Cooking for diabetic (help!)

sandraroffey

it was a shock when i was diagnosed.

managing it, its healthy eating. and its the sort of diet everyone should have.

high fibre, low salt, low fat, low sugar (note not NO sugar) and keep your weight down.

can thoroughly reccomend diabetes UK. i got whole load of recipe books from them. absolutely invaluable.

please dont waste your money on the specialist (so called) diabetic products. use ordinary jam, just spread it thinner etc. etc

its easy, just dont make yourself a slave to the cause. he can still have a smallpiece of cake or a couple of biscuits. ,make your own desserts with fresh fruit etc . it really is simple. good luck.

mardatha

thanks pet he seems to be very down about it , it will take a day or two eh. His health is really going downhill fast, its a shame.

queen_of_string

I've just started to be part of the cooking for my OH who developed type one when he was 35 ( he wasnt my OH then ;-) ). It worried me, but its basically normal healthy eating. Green veg are supposed to be better than red, you cna have pretty much all you want of the green ones. We eat normal family meals, served in serving dishes, so the OH can work out what he needs today and help himself like the rest of us.

Sweet stuff is an issue, sometimes he breaks out and has something less healthy, finding ways to have treats that dont do long term damage is a challenge. Frozen smoothies can be ok, in moderation, as can frozen bananas or a few grapes. It is possible to bake with sugar substitutes but I try not to too much, he eats more crackers than biscuits. I do try not to buy products with aspartame in as I am worried about the nerve damage some studies say it can do. From what I have read, other sweeteners arent as bad.

If you can embrace the healthy eating and healthy lifestyle, Mardatha, you could find you both see health and quality of life benefits.

We started going for a walk after tea, it's been fab, half an hour minimum, the kids have started coming along, we have met more of our neighbours and have enjoyed watching the green spaces, wildlife and gardens change over the seasons. Small changes like this help us live better and longer hopefully, and as we are all following (mostly) the healthy regime, OH doesnt feel so different.

mardatha

Yes, all things are meant eh ? I could do with losing a stone and this is an ideal chance and will make him feel better about it all.:D

mardatha

Just read this again properly and he's been drinking around 4L a day of sugar=free orange juice. is that bad ? That's why I pushed him to get tested again, thought it was far too much .

slummymummyof3

Sign yourself up to GInews.com, diabetes.co.uk and david mendosa websites to get loads of info. My OH is type 2 and was diagnosed 2 years ago. He is diet and exercise controlled via low Glycaemic index. The trick is avoiding too much bread, avoid mashed/jacket potatoes and use sweet potatoes/new potatoes (in limited quantities) My OH really reacted badly to the diagnosis as he was a very fit, normal person and was just unfortunate in that it was genetic. It takes time to come to terms with. PM me if you need any further info. Just steer clear of any ready meals etc. Use red lentils etc in your spag bol and watch the carb intake. Fruit juice etc you need to really limit the intake of and eat more veg than fruit as obviously fruit has a higher sugar level.

nelly2605

mardatha wrote: »

Just read this again properly and he's been drinking around 4L a day of sugar=free orange juice. is that bad ? That's why I pushed him to get tested again, thought it was far too much .

Im diabetic,I wouldnt recommend orange juice as the natural sugars will make his blood high.

zzzLazyDaisy

If you are talking about fruit juice, that is way too much - I never touch the stuff as it sends my blood sugar haywire. The problem is liquid sugar just hits the bloodstream too fast.

On the other hand if you are talking about sugar free squash that is very diluted, it is probably beneficial if it means he drinks plenty of (lightly flavoured) water.

piglet6

My Dad was diagnosed as diabetic several years ago (controlled via food intake/tablets rather than insulin injections), and we all panicked and didn't know what to feed him...

But it has been much easier than expected... OK, so we don't feed him bars of chocolate and very sugar-y cakes, but his diet is very controllable if we stick to a "healthy" regime - lean meats and plenty of vegetables for a main course (yes, he hates fresh veg and we have to find ways to get it into him without him realising!) but he can have pasta/rice/potatoes, and he can eat fresh berries which are very sweet (strawberries/raspberries/blueberries/blackcurrants) for a dessert - which we tend to eat with cream/creme fraiche, and we work within the boundaries we have.

He also likes to drink the diet flavoured waters (he can't have Diet Coke because of the caffeine!), and this helps to satisfy the sweet tooth...

Piglet

piglet6

P.S. Dad can't have caffeine because of a heart problem (had a heart attack a couple of years ago) - so the Diet Coke problem is not related to diabetes...didn't want to put people off with no good reason!

Piglet