Hello! I'm new.

[moy]

Hello, everyone!

I have just joined the forum because my husband has recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and I am on the threshold of joining him as I am at the top end of pre-diabetes.

Following diagnosis, my husband was given some really helpful information by the nurse which is written by Diabetes UK. I wish we had been given it when we were both pre-diabetic.

My husband has had his first eye check and has been warned that there are already some changes. They don't need treatment yet, but it gave us both a bit of a shake up to realise that changes had happened even before the diagnosis.

We have joined the Diabetes UK exercise group and met for the first time on Monday. It was excellent. We both ached a bit but have survived!

I'm now taking a good look at our diet and trying to modify it so that we are eating more healthily. My husband is 79 and has avoided vegetables all his life! However, since reading the advice from Diabetes UK, he has agreed to try to eat more and is pleased that they haven't poisoned him yet.

This is a new phase in our lives and will take a bit of adjustment, but we are determined to manage the diabetes as well as we can.

xx Moy

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
It can be all very overwhelming at first and I'm sure you will find lots of useful suggestion form people here but in order to help give appropriate advice a couple of questions. What are your HbA1C results as that will indicate how much you need to do to get your levels down and is your husband on any medication.
It should be easier for you as following the same dietary regime will help you both.
The foods to be watchful of are ALL carbohydrates as they convert to glucose. Cutting out or reducing portions of things like potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, cereals, pastry, tropical fruits as well as cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks. Many foods which are 'healthy' for non diabetics are not so great for Type 2 diabetics.
Basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts and seeds, vegetables, salads and fruits like berries with small portions of higher carb foods will still give options for tasty meals. There is no need to avoid carbohydrates completely but be selective and make what you have worth it in terms of flavour or enjoyment.
Have a look at the thread What did you eat Yesterday in the food forum to get ideas of what Type 2 folk have baring in mind some people will be dietary managed but others will be on various oral meds or even insulin so may have different amount of carbs per day.

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

good work on the vegetables. They will now form a big part of your new healthy life xxxx
A nice steak and some spinach or a big green salad, thats the future!

 

[Inka]

Welcome @moy 🙂

 

[moy]

Thank you for your helpful reply. Unfortunately, we don't know what our HbA1c results are as had never heard of it until this week! Perhaps they call it something else in our surgery??? My husband was given a number of 48 which meant he was now diabetic and I was given a score of 47, meaning that I'm still pre-diabetic, but only just. Are these the results you are referring to?
I'm finding the recipes really helpful. Last night we had the Greek chicken and really enjoyed it. I weighed all the ingredients and we were surprised at how much we may have been over-eating! The quantity of potato didn't seem much, but we both had plenty. Likewise with the chicken. I had already sussed that the chicken breasts we get from our butcher are huge and we had agreed that we would always share one, so when we bought the chicken this week, I explained to butcher what we were doing and why and he very helpfully cut the breasts in half longways for us. I weighed them at home and actually, 4 chicken breasts provided enough meat for 10 portions! All are now weighed out, trimmed and in the freezer (except what we used last night, of course), the one bag being the 'left overs' which will be fine for anything that requires the chicken to be chopped.

We lost a good friend this year. Unfortunately, he had diabetes which he didn't pay enough attention to. Although his wife was very careful about choosing food wisely, he continued with his old diet, refusing vegetables of any kind, drinking alcohol beyond the approved limit, often on an empty stomach, taking no exercise etc. We watched his condition deteriorate over the past few years but his attitude was, 'I've only got one life and I'll live it how I bloody well want to!' He was a good friend and we miss him. His passing really brought home the need to pay attention to the advice from those who know about diabetes and not to shrug it off.

As a result, my husband, who might previously have taken a similar approach to life, is willing to make changes and so we're up for the challenge. Thank you for your very helpful post. xx Moy

 

[moy]

good work on the vegetables. They will now form a big part of your new healthy life xxxx
A nice steak and some spinach or a big green salad, thats the future!

 

[moy]

Mmm! Nice juicy steak! Sounds good. Yes, the vegetables will now loom large. I fear I'll never get my husband to eat parsnips or swede but, who knows? Perhaps his tastes will change! xx Moy

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

So sorry to hear about your friend but at least some positivefrom it if it has triggered a change in attitude in your husband and great that you can both tackle your Blood Glucose issues together, as that will definitely make it easier. Yes, 48 and 47 will be your HbA1c results and the good news is that both of those are right on the threshold of diagnosis, so very moderate changes should be enough to push things back to non diabetic levels. It is also a really good step to have joined an exercise class. Hopefully you will soon get over the soreness as your fitness improves and you will both gain enjoyment from it as well as improved fitness and BG levels.

As regards parsnips, they are one of the higher carb vegetables along with potatoes (including sweet potatoes) so don't push your husband into eating those if he doesn't like them. Swede is a better option and may be more acceptable to him if mashed with carrot and a good knob of butter or include it in soups where he won't notice it. Stick with the likes of cauliflower (with cheese of course) and cabbage and leeks and other green veg and Mediterranean veg like peppers and courgettes and aubergines and onions and tomatoes.... I love a big plate of ratatouille either topped with cheese like Halloumi or Gruyere or Mozzarella and served with sausages or chicken or gammon/bacon or just a big plate of it on it's own.
Anyway, just wanted to wish you well and good luck to both of you on your diabetes journey together. I hope you feel the same as me in that your diagnosis was the wake up call you needed to make yourselves fitter and healthier, rather than seeing it as something negative. Since changing my diet, I feel younger and fitter and slimmer than I have in 20+ years and at 58 next month I don't think that is bad going. And I still enjoy my food..... it's just different to what I used to eat.

 

[moy]

Mmm! Nice juicy steak! Sounds good. Yes, the vegetables will now loom large. I fear I'll never get my husband to eat parsnips or swede but, who knows? Perhaps his tastes will change! xx Moy

Hi and welcome.

So sorry to hear about your friend but at least some positivefrom it if it has triggered a change in attitude in your husband and great that you can both tackle your Blood Glucose issues together, as that will definitely make it easier. Yes, 48 and 47 will be your HbA1c results and the good news is that both of those are right on the threshold of diagnosis, so very moderate changes should be enough to push things back to non diabetic levels. It is also a really good step to have joined an exercise class. Hopefully you will soon get over the soreness as your fitness improves and you will both gain enjoyment from it as well as improved fitness and BG levels.

As regards parsnips, they are one of the higher carb vegetables along with potatoes (including sweet potatoes) so don't push your husband into eating those if he doesn't like them. Swede is a better option and may be more acceptable to him if mashed with carrot and a good knob of butter or include it in soups where he won't notice it. Stick with the likes of cauliflower (with cheese of course) and cabbage and leeks and other green veg and Mediterranean veg like peppers and courgettes and aubergines and onions and tomatoes.... I love a big plate of ratatouille either topped with cheese like Halloumi or Gruyere or Mozzarella and served with sausages or chicken or gammon/bacon or just a big plate of it on it's own.Thank
Anyway, just wanted to wish you well and good luck to both of you on your diabetes journey together. I hope you feel the same as me in that your diagnosis was the wake up call you needed to make yourselves fitter and healthier, rather than seeing it as something negative. Since changing my diet, I feel younger and fitter and slimmer than I have in 20+ years and at 58 next month I don't think that is bad going. And I still enjoy my food..... it's just different to what I used to eat.

Thank you! Yes, we are taking it all as a wake up call and are determined to make the necessary changes. The exercise class was great. It was on Zoom, but still good to 'meet' other people and Celine, the leader, was really lovely and upbeat. I've noticed my husband following some of her advice eg not sitting so much, doing arm stretches and other stretches and generally trying to simply move more. We were able to have half an hour in the garden yesterday before the sun went in and it turned too cold. It was nice to get out there and start tidying it up. I saw every weed pulled as a tick on the 'move more' list! Lol!

Your post is very encouraging and I really appreciate you taking the time to add all the food suggestions. It's all new information to me, so I'm very grateful.

I'm glad to hear that things are going so well for you. Long may it continue! xx Moy

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your helpful reply. Unfortunately, we don't know what our HbA1c results are as had never heard of it until this week! Perhaps they call it something else in our surgery??? My husband was given a number of 48 which meant he was now diabetic and I was given a score of 47, meaning that I'm still pre-diabetic, but only just. Are these the results you are referring to?
I'm finding the recipes really helpful. Last night we had the Greek chicken and really enjoyed it. I weighed all the ingredients and we were surprised at how much we may have been over-eating! The quantity of potato didn't seem much, but we both had plenty. Likewise with the chicken. I had already sussed that the chicken breasts we get from our butcher are huge and we had agreed that we would always share one, so when we bought the chicken this week, I explained to butcher what we were doing and why and he very helpfully cut the breasts in half longways for us. I weighed them at home and actually, 4 chicken breasts provided enough meat for 10 portions! All are now weighed out, trimmed and in the freezer (except what we used last night, of course), the one bag being the 'left overs' which will be fine for anything that requires the chicken to be chopped.

We lost a good friend this year. Unfortunately, he had diabetes which he didn't pay enough attention to. Although his wife was very careful about choosing food wisely, he continued with his old diet, refusing vegetables of any kind, drinking alcohol beyond the approved limit, often on an empty stomach, taking no exercise etc. We watched his condition deteriorate over the past few years but his attitude was, 'I've only got one life and I'll live it how I bloody well want to!' He was a good friend and we miss him. His passing really brought home the need to pay attention to the advice from those who know about diabetes and not to shrug it off.

As a result, my husband, who might previously have taken a similar approach to life, is willing to make changes and so we're up for the challenge. Thank you for your very helpful post. xx Moy

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M

I looks as if you have already made some positive changes and have found some recipes you are enjoying. I found that what would have previously done 2 meals now do 4. You could try butternut squash as an alternative to potato, it is good roasted, mashed or in soup.
As you are just on the cusp some substitutions along with reduced portions and more of the 'green veg' and salads which don't just have to be boring lettuce, cucumber and tomato should be helpful. There are some good salads in the recipes in the food forum.

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

Mmm! Nice juicy steak! Sounds good. Yes, the vegetables will now loom large. I fear I'll never get my husband to eat parsnips or swede but, who knows? Perhaps his tastes will change! xx Moy

tasty kale, leeks, mushrooms, cabbage with a bit of bacon, spinach with lemon and olive oil, there are tasty options. Cauliflower can be lovely in many recipes.

 

[moy]

I looks as if you have already made some positive changes and have found some recipes you are enjoying. I found that what would have previously done 2 meals now do 4. You could try butternut squash as an alternative to potato, it is good roasted, mashed or in soup.
As you are just on the cusp some substitutions along with reduced portions and more of the 'green veg' and salads which don't just have to be boring lettuce, cucumber and tomato should be helpful. There are some good salads in the recipes in the food forum.

Thank you. I only tried cooking butternut squash once and it was a bit of a disaster. It was peeled and diced ready to cook in the bag in the microwave. I don't know what was wrong with it but it tasted awful - rancid is the word I would use! My friend has cooked it for us a number of times when we visited and hers was ok. Maybe I need to start again with it as I know from my old Slimming World days that it is one of the 'goodies'. Thank you for making me think about it again - I'll give it another try.

Whilst my husband thinks all vegetables are poison, yet eats salad like it's going out of fashion, I am the opposite! I do eat some salad, but I have to be in the mood for it. Some days it tastes lovely and other days I can't face it. I can't explain why. But I'm trying to get my taste buds around it! I'm trying to discourage my husband from smothering his salad in salad cream (horrible stuff - give me mayo any day)! We'll get there, but it may take a while!

Thanks for your help and encouragement. xx Moy

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you. I only tried cooking butternut squash once and it was a bit of a disaster. It was peeled and diced ready to cook in the bag in the microwave. I don't know what was wrong with it but it tasted awful - rancid is the word I would use! My friend has cooked it for us a number of times when we visited and hers was ok. Maybe I need to start again with it as I know from my old Slimming World days that it is one of the 'goodies'. Thank you for making me think about it again - I'll give it another try.

Whilst my husband thinks all vegetables are poison, yet eats salad like it's going out of fashion, I am the opposite! I do eat some salad, but I have to be in the mood for it. Some days it tastes lovely and other days I can't face it. I can't explain why. But I'm trying to get my taste buds around it! I'm trying to discourage my husband from smothering his salad in salad cream (horrible stuff - give me mayo any day)! We'll get there, but it may take a while!

Thanks for your help and encouragement. xx Moy

Do you mean you bought it like that, in which case it may have had some preservative on it or had gone off.
Just buy one and peel and chop yourself, it should have a sweetish nutty flavour.
Those little bags of pre-prepared fruit always that they give you on a flight or in kids meal bags always taste vile.

 

[moy]

Do you mean you bought it like that, in which case it may have had some preservative on it or had gone off.
Just buy one and peel and chop yourself, it should have a sweetish nutty flavour.
Those little bags of pre-prepared fruit always that they give you on a flight or in kids meal bags always taste vile.

Yes, I bought it pre-prepared in the bag it was meant to be cooked in. It really was disgusting and put me off completely. I remember it had quite a sour taste. I suspect you are right and that it is too do with preservative or something else that was put in the back to help with shelf life. I couldn't say if it had gone off as I don't know what it should be like in an uncooked state.
I really will try it again. I might have a word with my friend who often cooks it too, and see if she can give me any tips about cooking it.
I must admit that things in bags don't usually taste very good. I think I decided to try this one because it promised to be quick and easy and as I was still working full-time it sounded very attractive! xx Moy

 

[Leadinglights]

Yes, I bought it pre-prepared in the bag it was meant to be cooked in. It really was disgusting and put me off completely. I remember it had quite a sour taste. I suspect you are right and that it is too do with preservative or something else that was put in the back to help with shelf life. I couldn't say if it had gone off as I don't know what it should be like in an uncooked state.
I really will try it again. I might have a word with my friend who often cooks it too, and see if she can give me any tips about cooking it.
I must admit that things in bags don't usually taste very good. I think I decided to try this one because it promised to be quick and easy and as I was still working full-time it sounded very attractive! xx Moy

One of my favourites is cauliflower, butternut and chickpea curry with some paneer or halloumi grilled or dry fried so it is crispy.
You can mix in with other veg in tray bakes or cook as you would potatoes then mash and use as a topping for shepherds pie.
Makes a good soup with red pepper and tomato.
I hope you have more success with your next attempt.

 

[Drummer]

@moy You don't need to worry about cutting down on things which do not contain carbs, so you can eat as much chicken as you like - though buying chicken fillets will be expensive, I buy chickens and packs of chicken thighs which are far less expensive per pound.

 

[moy]

One of my favourites is cauliflower, butternut and chickpea curry with some paneer or halloumi grilled or dry fried so it is crispy.
You can mix in with other veg in tray bakes or cook as you would potatoes then mash and use as a topping for shepherds pie.
Makes a good soup with red pepper and tomato.
I hope you have more success with your next attempt.

I didn't realise how versatile it was! I will certainly try it this week (from fresh - not packaged!). Thanks for taking the trouble to give me so much good info. xx Moy

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @moy

Really encouraged to see how you are responding to your diagnoses. Sounds like the changes you are making will have a big impact - and being right at the bottom of the diabetes range, you have a great chance of reducing your levels.

Very sorry to hear about your friend. Losing someone close to you is never easy.