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Hello,

I don't have diabetes myself, but my Mum has just been diagnosed, so I've joined to learn anything I can to help her, particularly as her internet connection is so slow I think it's quicker for her to go to the town library for research 😉

My parents are coming to me for Christmas, so my first job on here is to hunt out recipes suitable for Christmas - any recommendations gratefully received!

A
 
Hi A

Welcome to the forum 🙂

What type has your Mum been diagnosed with? And what medication or treatment has she been prescribed? Diet and exercise? Tablets? Insulin?

Lots of good advice around here, so tell us a bit more about your Mum's situation and carry on asking any questions you might have.

M
 
Hi Mike,

Thanks for the kind welcome 🙂

My Mum is at the very early stages of diagnosis. She failed a fasting blood test with a reading of 7.5, and is waiting for another test to identify the type of diabetes she has. Her Mum and three of her sisters have/had type 2 diabetes, so I guess that's most likely. At the moment she's not been given any medication, but has just been told not to eat anything with processed sugar and to limit her carb intake.

Since failing her fasting test she's seen two doctors - one said she would have prescribed tablets immediately if she was her patient, the other (her GP) said she has to have a glucose intolerance test first and to see if she can control it with diet. She does have a couple of other limitations on her diet - she has high cholesterol, and she has a hiatus hernia. I think she's mostly living on veg and porridge at the moment!

Regards

Amanda
 
Hi Amanda, welcome to the forum 🙂 I'd suggest that you look at the recommendations in the 'Useful links' thread at the top of the Newbies section - there is a lot of good reading material there, in particular the book by Gretchen Becker and the books on GL diet.

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

As for Christmas, there's no reason why your mum shouldn't be able to enjoy much of what you might usually eat - it's only one day and if things are taken in moderation it shouldn't affect her overall management of her diabetes. Dark chocolate is a favourite treat for many here as it has the smallest effect on blood sugar levels compared to other chocolate.

If she is confirmed with the second test then try and persuade the doctor to prescribe a meter and blood test strips - this way she will be able to actively monitor her reactions to certain foods and make an informed decision on whether it can stay in her diet or not. Doctors are often reluctant to prescribe these, especially if D&E controlled, mainly due to expense, but it is by far and away the best method of learning how to make modifications to her diet.

Anything you need to know or are unsure of, please ask away! 🙂
 
p.s. It might be a good idea for your mum to start a food diary now - it will be useful in the weeks to come 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum Amanda.

I'd go along with what Northerner has said. In addition, if you can persuade your Mum to take a bit of regular exercise, that will help enormously. She may even be able to push the boat out a little more over the Christmas period!

I was diagnosed in October last year and was given a meter straight off. I found it was extremely useful in working out my diet and exercise plan (which then evolved as I learned more here).

Andy 🙂
 
Northerner said:
p.s. It might be a good idea for your mum to start a food diary now - it will be useful in the weeks to come 🙂
Click to expand...

Ah! I keep agreeing with Northerner. :D

I kept a diary for a month or two until I stopped learning anything new from it.

Just recently I started another one when my weight loss wasn't going anywhere. It has proved invaluable for that too.

Andy
 
Hi folks,

Thanks so much for all the tips, I'll pass everything on, and will continue to make my way through the excellent stash of info on this site. Exercise-wise, Mum has always been active and walks several times a day with the doggy, but there again her efforts are being hampered I'm afraid. She's recently been diagnosed with arthritis in various places including her spine, and is struggling at the moment with pain management (hence seeing a second doctor). Once they get that under control for her, she'll be able to do more walking again. I'm also wondering about an exercise bike...

I have found a low GI sugar substitute to experiment with - 'Sweet Freedom'. Have you tried it? I only bought it yesterday, so all I can report so far is that it's very nice on toast 🙂

About chocolate... Do you mean regular dark chocolate, or special diabetic choc?

Thanks again!

Amanda
 
Hi Amanda - don't buy anything that is labelled specifically 'diabetic', it costs more and can have an unfortunate laxative effect. Better to eat the regular stuff, just not by the bar! (A little bit of self-control is necessary at times 😉) Great that your mum is already an active person, this will certainly help her manage her diabetes. I hope that they are able to do something about the pain. An exercise bike is a good choice for exercise as it is low impact and won't stress the joints. It can be a bit boring though, I find!

Haven't tried the Sweet Freedom but sounds nice!
 
Hi Amanda

Welcome to the forum..

Normal dark chocolate, in the supermarket they do the slightly posh looking ones with high coco butter etc, these type are pretty good, check the carbs on the package...

There is no need to buy anything food item that mention for diabetics on it, it's generally hyped up in price and the artifical sweetner used is general sorbitol which has a laxetive effect...

Normal diet foods for alterntive's are a good source..

Take Christmas a nice triffle...

Use sugar free jelly
Tinned Fruit in natural juice,
Sugar Free custard, pre-made or normal custard just add normal sweetner
Topping, either a really nice whipped double cream (perhaps a drop of vinilla) or you can get sugar free dream topping if you perfer, some dark chocolate grated across the top...

Cuts the carbs down pretty well, bit in fruit, and custard in the main and suitable for all.. And all products can be brought at the supermarket and no extra cost...

It's a bit of trial and error to find what foods work with you, and sometimes it's a case of just cutting back on the portion size...
 
Hi Amanda just wanted to welcome you to the forum
 
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