Diabetes

[rob123 10]

My elderly Mum has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Does anyone know where I can find a shop selling a good range of food suitable for diabetics ? Also, any useful publications I could buy to try and understand the condition and help my Mum ?

[Kathryn3 10]

A healthy balanced diet is recommended for diabetics, so there is no need for special foods. But I would recommend she cuts sugar out of her diet completely, so if she takes it in her tea/coffee replace it with a sweetner and if she has a sweet tooth Thorntons do a good range of diabetic chocolate and sweets.

The BBC website has good information on diabetes http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/diabetes/

they make the difference clear between the two types, which can be confusing at times.

Whether they have put her on medication is also relevant, or whether she is supposed to control it through diet alone.

Also Type II can de related to being overweight, so if this is the case you may want to try and help her lose weight.

My father is an overweight Type II diabetic, so he cut his carbohydrate consumption right down, which helped him to lose weight and control his blood sugar without having to take the medication he was prescribed (metformin tablets I think).

But if she is on medication, best to talk to her dietician or doctor first. There is also the diabetes uk charity, but there website seems mainly aimed a type I diabetes suffers, but take a look at http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

Hope that was helpful

[rob123 10]

Very useful, especially as she is very fond of Thornton's !

[Plain Talker 11]

I am diabetic, too. I am on insulin.

 

a word to the wise!

 

You know these Diabetic chocolate bars, or diabetic jams?

 

Avoid them like the plague!!!

 

For one, they often contain a chemical sweetener called Sorbitol (found in loads of sugar-free sweets). Sorbitol is reknowned for giving folk the (Coff!) "runs". You don't even have to eat a lot of the stuff, even a small amount can trigger the trots.

 

For two... they are HIDEOUSLY expensive, and a total rip-off, for what they are. They are a totally exorbitant price. You are probably better off having a teaspoon of ordinary jam, spread thinly, on your toast, rather than a couple of teaspoons of that diabetic stuff!

 

and thirdly... If you are diabetic, and you buy in the diabetic jams or chocolate, It is more than likely there will only be yourself using them, which means that you are potentially (unless you have the willpower of a saint!) going to be the only one that will be eating that stuff, so you will probably consume more of it... defeating the object.

 

You know what I do, if I fancy chocolate? I have some "double-bar" like a twix or drifter, I will have one of the bars, and put the other half in the fridge till another day. one half usually satisfies my cravings for chocolate.

 

Also, if you must have the *occasional*(!!) choc, or something sweet, try and make sure that you eat it as part of your main meals, not as a snacky "inbetween meals" thing. If you have the sweet thing as part of your meal, your blood sugars do not "spike" as drastically, as they will if it's eaten outside the meal.

 

the best diet for someone with diabetes, is the best diet foe someone who doesn't have diabetes!

 

Healthy, full of fruit and veg. little sugar, and not a huge amount of fat.

 

A dietician, at the hospital can probably give more in-depth advice about the healthiest options. (you can also speak to specialist diabetic nurses at the hospital, whether you are with the NGH or RHH, you can access them)

 

Another thing you could do, which would be fairly useful, is access meetings of Diabetes UK (formerly the BDA- British diabetic Assoc) they meet monthly, at the Houlden Hall, of St Maries Catholic Cathedral, on Norfolk Row. They have guest speakers, on many different topics.

 

The latest meeting of D-UK was last Thursday night, the 19th Aug. ( I can't remember the date of the September meeting) It doesn't matter whether you are a type I or a type II diabetic. If you are a diabetic, you can join.

 

Again, the diabetes centre can probably give you contact numbers for the D-UK meetings.

 

Hope this helps!

 

PT

[Teekins 10]

Thanks a lot PT, very useful and sensible.