. Since being diagnosed, he has lost 40 lbs and take no medication for his diabetes. His is completely diet controlled. He changed NOTHING about the way he ate, he only added in exercising.

One last piece of advice. If you are only seeing a primary care doctor, find an endocrinologist to treat your diabetes and thyroid. It is their specialty and they can find the best course of treatment. TRUST ME. I speak from experience on this one. Also, make sure you have yearly eye exams by an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist, and you are seeing a dentist on a regular basis. My mom has been an ophthalmic assistant for over 35 years and I cannot tell you how many patients they have seen who did not see and ophthalmologist regularly and have lost their sight to diabetic retinopathy.

[Contrary Housewife]

Well, you''l get pills for the low thyroid and in a week or so you will feel SOOOO much better. The pills just replace the hormone your body is not producing.

Eating for diabetes is mostly about restricting foods that cause your blood sugar to spike and eating foods that allow you to keep your blood sugar even. You'll be looking for low carb, low glycemic recipes. Sugar substitution works, to a point. A lot of things that are not sweet still have carbs, like bread, potatoes and rice that can be bad for you in quantity because your body turns those starches into sugar. Like Neely says, it's not that you can never have them, you just need to understand how much is right for you, control portions and moderate how often you eat these things.

Most basic foods are fine. I'm talking plain chicken or pork, beef, and all vegetables that are not starchy. So you can still do many of the recipes you already know, grilled chicken, salads, soups, tuna sandwiches on what bread, tacos, etc.

[Nishu]

Aside from what you eat, exercise is very important for managing diabetes type 2. It's important because exercise improves your insulin response. Insulin response is basically how effectively your body utilizes the insulin in your blood stream. If you don't have a good insulin response (you might call this insulin resistance) then your body will have to pump a ever increasing amount of insulin in order to get the same blood sugar stabilization. I think that type 2 diabetes occurs when your body can no longer compensate by putting out enough insulin.

In that way you might think of insulin as a medicine that your body adjusts to.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance"]Insulin resistance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

My stepdad has cut his diabetes meds in half though exercise and weight loss.

[grneyegrl]

if offered pills for your type 2(depending on your a1c level) please take them..if your blood levels are too high unrepairable damage is being done to your body..remember u can always be taken off of them once your levels are under control..

i have been on metformin for 8 years and my limbs have not fallen of or anything drastic like that..my a1c has been under 7 for all 8 of those years, under 6 for 2 yrs..

i working on getting back under 6.

[savvy_sniper]

A balanced diet and exercise can and will get your blood sugar level back where it belongs. I did it in 90 days. I changed the way I ate and started using my treadmill 5 days a week.

I use myfitnesspal.com to keep a food and exercise diary. I started out weighing and measuring everything. It taught me portion control and made me aware of everything I put in my mouth.

You CAN do it!

[Libby]

Since you're just starting out - be mindful and read labels of whatever you're eating. Hidden calories and sugars lurk - especially in things labeled 'fat free' vs 'low fat'. Ketchup and other sauces are notoriously famous for having a whackload of both - all hidden by its mighty tastiness. Learning how to count carbs along with what an actual proper portions is, is a great way to start. Just know that when adjusting portion sizes, you may go hungry the first few days but your body will adjust.

Drink plenty of water and when you eat anything sweet (ie fruit) be sure to have it with a protein (1oz cheese, handful of unsalted nuts, hard boiled egg etc) vs eating it on its own. This slows down the sugar absorption thus preventing blood sugar highs and lows (crashes). If you don't already, try to squeeze in a brisk walk daily - work your way up to 'brisk'. Aim for 30 minutes/day - that lil walk will not only help clear your head but does sooo much in the background of things with regards to diabetes.

Just read up on everything, know that everything you read isn't 100% true for you and ease into this lifestyle change slowly. Adjust one thing at a time. It will get easier and become second nature

[grneyegrl]

oh i forgot to tell u(after reading libby) egg whites( or other lean proteins) will help keep u from being hungry...its fat free and has no carbs..

im not sure if u eat eggs or not..but it could help

[thefrug]

I found that keeping a food journal for the first 6 months helped me alot. I saw what foods set my bs up too high and which didn't.
I know that bbq spikes me bad, but frenchfries don't. ( go figure lol)

I "trade" off carbs. Like if I know that hubby and I will be having a beer at the club, then I'll have a salad for either lunch or supper.

I would definitely start a journal and write down everything you eat and drink and the blood sugar results.

I've found that I can not eat any artificial sweeteners. They give me the runs ( sorry,TMI lol), but it's true so I try to compensate for that fact.

Don't rush and don't worry if you're overwhelmed. You'll get it. It takes time and practice and knowledge that you'll pick up. It's like anything you need to learn. You didn't just start riding a bike or swiming on the first try, so don't stress out over this either. Stress will spike your bs easy.

[dwnloom]

quick update.....I did get metformin for diabetes and levothyroxine for thyroid......I have a glucose meter now......from what I am seeing....my levels are all across the board.....One morning I work up...it was 145 the next morning it was 93.....I am supposed to meet with a dietician in the next week or so....I just starting to try and count carbs now.....Thanks everyone...let you know how it goes in a few weeks....

[mh3rdwheel]

For low thyroid avoid Goitergens!

Goitrogens are naturally-occurring substances that can interfere with function of the thyroid gland. Goitrogens get their name from the term "goiter," which means an enlargement of the thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland is having difficulty making thyroid hormone, it may enlarge as a way of trying to compensate for this inadequate hormone production. "Goitrogens," like circumstances that cause goiter, cause difficulty for the thyroid in making its hormone

Here are some foods to avoid with low thyroid ( goitergens)

* Broccoli
* Brussel sprouts
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Kale
* Kohlrabi
* Mustard
* Rutabaga
* Turnips

Millet

Peaches

Peanuts

Radishes

Soybean and soy products, including tofu

Spinach

Also try to avoid caffeine drinks and junk food which tend to interfere with hormonal levels and make it difficult for the thyroid to work.

I knew about the brussel sprouts,

Another good place to go would be the library, I found a great book callted The Everything Thyroid Diet Book. Has some really yummy sounding receipes.

[Libby]

quick update.....I did get metformin for diabetes and levothyroxine for thyroid......I have a glucose meter now......from what I am seeing....my levels are all across the board.....One morning I work up...it was 145 the next morning it was 93.....I am supposed to meet with a dietician in the next week or so....I just starting to try and count carbs now.....Thanks everyone...let you know how it goes in a few weeks....

Starting the meds and checking your blood sugar levels is a great start.