help needed please

[wendywoo]

Hi,

I hope someone can help me, my Mother has been diagnosed as type 2 diabetic, she is 75 and can at times get confused, hence I believe her diatry advice will have been ignored and she will carry on as normal, she lives in the UK, I live in the SW of France.

Her normal diet consists of fried food, chinese takeaways, fish and chips etc etc she rarely buys fresh veggies apart from potatoes, uses frozen probably once a week and doesn't eat any fruit, she loves puddings and cream etc...............

Yes I know that this is not right in a non diabetic diet but what can you do when she has a partner who encourages this????? that's another story.

Why do I need help? well, dear Mama is coming to stay with me for a fortnight in August, she stayed with my brother for a week last month and he noticed a couple of things going on,

1) she wants to eat once a day, a big meal around 5pm with pudding etc

2) During the day and when she is getting hungry, she starts to become a little confused, quiet and forgetful.

Now, I would like to have a cunning plan as she is coming alone without the partner, in our house we eat 3 times a day, usually evening meal at 8-9pmish (it's too hot before then)

We do eat fresh veggies and fruit and enjoy a healthy balanced diet, however she will not entertain a lot and breakfast if she will eat it would be fried food, what I would love to know is what is the best way for her to eat? should she eat regularly and small?

exactly what is best, does anyone have a regime I could try to get her into?

I have no knowlege whatsoever about this subject but am very keen to learn, I would like to keep my Mum for a bit longer you see

The other question is that do you think that the blood sugar level be assosiated with her confusion at times?

or is this just old age?

So many questions, sorry and I hope you don't think I am a pain asking :shock:

Many Thanks to anyone who can and will help me

Wendywoo
x

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the forum,Wendy.I'll answer a bit but there are some a lot more knowledgeable than me who will give you more info.First the fried food.The secret is to keep the carbohydrate levels down so the fried food should be things like bacon,egg,etc ,things that are low in carbs.Keep the potatoes,rice,pasta etc down to small portions as these can raise the blood sugars quite a bit.
She should be eating something in the middle of the day,by the sound of it her blood sugars are dropping causing the confusion.You do not say if she is on any medication,if she tests her blood sugar levels or if she is overweight.I hope this helps a bit and please, don't be afraid to ask questions,that's what we are here for.A good guide to carbs in foods is the Collins Gem Carb counter or Calorie counter,either will do.

 

[Nellie]

My parents (though not diabetic) also have a poor diet, when I go to the UK I try to introduce more veg, fruit etc but its an uphill struggle and what you can do in two weeks on holiday is unlikely to change what she does both from convenience, (its easier not to have to prepare veg) and also because she may not want to change. I have an elderly friend with diabetes who has made a quite deliberate decision not to alter his lifestyle in an attempt to control his diabetes.

That said, I feel that just as with other guests you should give her the same healthy diet that you eat. This would in fact be mainstream diabetic advice (though as you might find out not everyone agrees).
It is important that carbs are wholegrain, less refined and slower on the glycemic index .
Lentils and beans for example are very slow to raise blood sugar, small boiled new potatoes are better than mashed, brown rice than white and not overcooked, baguette type bread is very fast (ie not good), cereale, pain de son or pain de campagne (raised if possible with levain rather than levure) are better but are dense so small amounts. Loads of salads (simple unsweetened vinaigrette) and veg are good. With fruit a general 'rule' is that the more tropical and or the riper, the faster (and often sweeter/ more carbs ) they are. Strawberries, cherries, a plum, rhubarb sweetened with sweetner, a small kiwi, small peach. I
One ' healthy pud' that I can get my father to eat, is mixed red fruits,( from frozen) slightly sweetened with splenda if necessary swirled into plain yoghurt. (I use 0% hyperu's own which is also fairly low carb)
Regular meals are important as is exercise.
Breakfast is always difficult, a small portion of a wholegrain ( about 30gm) cereal,(or wholegrain biscottes), low fat yoghurt, and those small pots of unsweetened fruit compot is what they give people with type 2 diabetes in hospital here(in France). I get told to take in my porridge! and a small kiwi, peach or a few berries would be better than the compot in my opinion., Muesli, that is heavier in the oats and nuts rather than dried fruit is also quite good., again not too large a portion) Croissants are about 26gms carbs for a normal sized one (so an occasional one is not dreadful) but are very high in fat. A boiled egg or ham and a tomato with some wholegrain bread is another thought. Fruit juice is a bad idea as it raises bloodsugars very quickly.

As she likes chinese, stir fries are excellent ways of introducing lots of veg ( again I've found tha my father will eat the veg this way where he often leaves separate veg on the side of his plate)
Finally, if your mum likes chocolate try to wean her onto the 70%+, a couple of squares of that after dinner won't do any harm and might even do some good.

Here are 2 links one about type 2 in general, the other 'How to help your parent with diabetes.
http://knol.google.com/k/anne-peters/type-2-diabetes/NWhjxSXZ/lg_ybA#
http://www.caring.com/articles/how-to-help-your-parent-with-diabetes-stick-with-diet-recommendations
one note, both of the links use mg/dl for BS your Mother, if she tests will use mmol (to convert mg/dl to mmol divide by 18)
Sorry I've gone on, I only meant to give you the links :wink: