Advice pls: Concerned for dads diet

catherine74

Newbie
Messages
3
My dad (mid 60's) was diagnosed T2 diabetic almost 2 years ago. Initially he struggled to adjust his diet, felt as though he was permanently hungry & permanently label checking. As time passed, (and the nurse said to cut back on things in stages so it didn't feel too overwhelming) he started to do well. He's always had a sweet tooth but has managed successfully to cut out sugar in all hot drinks (and now only uses sweeteners in tea, coffee he has nothing- which actually is a huge achievement as he'd have 2 tsps of sugar in every hot drink and about 10-12 hot drinks a day!) However, after starting off well it seems as though his food diet is gradually moving back to how it used to be.

Dad has a liking for cakes & biscuits. Granted he's not eating the same quantity of these foods as before. He would regularly have 3 slices of cake after a meal and now has 1 or 2; and he used to have a least 6 biscuits twice a day with his cuppa but now he just has about 2-4 biscuits with a cuppa. However I'm worried about it. He says that his readings are all within the parameters (4-7?) which he takes twice a day so he is allowed these foods as it's not affecting his sugar levels. Is this right?

He does go to all his check-ups though I'm not sure how honest he is with the diabetic nurse lol. Am I being too harsh on Dad? I know that uncontrolled diabetes is bad for the whole body. But according to Dad it is under control, as the readings tell him this, so he feels it's all ok. There is alot of information out there on diabetes but for me anyway, it almost seems too overwhelming and I still can't take it in. Should I back off Dad and let him eat what he wants?
With many thanks in advance to anyone who reads this. (And I'm sorry if this seems long winded.)
Catherine.
 
K

Kat100

Guest
I am no expert but I am a type 2 for the sweet tooth a find baking with xylitol or stevia half and half not sure if you like to bake but you can make your dad some lovely low sugar or sugar free cakes etc.....each to there own of course.....sounds like your dad is trying really hard...it's good that you are able to support him....keep at it best wishes kat
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
HI. If your Dad really is keeping his sugars within 5-7mmol 2 hours after food then he's fine. Ask him what his last annual HBa1C blood test was. If it's below 7.5% then he's not dangerously high and if he's below 6.5% that would be excellent. Yes, he's having a lot of sugar in his food but if his sugar readings are in a good range then you don't need to worry yet, but of course he may continue to drift back. All you can do is guide him towards cakes and so on that still taste sweet'ish but have no added sugar. My wife makes Molly Cake (Google it). It has no added sugar; just fruit.
 

Andy12345

Expert
Messages
6,342
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Doctors
hi, hes lucky to have you to worry about him :) at the end of the day its hes life and he has to do what he thinks is the right thing, your lucky hes trying at all, many don't, my dad certainly didn't and paid the ultimate price :( your support is terrific, the sugar free cake ideas are good, I love baking them, I never cooked toast in my life until diabetes, now im like Jamie oliver (but older and uglier) have a read of the forum you should get some healthy snack ideas, but best would be to try and get him to also have a look, he may (as I do) find being in a place full of people in the same boat that are trying so hard inspirational, the more you learn, the better and he will im sure appreciate the effort your putting in and it may just rub off, i wished id known the first thing about diabetes before it was too late to help my dad, he treated it as a joke, ate cakes and biscuits and drank whiskey like water and as far as I knew it was ok to do that, so well done you for finding us, keep up the good work :) best wishes
 

catherine74

Newbie
Messages
3
Wow, 3 replies already! Thankyou sooo much. I am actually in tears reading your posts as you are being so helpful & reassuring.

Andy, my ex-fiancee didn't control his diabetes & sadly died from kidney complications. When he had diabetes i didn't understand the condition. He was older than me & had been T1 insulin dependant since being a child so I presumed he knew how to look after himself. I guess that's affecting my outlook.

Kat100 & Daibell.....i do indeed bake & will definitely google Molly cake. I did try a no-added sugar apricot bran loaf but didnt realise until after we'd eaten it just how much added sugar was in the bran.! Some other recipes with no sugar seem too high in fat or reports of affected taste.

I will try & relax & just take comfort that at least dad's not consuming 24tsps of sugar a day in his cuppas.
Thankyou again. Your replies really do mean alot.
 

Andy12345

Expert
Messages
6,342
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Doctors
unfortunately its not just sugar, in fact I almost ignore sugar, that's the easy part, its carbohydrates! they basically turn into sugar once eaten, the problem there is they are in sooooo many foods, im pretty sure that news wont go down to well with your dad or most people for that matter, bread rice potatoes or pasta are the obvious no no`s but carbs are everywhere, its not easy but reducing carbs is an essential part in control for most controlled diabetics, not all though so hopefully he will have good enough control to not have to worry about carbs, there is a thread for recipes on the forum, if you could have a little nosey through that you may find some great recipes or maybe have a look at http://www.diabeticgoodbaking.com/ the link is for a blog from one of the forum members, now if you can find something there you and everyone likes, you will be on the right track :) unfortunately reducing carbs can often mean food is higher fat which rubs folks up the wrong way as we have been brainwashed our whole lives into thinking fat is bad but now im getting into a very difficult area and could spark off some heated discussions on your thread so ill leave it alone and ask you to read up on it :) anyways, best wishes :) any questions you may have we would be happy to answer if we can
Andy
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Perhaps I can add that Almond flour (aka ground almonds) is much better than ordinary flour ref carbs and blood sugar rise. It is about 10x the price but you might like to try mixing it with ordinary flour. Don't worry to much about fatty foods in sensible amounts; just get a balance and give carbs the highest priority to avoid.
 

carraway

Well-Known Member
Messages
977
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
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Other
Hi



Switch to wholemeal pasta and flour, brown rice etc.

Another thing to consider is if your Dad needs to lose any weight?

Finally exercise can help so go out for walks etc with him

Good luck
 

Neil Walters

Well-Known Member
Messages
265
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
not being Grumpy
As has been said finding out what the Hba1c levels are is very important to allow you to understand what the actual situation is with control - I used to be in denial and knew that if I tested at certain times the levels from finger prick testing would be fine but the Hba1c levels cannot be denied in the same way. From there you have something to work with.

Educating your dad about carbs and their effects without trying to change everything in one go would also probably prove beneficial over time.

Slowly slowly work towards a goal and once achieved identify the next - lots of small steps has worked for me after many years of less good control and I have never felt so positive about my diabetes.


Diagnosed Type II 1998 1 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 

catherine74

Newbie
Messages
3
Thanks again guys. Carraway, Dad had switched from stodgy white bread to wholemeal so that's a start & mum says she's reducing the amount of potatoes he has in his meal. She'd obviously helping by doing it bit by bit. Dad actually was losing weight & then discovered he was diabetic so he's just managed to get back to his "normal" weight. As for the fat v@ carbs/sugars. It does seem a nightmare. In the past, low sugar cakes etc seemed high in fat but I guess moderation across the board is what should be aimed for. I will check out the baking link though Andy. Neil, i haven't heard Dad talk about his Hba1c levels (it's a new term for me) but it sounds like some research needs doing lol.
Thanks again for all your help.
Ps. Daibell, I've downloaded a Molly cake recipe & it looks fab. He loves dates so I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the recommendation.