Diabetes ...food? What Kind?

I am a registered dietitian, but there is no way this can be covered on a list serve. I would highly suggest that he and the family make an appointment with a dietitian. He may actually be seen in the hospital before he leaves. Yes, he can have fruit and bread and everything in moderation! He needs to meet with a Registered Dietitian to learn how many carbohydrates he can have at each meal and the serving sizes.

I HIGHLY suggest recipezaar.com, the site is just fantastic and you can search for specific recipes on diets. He will more than likely need to stick to some type of South Beach diet and there are plenty of recipes and support in their message communities. I don't have a strict diet (though I need to be on one) but there are so many people that use the site, like vegetarians, vegans, intolarants (gluten, lactose, etc), diet specific, etc. I hope you can find some recipes useful with the site.

BTW, you'll have to get a list of foods from the doctor that he can't have... that is very important.

Good Luck!

Hi Lanta ~ while I have not been through your situation exactly, I have been diabetic for 31 years and helped my grandfather after heart surgery. As for the diabetic menu - PLEASE don't freak out, just be sure to encourage your inlaws to ask questions of the doctor and see an endoconologist/diabetic educator to get meal ideas. Diabetics are not one menu fits all so it is not as easy to say here is what you should eat. It is all about counting "total carbs" depending on if and/or what kind of meds they put him on will determin his diet also. Try the website Dlife.com for more information. Good luck.

You need to get Dr. Neal Barnard's Book titled, "Dr. Neal Barnard's Plan for Reversing Type II Diabetes". It talks about how diabetes is a lifestyle disease, just like heart disease and most cancers. It can be prevented and reversed. The book gives you an excellent explanation as to how Diabetes happens in the body and how it is reversed with optimum nutrition and healthy habits. It sounds like some of the other moms who gave advice here might want to get the book too. Most MD's have very little education in the area of nutrition. So if you are taking advice from your doctor on what to eat, and he is overweight, as most of them are...how reliable is that information really?

A great book is Healthy Lifestyles, by Dr. Ray Strand. It's an inexpensive book that you can get on Amazon.com and so full of information. You can use it even if you aren't diabetic.
Also look at Sara Crusade's Soulsprings.com website for information about cellular nutrition. Lots of great products there as well. (She's a mamasource business as well).

Best of health to your dad and family!

Diabetes results when the body's cells become resistant to insulin, which is the hormone that tells the cells to take in sugar after you've eaten. The cells become resistant to insulin after years of eating things that cause the blood sugar to rise too much and too quickly after eating. These type of foods that now need to be avoided include refined/processed food such as white flours (breads, pastas, etc), white rice, and sugar. Things like cakes, cookies, chips, crackers - really almost anything you find in the middle of the grocery store..those foods that can sit forever and not go bad, should all be avoided. Vegetables, brown or wild rice, whole grain breads, good lean meats, and fruits in moderation are okay. Stay away from artificial sweeteners (aspartame, splenda, etc) as they are toxic to the nervous system and body. A good natural sweetener which does not cause blood sugar to rise is Stevia. Some great books are Jordan Rubin's The Makers Diet, The Makers Diet Shoppers Guide, and The Great Physicians' Rx for Diabetes. All are great books about eating healthier. There are also a lot of books with recipes for diabetics that you can find in any bookstore, but I like those books because teach you how to help your body to heal. Everyone, not just those diagnosed with diabetes would do good to eat that way, to prevent themselves from becoming unhealthy. Overall, salt should be limited. Again moderation is the key. Sometimes it is a little challenging finding good foods, but well worth the effort as your body will be much healthier.

Hi there. A great site to go to is allrecipes.com. Click on Healthy Living on the left side and then pick the diabetic option.

you might check out the diabetic chef. my dad is diabetic, too, and we've used some of the diabetic chef's recipes when we've had my dad over for dinner.

Hi Lanta R
About this whole diabetes and food thing. My mom is diabetic and my dad was too. Dad passed away a little more that a year ago of other causes not his diabetes. as for their diet, well they do have to watch what they eat , but it's not rocket science. No Sweets unless they are made with artificial sweetners like Splenda or Equal. He can have fruits but be careful with pineapple, mango, strawberries and grapes as they are high in sugar, but he can still eat them in small servings. He can eat lean meats such as chicken, turkey, fish, veal. Try to keep the beef and pork to a minimum -- remember his heart surgery, He can eaat all he veggies he wants.Especially the greens and reds like tomatoes. Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and root veggies and corn can be eaten but keep those portions low and nothing fried. everything can be poached, steamed, grilled or baked. As far as breads go it needs to be whole grain like wheat or oatbran. And also, keep the salt to a minimum if you have to use it at all. If you need any more pointers please feel free to contact me. I've been dealing with this for years now.

You sound like such a loving daughter-in-law, and that alone will make a great difference in your father-in-law's health.

Here is an invaluable link that will give you information that it appears nobody else who has yet replied has been able to provide: http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/diabetes.html

The article at this URL is "Treating Diabetes: Practical Advice for Combatting a Modern Epidemic" By Tom Cowan, MD. Dr. Cowan is a physician in private practice in San Francisco, California. He is the author of The Fourfold Path to Healing. His website is http://www.fourfoldhealing.com.

Diabetes is linked with heart disease, as your father-in-law has experienced. What you serve for dinner can make a big difference in your father-in-law's health and longevity, but he may have been advised by conventional medical practitioners not to eat the foods that I believe are most likely to help him. This is a good time to look into self-education.

According to Dr. Cowan and the Nutritional Therapy Association, under which I received nutritional therapy training, the main cause of diabetes is the western diet:

->refined carbohydrates like sugar and white flour, that rush sugar into the bloodstream
->trans fatty acids that interfere with insulin receptors in the cells
->improperly prepared foods that are difficult to digest such as pasteurized milk, unfermented soy products, uncooked vegetables, nuts, and grains
->mineral deficiencies from an agricultural system that depletes its soils
->toxins such as pesticides and heavy metals from environmental exposures and on and in foods

Before insulin was available, the only way to treat type I diabetes was a high-fat diet from which carbohydrate foods were completely excluded because the body does not need insulin to assimilate proteins and fats. Today, this is also a great approach, if the high-fat diet is composed of healthy fats.

Most people think of Omega 3's and olive oil when I use the term "healthy fats," but what I mean are naturally occurring, unprocessed fats, such as the fat on grassfed meats, in eggs from pastured poultry, in full-fat raw or cultured dairy from pastured animals, and organic, cold-pressed coconut or palm oils. High-vitamin cod liver oil and butter oil are also very healthy fats.

Diabetes is often accompanied by mineral deficiency, particularly deficiencies in zinc, vanadium and chromium. Good foods for trace minerals are bone broths, beet kvass, shellfish (esp. oysters, don't buy farmed seafood), unfiltered extra virgin olive oil (make sure it's not fake, since some of the major brands are selling vegetable oil mixed in with the olive oil), unrefined sea salt, molasses, and liver.

Iodine is also a critical trace mineral for diabetics. Iodoral is a great supplement, if your father-in-law is interested, but it's important to take iodine with tiny amounts of Rubidium, which I get as a supplement from Biotics. A person who uses fish bones to make bone broth and eats that every day with seaweed, will most likely get plenty of iodine and rubidium, no need for supplements.

Diabetes often involves a deficiency in Vitamin B6, which is essential for carbohydrate metabolism. B6 is derived from raw animal foods. Sushi with raw fish, proscuitto, raw milk, and rare roasted lamb or pastured beef are all rich in B6, one of the most commonly deficient vitamins. (The deficiency also leads to carpal tunnel syndrome and more.)

Diabetics need foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins, including butterfat from grass-fed animals, organ meats, shellfish, fish liver oils, tallow and lard from pastured livestock.

Beta-carotenes (such as in carrots) don't work for diabetics. They need high levels of vitamin A - retinol - because diabetics are unable to convert the carotenes in plant foods into true vitamin A. Your father-in-law might want to take a daily dose of high-vitamin cod liver oil to provide at least 20,000 IU vitamin A per day. Cod liver oil is also an ideal food supplement for pregnant mothers, nursing mothers, and growing children.

A dose of cod liver oil that provides 20,000 IU vitamin A will provide 2,000 IU vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for the production of insulin. Find Vitamin D in yellow butter and orange egg yolks from pastured animals, lard and bacon from pastured pigs raised outdoors in the sunlight, and high-vitamin butter oil.

Diabetics must carefully limit carbohydrate intake. This was probably the cause of the problem in the first place. I don't mean it's your father-in-law's fault that he is sick because he ate the wrong foods. He most likely did what everybody else is doing and what we are told to do.

We are told by the FDA food pyramid to base our diet on carbohydrates, with very little distinction between nutrient dense, properly prepared carbohydrates and toxic, indigestible, nutrient-free processed foods. We are told to avoid the foods with the natural fats that will keep us healthy.

Carcinogenic processed vegetables and trans fats are only just now getting any coverage about how toxic they are, and notice there really isn't much mentioned about industrially processed margarine and vegetable oils, which I believe are deadly. Those who make an effort to eat truly healthy foods in the US today know that it's not that easy.

Glycemic index isn't very important if a person is eating enough fats, because the fats will slow sugar absorption down enough so that it doesn't make a difference what the glycemic index is. It's much more important that carbohydrates are avoided, and any that are eaten are properly prepared and nutrient dense.

See Sally Fallon's cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, for good recipe ideas. Just about anything in that cookbook will be good for your father-in-law, as a matter of fact. Another fantastic cookbook that is very read-able is "Full Moon Feast" by Jessica Prentiss.

Good luck and you are so precious to be so concerned for your father-in-law's health. If you take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about diabetes and a healthy diet, what you learn through your care for him may be something that can prevent this type of chronic disease in other family members. I'm sure he would want that for you all.

M. Minno

Hi, I'm a registered dietitian and understand your problem. Your father or whoever cooks at home should have been counseled by a dietitian before he left their facility. I'm not too sure why he has to avoid fruit and bread. However, as far as the blood thinner and what he should avoid, I have two suggestions:

1. Amazon.com has cookbook available for those who are on Coumadin(I'm guessing that is what your father is on) That would be a big help for you and him.

2. Some foods to avoid are: Foods high in Vit.K, mayonnaise, oils(canola, salad, soybean), broccoli, brussells sprouts, green caggage(raw), collard greens, cucumber peel(raw), endive, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, turnip greens(raw) watercress, green scalions.
You will notice that most of these are dark green vegetables. If he is taking a vitamin, make sure it doesn't contain vit.K or a low amount. Exessive salt isn't good for anyone. No need to have salt shakers on the table for anyone. Unless he has been told to totally avoid sodium(which is almost impossible since it occurs naturally in many foods) a little pinch of salt in cooking shouldn't hurt. However, let me emphasize again that hospitals are required to provide dietary instruction for patients if the eating habits are to be altered.

Hi! I have had diabetes for 24 years but, am not a nutritionist or doctor. By the way, your father and maybe you or someone he lives with should go see a nutritionist and work out a good meal plan to go along with his medication. He should be able to eat fruit, bread, etc...He will just have to know how much he can have at each meal. Whole wheat and whole grain breads are healthier for everyone and it's easy to find ones you like since there are so many choices these days. Your father and really everyone should be eating meals containing healthy proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. An example for dinner would be baked fish, steamed broccilli, whole grain rice with a little butter, and a few slices of a pear. Sounds good to me! White potatoes, french fries, etc.. will raise his blood sugar more, so if I ever have those I know I can only eat half of a potatoe or just a few fries with my meal. I try to stay away from white foods completely. Ask his doctor to make an appointment with a nutritionist and they will give you more examples of healthy meals he can have. Good luck!

I had gestational diabetes. It sucked until I figured out what I could and could not eat and then it helped me make a life transition into eating healthier. I am now 25 pounds lighter than before I became pregnant. When you have diabetes you need to watch your sugar intake; your body doesn't know how to process it so it dumps way to much insulin into your system. Basically sugar equals carbs. A diabetic should eat 5-6 small meals/snacks per day with limited carbs. 45 carbs at breakfast, 45 at lunch and 45 at dinner. 3 snacks should have 30 carbs each. What does that mean for you an cooking: fresh fruits, veggies and lean meats. He can eat fruit, just not only fruit. If he has a fruit for a snack, he needs to pair it with protein to slow down how quickly he process it: ie eat an apple with peanut butter. Most green veggies are carb friendly and he can eat as much as he wants. Try to limit starches: potatoes and corn. I just purchased a Splenda cookbook, haven't tried it yet but it has sugar free desserts and such. I am waiting for it to get here. Best luck to you. Quick menu: chicken oregano, green beans (steamed) and yellow squash (steamed). Quick and easy. Green beans are quite tasty if you add a 1/2tsp of basil and 1/2 tsp of rosemary after steaming them (cook an additional 5 minutes).

HI LANTA!!

Just do search on diabetic recipes...
Plenty of sites online,,,,
THINK Brown when you try to feed...
as in NO MORE WHITE:
White bread X, White Rice X, (BROWN will
benefit all of YOU!
NO White POTATO (that is new to some)..
Sweet Potato GOOD tho! SURPRISE!!
:)
Lord bless you efforts!
C.
PS: your research may be of great help to
your father in law too!

My husband has type II diabetes and I highly recommend going to the classes at the hospital. Brandon Hospital has monthly meetings for a Diabetes group, you can find more information on their website. As per the blood thiner, I am on blood thiners and you need stay away from Vit K in excess such as Broccoli, Spinach - Dark Green Veges I believe is the key.

Here is a link to some recipes for diabetes - http://www.actos.com/takeaction/healthyeating.aspx?gclid=...

Take Care,
Kathy

HI i have been a diabetic since i was 16 i am 33 yrs old, two months ago i had a kidney and pancreas transplant, so as of today I am no longer a diabetic. But i do know what you and your father in law are going thru. salt is not good for him, go get the south beach diet book, they have the best recipes the diet was made mostly for heart patients but they found out that it helped people with diabetes control there blood sugar, it helped me out a lot, and the recipes are awesome that the whole family will enjoy them. the recipes do not have anything that is made with "white substance" i.e. flour ,reg pasta or white bread those are nonos, the recipes are low in suger and higher in protein. So start with that first you can always go to the diabetes recipe website for more options,if you dont want to go buy the book, but i reccomend you look at the south beach recipes it will help the whole family out health wise. Good luck and dont go beating yourself up about this,you will soon find out that it is actually very easy.

The previous posts are exactly where you should look. I wanted to put out there an alternative for salt free seasoning... Mrs. Dash. Many different blends for different tastes.

I know it sounds funny but just let your father-in-law know that blueberries and cinnamon are very good foods for controlling blood sugar. And follow everybody elses suggestions.

Hi, My name is C.. I am an RN at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. My specialty is open heart surgery. I do a lot of education with post op patients. After surgery, we encourage tell patients they can have pretty much whatever they want. The only thing is the we tell diabetics to avoid concentrated sweets (that would be things like cakes, cookies, pies). We also tell them to limit carbohydrates. If you want to serve a bread or pasta, go with whole grain. Now, onto the Blood thinner. I am assuming he is on Coumadin. When you are taking Coumadin you have to avoid foods the contain vitamin K. Vitamin K is the antidote to Coumadin and reverses effects. Foods that contain vitamin K are green, leafy veggies(like spinach and greens), cranberries. A good menu would be to serve a lean meat like chicken, fish or shrimp. Red meat is ok, but we prefer a leaner cut. Then a veggie (maybe 2 separate veggies). Use fresh or frozen instead of canned. Canned foods contain much more sodium. For desert options, fresh fruit is always a good choice, or it you would like a can email you a few sugar free recipies that I have. My husband is Diabetic so anytime we go to a party I make him a desert and take with us. I hope this info is helpful. If you can any questions please feel free to send me a message!

Hi Lanta,

I work for the American Diabetes Association and it's NOT true that your father-in-law can't eat those things. What is true is that he needs to balance his meals more carefully now and count his carbs. Lots of things are carbs, not just sugar, bread and sweets. A glass of milk and lots of other things have carbs in them too. Anyway, I highly recommend our Web site... www.diabetes.org for recipes and lots of great, diabetes-friendly cookbooks, etc. What your father-in-law most needs is low fat, healthy cooking (for his heart) and portion sizes and carb counts, so he knows what he's eating and can balance his meals properly for his meds. Also, I would highly recommend he attend a diabetes education class at his hospital with a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietician or Nutritionist. They are the masters of teaching people how to eat what they want to and still build balanced meal plans that are delicious and healthy and satisfying. If your local office is Jacksonville, please e-mail me privately and we will do whatever we can to help you!

Knowledge is power, as with anything else!
K.

Hi Lanta,

The Glycemic Index is the best diet for diabetes of any kind.(Google or go to Amazon.com) It's simple too! It's also a good diet for the whole family so it wouldn't have to be something special he has to eat without the family. The blood thinner he is on is a very dangerous thing. Make sure they do not keep him on it long term. Coumadin and Warfarin, the two most common, are meant for emergency use only. They were ONLY meant for use up to 6 months. Doctors tend to keep people on it inevitable. I personally know two people that have died because of Coumandin. (It's the same formula at the feed store..they call it rat poison.)

There are natural blood thinners that are safe food products. (Italians and Greeks have the lowest rate of heart disease because of the garlic, the lycopene and the oregano they consume.) I had my mom on standardized garlic after her hip replacement surgery. There is also a soy enzyme, called Nattokinase, that the Japanese use. They have been using it for 1000s of years for numerous heath issues but the medical community in Japan uses it to keep clots from forming, much like we use synthetic chemicals.

Lanta, we have controlled my Dad's diabetes with diet for the last 40 years. The glycemic index can be used for five star cuisine or just plain home cooking. Have fun with it!

M.