Dietary problems - all help very gratefully received...

I suspect this might not be the board to post this on (although I can't see a specific dietary requirements board!) - but you all seem so knowledgeable about so many things (and full of good advice!), I hope you'll forgive me if it isn't in the right place, and throw any ideas you have in my direction anyway!

My dilemma is as follows:

My husband and I are going on holiday with my parents for 10 days on 18th May. We have hired a canal barge - pretty old style (not too expensive), nice and relaxed and stress-free, and we are all really looking forward to it! Self-catering, but with the odd pub lunch/dinner... It is also my father's 75th birthday while we are away and we will be celebrating this.

Now the bad news...

My father had been suffering with "unexplainable breathlessness", and so went to the doctor. In the last week, he has now has been diagnosed with a "slight" heart condition (top part of his heart not pumping as regularly as the bottom part!) - not life threatening, but need to be careful. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it!) whilst testing for heart problems, the doctor took his blood sugar levels, which turned out to be much too high. This led to more tests and my father has now been officially diagnosed as diabetic. Again, not majorly so - the suggestion is to try and control it with dietary changes for the first 3 months, before deciding whether to progress to tablets, and ultimately injections. I realise that we are a lot luckier than many, because the brief is to just cut down on fats/sugars, regulate the diet, and see how things progress from there.

However, my father is pretty depressed about this (mainly because at 74½, he has always enjoyed reasonable health and can count the number of times he has visited the doctor on one hand/never been in hospital, etc). Normally, as a family, we celebrate birthdays with special meals, special birthday cakes, and other high fat/sugar treats. Obviously, this is no longer a viable option, so I am hoping that there might be some Old Stylers (who might have experience of this type of diet) who would be kind enough to share with me their recipes for food which still seems "special" but is still low sugar/low fat, without tipping the balance and making him ill! We will have full kitchen facilities, and my husband is a chef (and is already working on adapting recipes to make them suitable, but we are accepting all suggestions gratefully!) so we are not afraid of "difficult/complicated" recipes.

As a family, we are completely new to this - so all help gratefully received. Many thanks in advance to anyone who replies...we really want to make this holiday special for my dad (he was really looking forward to it until this last week, and now he is worried that he is going to "ruin it" for all of us - we just want to reassure him that this is not the case!).

Piglet

P.S. Sorry that this post is so long...!
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  • MonkeyGirl
    MonkeyGirl Posts: 587 Forumite
    Try this LINK for some food ideas.

    MonkeyGirl
  • Pink.
    Pink. Posts: 17,675
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    Hi piglet,

    You must be worried about your Dad, but there is no reason why the holiday shouldn't be special for him.....try not to make a big thing of any changes to meals and hopefully you'll all have a great time.

    Here are some older threads that might help with the diabetes side of things:

    cake recipies for diabetics

    Treats for Diabetics

    Newly Diabetic any ideas?

    Diabetic Christmas desserts?

    Pink
  • piglet6
    piglet6 Posts: 1,532
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    Thanks for these links, guys :beer: - I am determind to NOT make deliberate big changes to our diet while we are away which is why I am trying to source alternative solutions in advance... We are going to be careful, without making a big thing out of the changes. Love these threads, though (still haven't managed to successfully navigate by myself the "search" facility on these boards!?!) so am very grateful for these links. :D

    Mostly, I think I appreciate the support - I haven't really talked to anybody (other than Mum and Dad and hubby) about this and I think I am allowing the stress to get to me :o - I know logically that 75 is not "old" these day (and my Dad is a very young 75 to look at - most people place him at around 60...I just hope the genes are hereditary:rotfl: !!), but am still stressing about wanting to make the holiday perfect "just in case...".

    I guess these diagnoses have been a bit of a wake up call to the fact that my dad isn't going to be around forever... :sad:

    Stupid, eh?!?! :naughty:

    Thanks - you're right...we're going to have a great time! :j

    Piglet
  • pollys
    pollys Posts: 1,756
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    Sorry can't help with regards the diabetes, but would just like to say that my son has allergies and whilst at first it was very daunting and even scary after lots of research it is now not so much of a worry or a problem, the whole families diet has improved.

    Have a very Happy Holiday.
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  • elona
    elona Posts: 11,806
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    Sue Kreitzman's low fat cookbook has some lovely recipes for fruit ice cream and sorbets.

    I make home made burgers with turkey mince as it is lower in fat.

    I use one third mayonnaisse to two thirds low fat natural yoghurt when I make potato salad.

    Lots of lovely things are luxurious but not high in fat - new potatoes, seafood, asparagus etc.

    I think champagne is actually lower in fat and calories than other drinks.
    "This site is addictive!"
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  • Hi Piglet

    I am not an expert, but have been following the GI diet for the past 2 years, in response to a medical condition I have related to diabetes.

    The GI (Glyceamic Index) Diet ( which honestly is not a fad and not difficult to follow) is supported by both the British Heart and Diabetes associations.

    It is bascially about cutting out refined / processed foods which the body burns too quickly.

    I replace all things white (sugar, rice, pasta, bread) with brown, or rather wholegrain/ multigrain varietes. Instead of white potato I eat Butternut squash or sweet potato ( the orange ones)
    Tesco are really supporting on this and on many of their own foods will label whether it is Low GI ( Very good), medium GI ( Good but eat with low GI) or High ( eat in moderation)
    Chocolate with 70% solids such as Green and Blacks is the best option for sweet cravings..

    It does not mean that you cannot enjoy chocolate etc, but you need to be aware that you are likely to feel very tired shortly afterwards as the "sugar spike" makes you feel good, then wears off, leaving you wanting more.

    Anyway, without going into loads of detail, there are lots of sites with information on the web and recipes, so have a look. I bought the book, which explains it all and has recipes, but that is up to you.
    https://www.gidiet.co.uk

    Good luck!
  • piglet6
    piglet6 Posts: 1,532
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    Thanks again for the replies and ideas this morning:A . I will look out for the Sue Kreitzman book, and also for the Gallop GI book - am going to surf that website in more detail later, too. Have to admit, although I've heard of the GI diet, I don't know anything about it...yet!;)

    I think you're right Pollys - we will probably all eat a little more healthily as a result of this...so at least thats a silver lining to what initially seemed to be just a big dark cloud!:T

    Piglet
  • elona
    elona Posts: 11,806
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    Piglet

    Have a look at amazon.co.uk and you might be able to get the books you want under "Used and new" for a much cheaper price.

    Failing that try tesco.com.
    "This site is addictive!"
    Wooligan 2 squares for smoky - 3 squares for HTA
    Preemie hats - 2.
  • piglet6
    piglet6 Posts: 1,532
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    Thanks, Elona - I will do that this evening when I get home...:cool2:

    Piglet
  • mummysaver
    mummysaver Posts: 3,119 Forumite
    Just wanted to say have a good hol! Perhaps you could pop into your local surgery and get a diet sheet - I know that carbohydrates are a problem for my MIL who is diabetic, and some things that I would never have considered like prawns! Worth being aware of foods that aren't worth trying to include in any meal plans at all. I think that Anthony Worrall Thompson bought out a diabetic cook book a while ago, that a couple of peeps have said was quite good. You could also try the British Diabetic Association (?) website for info.

    Have a great holiday, and hope that your dad really enjoys himself (and I'm very jealous, wish my OH was a chef sometimes!)
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