[Contrary Housewife]

DH has been told by his doctor to adjust his diet. He has borderline high BS and the wrong balance of cholesterol levels.

I think we eat pretty good: fresh fruits and veg, fish when I can afford it, no added salt, only 100% juice, no processed food, no fast food, etc. but apparently I have to take it farther. DH's weakness is for sweets. He is, IMO, an addict. He doesn't like artificial sweeteners, either.

Anybody else facing this? What sorts of things did you change? I'd love some tips about what worked for you and what didn't, some favorite "good" recipes, etc.

 

[lisaflex]

get rid of the 100% fruit juice. fruit juice is lots of sugar. replace juice w/ good ole water.

eat salmon and lots of it! grill it...oh so good.
brown rice
veggies and lots of them
at least 2 apples per day
oatmeal (not instant...)
blueberries

 

[imagine]

The first thing I see is the juice even though it is 100% juice it is still not good for blood sugars. So cutting that down watering it down cutting it out completely would be a good thing.

 

[imagine]

exercise is good

"Exercise. The human body was meant to be active. Exercise strengthens the heart muscle, improves blood flow, reduces high blood pressure, raises HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol), and helps control blood sugars and body weight."

Heart-Healthy Diet For High Cholesterol: What To Eat

 

[brennasmom]

Exercise for sure. Also, how about some fish oil supplements?

I am working on this myself. Trying to walk at least 2 miles per day

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Exercise, yeah the doctor told him to do that too. Whole different battle.

I almost bought some salmon today, then I noticed it was $19 a lb. They had small steaks cut, too. Only $22 a lb. :ack: I'll be getting some tilapia this weekend, I can get a 2lb bag of filets for $6.99 here.

Good point about the juice, we will be cutting back (well, HE will be) although he was also told to drink grape juice.

He's already started fish oil and baby aspirin per Dr's orders.

Anybody have any good not-sugary muffin or cookie type snack recipes?

 

[Spirit Deer]

Having been down this road myself, what I've found is it's difficult to try to replace things like cookies with substitutes. Frequently (not always) the subs aren't going to be as good, particularly when people still have a taste for the original. You're better off to just eliminate it and find a sub that's something completely different. Like when I had to quit drinking Mountain Dew. Diet Mountain Dew does not taste like Mountain Dew, so I went to Sierra Mist Free instead. Same food group (junk) but a different taste so my brain wasn't disappointed when it expected Mountain Dew that it didn't get.

Try to eliminate most anything white, like white flour, sugar (don't forget brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses in it), white rice, white pasta, etc.

Keep in mind it's not just refined sugar in foods that'll spike blood sugar. Eating breads, rice, potatoes, muffins, all kinds of starches, not just sweetened ones, will raise it too.

Try to sanitize the house as much as possible. If it's not there to eat, the odds are better of not eating it. Most people won't crave something so much it's worth a special trip to the store.

You can't make your husband do anything. Most likely he's in denial right now. Just keep offering him foods he should be eating, and be encouraging. Gently remind him what's at stake and the consequences if he can't start eating better. Use Weight Watchers and other healthy eating cookbooks and don't bother mentioning to him it's 'diet' food. It'll take some time for him to re-train his palette so he doesn't constantly crave the bad stuff.

You may want to get the South Beach Diet cookbooks from the library and study those. That diet is excellent for helping to control blood sugar because it limits sugar-spiking carbs, and since the proteins suggested are low fat, it would help fight cholesterol, too.

Good luck. Not fun.

 

[TigerGirl1226]

My mom had a similar diagnosis to you DH and asked her doctor that she be allowed to try to control it with diet as opposed to meds. She is using a South Beach style plan that still allows for some fruit which she loves. You can go a google seach and come up with muffin recipes that follow this idea. (Beware, my DH calls them roto-rooter muffins, lol). Many of them are sweetened with apple sauce as opposed to sugar. They are sweet, but just not super sweet.

She just had her follow up appointment and both her blood sugar and cholesterol are now well within normal range.

ETA: This sounds like the muffins my mom makes. At the bottom they list all the variations they can make.
http://www.south-beach-diet-101.com/learn/south-beach-diet-muffin-recipe.html

 

[imagine]

Exercise, yeah the doctor told him to do that too. Whole different battle.

I almost bought some salmon today, then I noticed it was $19 a lb. They had small steaks cut, too. Only $22 a lb. :ack: I'll be getting some tilapia this weekend, I can get a 2lb bag of filets for $6.99 here.

Good point about the juice, we will be cutting back (well, HE will be) although he was also told to drink grape juice.

He's already started fish oil and baby aspirin per Dr's orders.

Anybody have any good not-sugary muffin or cookie type snack recipes?

Aldi's has wild caught salmon for way cheaper than that a pound I'm thinking it was close to $4 ($3.99) I believe. They have other varieties of fish too. They are in the frozen section. TheSea Queen brand ? the grandessa brand is like $7.99 a pound.

 

[frugalwarrior2]

Yeah just got diagnosed w/ BS. No juice as it metabolizes too fast. Green beans are great for blood sugar. Lots of veg.salads.
Chicken and fish. some fruits. No sugar,very little rice or pasta. Dreamfield makes a pasta for diabetes friendly eating.
If he's over weight he has to lose. He has to excercise. And you don't get over it. Telling him he killed his pancreas w/ sugar is a start.
I wish him well. I hope he gets serious because sticking yourself SUCKS 4x a day.

 

[brennasmom]

How about flax seed?

You can buy it ground and mix it into a lot of foods . I buy a large bag and store it in the freezer. Good source of the omega 3 fatty acids.

 

[zakity]

As for the walks, ask him if he would accompany you. That way, you are going to for the walk and he is just going with you to keep you company. He really isn't going for a walk.

 

[Palooka]

Yep, I was going to suggest Aldi for fish. Costco or Sam's has tons of varieties for a good price too.

 

[3tomboys]

Its interesting you posted this thread. My DH has been borderline for a while now. We did pretty good at first, but slid back into old habits. We see the same MD and had seperate appts today. The MD suggested that I try to eat the way he needs to eat. I admit that I am the one that shops, so I am the guilty one bringing in things he shouldn't eat. Its not fair to him to have things in the cupboard that he can't resist. The MD suggested that if I have a craving I eat it at lunch when I am at work. Since we only have 1 DD left at home she can have her treats outside of the house as well.
Some might see this as us giving up things that we enjoy, but after I talked with the MD today I see a different side. If we all do this together in the end we will all eat better and be healthier.

 

[goldeneyez]

My daughter has been Type 1 diabetic since she was 18 months old. She is now 17. We have had to eat this way for a long time. The juice is one of the things she hasn't been able to have. When she was younger, we watered it down quite a bit. There are a few websites around that will help you change your favorite meals to low fat/low sugar. I have used them to change our meals so that she can eat what we do. It is way too hard to make 2 different meals. About.com has a good group of sites that has both of these type recipes in them. You can google low fat/low sugar recipes and there are tons of different sites to look at. He is probably in denial right now and hopefully it won't be too long before he decides for himself to follow what the dr has told him is best for him.

 

[RaineyDaye]

If one of the sweets your husband likes is ice cream, smoothies made with frozen bananas and some other fruit or frozen bananas and a tablespoon of peanut butter are really good. You could add a little sugar (or sugar substitute) and gradually cut back as his taste buds adjust to less sugar. (I used to gooble up ice cream in the summer, but haven't had ice cream in over a year since I started making the smoothies.)

 

[lisaflex]

we love tilapia and eat it often. we just bake it on top of some onions and sprinkle it w/ frsh lemon and pepper and lots of frsh crshd garlic. then have it w/ a side of roasted asparagus and some brown rice.

if you have a trader joes near you - they have a frozen fish called turbot that comes spice and you just bake it. very good and fast and healthy!

what about tuna and white bean salad for lunch?

 

[Libby]

I hope he gets serious because sticking yourself SUCKS 4x a day.

Yes, yes it does

My suggestions for the diabetes:
* cut out all juice period
* cut out all alcohol: beer, wine, spirits
* limit fruits and crank the veggies
* avoid any diet foods: 'low sugar, low carb' marketed stuff and eat 'whole' if you can, better if you can cook from scratch
* measure out proper portions and stick to them (he'll be grumpy and hungry at first but get used to it)
* try to learn carb counting as well
* portion control the starches and switch to whole grain (not whole wheat) versions. A lot of 'whole wheat' bread only has a tiny percentage of 'whole wheat' in it and the rest is processed white flour. If its affordable, then its a mix - if its pricey then its the real deal. (mix = $2 or less/loaf, better options up to $5/loaf)
* eat 6 smaller meals/day vs 3 square meals with snacks- keeps his blood glucose levels more stable, less spikes
* eat lean cuts of meat - can be any but its best if lean and if its the correct portion size/serving
* always eat a carb/starch with a protein to slow down its absorption...eating a carb alone will cause your blood glucose to spike then drop making him feel worse.

The goal with blood glucose control - is to keep it level and avoid any spikes or dips.

Eating a bowl of plain oatmeal for breakfast every day alone can help you drop the cholesterol number as well as walking 30 mins daily. (even better for blood glucose levels if you walk 30 mins 1/2 hour after you finish your meal too)

This may sound silly and extreme but if he's not willing to cooperate by willingly eat better and exercise - perhaps introduce him to someone in the hospital that has lost a limb or has gone blind due to poor sugar control. Seeing how it can affect someone - and potentially him if its not controlled now - could put a fire under his butt. Having volunteered with seniors - I heard a lot of not only how much the meds/supplies cost as well as the physical and emotional effects its taken from them. Its very sad. Every senior I've met with diabetes that waited too long before doing anything about it, has regretted it and missed out on other opportunities in their life from that one poor choice. Spewing info at him is one thing, seeing the long term effects is a whole other ballgame.

I hope this helps - its whats helped me drop my #'s.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

This may sound silly and extreme but if he's not willing to cooperate by willingly eat better and exercise -

Thanks for all the tips. He has suspected for some time that he may be 'pre diabetic' but hearing it from a Doctor has made it real for him and he is willingly trying to make changes, where before there was less motivation. He doesn't actually have Diabetes YET, but he's been told that if he does not get his BS under control RIGHT NOW he WILL get it.

He is in the cranky and grumpy stage, having given up white sugar this week. I am trying to figure out low sugar things he can have that will soothe his sugar addiction.

RaineyDaye, thanks for the reminder on the smoothies. I did that last summer, made with yogurt and we both liked them. It's time to start making those again.

 

[Libby]

CH - the carb counting thing helped me BIG time with learning what had sugars and what didn't and how much. Being diabetic doesn't mean 'not' having certain foods but rather making choices and sticking with them - be it choosing the right foods and getting to eat a ton or choosing to eat junk and only a taste of it and not having room for anything else to help fill the gap.

Example: which fills you more? 1/2c grape juice or 1c of grapes? Try to avoid the empty calories and fill him with fibre. Gives the fuller feeling and reduces cholesterol and BP too. Fibre is pretty good for every ailment it seems, same with exercise which can be a pain lol.

Milk & tomato sauce were killers for me - We used to eat a lot of spaghetti and pizza - never figured tomato sauce to be a carb.

Is there a diabetes clinic that offers nutrition counseling that you both can attend together? Helps him understands the limits and you so you can prep the food properly. Took my dad a year to catch on and stop being in denial but now his sugars are perfect and he knows what spikes him.