Cooking for Diabetics

[toweringpine]

This is a big topic in my house!

The description by Soupcon pretty much sums up how they treat it in Toronto. We were told to measure blood sugar before eating, two hours after eating, before bed and upon waking. We were told to determine how many carbs were in the meal we were about to eat and taking X amount of insulin per serving of carbs.

After months of testing we started to see patterns and have learned a lot about how my wife's system handles the insulin and carbs. Yes, you can just take more insulin if your are having something very heavy on carbs but you risk having big swings in the blood sugar levels. A small mistake on a big dose of insulin can lead to very low sugar levels.

It does seem strange that the diabetes education we have had hasn't really taught us that much about what we should eat but the testing has made us learn it on our own.

We must be doing something right as we were told that the diabetes was keeping us from having children. With all the hard work we have done over the last year and a half we seem to have fixed the problem and are due in March.

[Jamie Lee]

We must be doing something right as we were told that the diabetes was keeping us from having children. With all the hard work we have done over the last year and a half we seem to have fixed the problem and are due in March.  

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CONGRATULATIONS!

As a fellow diabetic, all I can say is "well done"

J

[dougal]

What I have discovered is that my SIL hasn't a clue as to what she is doing with her diet.  She eats what she wants and then gives herself a shot of insulin.  Since she has been here, she has had low blood sugar twice and had to eat something sweet to counteract it. 

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... As you are probably guessing, it's not the healthiest approach. It is her life and telling people how to eat can be tricky business, especially siblings, but if you could suggest to her an alternative approach, you might very well be adding years to her life.

Diabetes doesn't have to be that restricting but it should involve some moderation and a certain amount of self awareness.

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My late father was for many years a non-insulin-dependent diabetic.

I have to agree that it is for the patient to recognise that they have a lot of control over their condition, and can, if they take an interest and make well-informed choices, make their own situation much more comfortable.

Eating evenly throughout the day is one important factor - so no skimping on breakfast and pigging out in the evening!

Trying to have regular routine meal times is pretty important too.

The problem with alcohol-, sugar- or fat-rich foods is that they produce a spike and then trough in blood sugar levels. So the British advice was to eat so as to minimise those rapid variations. Hence spreading the food more evenly through the day - even to having 4 meals rather than three. (Not unlike the Scots' "High Tea" at the end of the afternoon, and a lightish supper shortly before bed.)

Going for high fibre foods also helps to smooth the blood sugar levels. So seeking out 'high fibre options', wherever possible, can only be helpful.

Any 'treats' should be small, and at well-separated times.

A routine (which should include an exercise routine) should make it easier to get the dosing of medications accurate, and minimise the number of crash/burnout experiences.

Hence, IMHO, consideration for a diabetic guest would involve somewhat high-fibre, somewhat low sugar, somewhat low fat regularly-timed meals (including a 'proper' breakfast) and a rather frugal hand with the hospitality in terms of alcohol!

One problem (for a diabetic) with a "Mediterranean diet" is that it does tend to involve rather a lot of oil - and that's nearly as bad as sugar for unsteadying the blood-sugar level.

[LittleChef22]

What I have discovered is that my SIL hasn't a clue as to what she is doing with her diet.  She eats what she wants and then gives herself a shot of insulin.

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It's very sad, but this approach is fairly common in the diabetic community. As you are probably guessing, it's not the healthiest approach. It is her life and telling people how to eat can be tricky business, especially siblings, but if you could suggest to her an alternative approach, you might very well be adding years to her life.

Diabetes doesn't have to be that restricting but it should involve some moderation and a certain amount of self awareness.

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Wow this describes the three Diabetics closest to me right now. I have a lot of control over my Dads diet though. He doesn't know it yet but he's about to start eating Mediterranean.

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My boyfriend actually has juvenile diabetes, and sometimes he doesn't use as much self-control as he should. He is healthy and gets a lot of exercise, and that helps, but he still needs to cut down his carb intake. I think it's hard for him because he is in shape (and couldn't gain weight if he tried) and craves foods like pizza and pasta. He is on the diabetic pump, so gives insulin when he eats a meal.

Is Mediterranean food good for diabetics?? What kinds??

[SundaySous]

Very general statement about Med diet from American Diabetes Association website.

My dad has heart disease and is being treated with Coumadin. This complicates things a little for me. Olive oil would be something I have to avoid. Sunflower and Peanut oil are what I use instead.

What I really need to do is talk to the people treating him. He's boderline diabetic.

As far as what I'm doing now is more fish and less starches. He is over weight and I'm more concerned about that than he is. Pasta is out and veggies are in. Sweets are made with Spenda which he doesn't seem to mind.

Seems to me like it has already been said low carb is what I should be shooting for. I'm ok with whole grain carbs as it seems like a good trade off. Brown rice over white.

White bread seems to be my biggest problem. Six slices of what he eats is like 50% of what is recommended for a healthy person carb wise. I'm pretty sure those carbs turn to sugar once in his system.

And in the time it took to write this he just had a can of ravioli, 72 grams carbs, 16 grams surgar. Why we even have cans of that stuff I don't know but I'm going to find out.

[kitwilliams]

I am not criticizing anything that anyone has written on this thread as it is what each and every one of you has experienced with friends/loved ones who have diabetes. I would just like to point out that each and every insulin-dependent diabetic is different than the next and for those of us who have lived with it for a long time and are aware how our body reacts to different foods/exercise/alcohol/insulin, we (along with our doctors) know best how to handle our situation and are pretty much able to do so in any situation. It is always GREAT to have people concerned about us (especially great when newly diagnosed), but for those of us who are out and about in the world, we're pretty savvy about how to handle our dietary needs.

On low blood sugar: The goal of the diabetic is to keep their blood sugar as close to "normal" as possible. The thing is, there is a very fine line between "normal" and "too low", so low blood sugars are not uncommon for diabetics who are in very good control. If your blood sugar is normal and you have a tiny bit more exercise than usual, your blood sugar can drop. If you've given yourself the dose anticipated for a meal then don't eat quite as many carbs as projected, you can have a "reaction". I don't know dawnie2u's SIL, who may or may not be in good control of her situation. I just want everyone to know that a low blood sugar does not a "bad" diabetic make.

So my advice is, have plenty of good, fresh food on hand that everyone in the family will enjoy and that you enjoy cooking and everyone will be happy!

PS If any of you have loved ones with insulin-dependent diabetes, the insulin pump has been the best solution for me and has made a more spontaneous type of lifestyle possible for those of us with the disease.