Special Diets - Diabetics

[quiltys41]

Okay...not that I want to admit it, but I have a problem. The past week, my sugar is over 250 w/insulin daily. Evidently, I'm not as young as I used to be and have reached the point where a diet change is needed. Now...Advice needed. My doctor put me on a 1800 calorie a day diet. Look and google as I might, I still cannot find it online! Does anyone out there have one or a copy or some hints for diabetic cooking for both now and when ? Any good links for recipes? Any help is appreciated!!

 

Q

[Pigzzilla]

Hi Quilty, I'm Diabetic also. T2 on Metformin and Glypazide. No insulin yet. I'm very concerned about storage foods cause of the high carbs. Not like we can safely eat all the beans and rice and pasta we have stored.

 

Okay, water consumtion and exercise..........I've been taught if I'm over 250 not to exercise til I'm lower. And to drink lots of water to flush out the kidneys to reduce the ketone levels.

 

I'm at work right now, so diet stuff is at home. But what I do is lots of green veggies, salads, so much grilled chicken I'm growing feathers, limit my carbs to between 30g and 45g per meal, lotsa water and splenda if I need something sweet. 1800 calories is not a starvation diet! I'm trying to stay around 1600 in order to lose part of myself.

 

I will look for diet info for you. Have you tried the ADA website? They usually have good info. ........Lee

[Shawna]

Here's info gathered from my MIL and other sources over the past few years.

 

First....keep a journal of what you are eating along with your numbers from when you test (for at least a month). It is a great way to see how your body reacts to foods. It can be a pain, but keep a notebook in your kitchen or other handy place and write it all down. It's very easy to look back and see correlations.

 

Along with the journal, make sure you are eating correct portion sizes. Our portions have become out of control! Find out what is the correct serving size and familiarize yourself with it. For example, my MIL can eat 3 cups of lettuce to count as 1 carb in her diet. She knows exactly by looking how much is 3 cups of salad. Did she know that pre-diabetic? Probably not and I am sure she'd readily admit that!

 

Drink lots of water.....everyone should do that!

 

Use stevia in your diet (in place of sugar). Walmart now sells it in packets. It's expensive (around 9.00 for 100 packets) BUT a packet will sweeten about 4-5 mugs of coffee for me so it goes a looooong way. It has no calories, is a 0 on the glycemic index....and it's an herb, so no funky stuff is in it!

 

 

DOn't completely omit things from your diet. If you like chocolate, get some sugar free chocolate to keep in the house as a treat. Things like sugar free jello can help in a pinch when you get a sweet tooth (and sugar free jello doesn't count...it's a freebie in a diabetic diet).

 

Move, move, move.................MIL's dr told her even if she vaccuums for 15 minutes after she eats, it will help. Just move for 15 minutes after you eat. It helps your body metabolize the sugars better.

 

 

This is basically how her diet is set up:

 

15-20 grams of carbohydrates=1 carb

 

She is allowed 4 carbs for each meal, 1 carb for a snack 2 times a day for a daily total of 14 carbs (or between 210 and 280 grams of carbohydrates per day). Obviously you want to stay toward the lesser side of that number

 

So, look at your labels....look online for carbohydrate amounts if need be (or get yourself one of those calorie/fiber/carb counting books) and be aware of what things have alot of carbs...especially sugar alcohol (also listed on the labels of foods). And be aware of things like fruits and veggies....although good for you, some fruits and veggies are much higher in sugars and can only be eaten in smaller amounts.

 

I need to start doing this diet...I talk a mean talk and know what I should be doing, but I haven't as of yet. I need to follow this because I can lose weight with a low carb diet ( and believe you me, I need to lose some!) A diabetic diet is considered to be one of the healthiest diets. Wanna diet partner???

 

I hope this gets under control for you! My MIL has had great success in managing her diabetes.

 

Seriously, email me if you want a diet buddy!

 

Shawna

crazymadylin@yahoo.com