General tips and advice for newbie nutrition?

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U6s68

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Hi all

My Dad has type 2 diabetes and it's causing me a lot of distress because although he has shown some interest in improving his diet, he isn't committed to it ... Yet.

I just wondered if anyone could give me some advice on improving his diet as I want to encourage him to change his life? I am trying my best but I am no expert. I used my birthday money to buy a blender which I intend to make soup with and I have been trying to make salads with lean meat for tea sometimes.

He asked me about diabetic biscuits so that's how I stumbled across this forum - looking for advice on them. When I told him that they are generally no good for him he responded by saying "you can't eat anything". I would like him to give up beer too but he gets annoyed when I mention it and it feels like I am lecturing him.

I have bought an everyday cookbook from Amazon too.
 
Hi, welcome to the forum 🙂 Is your Dad on any medication for his diabetes? As a starter down the route to getting a more diabetes-friendly, healthy and varied diet I'd recommend getting a copy of The GL Diet for Dummies. GL, or 'Glycaemic Load' is a method of combining food that will have a slow and steady impact on blood sugar levels. Some foods will have a very fast impact on levels, causing them to 'spike' high, and this can lead to feelings of tiredness and grumpiness, as well as (in the long-term) potentially doing damage to the body. Does your Dad test his blood sugar levels? Doing this can help determine what sort of things he tolerates well and what he needs to avoid - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S for an explanation of how this helps. I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter so you can get a better understanding of Type 2 diabetes and what it is all about - understanding it will clarify things for you, and your Dad, so that you can be more positive about things.

Having diabetes does not mean that a diet should be restricted and boring, in fact a healthy diet for diabetics is a healthy diet for everyone, so you could join your Dad in making the changes 🙂 Also, exercise is very important in helping control blood sugar levels, so regular daily exercise would really help - a 30 minute daily walk would be a good way to start.
 
Hi. Thank you. He takes Metformin and tests his blood sugar with a small device.
 
Good luck U6. Sounds like you have a job to do, its what your dad has been used to, Keep asking ! 😉
 
Hi. After diagnosed T2 my diet changed from routine ready meals to fresh ingredients. Had to ignore advice from DN to go low carb. No need to go Atkins. See Jenny Ruhl's website for advice on nutrient balancing on lower carbs ('Jennifer's advice' link above).

Lashings of extra virgin olive oil adds calories to compensate for low carbs. Just like mediterranean diet. Plenty of green veg but careful with sugary fruits especially if blending into drinks.

Watch porridge as this is often advised. Test after to see effect. Everyone's tolerance for carbs is individual.

Plain (not low fat = high sugar) yoghurt mixed with chopped walnuts and summer fruits berries is a pretty standard lunch now; eggs and/or bacon for breakfast to avoid carbs that early; small portion of dark chocolate or dry roasted peanuts make good snacks. Almonds another.

All my food was BS meter tested originally but now just randomly. So far no meds and readings floored. Abandoned all cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes and the obvious stuff like cake and biscuits. Let the BS meter show what your dad can safely eat and in what portion.

Good luck. 🙂
 
Hi

My Dad had type 2 and his diagnosis terrified us, as did his initial annoyance at suggestions he should change his diet a wee bit 🙄 he loved bread, potato, rice, pasta etc so it was a bit of a tricky situation. He wasn't overweight but a little rounded and at the higher end of the ideal weight range. We found that altering the proportions of food on his plate worked really well. He didn't need to give anything up just moderate, so where he would have had chicken with five boiled potatoes and 2 Yorkshires (not every day of course), my mum gave him three small potatoes, missed the Yorkshire and gave him loads of green veg. He didn't really notice to be honest. Mum bought him sweeteners for his tea and bought lower carb biscuits (rich tea 🙂) and only bought a small packet instead of always having a stocked biscuit barrel. She also didn't always have a loaf in the freezer (he really really loved his bread) instead she switched to wholemeal bread from a baker, delivered every other day, he eventually moderated his own intake because the prospect of not having a slice of toast for his breakfast was unthinkable, so he had a small slice with some yoghurt and fruit.

The one thing I will say is my Dad could be very awkward if he thought he was being pushed to do things, so to begin with the more we pushed the more he refused to change some of his habits, so be careful you don't push too hard. My Dad's awkwardness was really fear of the unknown and that his life would be miserable, and once he'd realised it was OK he was fine, what you don't want is for your dad to dig his heels in so hard he can't back down. Good luck, and try not to worry too much (I know that's hard). 🙂
 
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