how can i help dh with diabetes diet

[thehorridestmumintheworld]

Dh was diagnosed in April and is on pills. He needs to lose some weight about 2 stone. He is also a bit unsure how much sugary and carbs he can eat. He doesnt know a lot about nutrition and the advice and books are a bit vague. At first he was eating a lot less unhealthy snacks and I was trying to do healthy meals but he is slowly adding in more biscuits and cakes and maybe the meals are slightly less healthy but not too bad. The difficulty is I have a weight problem myself and really struggle with diet especially snacks. I want to help dh stick to healthy diet, but what exactly can he eat and how can I encourage him to eat well when I am having problems myself. Another problem is that we need to stick to a budget and it is so much easier to get a packet of biscuits for a treat than something nice but healthy.

I was in that exact same situation a couple of years ago when my own husband was diagnosed with diabetes. It is tough, but here are a couple of suggestions to get you going:

Check out The Food Doctor guidelines to eating better. Their books were a godsend - delicious, easy to prepare recipes with no sugar added.

See if you can persuade him to start his morning with a big bowl of porridge with berries and nuts. Will set him up for the day, and it will be a big step towards eliminating the 11am biscuit cravings.

If you have carbs, reach for the healthy kind i.e brown rice, rye bread, jumbo oats. And watch portion sizes, and stock up on veggies and lean protein

Don't keep sweets and biscuits in the house - instead stock up on fresh fruits for when you need a sweet treat

And finally, show your support by following the same food plan as him. My husband and I both feel (and look) so much better for cutting out the refined sugar and limiting carbs.

Good luck!! X

ask the GP to refer you to a practice nurse for real nutrition advice and diet sheets. This condition is too important to risk internet diet advice.

I second the porridge thing. I used to be a dreadful smackers, but a bowl of porridge with some blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or something keeps me going til 1ish (from 7.30), without even thinking about food. I have the occasional dribble if honey for a treat.
Just don't buy biscuits and cakes, then you can't be tempted.

I've also stopped eating bread and feel a lot better. I have wraps if I need a sandwich.

I have controlled my diabetes by following a low carb diet. I no longer need to inject insulin with my meals, just take my tablets and a small amount of background insulin. I have also lost just over three stone. I eat low carb, high fat and my most recent blood tests in September were amazing, including hba1c and cholesterol. My diabetes team were unsure when I asked about it, but agreed on the proviso that I was reviewed every three months. After a few reviews they were happy and I can now go back to the longer interval in between.

I found Dr berstein's diabetes diet helpful and I use the low carb bootcamp threads for every day support.

A bit off trend recently but the GI diet is essentially what diet-controlled diabetics live by, with a few foods added to the naughty list for dieting purposes.

I've gestational diabetes and I'm also utterly clueless about how many carbs are in things & was told to cut down to 150g of carbs a day.
There is an app/website that helped me called MyFitnessPal which lists all the carbs/calories/sugars etc everything has so you can figure it out then & there. It really helped at on the spot moments like at other peoples houses.
It is surprising how many carbs are in things like fruit & fruit juices! I've stuck to water and tea so I don't have to worry about my drink intake and can focus on my food intake.
also as his GP to refer him to a dietician who should be able to help with meal plans.
There are also some really good books out there for low GI diets.

Thanks everyone dh has seen a nurse regularly since he got diagnosed but they don't give you lots of strict advice or diet sheets. I don't think dh wants to see a dietitian especially if they tell him he has to cut back again on his favourite foods.