Hi y'all. I have been a member of 3FC for going on a year now and never have posted in this section..well, because I don't have diabetes.

I am posting here as a plea for help because my bf's dad has type 2 diabetes. I do not know anything about it. He was diagnosed around 5 years ago and he does take insulin shots. He recently had a little shake up with kidney function and has *finally* decided to try to become healthier. I am wanting help in what foods he can eat, when to eat them, how can he gain and keep control of his blood sugar levels? And any other advice and tips y'all may have.

I assume he has a diabetic educator. He (and his spouse, if there is one) should go back for some classes and counseling. Although there is not great consensus among counselors, that is the best place to start so he can at least get to point of understanding his disease as he tries to get a handle on it.
There are lots of good books on the subject too.

Thanks for the response.

As to if he has a diabetic educator, I am not sure. I wasn't seeking any medical advice here, really, just some general info and tips for him.

I agree with Madeleine that he should try to find a Diabetic Counsellor at a local hospital or clinic, if he can, as they can be very, very helpful and for an on-going basis too. He may have to get a referral from his doctor depending on how things work down there in NY.

The three plans that I hear most often are --

1) the balanced whole foods plan by the Diabetic Association; you can google for that. This is the most popular and successful plan for Diabetics that I know of (low sugar and simple carbs).

I found the easiest setup for this plan in a book by JORGE CRUISE called "EIGHT MINUTES IN THE MORNING" ; the calorie-based portion plan in his book uses the EZ card system; you just cross off boxes based on your daily calorie allotment. Everything is there and done for you; so no figuring or counting necessary.

PS ~ this is the plan that I am using and it along with daily exercises and walking has helped me keep my BSL's in line for some years now (about 5+ years).


2) a lower or low carb plan (of choice ie South Beach) -- this works for some people, but others have difficulty keeping to it in the long term.

3) A vegetarian or vegan plan (of choice) -- this seems to be the newest idea out there and works for some people. I think ELLEN mentioned a book about this in the MAY OR JUNE CHAT THREAD.

Thank you I will pass this info on to my bf for his dad

I am IR, or prediabetic and so far have fended it off for 10 years.

Is he using a meter? Does he know his calorie bracket and his exchanges break out? Does he exercise regularly? (Exercise brings down insulin.)

Here's some starting menus/recipes to help get a handle on it.

http://diabeticgourmet.com/Food_and_...Meal_Planning/

This is good too:
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Pocke...5967549&sr=1-1

If he's ready to take the hardcore leap -- could even go vegan.

http://www.amazon.com/30-Day-Diabete.../dp/0399534210

When I was closer to vegan/vegetarian I got off the Metformin and doc told me my labs were "normal and you couldn't even tell I was IR."

If he's wanting to stick to non-vegetarian/flexitarian... the whole foods/eating clean approach might be better than vegan/vegetarian then. I'm at this stage again and will take the veg approach later. (I find flex easier when traveling).

HTH!
A.

Thanks A!