Question about Diabetes... ???!
Question: My father was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I don't know much about diabetes so can anyone tell me is 28 grams of sugar is too much for him? What is normal for him when it comes to drinking juices? And food... what kinds of food is good for him to eat? And also whats not good for him to eat?
These are very important questions for me because I cook all the meals in my home so please be kind and help me out. To all of you that do... thank you very much!
Answers: My father was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I don't know much about diabetes so can anyone tell me is 28 grams of sugar is too much for him? What is normal for him when it comes to drinking juices? And food... what kinds of food is good for him to eat? And also whats not good for him to eat?
These are very important questions for me because I cook all the meals in my home so please be kind and help me out. To all of you that do... thank you very much!
Please use sugar substitutes for your fathers food. Juices will raise the blood sugar considerably in many diabetics. Only a small amount of juice, no sugar added. Tropicana orange juice is a good choice, it is not from concentrate. Stay away from white bread, and anything made with white flour, including pastas. Pasta and bread made from whole grain is good. No white potatoes, too many carbs that can turn to sugar. Have your father test before and 2 hours after a meal. This way you can see how the food has effected his sugar level. When you learn how his body reacts to certain foods, you can add some treats and even the pasta and potatoes in small amounts. You have to learn what works, it takes a little time. If you are going to count carbs, most nutritionist suggest 45 per meal, not counting in between meal snacks
my mother's a diabetic also.
ok well 28 grams of sugar is a lot. but it also depends on if its natural sugar like from juices and stuff. but even so its a lot. thats like half a soda, and a soda has bout 12 spoons of sugar in it. if he wants juice, give him a little. def not as much as he would normally drink w/o diabetes. he should eat brown bread, rice, pasta, etc. its a lot better for him than white. carbs arent gonna be his friend. carbs turn into sugar when u break them down in ur body. he should have a good amount of protein and complex carbs tho to keep his sugar level stable. be really careful bout his sugar level. he should check it a lot and should base his meals accordingly. if he is ever feeling faint or shaking give him a glucose pill or some juice or candy to get his sugar level up right away. my grandpas also diabetic and ive had the unfortunate oppurtunity to see him in a state where he doesnt even know whats going on because his sugar level was too low. he didnt know where he was and he just kept repeating the same things over and over again. this was on the phone. we rushed to his house and gave him a glass of juice and a few minutes later he was fine. i hope this helps, but im not a doctor and i strongly recommend u talk to ur fathers doctor about what his meal plan should be.
i wish u and ur dad good luck!!
ps, my moms gotten really bad and will eat a lot of desserts and hide it, so make sure u keep tabs on what ur dad eats. lol
good luck again!
Ask his doctor. His doctor should have given him some information about diabetes. Is he on diabetes medication or just using diet to control it? (Makes a big difference.) Does he need to test his blood sugar daily, how many times? There are different types of diabetes, and you need to speak to his doctor. 28 grams of sugar could kill him, it all depends on what his glucose count is. The nurse should be able to send you some information, and next time he goes to the doctor, you go with him and ask questions. You'll mostly have to fix low sugar items, low carbs (carbs turn into sugar). He'll need lots of protein, meat, eggs. As I said, ask his nurse or doctor for some guidance because they know what his glucose count is. Diabetes is not to be fooled around with, it can cause too many other problems. And absolutely NO ALCOHOL.
Yikes, 28 grams of sugar can't be good for ANYBODY, let alone someone who has diabetes. That's almost 120 calories of pure sugar, yuck! The American Diabetes Association has lots of great information on foods to eat and recipes for making it. Sorry I don't have the URL but if you do a Google search of the name it will come right up. Your library and bookstores also have cookbooks for diabetic meals.
Ok, keep in mind that he should watch not only high-sugar foods, but also the amount of carbohydrates (pasta, breads, potatoes, fruits, etc.) he eats because carbohydrate turns to sugar when it metabolizes. Then you need to get hold of a good diabetes diet plan from your doctor or the Internet.
To educate him and yourself, you guys are going to want to start researching the Internet for info about this disease and buy him a glucometer (blood glucose monitor) because daily blood sugar (glucose) testing and blood glucose control is very important!
This web site at the American Diabetes Association is a good place to start:
http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-re...
Diabetes isn't just about total sugar, it's about total carbs.
My doctor suggested that I eat roughly 65g of carbs per meal. Your dad's doctor may give him a slightly different set of numbers
What I would do if I were you is call your dad's endocrinologist (diabetes specialist) and talk to someone in that office to have them give you a set of general guidelines with regards to his meals. There are also alot of nutritionists/diabetes educators that can give you ideas on how best to tailor his meals and/or portions
Every meal will become a math problem
If you aren't already in the habit of doing it, you're going to have to start reading labels on food packages.
Also, there's a book "The Calorie King's Calorie, Fat & Carb counter" costs something like $8 at Barnes & Noble, this will give you some information as far as what kind of carb numbers are in alot of foods are. The nice thing about this book is that it's got a section decicated to restaurants incl. fast food places. ( www.calorieking.com)
It'll be hard at first, and maybe more than at first, but with some practice you can make things reasonablly comfortable for everyone affected.
The way you worded your question tells me his sugar is too high (hyperglycemic). Am I right? Which actually means he does not produce the necessary amounts of insulin to counter or process the sugar in his body. A lot of people who have your father's condition say, "But how could my sugar be so high. I don't eat a lot of sweets?" Its not always how much that is the problem. The problem is that someone like your father can't process what sugar they do eat, no matter the amount. Of course eating sugar in any amount can spell trouble for your father which brings me to your question. How much is too much?
What you are about to read is very important. What a lot of folks DO realize is when you are diagnosed with diabetes you have to reduce, or in some cases totally eliminate, sugar from your diet. What they DON'T realize is "sugars" includes all carbohydrate based food. This includes pasta, potatoes, rice, and even some vegetables and fruits high in natural sugars. Bread is loaded with carbs as well. I had an aunt who could not eat processed sugars, of course, as in candy, ice cream, etc. but she could not eat high natural sugar veggies like carrots or high natural sugar fruits like pineapple, golden delicious apples, or even watermelon. How much is too much? Well, I can't answer that in your father's case. I just wanted you to be aware that these "sugars" your dad is going to have to watch out for are in other place besides candy bars and soda. And one more thing. If they put him on insulin that is not an invitation to eat what ever he wants. He needs to get with his doctor and/or a nutrutionist and map out a dietary guideline for him to follow, a list of the foods he is allowed to have. Why have I went on and on? I have seen this disease hurt so many people close to me and it is something I feel does not get the attention of the more "politically-hip" diseases like HIV yet it affects 100 times more people. When not managed correctly it can damage vital organs, including the brain. If you think I am trying to scare you you are right. Make sure your dad does all he can to take care of himself. A lot of newly diagnosed people don't take it seriously, especially if they haven't been feeling bad or anything. Hopefully your father's is not that bad. My dad was diagnosed a few years ago and by following a good diet and listening to his doctor he doesn't even require insulin treatment. He just has to watch what he eats. Sorry this is such a long answer but I hope this helps you.
Hi Hilwa
Your dad needs to avoid all sugar and fruit juices for now. They raise your blood sugar and with diabetes, that's a very bad thing.
Once he gets his blood sugar under control, he may be able to have small amounts of sugar once in a while, but its best to avoid it altogether. There are plenty of products made without sugar now so its not necessary to eat it. You can use Splenda for baking, and in tea and coffee. Don't buy the Splenda blends, they have sugar in them. Get the Splenda in the little yellow packets for tea and coffee, and the Splenda granular in the box, which says "with NO added sugar.
http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml?id=spl...
Instead of juices, he can have tea, some coffee, and there are sugar free drink mixes such as Crystal light, and others. Just look for ones that don't have any sugar.
Juice is off limits, its all sugar (all carbohydrates).
I recommend that you get the book The South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook. It has lots of low carb recipes, which is what he should be using. Low carb means low in carbohydrates, for example, foods like brocolli are low in carbs, having only about 5 carbs per cup. Carbohydrates are sugars, and starches and they make your blood sugar go up, which is NOT a good thing for diabetics.
See the food lists here, the non-starchy vegetables are the ones he can have lots of;
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabete...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabete...
For now, try to cut back on starches, things like white flour, white rice, white pastas, white bread, potatoes, and of course completely cut out sugars and sweets of all types including fruit juices and pop with sugar in it, cakes, pies, cookies, etc.
He can have diet pop but not regular, and he also needs to cut out things like jams, and sauces that have sugar or a lot of starch.
He should have more green salads, and more vegetables like brocolli, cauliflower, cucumbers, mushrooms. All low carb veggies are fine. You can find the carb count of most veggies, fruits, and more here at this website:
http://www.carb-counter.org/
Below the ads, near the bottom of the page is a blue box with categories of food in it. Click on the one you want to check out, then click on foods you are interested in.
On the left side of the tables foods are listed by weight, (100 grams) and on the right side they're listed by other measurements such as 1 cup, 1 teaspoon, etc.
You can see in this table that 28 grams of sugar would have about 28 grams of carbs. Your father should only be eating about 30 carbs for an entire meal! If he has the sugar he won't be able to have any starchy veggetables, or bread, or other grains for that entire meal.
That's why its so important to avoid high carb foods like sugar. They don't leave enough carbs for the meal so that he can eat healthy foods and get proper nutrition, nor will he be satisfied if all he can eat is a small amount of sugar and doesn't have enough carb allowance left for any veggies.
I suggest that you get a copy of the book
Diabetes for Dummies.
If you are in Canada, get the one called Diabetes for Dummies, for Canadians.
also, The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essentail Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Gretchen Becker
On this blog, http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-NbDgUzQhf...
you can find a recipe for a chocolate torte, which is low carb enough for diabetics to enjoy. Below that you will find a short article with some links for information about diabetes
Be sure to check out the following links on that blog:
Best page for help with daily testing: Jennifer's Page
Great information about diabetes: Blood Sugar 101
Drugs and Food Info for Diabetics
If you want to really simplify things, get the South Beach Diet book to go with the cookbook mentioned above and try to get him interested in using the low carb diet in the book. It will help him get his blood sugar under control, and avoid complications.
Ask his doctor for counselling from a diabetes nurse and a dietician, but keep in mind that many people find that dieticians advise eating more carbs than you need, which means you need more insulin. Its best to keep to a moderate or low carb diet. Everyone has to find what works for them.
Exercise can also help keep his blood sugar down, but he needs to talk to his doctor before starting to exercise. Walking is probably the best choice, or swimming or water exercises if he has joint problems. Check with your local YMCA.
Your dad should be checking his blood sugar several times a day at first to find out how food affects his blood sugar. The blog I gave above has a link for Jennifer's advice on testing. Make sure you print off her advice and get your dad to use her method of testing. He really can't get his diabetes under control without frequent testing to find out what the food he eats is doing to his blood sugar. The blood sugar numbers he should be aiming for are listed on her page too.
As your father has been diagnosed diabetic you may be interested in free glucose meter you can get one here:
http://tinyurl.com/yv77op
In exchange for completing a short 3 step diabetes evaluation form, you will receive your choice of a top of the line glucose test meter at no charge to you! No purchase is necessary.
go have a look!
I just read some of the answers and think they cover the whole thing very well. Good work you people!! I have no comment! Sorry!