Newly diagnosed parent

[Mela Wal]

Hello,
My dad who is 80 years old has just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Could anyone advice me on how I can help him through this? Unfortunately he loves his fizzy juice, cakes etc so I know that will all need to change. Can I also ask where I would find, if there is such a thing, as a list of either foods to eat or foods to avoid?
thank you

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum, It is difficult when people are diagnosed so late in life as they are often ingrained in the way of eating they have been used to but there are things that he can do to help.
Fissy drinks should be no problem as long as they are the diet or zero sugar version. But cakes and biscuits are another matter, although people go make cakes and cookies which are low carb from recipes on sugarfreelondoner website.
It is going to depend on what his HbA1C is that has given the diagnosis as if not too high then some modest changes may be all that is needed. Reducing portions of potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or using a low carb bread, cereals, pastry and tropical fruits. There is still plenty he can eat, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruit like berries. Protein and healthy fats are the things to base meals on together with veg and salads.
Unfortunately there is no list as such of what people can and can't eat because everybody is different in how they tolerate carbohydrates and what medication they may take and if they need to lose weight and personal taste in foods.
You may find this link helpful to see where modifications can be made, https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

Does he do his own cooking or rely on ready meals as those can be high carb.
You might like to post what sort of meals he has and people may be able to suggest some savings on carbs.

 

[Mela Wal]

Welcome to the forum, It is difficult when people are diagnosed so late in life as they are often ingrained in the way of eating they have been used to but there are things that he can do to help.
Fissy drinks should be no problem as long as they are the diet or zero sugar version. But cakes and biscuits are another matter, although people go make cakes and cookies which are low carb from recipes on sugarfreelondoner website.
It is going to depend on what his HbA1C is that has given the diagnosis as if not too high then some modest changes may be all that is needed. Reducing portions of potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or using a low carb bread, cereals, pastry and tropical fruits. There is still plenty he can eat, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruit like berries. Protein and healthy fats are the things to base meals on together with veg and salads.
Unfortunately there is no list as such of what people can and can't eat because everybody is different in how they tolerate carbohydrates and what medication they may take and if they need to lose weight and personal taste in foods.
You may find this link helpful to see where modifications can be made, https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

Does he do his own cooking or rely on ready meals as those can be high carb.
You might like to post what sort of meals he has and people may be able to suggest some savings on carbs.

Thank you for getting back to me. I feel he is more a oven, microwave type of person. Doesn’t cook from scratch, processed foods etc. not healthy at all.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for getting back to me. I feel he is more a oven, microwave type of person. Doesn’t cook from scratch, processed foods etc. not healthy at all.

It maybe that some of the Slimming World ready meals would be OK if he were to have half a portion and have with salad or microwave in the bag veg.
Eggs are easy, cooked meats with coleslaw and salad. Tinned fish, cheese and yoghurts (not low fat as they are higher in carbs).
I can see it will be challenging. Has he been given any medication or are they giving an opportunity to make dietary changes.
Knowing what his HbA1C is will indicate how much needs to be done.

 

[Vonny]

This is probably not an acceptable reply, but I believe that someone who is 80 deserves a little of what they fancy. My mum was diagnosed in her late 70s and had to go without her beloved cake and cups of tea with a teaspoon of sugar. She then gradually went downhill with dementia and died at 80. Frankly, I just wish I'd let her eat cake while she could still enjoy it. At such an advanced age I personally think quality of life is as, if not more, important, than longevity. It is very harsh being diagnosed at such an age, and my heart goes out to you x

 

[Leadinglights]

This is probably not an acceptable reply, but I believe that someone who is 80 deserves a little of what they fancy. My mum was diagnosed in her late 70s and had to go without her beloved cake and cups of tea with a teaspoon of sugar. She then gradually went downhill with dementia and died at 80. Frankly, I just wish I'd let her eat cake while she could still enjoy it. At such an advanced age I personally think quality of life is as, if not more, important, than longevity. It is very harsh being diagnosed at such an age, and my heart goes out to you x

I have to agree with you as long as blood glucose levels are not so high as to be causing unpleasant symptoms and a higher risk of UTI's which elderly folk are more susceptible to.
A happy medium is important.

 

[Docb]

Hi @Mela Wal. Do you know what HbA1c result gave the diagnosis for your dad?

As somebody not too far off your dad's age I would only be fussing about my diet if my HbA1c was particularly high or more importantly if I were getting symptoms that were inconvenient to me. I don't think the risk of long term damage from diabetes would be high on my list things to worry about. 😉

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Mela Wal

Lovely of you to register here to try to support your Dad.

Hope you can find a set of strategies and a way of eating that he enjoys and also helps him keep his levels in a place where diabetes just potters along in the background not causing too much bother.

High and erratic BG can make you feel pretty grim, and can negatively affect the way the body functions around healing etc, but I agree with others that management strategies should be tailored to whatever season of life you are in - whether that’s allowing a newly diagnosed teen a little more liberty, or not panicking around an occasional treat in your autumn years 🙂

Hope that between you, you can find that happy middle-ground 🙂

 

[Mela Wal]

Welcome to the forum @Mela Wal

Lovely of you to register here to try to support your Dad.

Hope you can find a set of strategies and a way of eating that he enjoys and also helps him keep his levels in a place where diabetes just potters along in the background not causing too much bother.

High and erratic BG can make you feel pretty grim, and can negatively affect the way the body functions around healing etc, but I agree with others that management strategies should be tailored to whatever season of life you are in - whether that’s allowing a newly diagnosed teen a little more liberty, or not panicking around an occasional treat in your autumn years 🙂

Hope that between you, you can find that happy middle-ground 🙂

Thank you for your reply. We spoke to the nurse this morning, hopefully through his diet it can be controlled. He has to go back in three months to check his levels.

 

[Mela Wal]

Hi @Mela Wal. Do you know what HbA1c result gave the diagnosis for your dad?

As somebody not too far off your dad's age I would only be fussing about my diet if my HbA1c was particularly high or more importantly if I were getting symptoms that were inconvenient to me. I don't think the risk of long term damage from diabetes would be high on my list things to worry about. 😉

Thank you for your reply. The nurse today said his level was 55. So not too high, but feel it’s in his best interest and health to start a healthier lifestyle.

 

[Mela Wal]

It maybe that some of the Slimming World ready meals would be OK if he were to have half a portion and have with salad or microwave in the bag veg.
Eggs are easy, cooked meats with coleslaw and salad. Tinned fish, cheese and yoghurts (not low fat as they are higher in carbs).
I can see it will be challenging. Has he been given any medication or are they giving an opportunity to make dietary changes.
Knowing what his HbA1C is will indicate how much needs to be done.

Thank you for your reply. His level is 55. He doesn’t like yogurt, salad or most fish. It is just a matter of learning and trying new and different foods for him.

 

[Docb]

Thank you for your reply. The nurse today said his level was 55. So not too high, but feel it’s in his best interest and health to start a healthier lifestyle.

Yes 55 is not too high and he should not be getting any of the short term symptoms thank goodness. Yes, a good idea to try sand get it down but a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes should accomplish that.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your reply. His level is 55. He doesn’t like yogurt, salad or most fish. It is just a matter of learning and trying new and different foods for him.

You may find this link helpful with some ideas for meals if you pick out things which he likes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
His HbA1C is not desperately high so some small changes may be all that is needed. Cutting down on the portion size of the higher carb foods and having a few more veg.

 

[Mela Wal]

Yes 55 is not too high and he should not be getting any of the short term symptoms thank goodness. Yes, a good idea to try sand get it down but a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes should accomplish that.

Maybe this is a silly question, but what about jams, lemon curd etc? He loves these. Are they not suitable?

 

[Leadinglights]

Maybe this is a silly question, but what about jams, lemon curd etc? He loves these. Are they not suitable?

If people are being very strict they would probably limit having those but as long as the amount is not too much say just a teaspoonful, so spread thinly rather that piled on it would be not too bad. There are some lower sugar jams which would be better.

 

[Mela Wal]

If people are being very strict they would probably limit having those but as long as the amount is not too much say just a teaspoonful, so spread thinly rather that piled on it would be not too bad. There are some lower sugar jams which would be better.

Thanks for replying.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for replying.

Unless he is going to have one of the lower carb breads then it is more likely to be the bread that will be more of a problem than the jam, marmalade or lemon curd. Peanut butter would be OK if he likes that.
People tend to get hung up on the minutiae of the squirt of sauce on the bacon buttie whereas it is the bread that is the issue.

 

[Docb]

Agree with @Leadinglights. In addition, you can reduce the effects of things like jam, marmalade and lemon curd by using better quality products. They have more fruit, more flavour and because of that you use a lot less in a portion. I make my own. I have marmalade on my slice of morning toast and a jar lasts a couple of months or more simply because you can taste it with the meanest smear.

 

[trophywench]

I happened to read the label on a jar of Tesco's Finest Raspberry Conserve the other day - 8g carb per tablespoon. That's ONE HECK of a lot of jam! More like a teaspoon at a time - and yes, what it's spread on is likely to be far higher carbohydrate than the jam itself.