xmas food help

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pippa71

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Type 2
Can't find diabetic jam but found some reduced sugar one can anyone tell me if it will be about the same also love homemade mince pies any ideas as can't find reduced sugar mincemeat but can't make own either as I have trouble with my hands
Would love any other ideas for Xmas food help as have family coming and don't want to miss out or make them feel guilty for eating
 
Hello Pippa, welcome to the forum.

Do you check the labels for Total Carbs per 100g (all foods, not just sweet stuff)? That's the best guide, you then can adjust your portion size according to how many carbs you're willing to eat.
 
Welcome Pippa.

Several places sell mini mince pies - total carbohydrates will be less for a mini than a normal size mince pie. So, you can eat one, others can eat more.

As LeeLee says, it's total CHO per 100g that counts - you can adjust your own portion size. Some people feel that a smaller amount of "normal" jam, for example, tastes better than a larger amount of low sugar jam. Some diabetic foods have sweeteners such as sorbitol, that can act as laxatives in larger amounts.
 
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Hi Pippa,

Diabetic foods are not recommended because they often contain just as much carbohydrate as normal versions, but with added unpleasant chemicals. Diabetes UK has been advising retailers not to sell them!

As LeeLee says, just buy normal jam and have smaller amounts. For the mince pies, you could try making open top ones (no pastry lids) to reduce the carb content per mince pie.
 
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As redkite said - the concept of "diabetic food" is a bit non sense TBh. They are filled with yucky stuff that isn't very good for you. Enjoy your Xmas and eat what you like - obviously watch your portions and don't over do it 🙂
 
xmas foods

Still not sure wat u mean by checking carbs and how many too eat as not been told how much to eat :confused:
 
Hi Pippa.

Put simply, carbohydrates convert to glucose which the body uses for fuel. Fine, if you're not a diabetic. If you are then the more carbs you eat (e.g., bread, pasta, rice, anything with flour) the higher your blood glucose levels are likely to climb. One thing a number of us in here have discovered is that a low/reduced carb diet can help keep our BGs under control.

Unfortunately, many of the 'professionals' are stuck 20 or so years in that past and recommending that we eat plenty of carbs, which really doesn't work.

There's an app and a book called Carbs & Cals which lists the calories, carbs, protein and fat in many common foods, it might be of use to you.

As a rule, 'diabetic foods' aren't actually all that good for you, as well as being pretty expensive. You're better off buying fresh and cooking your own things if you can, or checking the information panel on prepared foods so you know what's in them.

As for Christmas, have a small amount of the treats you like. It's just one day and, as long as you don't go too wild, you should be fine.
 
So how many carbs do I have with each meal sorry I sound really stupid but my nurse gave me very little help
 
pippa71 said:
So how many carbs do I have with each meal sorry I sound really stupid but my nurse gave me very little help
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Not stupid at all Pippa, it's a shame that your nurse has not given you better advice. What medication are you on for your diabetes? I see from an earlier post that you have a testing kit - you can use this to determine what an appropriate amount of carbs is for you as an individual. As others have already suggested, you need to first of all limit the amount of carbs in what you eat where you can. The 'recommended' daily amount for a non-diabetic woman is 200g per day, but most people with diabetes would find this far too high. I would suggest doing two things: firstly, start a food diary, recording the amount of carbs in everything you eat and drink each day (read the packaging or use a guide like the Collins Calorie Counter which lists most food items). Using your food idary you can assess your daily intake of carbs more accurately and look for areas where you may make changes that would reduce your carbs by, for example, replacing potatoes with other vegetables. Secondly, use your test meter to assess the impact of different meals on your blood glucose levels. You do this by testing your levels before eating and then testing again one or two hours after eating in order to see how much the meal has raised your levels. This can take some time, so you need to be patient, but once you have established what works well for you and what doesn't you won't need to test so often. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S for a good guide to efficient testing. Finally, The GL Diet for Dummies is a very useful guide to selecing food combinations that will be kinder to your blood glucose levels, so worth investing in 🙂

This will all help with your knowledge of different foods and how to tailor things to suit your tolerance, and will start to give you a good 'feel' for making good choices at Christmas. You can get a free 'Carbs and Cals' Christmas suggestion leaflet by registering (free) on their site at:

http://www.carbsandcals.com/free-diabetes-weight-loss-diet-resources

Finally, things like cheese, cold meats, nuts are either free of carbs or very low carb, so these should be fne to 'nibble'. And do enjoy the day, there's no reason to get special 'diabetic' food in, just eat and drink what others are having (guided by your meter!) in moderation and you will be fine 🙂
 
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