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Research into diabetes diet

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EmilyS03

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HCP/Researcher
Hi
I am Emily, a GCSE Food student and I have been researching diabetes and how the diet can affect the condition. I am interested in knowing the choices diabetics would make from the following options as part of my coursework and would be grateful to anyone who can take time to respond. Thank you so much.

a Spinach and ricotta lasagne with tomato sauce and Mozzarella
b Spinach and ricotta Ravioli in a tomato sauce with garlic bread
c Chicken pepper and mushroom skewers
d Fish cakes and boiled vegetables
e Chicken and vegetable curry and rice
 
Hi . I have T2, so I need to reduce carbohydrates, esp the starchy ones.
So I would opt for . C.

Though I am naughty sometimes :D
 
I would avoid the carbs and go for 'C' (and ask for a side salad too!)
 
none as don't like any of the options 🙂
 
Hi Emily. Are you aware of the different types of diabetes? You’ll probably get vastly different answers depending on whether the responder has Type 1 and uses insulin, or Type 2, especially if controlling it with diet.
I’m Type 1, and I would eat any of the above, expect for possibly, b, where I would go easy on the garlic bread.
 
Hi Emily,

Similar, I'm type 2 and would definitely go for c because:
a) lasagne is high in carbohydrate and the sauce is likely to contain sugars too
b) same for the pasta in ravioli and sauce, plus the garlic bread would be very high in carbohydrates
d) would likely contain potatoes to bind the fishcake together, so that would likely be moderate carbohydrates and
e) uses rice, which again is very high in carbohydrate.

So option c is "safest", but you could easily make options D and E work if you replaced rice and potato with alternatives (cauliflower rice instead of rice). Usually I read the food labels to see how many grams of carbohydrate are in foods and stay below a total number each day.
 
I am Type 2 on restricted carbs so like the others above, and for the same reasons, I would choose option "c". However, if I made the fishcakes myself, without potatoes, just fish, veggies and egg binding, I would go for "d" as I like fishcakes. Good luck with your coursework.
 
Hi Emily, for type 2s the only sensible option would be C. I would not have this as I don’t like pepper or mushroom but I would have the chicken with a salad.
As others have said type 1s can cover their food with insulin although I think most try to reduce their carb intake as well.
Well done for taking an interest in the subject of diabetes if you have any other questions relating to diabetes ask away. Sue
 
I have type 2 diabetes, and many of us need to reduce our carbohydrates as these make our blood sugar levels rise. For me I only eat about 70 g carbs per day.
So here is how I would choose or modify your options

a Spinach and ricotta lasagne with tomato sauce and Mozzarella. - No because pasta is too high in carbs
b Spinach and ricotta Ravioli in a tomato sauce with garlic bread - No because ravioli and bread are too high in carbs
c Chicken pepper and mushroom skewers - yes really good.
d Fish cakes and boiled vegetables. Ok if fishcakes are made with just fish and no potatoes, and best if the vegetables are green leafy ones.
e Chicken and vegetable curry and rice . I would have this but replace the rice with 'rice' made from grating cauliflower.

Best wishes and good luck with your GCSEs.
 
Hi Emily.
It is great that you are taking an interest in this subject, especially as the NHS guidance on diet for diabetics has been woefully slow in catching up with modern thinking and our best way forward is by having enlightened dieticians of the future... of which perhaps you will become one.

I am a Type 1 diabetic and can therefore inject insulin to cover whatever carbs I eat but I follow a low carb way of eating so like the others, option C would be by far the best choice from your list because it is the lowest carb.
Diabetes is not just about sugar as many people think, but also about starchy carbs which the body quite quickly breaks down into glucose.
The interesting thing is that a smaller proportion of protein (about 40% I think) and fat (about 10%) can also be broken down by the digestive system to produce glucose but these take much longer than carbohydrates to do so, therefore they provide slow release energy over a much longer period of time and reduce the chance of you feeling hungry and snacking, so eating less carbohydrates and more protein and fat can actually mean you want to eat a lot less. Interestingly eating more fat rather then less, can help you to lose weight if carbohydrates are dramatically reduced despite the fact that it is contrary to all the advice we have been given for the past 50+ years. As a diabetic, fat helps to stabilise my Blood Glucose, slows down the release of glucose from any carbohydrates I do eat, makes me feel full even if I haven't eaten much and best of all, it makes food taste good. I have had to give up a lot of foods like cakes and biscuits and sweets and reduce the amount of fruit I eat, so it is nice to be able to treat myself to luxuries like coffee with cream instead of sugar or sweetener every morning and now that I have conquered my sweet tooth it actually tastes better and I often have a nice chunk of cheese or some olives or nuts or a boiled egg instead of a biscuit or packet of crisps and even a packet of pork scratchings every once in a while without feeling guilty. Green leafy veg all taste great cooked with a knob of butter or a dollop of cream cheese and aubergines and mushrooms are wonderful for soaking up olive oil when fried or roasted. This is referred to as a Low Carb High Fat way of eating (LCHF) which you might like to research if you are interested in the subject of dietary options for diabetics.
Anyway, I just wanted to respond to your thread and wish you luck with your research and education.
Out of interest, do you have diabetes yourself or a friend or family member who has it which has sparked your interest in the subject?
 
rebrascora said:
Hi Emily.
It is great that you are taking an interest in this subject, especially as the NHS guidance on diet for diabetics has been woefully slow in catching up with modern thinking and our best way forward is by having enlightened dieticians of the future... of which perhaps you will become one.

I am a Type 1 diabetic and can therefore inject insulin to cover whatever carbs I eat but I follow a low carb way of eating so like the others, option C would be by far the best choice from your list because it is the lowest carb.
Diabetes is not just about sugar as many people think, but also about starchy carbs which the body quite quickly breaks down into glucose.
The interesting thing is that a smaller proportion of protein (about 40% I think) and fat (about 10%) can also be broken down by the digestive system to produce glucose but these take much longer than carbohydrates to do so, therefore they provide slow release energy over a much longer period of time and reduce the chance of you feeling hungry and snacking, so eating less carbohydrates and more protein and fat can actually mean you want to eat a lot less. Interestingly eating more fat rather then less, can help you to lose weight if carbohydrates are dramatically reduced despite the fact that it is contrary to all the advice we have been given for the past 50+ years. As a diabetic, fat helps to stabilise my Blood Glucose, slows down the release of glucose from any carbohydrates I do eat, makes me feel full even if I haven't eaten much and best of all, it makes food taste good. I have had to give up a lot of foods like cakes and biscuits and sweets and reduce the amount of fruit I eat, so it is nice to be able to treat myself to luxuries like coffee with cream instead of sugar or sweetener every morning and now that I have conquered my sweet tooth it actually tastes better and I often have a nice chunk of cheese or some olives or nuts or a boiled egg instead of a biscuit or packet of crisps and even a packet of pork scratchings every once in a while without feeling guilty. Green leafy veg all taste great cooked with a knob of butter or a dollop of cream cheese and aubergines and mushrooms are wonderful for soaking up olive oil when fried or roasted. This is referred to as a Low Carb High Fat way of eating (LCHF) which you might like to research if you are interested in the subject of dietary options for diabetics.
Anyway, I just wanted to respond to your thread and wish you luck with your research and education.
Out of interest, do you have diabetes yourself or a friend or family member who has it which has sparked your interest in the subject?
Click to expand...
Well done @rebrascora Im sure Emily will find this information very interesting and hopefully conducive to her studies x
 
I’m type 2, so as the other type two’s have said, I’d go for C. The fish cakes might be okay if homemade, as Felinia mentioned. 🙂
 
Can I just have a Chicken Balti, and either a bit of my husband's naan or one chapatti? If I have to have rice can it be two tablespoons of proper pilau rice (ie with crispy fried onions, almond flakes etc - no fruit!!) - no way in my life, even in my 20s, when there was only one Indian restaurant in Birmingham! - would I ever have/had have a full portion of rice! (The Star of India in Bromsgrove Street if anyone's interested LOL)
 
I am type two also, and C would be the obvious choice - when at home I often cook chicken thighs, and a stirfry of green sweet pepper, mushrooms, plus courgette, aubergine or bean sprouts, with the outer stalks of celery sliced and added in would be dinner. I eat only twice a day.
The choices made by type two diabetics might seem unhealthy, but our ability to deal with protein and fat isn't broken, unlike starch and sugars which can cause a variety of problems, some very serious.
 
As a type 1, I match the insulin I need to any food I choose to eat. Some of that ‘matching’ is much trickier than others, and sometimes I choose to avoid things because the balance is hard to get right. But other times, because I really enjoy something... I am happy to work at it, or accept the higher risk of not always getting that matching of dose and food to work out right (due to up to 42 other factors).

So in theory I could choose any of the options, but I’d probably go for e.

And as you can see, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Some people with diabetes choose (or need) to opt for low or very low carbohydrate choices, others are fine with moderate or high (eg government recommended ‘eat well plate) carb intake.
 
Although I am type 2, I would undoubtedly go for e as I enjoy those sort of food.
 
I'll take the (c) please, except can I have it without mushroom but with half a lemon?
 
C would be the best option
d would be 2nd esp if lots of fish in the fish cake.
e would be 3rd but reduce the portion size of the rice (even better if home made with control on what was going into the curry)

😛 yum these 3 sound delicious to me

Pasta and bread would just spike the blood glucose.
 
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