I really need help with regard to ready meals!!

[Deleted member 21371]

These are all really helpful suggestions, thanks everyone I do appreciate it. My friend has updated me on the initial food I got him. He said the Greek yoghurt upset his stomach. Not sure why that would be, never heard of yoghurt doing that before.

What's he like with dairy products normally?

 

[Fonteyn22]

Well, he always ate a lot of yoghurt before, but it was the stuff with loads of sugar in it. The thing is, he doesn't like cheese all that much, and drinks hardly any milk or drinks with milk in it, so yoghurt is really the only dairy he eats.

 

[AndBreathe]

Well, he always ate a lot of yoghurt before, but it was the stuff with loads of sugar in it. The thing is, he doesn't like cheese all that much, and drinks hardly any milk or drinks with milk in it, so yoghurt is really the only dairy he eats.

Don't forget about butter as dairy.

If yoghurt is upsetting his tummy, perhaps he might do better on something like the higher protein variants - many of which are more like Quark, which is a curd cheese, so might be friendlier if he has a lactose intolerance hanging around. . I'm thinking of something like the Nestle Kvark. They have a few ingredients in them, but not too bad at all on sugars.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301253516

It could also be he had a fair amount of yoghurt to eat. For some, milky foods can be quite laxative. It is one of the downsides of naso-gastric feeding, often used for those who need LOTS of nutrition, in excess of meals.

Changing the things we eat can be tricky, because where we would otherwise just get on and eat, we now look at everything in near micro detail.

Has there been any contact from his GP, or the surgery? If not, it feels like time for him to become proactive in getting the support he needs.

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

Well, he always ate a lot of yoghurt before, but it was the stuff with loads of sugar in it. The thing is, he doesn't like cheese all that much, and drinks hardly any milk or drinks with milk in it, so yoghurt is really the only dairy he eats.

He may have lactose intolerance. I have it and I still eat dairy but I know what the consequences will be when I do and consider it worth it. I do know that if I go for a long time without any dairy at all then the first time I go back to having some I get a stronger reaction to it than if I had been having a little each day.

Okay easy breakfasts for him that wouldn't involve cooking - could be a small pack of sliced ham and some strawberries or raspberries and a mug of decaff coffee (or whatever his favourite beverage is) and three or four nuts or a teaspoon of peanut butter (unsweetened).

I like ham and lettuce rolls - you use the ham like a wrap and put lettuce and some tomato in it with some Hellmans Organic Mayonnaise and roll it up and eat it.

You can smoosh up corned beef with mayo and hot sauce if he likes it and roll it in lettuce leaves as another wrap style meal. Or use peanut butter for even less prepping as it comes straight out of the jar - make sure it is a peanut butter that is 100% peanuts and not one with added sugar or sweetener.

Long life Alpro unsweetened almond 'milk' has zero carbs in it and if he has a blender this works well as a base for a smoothie - I keep a large pack of frozen berries in the freezer and just put them straight from the freezer into the jug with some almond 'milk' and a teaspoon of erythritol (also from tesco) and blend it up and it makes a yummy milkshake /smoothy that feels like a real treat and is quite filling and is nutritionally dense.
It is quicker than microwaving stuff and if you use a stick blender the washing up is fast too - just run the blender stick under the tap immediately after using it and done. It makes a handful of berries feel like a BIG fruit hit. You can add a teaspoon of peanut butter to this for a change and to make it even more filling.

 

[RaybA]

Honestly the hospitals just want the beds, NHS is so overstretched. If your friend is having community caters 4 times a day then they should be preparing him food 3 times (I did community care for years) we were there for meals, washing, meds etc. however home care staff are over stretched too, if he can have pre-chopped salads ready, a selection of none processed meats etc they can Chuck a quick salad together in their allotted time, they can also as you say microwave something although this in itself can cause issues as a lot of ‘ready meals’ have hidden additives. Could someone (not suggesting you) bill cook things and freeze them, they can then be reheated in the microwave.
I’m so sorry you’ve been given no information, maybe he should request a home visit from the doctor?
I have only been diagnosed myself this morning and it’s a big learning curve. X

 

[Fonteyn22]

They are happy to give him simple meals, but I doubt they would cook anything from scratch. They don't seem to know The microwave broke down, and he had to tell one of them how to heat soup on the hob. She had never used one before, believe it or not. That is why I bought yoghurt and fruit, as I thought this would be a simple and healthy breakfast for him. I also bought some cooked meat and bagged salad, but those things only last a day or two once opened, and even if they are not, they tend to go off unless used by the appropriate date, even if kept in the fridge.

I could even organise a once a week on line delivery for him. But I can only do so much, and frankly I think I have already done more than should be expected of me. The carers don't seem to know anything about diabetes. They originally bought full fat milk and white sliced bread for him as staples when he came home from hospital.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Honestly the hospitals just want the beds, NHS is so overstretched. If your friend is having community caters 4 times a day then they should be preparing him food 3 times (I did community care for years) we were there for meals, washing, meds etc. however home care staff are over stretched too, if he can have pre-chopped salads ready, a selection of none processed meats etc they can Chuck a quick salad together in their allotted time, they can also as you say microwave something although this in itself can cause issues as a lot of ‘ready meals’ have hidden additives. Could someone (not suggesting you) bill cook things and freeze them, they can then be reheated in the microwave.
I’m so sorry you’ve been given no information, maybe he should request a home visit from the doctor?
I have only been diagnosed myself this morning and it’s a big learning curve. X

" as a lot of ‘ready meals have hidden additives"

Not really.
Maybe in the past, but not for many years now.
Usually quite healthy.

 

[Leadinglights]

They are happy to give him simple meals, but I doubt they would cook anything from scratch. They don't seem to know The microwave broke down, and he had to tell one of them how to heat soup on the hob. She had never used one before, believe it or not. That is why I bought yoghurt and fruit, as I thought this would be a simple and healthy breakfast for him. I also bought some cooked meat and bagged salad, but those things only last a day or two once opened, and even if they are not, they tend to go off unless used by the appropriate date, even if kept in the fridge.

I could even organise a once a week on line delivery for him. But I can only do so much, and frankly I think I have already done more than should be expected of me. The carers don't seem to know anything about diabetes. They originally bought full fat milk and white sliced bread for him as staples when he came home from hospital.

I think too much is being expected of you and he should be asking for a care assessment if he is unable to do the basic things. Does he have an alarm system to call for help if needed.
Even if only a temporary measure it sounds as if residential care may be needed if he is able to do so little for himself.

 

[RaybA]

" as a lot of ‘ready meals have hidden additives"

Not really.
Maybe in the past, but not for many years now.
Usually quite healthy.

My diabetic nurse said this morning a lot not all have hidden sugars, sweeteners etc so most are still not ideal for diabetics. They add things like this for flavour. But each to their own. You don’t know what’s in processed and pre-packaged things, so you need to be careful. Just because it says it’s ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it is

 

[Pumper_Sue]

My diabetic nurse said this morning a lot not all have hidden sugars, sweeteners etc so most are still not ideal for diabetics. They add things like this for flavour. But each to their own. You don’t know what’s in processed and pre-packaged things, so you need to be careful. Just because it says it’s ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it is

As all ingredients have to be declared these days and nutritional value displayed I can not see how it can be hidden.

 

[Lucyr]

My diabetic nurse said this morning a lot not all have hidden sugars, sweeteners etc so most are still not ideal for diabetics. They add things like this for flavour. But each to their own. You don’t know what’s in processed and pre-packaged things, so you need to be careful. Just because it says it’s ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it is

What do you mean by “you don’t know what’s in processed and pre packaged things”? It’s much easier to tell what’s in them, just read the packets for the ingredients and nutritional information.

For example if I want to know what’s in a Tesco healthy branded cottage pie, I just read the label. If someone makes me a homemade cottage pie it’s much harder to know what ingredients and how many calories and carbs are in it.

INGREDIENTS: Potato and Vegetable Mash (51%) [Potato
Carrot
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Whole Milk]
Water
Beef (11%)
Tomato Purée
Onion
Mushroom
Peas
Carrot
Cornflour
Tomato
Yeast Extract
Garlic Purée
Salt
Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour
Calcium Carbonate
Iron
Niacin
Thiamin]
Beef Extract
Sage
Onion Powder
Malted Barley Extract
Whey Powder (Milk)
Black Pepper
Sugar
Thyme
Caramelised Sugar
Mushroom Concentrate
Red Wine Extract
Whey Concentrate (Milk)
Flavouring
Aniseed
Milk Proteins.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

My diabetic nurse said this morning a lot not all have hidden sugars, sweeteners etc so most are still not ideal for diabetics. They add things like this for flavour. But each to their own. You don’t know what’s in processed and pre-packaged things, so you need to be careful. Just because it says it’s ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it is

Nope, the ingredients are stated.
Saying they add things they don't state is scaremongering.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

What do you mean by “you don’t know what’s in processed and pre packaged things”? It’s much easier to tell what’s in them, just read the packets for the ingredients and nutritional information.

For example if I want to know what’s in a Tesco healthy branded cottage pie, I just read the label. If someone makes me a homemade cottage pie it’s much harder to know what ingredients and how many calories and carbs are in it.

INGREDIENTS: Potato and Vegetable Mash (51%) [Potato
Carrot
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Whole Milk]
Water
Beef (11%)
Tomato Purée
Onion
Mushroom
Peas
Carrot
Cornflour
Tomato
Yeast Extract
Garlic Purée
Salt
Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour
Calcium Carbonate
Iron
Niacin
Thiamin]
Beef Extract
Sage
Onion Powder
Malted Barley Extract
Whey Powder (Milk)
Black Pepper
Sugar
Thyme
Caramelised Sugar
Mushroom Concentrate
Red Wine Extract
Whey Concentrate (Milk)
Flavouring
Aniseed
Milk Proteins.

Exactly.
All declared.
I agree the flour has additives, but all flour does.
Unless you mill it yourself.
And it's in such small amounts overall, it's not worth worrying about.

 

[Lucyr]

Exactly.
All declared.
I agree the flour has additives, but all flour does.
Unless you mill it yourself.
And it's in such small amounts overall, it's not worth worrying about.

If someone made you a cottage pie to reheat, they’d either forget to tell you they used flour, or they’d just say flour anyway. They’d never list the ingredients of the flour so definitely get more info on packaged food

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

As all ingredients have to be declared these days and nutritional value displayed I can not see how it can be hidden.

Some things say they are suitable for diabetics and are 'sugar free' and then they have sweeteners added that allow the food to be called sugar free and suitable for diabetics and yet some of them raise blood sugar levels and are problematic for diabetics. One such additive is maltitol and it appears in so-called no sugar sweets and desserts.

Another shocker is Franks Dialicious IceCream.
I found it here on Morrisons website but it is currently out of stock - it is called Frank's Diabetic Vanilla Ice Cream on the Morrisons site and if you read the ingredients it has decided to call itself this because it is made with fructose!!!
They justify this because they say it leads to a lower glucose rise than foods with sucrose and glucose in them!!
The ice cream still has 13.8g sugar in every 100g which is very high sugar - but according to them because it is fructose it means it is okay for diabetics. I am pretty sure that isn't true.


I also found loads of chocolate sweets and other things marketed on Amazon as things people can buy as suitable gifts for diabetics which are not at all.

We have to be so careful when reading labels.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I also found loads of chocolate sweets and other things marketed on Amazon as things people can buy as suitable gifts for diabetics which are not at all.

I thought that was illegal now?

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

I thought that was illegal now?

I would have thought it would be. But alas things being illegal doesn't stop people doing them. It just means that maybe if someone bothers to put enough effort into it they might be able to be prosecuted - eventually - and by then they've already caused the harm.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I would have thought it would be. But alas things being illegal doesn't stop people doing them. It just means that maybe if someone bothers to put enough effort into it they might be able to be prosecuted - eventually - and by then they've already caused the harm.

If you look at the ice cream it doesn't say diabetic ice cream any more, it's Morrisons who have put it in their blurb.

 

[Annette&Bert]

I read a post saying he was told anything 10g or less per 100g is ok. Sorry but when I look at some foods, ready meals even the delicious M & S range that’s a heck o f a lot of carbs in a 400g or 600g meal. That’s if you can find one at or less than 10g/100g. Also they are always saying “low sugar” but fine by me but as a diabetic it’s less to do with sugar than it is to do with carbs, so you then have to constantly chase your tail to find the lowest carb foods. Why do supermarkets have to make it so difficult for the millions of diabetics in the country. I get so mad. Meantime rant over.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I read a post saying he was told anything 10g or less per 100g is ok. Sorry but when I look at some foods, ready meals even the delicious M & S range that’s a heck o f a lot of carbs in a 400g or 600g meal. That’s if you can find one at or less than 10g/100g. Also they are always saying “low sugar” but fine by me but as a diabetic it’s less to do with sugar than it is to do with carbs, so you then have to constantly chase your tail to find the lowest carb foods. Why do supermarkets have to make it so difficult for the millions of diabetics in the country. I get so mad. Meantime rant over.

It's because the majority don't low carb.
Most ready meals are acceptable to them.

And for those that do low carb three ready meals a day are on the 120g of carbs that fit the definition of low carb anyway.