Ready made meals from supermarkets?

[Chriso]

Hello,
Hope you are all staying well!

I have recently been diagnosed with type 2.
I am a very busy hard working person, but a lazy cook!
Could anyone let me know if there are any supermarkets that stock sugar free desserts (tins of rice pudding, etc.) that I don't have to cook myself.i.e. open a tin, shove in the microwave, add sweetener required and eat? Everything I find seems to require some form of cooking!
Also the best retailer for diabetic products, please?
Thanks
Chris

 

[grovesy]

Hello,
Hope you are all staying well!

I have recently been diagnosed with type 2.
I am a very busy hard working person, but a lazy cook!
Could anyone let me know if there are any supermarkets that stock sugar free desserts (tins of rice pudding, etc.) that I don't have to cook myself.i.e. open a tin, shove in the microwave, add sweetener required and eat? Everything I find seems to require some form of cooking!
Also the best retailer for diabetic products, please?
Thanks
Chris

Companies should not be selling products labelled Diabetic,as it is against the law.

 

[Sally71]

Sugar free jellies are available in most supermarkets, they are basically just water though. There isn’t really any such thing as a diabetic friendly dessert, because it's not just sugar you have to avoid, but all carbohydrates, because they all turn to sugar in your stomach. Rice pudding contains rice, which is carbohydrate, so it isn’t any good for you whether it has sugar added or not. Which is why nothing can be labelled “diabetic” any more because apart from meat, cheese, eggs and green veg there isn’t anything which has no carbohydrate in it at all. (And even the veggies have a tiny bit!) So I’m afraid the only way you can have a healthy diabetic diet is by putting a bit of effort in.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I'm not aware of any diabetic products. There used to diabetic jam. It's something like 40 years since I last saw that. (That's the only diabetic product that I've ever seen.) Apparently there's been other diabetic products up to quite recently. I heard they weren't very good cause of the sugar replacement they used.
What you need to do is check the label for low or now sugar, and the amount of carbs. The total carbs on the back of the label also includes the sugar, so it's possible to check just that.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome Chris.
I'm afraid you are in for a bit of a shock and I am not sure there is any way of softening it.....
Diabetes, contrary to popular belief and what the media says, is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates..... so the obvious added sugar, but also natural sugars in fruit including dried and fruit juice and all the starchy foods like grains and grain products including bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals and root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips. So a tin of rice pudding is a problem both in terms of the rice and any added sugar. They are no longer allowed to market food as "for Diabetics" as it can be a marketing ploy and misleading.

Many of us use Creamy (not low fat) Greek Natural yoghurt with a few berries (which are the lowest carb fruits) as a dessert or have it with sugar free jelly, but you need to learn to read nutritional information labels usually in small print of the back of packaging, and look at the total carbohydrates to see which products are better than others. Ready meals are generally high in carbs because they are cheap. Cooking simple meals from scratch is not as difficult as it might seem or buying foods that are low carb and eating those.... so a bag of salad with some cheese coleslaw and a couple of boiled eggs or some ham or tuna and mayonnaise, but avoid the pasta salads and potato salad etc. Meat, eggs, fish and cheese are all low carb and green leafy veg. etc

 

[Chriso]

Companies should not be selling products labelled Diabetic,as it is against the law.

Thanks for your prompt replies, everyone, I am very new to this, and I am learning very quickly that it doesn't sound much fun on the food front!!!

 

[grovesy]

I'm not aware of any diabetic products. There used to diabetic jam. It's something like 40 years since I last saw that. (That's the only diabetic product that I've ever seen.) Apparently there's been other diabetic products up to quite recently. I heard they weren't very good cause of the sugar replacement they used.
What you need to do is check the label for low or now sugar, and the amount of carbs. The total carbs on the back of the label also includes the sugar, so it's possible to check just that.

They were made against the law to be labelled as such a number of years ago.

 

[Chriso]

Hi and welcome Chris.
I'm afraid you are in for a bit of a shock and I am not sure there is any way of softening it.....
Diabetes, contrary to popular belief and what the media says, is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates..... so the obvious added sugar, but also natural sugars in fruit including dried and fruit juice and all the starchy foods like grains and grain products including bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals and root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips. So a tin of rice pudding is a problem both in terms of the rice and any added sugar. They are no longer allowed to market food as "for Diabetics" as it can be a marketing ploy and misleading.

Many of us use Creamy (not low fat) Greek Natural yoghurt with a few berries (which are the lowest carb fruits) as a dessert or have it with sugar free jelly, but you need to learn to read nutritional information labels usually in small print of the back of packaging, and look at the total carbohydrates to see which products are better than others. Ready meals are generally high in carbs because they are cheap. Cooking simple meals from scratch is not as difficult as it might seem or buying foods that are low carb and eating those.... so a bag of salad with some cheese coleslaw and a couple of boiled eggs or some ham or tuna and mayonnaise, but avoid the pasta salads and potato salad etc. Meat, eggs, fish and cheese are all low carb and green leafy veg. etc

Thanks Barbara, that's a great help!

 

[rebrascora]

Eggs are one of the best foods for us diabetics because they are low carb, quick and easy to cook. I tend to boil a dozen at a time and have them when i need a quick fix with a spoon of regular mayonnaise....low fat products are almost always higher in carbs, but the fat also helps to keep you feeling full and provide slow release energy. Omelettes make a great quick meal and you can vary the filling. Cheese is a good alternative to a sweet dessert and I find it hard to feel badly done to if I start the day on a coffee with real cream and end it with a chunk of my favourite cheese and a small glass of red wine.... not every night of course. hic! 😉

 

[rebrascora]

Not much fun.... you are kidding!!
I had steak and salad with fried mushrooms and courgettes and celeraic chips last night..... OK... making the celeriac chips was a bit of a faff .... but tasted good.

 

[Ralph-YK]

They were made against the law to be labelled as such a number of years ago.

I heard something about that not that long after I was diagnosed. 6 years ago this month. Not that I knew they even existed at the time.

 

[Ljc]

it doesn't sound much fun on the food front!!!

You are wrong there . How about some fruit that has berry as part of its name, with a nice dollop of cream, yum, I’ve always got some frozen berries in my freezer.

We have no problems with protein or healthy fats.

It’s honestly just carbohydrates our bodies can no longer handle too well.
You can buy cauli rice in most supermarkets , you could do a nice tasty stir fry.
If you eat meat you can have high meat content burgers and sausages.
Dairy is fine as are eggs cooked anyway you like.

I never bother looking at the sugar content of things I just check the carbohydrate content which is on the nutritional label usually on the back of packs and tins,

Sadly ready meals are usually high carb.

 

[Paulbreen]

A good start Chris is remember Carbs-Carbs-Carbs,
Check labels of everything you think you might want to eat, I would say 100% of everything your thinking about eating will do it’s best to make you go blind or cause a foot or leg to drop off if it’s processed in any way. Unfortunately your life is in your own hands, that’s how serious mis managed diabetes can be.
sorry to be the bearer of bad news, it’s not all doom and gloom, bacon and eggs is a pretty good meal to have a go at, not too many beans or tomatoes though
Good luck on your journey sir!

 

[Annette&Bert]

I love tomatoes and always have they have 3.9 gms carb, so what am I missing?

 

[silentsquirrel]

Tomatoes are technically a fruit, though one of the lower carb sort. If you are ultra low carb you may need to cut them out, but if you are moderately low carb they shouldn't be a problem. However, the carb content may vary considerably depending on the variety. Supermarkets are selling sweeter varieties than they used to, and some of the cherry tomatoes are higher carb than larger ones.

 

[rebrascora]

Tomatoes are a fruit and like any fruit they contain sugar. I am always careful with cherry tomatoes as they are sweeter and I only have 2 on my salads cut into quarters to make them go further. Tomato puree and passata are a bit like fruit juice.... more concentrated sugar from the tomatoes than there would be from the fruit alone and I have to bolus for the likes of ratatouille even though there are no really carb rich foods in it, mostly because of the tomato.

 

[Annette&Bert]

I find the whole thing for me to be very confusing. I’m specifically talking of course in my own case. I will be 72 on Sunday, diagnosed type2 in Feb 2016. Since the age of 5 I was for many years strictly vegetarian, but around the age of 50 only partially because I started adding chicken and shellfish, occasionally whole fish. All meals cooked by me at home, never had takeaway food, McDonalds, KFC etc. You get the picture.
The reason I get upset and confused is that there appears to be no definitive answer as to how many carbs a diabetic should consume.

I have always been a big fruit and veg eater, all my life I have adored tomatoes in all forms. We know tomatoes and fruit have sugar of course, but if I was to limit these things, it leaves little choice for my meals without getting completely bored. I remember when I was first diagnosed being told to have a very small handful of fruit, mainly it is berries I eat as I don’t like apples, pears and oranges. Telling me this was like telling someone who likes sweets and chocolates not to have them. Fortunately I don’t have a sweet tooth.

I am running out of ideas! I was brought up on the Mediterranean diet, my family being Italian/Maltese and we never had any food that was not home made. I no longer have rice or pasta which
I miss.

 

[rebrascora]

Not saying don't eat tomatoes (I still do), but just be aware that they contain carbs too and bear that in mind when you are doing post prandial tests... or struggling to reduce your HbA1c. Particularly if you use a lot of cherry tomatoes or passata in your meals. As with all foods, it is finding the portion size that your body can cope with.

 

[grovesy]

I find the whole thing for me to be very confusing. I’m specifically talking of course in my own case. I will be 72 on Sunday, diagnosed type2 in Feb 2016. Since the age of 5 I was for many years strictly vegetarian, but around the age of 50 only partially because I started adding chicken and shellfish, occasionally whole fish. All meals cooked by me at home, never had takeaway food, McDonalds, KFC etc. You get the picture.
The reason I get upset and confused is that there appears to be no definitive answer as to how many carbs a diabetic should consume.

I have always been a big fruit and veg eater, all my life I have adored tomatoes in all forms. We know tomatoes and fruit have sugar of course, but if I was to limit these things, it leaves little choice for my meals without getting completely bored. I remember when I was first diagnosed being told to have a very small handful of fruit, mainly it is berries I eat as I don’t like apples, pears and oranges. Telling me this was like telling someone who likes sweets and chocolates not to have them. Fortunately I don’t have a sweet tooth.

I am running out of ideas! I was brought up on the Mediterranean diet, my family being Italian/Maltese and we never had any food that was not home made. I no longer have rice or pasta which
I miss.

Welcome back!
For many years I could eat a small amount of rice or pasta, have you tried having just a small portion? With regards to tomatoes I find some times different types of tomatoes can have more impact, than others.

 

[Annette&Bert]

Not saying don't eat tomatoes (I still do), but just be aware that they contain carbs too and bear that in mind when you are doing post prandial tests... or struggling to reduce your HbA1c. Particularly if you use a lot of cherry tomatoes or passata in your meals. As with all foods, it is finding the portion size that your body can cope with.

I agree about the tomatoe issue, actually I stopped eating the cherry ones because I could eat a whole punnet knowing full well they were hard to resist, and not what I should do. I now only buy the larger vine ones, and beef toms. I would always class myself as a “foodie” because I love cooking, and whilst I realize a lot of people diabetic or not, love takeaways etc. I have never caught on to that form of eating. I love to watch chef’s cooking, my favourite is actually James Martin (he’s getting plump) but none of them ever mention diabetics!

I think what irks me most is that every food fad is catered for, and every food allergy is catered for, with the exception of the very serious nut allergy, and it’s implications, but here we have an ancient life threatening condition which is a progressive condition. It is hardly mentioned. I am very much a logical thinker, this makes no sense to me.

I have to be honest I’m fed up eating