Diabetes - Bellville,OH

He should be referred to a Nutritionist.
THEN you will know, what he needs to eat or not and how.

My late Dad had Diabetes type 2.

You need to really research and speak to the Doctor and Nutritionist, together. Diabetic eating is not a one sized shoe fits all.
And you need to learn about the "glycemic index" of foods and food exchanges etc. AND your Husband will NEED to learn all of this, too.
See if your Husband's Doctor or hospital, knows of any classes etc. for it or support groups.

It is a big adjustment and lots to learn.

Look up the American Diabetes Association online.

Carbs is carbs. Whether they come from sugars or starches, fresh fruit or candy, look at the carb content of food. An orange and french fries may have the same number of carbs and the same effect on your insulin reaction. Nutritionally though, you want to choose healthier carbs. Whole grain is better, but they're still loaded with carbs, so try the breads with high non soluable fiber that are lower carbs. Whole grain breads always have more sugars in them, so read labels. There are "white" type breads with high fiber and lower sugar and total carbs than whole grain "health" breads. Dreamfields pasta is a low glycemic index food and the carbs are released slower and it has fiber. And it tastes great. You can't tell a difference.

Fiber and slow releasing carbs keep you fuller longer. When the fiber content of a food is high, you can deduct about half of the total carbs, which is why you sometimes see "net carbs" listed on a label. Just check the label and do the math and the research yourself so you know for sure.

You have to start researching. You should start with a diabetes nutritionist and find out how many carbs your husband should have per meal. I have had diabetes for 14 years and am very insulin resistant, so I can only have ten to fifteen carbs per meal. Your husband may be allowed 25 or 30.

There's a lot to learn, especially about the glycemic index and complex carbs, but basically, eat healthy and cut way back on carbs, especially high processed carbs.

And try to incorporate vinegar into as many meals as you can, like vinegar and olive oil salad dressing. There are lots of supplements from cinnamon to garlic that are touted as having a glucose lowering effect, but most are not supported by research. Vinegar is, but it doesn't work miracles.

And yes, avoid the artificial sweeteners. It seems like the research is showing that they contribute to inflamation of the cells, which is part of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, which can be part of type 2 diabetes.

I agree with Leigh R and S.H.

I am sure you will get some good recipes by searching on internet of from here, so I will just offer a blanket recommendation that I give patients new to DM2. Consistent carbohydrate intake is important. Try to make meals that have only 25%-35% carbohydrate (or 60-90g CHO depending on his size, if you have been instructed on carb counting), and try to make a majority of those carbs complex (low glycemic, whole grains, fibrous). That will help keep the blood sugar from spiking right after meals.

A great winter meal is chili! But without the crackers and rolls...

Good luck. I hope your healthcare providers give you both helpful info. But there is plenty of very good information on the internet too.

Have you connected with the clinical trials on controlling blood sugar levels using supplementation? Great work on getting A1Cs down very quickly. Many Type 2s are getting off meds entirely, and many Type 1s are reducing their insulin and drastically reducing the risk of blindness and amputations. It takes some of the pressure off the diet/cooking roller-coaster, and gives people new hope. Contact me for info if you want to see the trials.

Just my $.02....do not use any artificial sweeteners or fats. They do not work in the body correctly and can cause many side effects that are unexpected. I suggest instead that you use a good carb method of limiting his sugar intake and keep him low in that area. Once a palet gets used to foods with less sugar in them they can't stand heavily sweetened foods. It takes time but it's a lot healthier to just eat normal foods but watching the portions of them that are taken in during the day.

Instead of mashed potatoes, we love Mashed califlour. We eat alot of chicken variations with different veggies. I make chilli with kidney and black beans and it does not raise my sugar to much. Chicken soup with veggies. Most meat, poultry, cheese and eggs do not have carbs and alot of veggies are low carb. If he's an ice cream eater the Bryers Carb smart ice cream is good and you can get Walden Farms no carb/no calorie chocolate or caramel syrup. Go to the message forums on the American Diabetes Website, the people there are lots of help and they have great recipes for Diabetics.

Can you narrow it down? There are lots of meal ideas.

Bascically Protein, Carb & Veggie is what we do for dinner.
Last night we had home made fries, Baked Fish and corn.

Always pair up a carb and a protein.. they work together to keep the blood sugar from spiking.

If it is not a protein, or a non starchy veggie it is a Carb.

ex Milk, corn, Fruit, bread/pasta. are all carbs.

Greenbeans, hamburger, chicken, cheese are protein.

Good luck..

ETA seeing a nutrionist is the best thing you can do.

You and he together need to see a registered dietitian who specializes in diabetes. Get his doctor to refer you to one. The dietician can talk to you in great detail about not just recipes but what he needs to be eating when; how to keep things interesting (some adults who are diagnosed undermine themselves because they feel their new diets are "boring" but it doesn't have to be that way) and so on. The doctor should already have helped you with this -- be sure your husband is getting FULL support for this new lifestyle, not just some meds! Your whole family also needs to embrace eating changes or your husband will never see this as something he really MUST do, only as something that he's forced to do while the rest of you eat what you like (and what he wishes he could have).