What to Feed Mother in Law

No carbs. Most nutritionists will limit the amount of carbs one can take in. My mom's was limited to 80 grams per day. Meat, Vegetables (non starchy ones) and certain fruits are what she is able to eat. If you go onto the american diabetes association web site they should have a list of low glycemic index foods (foods that don't spike the blood sugar) that you can choose from.

If you have a Costco, go get their lettuce wraps. They are DELISH and diabetic approved (I had gestational diabetes). So, yum, so delish, and you just microwave the chicken yumminess for a few minutes. Good luck!

My dad had type II and he found that his sugar levels went a lot higher when he had breads/potatoes in the evening. Vegetables were ok and the breads were ok earlier in the day.

I would let them have the same stuff that they had before but be aware of the numbers and how they relate to what they eat. Some food is fine from one place but a variation from another will skew the numbers. Watch the carbs in purchased foods, you'll see wide variations. If she's new to it she may be more careful.

Dad found that if he skipped shiney foods he avoided some of the worst offenders - no sugary or greasy sauces, that kind of thing. He kept his numbers between 100 and 130 most of the time, by being careful and exercising some.

Eating out makes it easier but shouldn't be necessary if your MIL can adjust for herself.

How fortunate she is that you are vegetarians! Diabetics need complex carbs and lots of veggies. What she needs to stay away from is white sugar, white flour, candy, and sweets. There are products out there to help a diabetic with a sweet tooth or needing a chocolate fix. There are diabetic candies. Wal-mart carries it in their candy aisle. Eating out is not the answer. Restaurants use a lot of white flour and even white sugar in things you wouldn't expect. There are a lot of diabetic recipes online. Have fun in the kitchen!

You're right about the carbs. Also watch out for fruit and some veggies. They contain a lot of sugar when they break down in your system. You may have to get some lean meat for them. She needs protein and smaller portions. She needs to have consistent mealtimes and healthy snacks. Good luck!

My daughter is Type I diabetic and the thing she really needs to avoid is too many carbs; particularly the ones that area really quickly digested like sugar, white flour, white rice, potatoes, etc. Mexican food should be good. Beans, corn tortillas, cheese, and veggies are great for her to have. If you are unsure about carbohydrate content look at the package of the product or look up the nutrition information at www.nutritiondata.com. If your mother in law is Type II diabetic she is also probably on a low meat, low fat diet as well. There are a ton of great resources online and a vegetarian diet is actually great for a diabetic. Vegetables do not have many, if any, carbs so load up on those. Have side dishes of salads, artichokes, mashed yams, fresh cucumbers avocados, and carrot sticks. Consider a meal of bean soup or vegetarian chili. A stir fry with brown rice is also a great option. All of these will be really great for her and your family. Other great foods are whole grains (sparingly), beans, eggs, and dairy. I am sure if you Google it you can find a ton of diabetic friendly vegetarian meals. Another great resource is the book "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Diet". You can probably get it at your library. It has a lot of recipes with meat in them, but it will give you a good idea of how to cook. Good luck and kudos to you for being so sensitive and accommodating to your mother-in-law. It will be a big adjustment to her for a while.

One more note, it would be best not to eat out. She needs to be aware of how many carbs she is eating and it is very, very difficult to figure that out at a restaurant when you are a new diabetic. We had to get into the habit of measuring everything so it will probably be helpful to cook the carbs so they can be easily measured.

I don't want to get long winded, so feel free to contact me if you want any more information.

You could do breakfast for dinner a night or two. A veggie omelette would be yummy, vegetarian (assuming you do eggs and cheese), and pretty low carb. You could do potatoes, which she could choose to have or not, depending on how many carbs she is allowed. You could also do big salads for lunch with lots of veggies, cheese, and avocados. The avocados are filling, and low carb. You could add some canned beans as well, which do add some carbs, but not a ton. Maybe a mexican-type salad with corn, beans, lots of veggies, cheese, guacamole or avocado, and a spicy dressing. Just a thought.... obviously it has some carbs, but would have much less than a pasta dish or a sandwich.

Good luck! I am sure your inlaws appreciate your consideration.

My SIL has type II diabetes, which is more rigidly controlled (test blood sugar & use insulin before every meal and at bedtime). We have to be careful what we serve, but she can have some carbs. Whole grains are better than refined - whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, etc. In moderation, they're probably allowed. Just have other things too.
Veggies are pretty much a freebee, most of them have a low enough glycemic index (impact on blood sugar). Carrots and peas have more so they shouldn't be used quite as much. (Same with fruits that we use as veggies like squash and tomatoes). Turnips are a good substitute for potatoes, in moderation. They also have more flavor! And beans are a good source of protein along with healthy carbs. Ask her if these foods are ok.
I would suggest you have a few meaty things available for her. Fish or tuna and some lunchmeats and cheese. Maybe you can find some low carb tortillas and she can make wraps for lunch. I'm sure she would appreciate you having it available.

AS long as you cook with complex carbohydrate (whole grain breads, brown rices,) and fresh vegetables and avoid white breads, white rice and sugar you should be fine. Beans are high in carbs but also very high in fiber which negates the negative affects. IF you are ok with using eggs, a large chef salad with chopped boiled egg would be excellent with a slice of whole grain bread. You can replace white flour tortillas with whole grain tortillas as well. Stir-fry would also be good (with brown rice and tofu), but make your own sauce for them, as the store bought ones are high in sugar. Look at the labels of any store bought sauces. Make your own italian sauces for pasta (and use whole grain pastas).

Really a vegetarian diet done right is an excellent choice for your mother-in-law because it's a leaner low-fat way to go. Lowering fats in the diet is just as important in diabetes as cutting out foods with a high glycemic index.

I hope this helps.

When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, I went to the library for cookbooks. The local library has a ton of diabetic cookbooks, even a couple that are vegetarian, I believe. There is a line of cookbooks called "Eating Well" and they have a couple diabetic ones that I tried during pregnancy and liked. Some carbs are okay, but she will need to watch her intake. I remember I used low carb bread (Sara Lee)and liked it so much we still use it now. My doctor had me go to a nutritionist that gave me some sample eating plans, so maybe her doc did the same to get her on the right track. Hopefully that will help you out! Good luck.

Hi K. - type 2 diabetes is a lot easier to work with than type 1. Maybe just look through your recipes and consider making ones that have low glycemic index vegetables like a greek salad with feta cheese and tzatziki. You might also consider modifying some of your recipes to reduce the carb levels while she is visiting - ie: low carb tortillas taste just like real ones especially in a recipe.

I'm sure she will be very appreciative to know that you tried to make your recipes in a way to help her. Your a terrific daughter-in-law!

Having been a gestational diabetic I totally feel for your mother in law...it really sucks to have all these diatery restrictions and noone catters to the diabetic. There aren't menues that tell you how many carbs are in things calories yes, fat grams yes, carbs no. sigh!
I have some great raw recipes that you could make and still be within both of your dietary restrictions. a veggie stir fry is a really great dish because veggies are pretty diabetes friendly although be careful with corn and peas since they are starches. Pasta is still okay but know that she has to be limited to about 1 cup to make 15 carbs. Most tomato sauces contain sugar and that is a way they hide the carbs so read labels carefully.
Cheese is a really great snack to have on hand and deli meats if you can stand having that kind of meat in your fridge. Sandwiches are difficult because of the bread but she can do open face sandwiches.
Ask what her carb limits are...my diet was 30 carbs for breakfast and snacks, 45-60 carbs for lunch and dinner. If she is working with a dietician to figure out a diet then that should be about where she is.
Snacks: she can have a small apple or another peice of fruit with a string cheese. She should be snacking because that is what is going to help regulate her blood sugar thoughout the day.
The standard rule of thumb is eggs for breakfast. I loved to put a fried egg on a peice of toast with cheese. It was really helpful to fill me up. And scrambled eggs with salsa in a tortilla was really great too.
Just message me if you are interested and I will get you those recipes.

My mother-in-law has it too, along with two of my hubby's siblings (which makes me think that sooner or later we'll be dealing with it in our own household as well). Based on what I've been told by these family members, you don't have to go carb-free - you just have to choose carbs more carefully, and regulate portions. My m.i.l., who is very careful about her diet, is cleared to have whole grain pastas (serving size equals about one balled-up woman's fist), brown rice, and whole grain breads. She is allowed the full range of fruits and veggies, and eats lots of beans. Dairy is also fine. And she still does a lot of baking, with Splenda instead of sugar, then gives most of it away so she won't be tempted to overindulge.

As she has said, "I can still eat just about anything. The question is how much of it I can have."

My father in law has diabetes also. What I have done is learned out to convert splenda and molasses into a sugar. Stay away from carbs and sugar and she should be ok. I would make him pies and the such using the splenda/molasses mix. Vegetables are the best for her, except for potatoes. Anything that will turn into a simple sugar.

My dad usually spends a few weeks with us each year and is also a diabetic. He is usually able to eat what we make but I try and make sure that my meals are well balanced. He will usually have some type of salad with dinner and usually a fruit. Potatoes, pees, anc carrots are very starchy so I would try to avoid that at all costs. You may be able to try whole wheat pastas and breads as opposed to starchier white flours. Think brown. Possibly wheat tortilla wraps. Remember that fiber helps the carb count on breads and rice. Protein is very important to a diabetic so maybe you can come up with how to balance that as a vegetarian. I know it usually involves combining foods but I do not know how that will affect her blood-sugar level. Remember diabetes is not a lifestyle choice but a disease that has to be managed. It can be deadly so your support to help your mother-in-law with lifestyle changes would probably be greatly appreciated. I am sure there is a way to manage but you may need to do a lot of research. I would imagine if you typed in diabetes you would find several websites to help you with your dilemma, to make things work for both of your families. Good luck

Hi, I am type 2 diabetic. I eat almost everything. If you buy bread or sandwiches make sure its whole grain wheat. The sugar is the big thing. Diet soda if she drinks soda. Red potatoes instead of white ones. Pasta is ok as long as its in a good portion size, You can get wheat pasta also. Have honey around to sweeten coffee or tea with instead of sugar. Really not much differant except she will need three stable meals a day, and there does need to be a source of protien in each meal, but beans are great for that. good luck, and remember she doesnt want you to treat her differant, that will make her feel uncomfortable.

My MIL is diabetic and we eat together often. What works for us is to do a salad bar with lots of different toppings left seperately for everyone to choose their own. She can have as many veggies except squash, carrots, corn and peas, as she wants. Grill some chicken if they need meat or just buy those prepackaged grilled chicken pieces but be careful to read about the extra ingredients. My MIL eats a total of 2 pieces of bread a day, or 1 cup of rice or 1 cup of pasta and that's it. It's the only way she can keep hers under control without medications. She does eat yogurt with some sugar free granola for breakfast or eggs. She can do veggie wraps with leaf lettuce, just wrap up some tuna and other veggies, very easy on the mayo if you have to use it. She uses lettuce leaves instead of bread all the time but usually we just eat lots of salad, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, eggs, etc. Rice and beans would be a good side dish to go along with a salad. try the American Diabetes webpage for lots more recipes. Diabetis and vegetarian is really hard but if you plan carefully then you should be fine.

go online to the ADA website (american diabetic association). It's all about balancing throughout the day, so a dinner loaded with carbs and be balanced with other meals in the day lighter on carbs and heavier on proteins. Look into complete proteins as well---as you know being vegetarians. It's not difficult to manage on a vegetarian diet. You can also google diabetes mellitus type 2. Good luck. Hopefully your MIL will have been with a diabetes educator as well.
sara, mom of a great toddler and very soon to add an infant. Married to one goofy hubby.