Need Help with diabetic cooking please :)

Nargleblast

mardatha, my OH has type 2 diabetes and we have found that carbohydrates are the key.

Cook normal meals, but - if he normally has four roast potatoes, cut him down to two. Whatever pasta or rice you serve, reduce the portion size. If he normally has six slices of bread a day, cut him down to two. Increase amounts of protein and vegetables. If he eats pizza, give him smaller portions but more salad or veg with it. Go easy on chips, crisps, potatoes in any form. Fruit is good as a dessert or between meals, but go easy on the quantities. Breakfast cereals are often packed with sugar, but porridge is good and filling. Or scrambled eggs on one slice of toast for breakfast.

Just experiment with your normal meals, substitute artificial sweetener for sugar if he finds going without too hard. I am not saying this will magically cure his diabetes but it should improve his blood sugar levels a bit and get him used to a healthier way of eating.

Your GP may be able to refer him to a dietician for further advice.

mardatha

I think his BG is actually quite good Nargle, but he is just such a moany ratty virgo that he wants permanent perfection!
Thanks everybody!

Waffle_On

To put some favourite meals back on the menu, you could look to substitute some of the carbs for extra veggies - for example courgette spaghetti, or cauliflower rice. You can buy some variations ready prepared in the supermarket if you're finding it a chore.

You could very simply make a variation on a baseless cheesecake - mix quark or cream cheese with a little sweetener and maybe a touch of lemon juice. Eat as it is or serve with an allowed amount of fruit. When I was watching refined sugar, this gave me the satisfaction of a pudding without breaking the rules.

nursemaggie

Sorry I have been so long Mar. Things are a bit hectic round here what with Christmas just around the corner and the move I'm meeting myself coming back.

I expect he misses things like biscuits. Try these no sugar and oats are good for bringing down high blood sugar and cholesterol too which may be high because of all those fryups.

Banana and oats bake together to make easy breakfast cookies that taste like banana bread!
Ingredients

2 large bananas, mashed
2 cups gluten free oats
If desired you can add in some of the following:
vanilla extract
vanilla beans
peanut butter chips
dried cranberries
raisins
chopped walnuts, almond or pecans
coconut flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place oats in blender or food processor and blend until oats become the consistency of flour; it's okay if it's not perfectly ground.
In large bowl combined mashed banana with oats until smooth. Add in 1/2 cup of your favorite add in; I used dark chocolate
chips and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Drop dough by large tablespoons onto cookie sheet; flatten a bit with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

You could have a good look round at different sweeteners and use what is OK for cooking. then you can try some of your favourite biscuits using the sweetener.

NewShadow

Given it seems the sweet treats he's missing... I made a batch of these for the ex-MIL one christmas - all gone within the hour

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/no-bake-apricot-almond-balls/

MarieMac_2

I would recommend a cookbook called "The Diabetes Cooking Book" by Fiona Hunter and Heather Whinney. I was pre-diabetic and found it to be very helpful in managing things, I was even able to reverse the pre-diabetes and now have normal blood sugar levels. In fact, I've since recommended it to several people and they have all found it extremely helpful as well.

A lot of my success was due to the way this book explains how to cook for diabetics - they have an excellent section in the beginning which explains the basics of cooking for diabetes in a very straightforward and easy to follow way. It also has some meal plans and a blank build your own meal plan section in the front of the book.

One reason I recommend this book in particular is because when trying to modify my diet I found that so much of the information available was presented in an overly complicated manner. Those ended up being too overwhelming because I was just trying to learn how to cook decent meals. Because this book explains things in such an easy to understand way, I was able get in and start cooking from it straight away.

The other nice thing about this book is that it focuses on nice simple basic meals with 'normal' ingredients, there aren't really any that require exotic or expensive ingredients. Everything I've cooked from it has been quite good and most of the meals are simple enough to make on a weekday - no faffing about for hours with prep work or complicated cooking methods.

There are a few different books with similar titles, so if you do decide to check it out, make sure that it is the one by Fiona Hunter - I think most editions have a white cover with red lettering. I found my copy at Easons but I'm sure your library could find a copy for you and I've seen it on Amazon for as low as £8.

mardatha

I'll look for that Marie, I hate cooking and 99% of cookery books give me that sinking feeling the minute I open them. I admit half the problem here is his diabetes - the other half is mine cos I just canny stand cooking!!
Lots of help on here, ta muchly