Hi and welcome to the Forum.
You'll find that it's not just "sugar" you need to keep an eye on - it's all carbohydrate. Many people here find that the best way to control / reduce blood sugar is to reduce or eliminate starchy carbs from their diets - rice, potatoes, pasta, grain and grain products, beans. Dairy products like low-or-no fat milk and cottage cheese are very high in carbohydrate; cheese is not. Fruit can also play a role in elevating your blood sugar; berries like blackberries, strawberries and blueberries are high in fiber and may be easier to tolerate than other fruits.
The only way to determine which foods and quantities work for you is to test, test, test with your meter. To do this, do a finger stick test before a meal. Make note of all the carbs in your meal. Test your blood sugar one hour after beginning to eat - your blood sugar should be reaching it's peak for the meal at this point. Test your blood sugar two hours after you began to eat - it should be back to your baseline, or at least headed there. If you spiked more than about 50 points, try a similar meal on another occasion but reduce the serving size of the carbs and repeat the tests. If the same carb is still causing a big or prolonged spike, try a meal without it. You'll feel a little like a pincushion, but you'll be developing a database of foods that work specifically for you!
Good luck with your upcoming experiments! Let us know how you do.
Jen
You'll find that it's not just "sugar" you need to keep an eye on - it's all carbohydrate. Many people here find that the best way to control / reduce blood sugar is to reduce or eliminate starchy carbs from their diets - rice, potatoes, pasta, grain and grain products, beans. Dairy products like low-or-no fat milk and cottage cheese are very high in carbohydrate; cheese is not. Fruit can also play a role in elevating your blood sugar; berries like blackberries, strawberries and blueberries are high in fiber and may be easier to tolerate than other fruits.
The only way to determine which foods and quantities work for you is to test, test, test with your meter. To do this, do a finger stick test before a meal. Make note of all the carbs in your meal. Test your blood sugar one hour after beginning to eat - your blood sugar should be reaching it's peak for the meal at this point. Test your blood sugar two hours after you began to eat - it should be back to your baseline, or at least headed there. If you spiked more than about 50 points, try a similar meal on another occasion but reduce the serving size of the carbs and repeat the tests. If the same carb is still causing a big or prolonged spike, try a meal without it. You'll feel a little like a pincushion, but you'll be developing a database of foods that work specifically for you!
Good luck with your upcoming experiments! Let us know how you do.
Jen
