Need Help with diabetic cooking please :)

mardatha

Hubby is type 2 diabetic, diet controlled with no meds. He is slightly underweight and finds his meals really boring and is getting very down because of all the nice things he can't eat. I am the world's worst cook and I know I could do a lot to make his mealtimes happier
Has anybody got diabetic recipes or tips to make his food more interesting? He wont eat anything Chinese and he can't eat pasta, that sends his BG sky high. He doesn't need to watch his weight- he probably needs to put some on. Unlike moi

Fen1

Firstly, read the info on Diabetes charity websites. They have lots of information on food and cooking. Refined carbohydrates - like normal pasta - get converted quickly into sugar, pushing up blood sugar levels ( Janet and John version ). Educating yourselves on the chemistry of food will help you both.
Easy ways of making food interesting is to add herbs and spices. One of the spices that was very popular amongst diabetics a few years ago was cinnamon. There was some evidence that it helped with controlling sugar levels.
Be very careful with fruits. High sugar levels in things like grapes can play merry hell for some people.
Vegetables and proteins are the way to go. experiment with oats, spelt and rye as carbs and see what works for your husband.
Regular meals are extremely important. Make him get into the habit of carrying oat cakes or similar wherever he goes. He can snack on those if food is late.
Your local library should have lots of books on cooking for diabetics. Also look in the health section for advice on the disease itself.

meandmaboy

Hi,
There are lots of cookbooks about, but I prefer the website Diabetes.co.uk.
There is a forum for all types of diabetics, there's recipes & 7 day mealplans to download.
I'm sure you would find some ideas on there.
A lot of the chat is really helpful & its nice friendly site.

HTH
Evie




ps until recently I was blissfully unaware of more than 2 type of diabetes :eek::eek::eek:

Mojisola

mardatha wrote: »

he can't eat pasta, that sends his BG sky high.

meandmaboy wrote: »

There are lots of cookbooks about, but I prefer the website Diabetes.co.uk.

As he can't cope with pasta, try the low carb forum on Diabetes.co.uk - friendly people and lots of advice on diet and recipes.

mardatha

Been there yes, but a lot of it is recipes with ingredients that I never buy and couldn't follow anyway - was looking for more wee hints on how to make the most of everyday ingreds like cauli or mushrooms or desserts that don't involve sugar-free jelly. TY though everybody xx

meandmaboy

Mardatha,
I agree with you on those points, it gets very wearing trying to vary meals especially if you are the one cooking.
My trouble is that I'm not meal planning @ the moment,:mad::mad::mad: son is @ uni & will sometimes appear looking to eat with me. most times he's with GF who veggie, I cant appear to get motivated & I am going to give lo carbing a go :eek:

As i've attended every diet class going :eek::eek::eek::eek: i'm going to dig out old books & see if there is any inspiration in them.
I tend to avoid desserts as they are my downfall i'm afraid.
During the winter I live on homemade soup & bread.
I think meal planning is the way to go ( if I could only take my own advice :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:)

greenbee

If the RV is getting bored with your cooking Mar, maybe he could take over for a bit

How about a mushroom frittata? Cauliflower cheese?

Not sure about puddings - I'm quite happy with plain yogurt and maybe a bit of stewed apple (but I'm not diabetic, so not sure whether the apple would be OK or not - I don't make mine with any sugar, so it probably would, in moderation).

VfM4meplse

I agree with others, DUK provides some excellent advice.

I'd recommend he cuts back on the carbs and loads up on protein, fruit and veg, and healthy fats in moderation. Start with a list of things he likes to eat, and then adapt accordingly.

If he is underweight I would question the original diagnosis: he may have a mixed type of diabetes rather than T2, and it would be worth going back to his GP / specialist for investigation.

Oh yes, I wouldn't place too much emphasis on blood sugars atm - carbs will make everyone's level higher after a meal! Atm it's the HbA1C that he should be watching, the fasting blood glucose comes into play when meds are introduced.

GwylimT

I have type two diabetes, my daughter has type one, we are also both coeliacs, nice and awkward!

The first thing I would say is low carb, an the generally brown version when you do have it. So with rice, brown or wild.

If I drew my meal on a paper plate carbs would be around 1/6 at most.

I will write some of our meals for the week and our ingredients.

Monday chili
Beef mince
Two onions
Bulb of garlic
Cumin
Chilli powder
Fresh chilli
Salt and pepper
Kidney beans (tinned in water)
Green lentils (tinned in water)
Tomato pasatta (asda value is the lowest in sugar we have found)
Wild rice (around an average yoghurt pot full per person before cooking)
Green pepper
1/2 butter nut squash
Table spoon fish sauce.

Cook the onion, garlic, pepper and season in some oil until soft, add everything but the beef and cook until the squash is soft and the sauce thick and tasty, finally add the beef (mash with hands to stop large clumps) and simmer until the meat becomes part of the sauce.

Serve with the rice, soured cream and quacamole. Instead of rice you can use tortilla chips, again, a reasonable amount.

Tuesday
Squash soup
One butternut squash
Reduced salt veg stock cube, chicken would do as well
Thumb size bit of ginger
One chilli
Salt and pepper
Coconut cream sachet, or the cococut cream from a tin of coconut milk
Brown bread (1 slice each, or a brown pitta)

Roast the squash for 45 minutes, add to the stock, chilli, ginger and seasoning, liquidise and serve, then give everyone a spoonfull of coconut cream.

Wednesday
Chicken salad
Chicken (you can buy a raw chicken that is flat with the seasoning on
Piri piri seasoning (chilli, white wine vinegar, peppers)
Salad etc to go with it
Make any salad dressing to avoid high amounts of sugar

Thursday
Beef wellington
Either buy ready made or do you own which is cheaper and very easy
Seasonal veg
Low salt gravy if using ready made

Friday
Fish salad
Salmon with a soya and ginger sauce (just soy and ginger mixed)
Prawns
Mussels
Variety of salad

pigpen

stews.. meat and veggies .. except my T1 wont have gravy!
stir fry.. strips of chicken, loads of veg again
carrot/swede mash is a decent alternative to potato.

TBH.. if he is struggling to live just with diet controlled I'd take the medication and eat normally.. Then he can eat whatever he fancies.. life is way too short to make yourself miserable!

candlelight_2013

I am afraid even with medication you can't eat just what you want:eek:

Ask me how I know

Candlelightx