I just can't seem to escape this meme
In response to my interview question, my Anonymous High School Boy Friend (AHSBF), also known as the significant other of the guy (SH) whose diabetes I had the joyous opportunity to confirm, updated us on his sweetie's diabetes status. He writes:
Also as a result of the interview meme: Diabetifriends, go check out Journeywoman's advice for partners of diabetics. Or better yet, have your partner check it out.
I eager anticipate the remaining answers from AHSBF and Journeywoman and hereby serve notice to Pithydithy (you think being a pregnant academic is any excuse? you are wrong!) and Erin to get in gear and answer already. And the blue ribbon for fast answers goes to Susan.
Oh, and some good news: Ms. Gal finally gave us feedback on the homestudy. Now the ball, otherwise known as my impatient heart, is back in Vaseline Teeth's court. Tick Tock, Tick Tock.
SH is doing great. Ten days ago after our ER visit (facilited by stepmom-who-works-there; awesome), he went to his new dr here in NY (who he loves), got a relatively small second prescription, and a meter. He was told to test his sugar 3x/day before meals for two weeks and record it, so that the doc can get some data to work with. That, and some diet vigilance, has been working great. His sugar #s keep getting lower (we had a 115 yesterday!), and he *feels* so much better. We'll see what happens once the doctor gets some numbers...Since I know ass-all about type II eating plans, or type I eating plans for that matter (empty container of good n' plentys in my glove compartment, you are my witness), I'm turning this one over to the comment friends. Can anyone give the boy some good food suggestions or ideas for places to find them?
You asked if I have questions: I do, and it's pretty, well, mundane. I'm the one who cooks in our household - a task I love. I'm thrilled to be cooking for two since it makes it much easier to movitate yourself to actually make something yummy. Problem is: we're negotiating both the T2 diabetes, SH's high blood pressure meaning i'm trying to limit salt intake, and we're trying to limit our food expenditures somewhat. It's proving to be a challenging balancing act (thank g-d we aren't veggie -- we'd be hammered). It seems like SH's basic modus operandi is just kinda atkins-lite -- seriously watching carb intake. Cool, but it puts a crimp on some of my tried-and-true food tricks, like making a roast chicken and stretching the meat out for a few dinners by mixing with pasta and veggies. To top it all off, we've got the compounding issue: I'm something of a foodie and SH is a compulsive nosher, so if he's bored or hungry or has a taste for something, he's going to eat it. (To be fair, he has been showing tremendous restraint over the past ten days). So, the rambly question is: any advice on recipes/cookbooks/etc to help negotiate? Steaks and spinach for dinner will get old really really quick; I'm going to have to change my repertoire a whole bunch. Any advice appreciated!
Also as a result of the interview meme: Diabetifriends, go check out Journeywoman's advice for partners of diabetics. Or better yet, have your partner check it out.
I eager anticipate the remaining answers from AHSBF and Journeywoman and hereby serve notice to Pithydithy (you think being a pregnant academic is any excuse? you are wrong!) and Erin to get in gear and answer already. And the blue ribbon for fast answers goes to Susan.
Oh, and some good news: Ms. Gal finally gave us feedback on the homestudy. Now the ball, otherwise known as my impatient heart, is back in Vaseline Teeth's court. Tick Tock, Tick Tock.
posted by art-sweet at 10:20 PM
10 Comments:
Re: cooking.
I did the whole low-carb thing and it got too boring after awhile and really, left me too hungry. (In fact, that's how I dealt with the pre-diabetes, as mentioned in Violet's blog earlier tonight.)
It's better to balance the meals with "some" pasta/rice/couscous/quinoa/nameyourwholegrain, plus lots of veggies and then some meat. I think my dietician said 30/40/30 grains/veggies/protein. And if there's blood pressure to be watched, the meat portion should probably be smaller.
Like I've mentioned, we still eat many of the same foods as we did before, just in different portions. Buying those whole grains in bulk can save money, too.
(Rambling as a response, but you get the idea.)
Cheap and diabetes just don't seem to square in any part of life, groceries included. My husband and I stretch things a bit by having an egg-based dish once a week or so (it just doesn't get any cheaper than eggs! Check my recipe thurday posts for a few recipes.) but I'm not sure how that sort of meal meshes with Type II.
Best of luck!! Let us know if you discover anything really delicious!!
When I was put on Metformin and diagnosed with PCOS and put on an insulin resistant diet, the hardest thing was the cooking/food aspect. Exercise I could deal with, but food? I LOVE food.
This is what I've found to be helpful.
Portion size is KEY. That whole chicken breast in the package? Well, that's two servings. Deck of cards for meat, fish, poultry.
Fish is good, and Tilapia is YUMMY and not too expensive.
Grill year round if you can. It makes cooking the protien easier.
"Fake it" spaghetti squash (yes, carb, but better than real spaghetti) is a good substitute, serve it with homemade tomato sauce (jar stuff has a lot of sugar)
Sweet potatoes are a zillion times better than white ones. so if you have to have a baked potato...go for that.
Mushrooms. Big, yummy, and some of them, when grilled taste "meaty"
"egg" meals are great. you can make fritattas loaded with veggies.
Spice is good. Heat on veggies tastes good.
make dessert. Sugar free jello with fruit in it...excellent.
have cake every once in a while - but bake it yourself, and use splenda.
crisps/crumbles (it's the season) can also be made very easily with splenda.
Good luck to your friend!
I am a Type 1, my dad Type 2, I cook the same for the most part for both of us.
When I am trying to be "good" I eat a lot of veggies like others said and try to really limit the higher carb ones. I once read that a white potato can have a worst effect on your BG (blood glucose) than a brownie.
Others said spices and I definately go with that idea. In our house spicy is good.
When I crave higher fat/carb/salt things I have them just not quite as much as I did before. Two handfuls of buttery/salty movie popcorn, not the whole bag.
A little bit does not hurt you.
If you are looking for quick easy recipes, rather than diabetic recipes I use a gourmet cookbook by a lady from WW (weight watchers) can't remeber the name though. They have everything spelled out for you and the recipes are much more flavorful than diabetic ones.
Commenting on my own damn blog to agree with Flmgodog that WW cookbooks are a good idea.
Their "core" program is focused on whole grains and is sorta low carb. And their recipes don't taste like ass, especially if you up the spice factor. Search amazon for weight watchers core and several cookbooks will pop up.
j makes a good point about watching out for hidden sugar in supermarket foods - reading labels is key, particularly on "low fat" stuff.
Pasta isn't evil, it just needs to be in moderation, NOT the usual restaurant portions! The Barilla Plus pasta in the supermarket is pretty good - more whole grains and complex carbs, and some protein thrown in. This utilizes the old Type-I trick of using protein to slow down the absorbtion of carbs (have that slice of cake once in a while, but drink a glass of milk with it...).
The type II diet is actually a great thing for foodies, because you need to avoid processed foods and focus on fresh whole foods and spices other than salt.
The DASH diet (google it) is pretty good for getting guiding principles. It was developed to help lower blood pressure, but its principles moslty fit with type II DM as well. The recipies the guide offers sound a little bland, but they give you the general idea.
Woo hoo homestudy!
*removes pins from Ms. Gal doll*
*inserts pins into Vaseline teeth doll*
See? It works!
Sending speedy vibes to VT - I guess you know that I don't mean Vermont.
This was a timely post for me, because I've really fallen off the insulin-resistant/type II eating band wagon. I have the added complication of not being able to eat wheat/gluten. When I am eating correctly, I find that I can make a lot of great stuff that falls within my plan by eating ethnically--lots of indian curries (small helping of rice), stir fries, sushi, thai food. Soups are an excellent weapon against both noshing and being too hungry from too few carbs--I love making crockpot stews and soups. As for desserts, I am a huge fan of stevia and I find that I can make many, many treats with just stevia for sweetness. As far as books, I found Fat Flush, Paleothic Diet, Metabolic Typing, and other low carb books to be good starts, but ultimately you have to find a plan that works for just you. Thanks for this post--it inspires me to get back to basics on my eating.
Hurrah on the homestudy!
&just reading all of this cooking advice has made me realize just how shitty I eat. These are great ideas for everyone.
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