My husband was just diagnosed with diabetes, so I am on the hunt for some good low-fat, low-sugar recipes as well as ideas for snacks and things. Please help!
I am diabetic. I don't like sugar free or "diet food." However, I have made some changes due to my health. 1. Diet/sugar free pudding and jello. 2. Fat free dressing. Buy a good brand and it will be okay, not wonderful. 3. I use the sandwich thins. You can use them for everything from pizza to grilled cheese. 4. Fat free yogert, sour cream, and cream cheese. 5. You can make most pies with Splenda. Cookies and banana bread don't usually come out too good. 6. Drink lots of water. I get the add in packets from KMart. They are about $1.25 there, while much more everywhere else. 7. I love almonds, and they have good fat, so they often become my treat. 8. Skinny cow and WW ice cream is worth the money. 9. Take a vitamin D for mood swings. I know it is not logical, but I notice that it helps. 10. Go to classes to learn how to manage diabetis. Both of you go. 11. Grapes are my red light food, as they have too much sugar for me. 12. Not every diabetic is the same. What works for me may not work for you. 13. If you take Glipiside (spelling?), you might develop a bad side effect--diarehha. If it is bad, ask your doctor to change meds. 14. I am sure others will come up with some good ideas, and I could not end with 13, so had to add 14.
Number 13....just wanted to add that my mother had problems with Actose causing her to gain weight and another mecidine causing diarehha...can't think of the name now....please discuss possible side effects of the medicine he is on with his doctor. He needs to know what might happen to him if he takes the medicine.
The Hungry Girl website has lots of low fat and low sugar recipes and snack suggestions. Browse around on there and I bet you can find lots of good suggestions.
My endocrinologist friend hands out copies of South Beach Diet to her newly diagnosed patients. It makes me want to cook and I HATE to cook.
I agree with the hungry girl suggestion. She has a lot of good options including a great shopping list of good products.
I am also diabetic ( for about 20 years) and am not a fan of sugar-free or no-fat foods. My solution is to eat regular food, but I have learned to be satified with a small amount. Sugar free is usually not really sugar free. So I would rather have 1 regular cookie than 3 sugar free. Going to an endocrinologist helped me the most. He was so familiar with all the meds and all the new stuff that he tweaked and tweaked my meds until I have great control of my blood sugar. My HBA1C had a high of 11-now it is 6.7. Hurray! It will take some time, but you and he can do it together.
I have diabetes, too, and don't buy too many sugar free products. I do buy the sugar-free coffee lighteners and Cool Whip. I always used SweetNLow and can't get used to anything else. For sandwiches, I try to stick to rye bread. Whole wheat or whole grain is fine, but I like rye better. Sliced thin. As far as fruit goes, melons and berries are your best bet, especially cantaloupe and strawberries. Nuts are a good snack. Sweet potatoes are better than white for diabetics, though I'm not sure why since they're sweeter. I just pop them into the microwave in the skins and cook on high for 5 minutes. There is a good site with a bulletin board called Dealing With Diabetes Type 2. It is www.dailystrength.org . You have to enroll in the particular discussion forum once you get there. Everybody reacts differently to different foods, so it's hard to say what will work for someone else. Also depends on if the person is on meds or not.
