nice lunch for a visiting diabetic

[Deleted User]

Help!! two lovely elderly people are coming to visit next week. Both are large and both love their food. One is a diabetic. What can I give them that is easy to prepare as we have visitors on 3 days running and I`ll be worn out. I want them to enjoy their meal

morganlefay

Hi Kittie, they don't need anything special - the days of hideously restricted diets are over. What we (I'm diabetic too) are supposed to eat is just a healthy diet, such as we're all supposed to eat anyway. A GI diet is fine for a diabetic, and that's just sensible eating. Lots of veg, smaller amounts of meat and dairy. So things like pastry are not good and if you can avoid mash, new potatoes or baked would be better. Fish is good and anything based round basmati rice. So perhaps grilled gammon steaks, new pots with lots of chopped parsley (and perhaps a smidge of butter) and lots of a green veg. Sweet potatoes are good too but perhaps they might not like them if elderly. You could do a nice shepherd's pie with the top made of half and half potato and parsnip mashed together, or a fish pie with same sort of top ? Puddings are harder as almost everything has too much sugar (sugar is worse then fat) so some fresh fruit aren't brilliant (I have been told not to eat fresh mango and pineapple as too sweet.) But if you've had a substantial main course you can have the occasional sweet treat so perhaps small helpings of ice cream or sorbet or even a mince pie or two which wouldn't be too awful just occasionally, I really like stewed apple (I stew Bramleys with no sugar and add a bit of canderel at the last minute so it's not cooked - you can't tell, it tastes fine.Don't bother to buy special 'diabetic' food for them, they are a waste of money.

Just treat them as being people on a 'sensible' eating programme, and you'll be fine - you won't kill them and how nice for them to have someone cooking for them who's being so thoughtful. Please can I come too ? :rotfl:

kitschkitty

I agree, basically a sensible balanced diet.

A portion of mash or spuds cooked in other ways too are OK so long as it's not a huge portion - if you serve lots of veg, you can keep the amount of spuds smaller. Jacket/baked spuds are the worst (always amazes me considering they are the most nutritious), and it's hard to serve a small portion jacket spud!!!

How about a nice pork and mushroom casserole or beef stroganoff or chicken & mushroom dish with rice?

Deserts are more difficult, and it depends on what they normally like, sugar free jelly, low fat yoghurt/creme fraiche etc, can be used in tasty deserts.

[Deleted User]

thank you very much, you have set my mind at rest morganlefay

[Deleted User]

thank you very much, you have set my mind at rest morganlefay

JMFD

A few suggestions from another diabetic

1. Ask them what sort of diet control they are on. Diets vary to be more stringent or even more lenient plans with their medications balanced around this. Most of us only have to ensure that carbs are low GI (Complex carbohydrates rather than refined ones, e.g wholemeal over white bread).
2. Protein is good - it doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all. If they are on calorie control as well though, you need to watch the fat content here.
3. Deserts are often the worst thing to sort out - most are usually full of sugar and white flour (almost as bad as sugar!), seeking advice from your guest is probably your best bet. (Although if you really want to suprise them, making homemade low GI/Low carb desert is an option, if time consuming)
4. Don't worry! Most diabetics can deal with the occasional "blip" with food not 100% to what they are used to

CFC

Top tip - don't plate the food, let them help themselves.
Mixed fresh fruit salad with no added sugar and either a plain cheapish (normal) ice cream or a bit of single cream for pud is easiest, again put the serving bowl out and let them help themselves - or a sugarless jelly and ice cream. If you want to push the boat out and cook something, look here
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/Recipes/Recipes_Listing/?page=1