Recipes for Diabetics

[RTSDaddy]

Last September I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Not a huge surprise really, as it runs in the family and the pain I'd been experiencing since June was almost a dead giveaway. Why did I wait? I was looking for a new physician and, truthfully, I was scared. Mercifully we caught it early - only meds and they've kept me at a nice 100 - 150 most days, with the occasional spike depending on what I eat.

Which brings me to this topic.  I know there are a list of recipes on this board, but does anyone know if any of them are diabetic friendly? Just a suggestion perhaps to start some ideas for those of us who can't have / shouldn't have all the frills we used to have!

I've not tried it yet, but I'll offer this one that I just found for homemade chocolate milk over at WedMD: take a glass of 1% milk and add to it 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of your choice of artificial sweetener. I believe they said it saves you about 60 grams of carbs over a store bought, low fat chocolate milk.

[ark_ader]

Eggs and bacon/ham for breakfast, no bread.

Water, half an apple and a wedge of white American cheese for lunch.

Water, roasted chicken and a cup of spinach, no desert for dinner.

Water for hunger pangs.

Mild cardio to start out with.   You will hate it for 6 months.

Your habits of getting fat are over.  Lose the weight and the diabetes before you start losing limbs.  No shortcuts.   

[Slippyblade]

Just remember that carbs are NOT the enemy.  You can still have carbs, just pay attention to your intake.  Ark's plan, while it would work, would be Hell on Earth.

What was your A1C?

[Generic Eric]

By your name, I assume you are a family man?  I can tell you from years of experience that being the only diabetic means you are the only one that has to change their diet.  If you can get your whole family to eat low carb/diabetic friendly, you'll have a higher degree of success.  If you want to look recipies, look into paleo.  www.reddit.com/r/paleo

I discourage diabetic treats like sugar free candies. 

I don't want to berate you for alcoholic drinking, but do keep in mind that carb filled alcoholic drinks may increase your BS levels. Also, #stopthepop


If you remember one thing.  Use your test strips when trying new meals until you get the hang of this.  Well, two things.  You need to change.  Changing too much at once maybe problematic.  You may have false starts. Well, more than two things. 

[RTSDaddy]

By your name, I assume you are a family man?

I can tell you from years of experience that being the only diabetic means you are the only one that has to change their diet.  If you can get your whole family to eat low carb/diabetic friendly, you'll have a higher degree of success.  If you want to look recipies, look into paleo.  www.reddit.com/r/paleo

I discourage diabetic treats like sugar free candies. 

I don't want to berate you for alcoholic drinking, but do keep in mind that carb filled alcoholic drinks may increase your BS levels. Also, #stopthepop


If you remember one thing.  Use your test strips when trying new meals until you get the hang of this.  Well, two things.  You need to change.  Changing too much at once maybe problematic.  You may have false starts. Well, more than two things. 

I am also going through a divorce - but for my daughter I have made a LOT of changes since I first posted here.  Now the dumbest thing I did was to buy into the whole carb counting thing and trying to "eat healthy." Lost 40 pounds like that, no lie.  Mercifully I went to a great class here in town where a nutritionist was present and learned a lot.  Now I take my meds, try to walk at least a mile once a week (boy THAT was tough at first), and basically eat as I feel I need to eat. I won't allow myself a lot of bad stuff, but I DO follow the 80 - 20 rule (sometimes more like 70 - 30). I am very careful and to be truthful I'm having a harder time with low sugar than I am with high. Like I said, the exercising was awful at first, but I trained my mind to remember it was for fun - and for me and my child - and after about two weeks I hardly have given it a passing thought.

I didn't read my first post again, but for what it's worth I've never been a heavy drinker.  I do like light beers, but I'd say I have about one - two a month. Coke and sweet tea was my nemesis, but you know what? It's amazing what one can do with one's life on the line, so to speak. Quit soda cold turkey the week of that first blood draw and started drinking either a)unsweet tea, b) black coffee, c) both with splenda, d) the occasional half and half tea the same week.  What's odd? Haven't missed it - in fact anything with too much sugar in to now all but burns my tongue. Go figure - after all those years that I abused this body too.

At any rate, happy to report my A1C was 11.8 in September and by making changes to my life, it was at 5.7 when I went back for my recheck in February. Stress of the divorce has caused me a goodly number of spiked days,but overall my average daily A1C stays in the mid 6's to low 7's. They tell me I'm a lot better than when I went and found all this out in September...must be, most of the pain is gone!

[Slippyblade]

Congrats on the progress!  I noticed I heal up a lot faster now that my blood sugar is under control.  Bruises fade quicker, cuts and scraps vanish in days.  Wonderful!