this is a bump really. Am not diabetic myself (but hey, I like to think I'm helpful ), dp is type 1, diagnosed two years ago.
Sorry to hear about your mum . Is your dad type 1 or 2?
this is what I think based on dp's experience so far:
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he tries to keep his sugar values under 10 at all times, although this isn't always possible. 4-7 is the normal range and ideally that's what diabetics should strive for. If you aren't diabetic atm, your pancreas should do this for you. Too low is risky - if you don't get out of a hypo (by eating something carby) you would fall into a coma which could (worst case) be fatal, and before that you would get very confused and aggressive, as if really drunk, which isn't very safe in itself. Hypos only happen if you're taking insulin - untreated diabetes can only result in high blood sugar levels, whether it's type 1 or 2.
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I've read that pasta (made with durum wheat) and basmati rice are better than your average white carb. New potatoes are better than old ones, so jacket potatoes aren't such a great choice (the starch breaks down into sugar as they get bigger I think).
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Noticeable, although just eating fewer carbs overall is better. They should apparently make up a quarter of a plateful at each meal, with another quarter being protein and the other half being veg (this is probably a big generalisation, but you get the idea).
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Things that taste sweet (carrots, parsnips) aren't that great. They aren't a massive problem though. You can slow down the process of digestion/absorbtion of glucose (not entirely sure which tbh) by eating some fat with the food.
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If you are type 1, a burst of exercise (e.g. sprinting for a bus) can reduce your blood sugar levels pretty quickly, so it's probably safer to have eaten something first rather than being on a completely empty stomach. Otherwise, regular exercise has a beneficial effect overall, as far as I can see.
Treating Type 1 is a delicate balancing act of insulin, diet and exercise, almost from one hour to the next. Type 2, from what I've heard (in the earlier stages at least), is more about keeping your weight at a sensible level and not overloading your pancreas with too much sugar at a time. So regular exercise and a GI-type diet is v important.
My dad was diagnosed last year with Type 2 (he's 71) and so far his is controlled by diet alone (mainly through cutting out sweets and boxes of chocs ).
As for avoiding diabetes, type 2 possibly can be avoided by eating sensibly and not putting on more weight than you should (I'm in the same boat as you on this). Type 1 is an auto-immune disease and no-one's quite sure what triggers it - possibly it's a reaction to a virus - but there's definitely a genetic predisposition to it.