Diabetics and Food

[Anonymous]

Would like to hear from Type II diabetics about favorite, delicious foods that don't spike blood sugar. I LOVE spaghetti and indulge now and then but do notice a mild spike from the carbs. Please share your favorite treats!

[Anonymous]

Not Type II, but I had gestational diabetes and had to watch blood sugar carefully. I still follow the general guidelines and check blood sugar periodically, mostly out of curiousity / to keep an eye on the risk of developing Type II, although I'm definitely not as strict as I was during the pregnancy.

My favorite foods: Salmon!!!! Or any kind of seafood. Protein + good fats = good blood sugar profile (for me, at least). Nuts, peanut butter, broccoli, kale (sauteed w/ lemon juice and halved cherry tomatoes), avocado, bacon, eggs (I hard boil a dozen almost every week, eat them for breakfast and snacks), Greek yogurt (higher protein than regular, look for one without a lot of added sugar). Note that I'm not trying to lose weight, just looking at blood sugar, hence the inclusion of things like bacon .

I actually found that I didn't have to change the foods that much, just rebalanced the portions. For example, instead of a heaping plate of spaghetti with garlic bread, I now treat the pasta as a small side. About 1/3 cup of pasta, top with meat sauce (heavy on the meat & tomatoes, no added sugar) & plenty of cheese, big side of sauteed spinach or kale, and a salad with olive oil & vinegar. Satisfies the craving with enough other stuff to mitigate the spike.

[Anonymous]

I have prediabetes, so I am trying to eat like a diabetic, but I don't check my blood sugar regularly.

I do a "pasta bake" with cauliflower. I steam 3 cups of cauliflower in the microwave. I add 1-2 cups (cooked) of whole wheat pasta, reduced fat shredded cheese, 1 jar of Trader Joe's Rustico tomato sauce, a tray of ground turkey (cooked) from Costco. I mix all incredients and sprinkle shredded cheese on top I bake at 325-350 for 30 minutes. DH and my 4 and 2 year old love it.


I also love this recipe for a pumpkin bake. Not especially low cal, but a great low carb food to ease sweet cravings. I use Splenda, and I do a version with sugar, since my kids always want some. i use a lower ratio of sweetener, and it works for me.

http://genaw.com/lowcarb/pumpkin_bake.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have prediabetes, so I am trying to eat like a diabetic, but I don't check my blood sugar regularly.

I do a "pasta bake" with cauliflower. I steam 3 cups of cauliflower in the microwave. I add 1-2 cups (cooked) of whole wheat pasta, reduced fat shredded cheese, 1 jar of Trader Joe's Rustico tomato sauce, a tray of ground turkey (cooked) from Costco. I mix all incredients and sprinkle shredded cheese on top I bake at 325-350 for 30 minutes. DH and my 4 and 2 year old love it.


I also love this recipe for a pumpkin bake. Not especially low cal, but a great low carb food to ease sweet cravings. I use Splenda, and I do a version with sugar, since my kids always want some. i use a lower ratio of sweetener, and it works for me.

http://genaw.com/lowcarb/pumpkin_bake.html

This sounds delicious!

[Anonymous]

Try the whole wheat pasta or the newer versions with less carbs. Anything white just runs up my numbers but I can live without bread, pasta, rice etc. to stay off the meds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not Type II, but I had gestational diabetes and had to watch blood sugar carefully. I still follow the general guidelines and check blood sugar periodically, mostly out of curiousity / to keep an eye on the risk of developing Type II, although I'm definitely not as strict as I was during the pregnancy.

My favorite foods: Salmon!!!! Or any kind of seafood. Protein + good fats = good blood sugar profile (for me, at least). Nuts, peanut butter, broccoli, kale (sauteed w/ lemon juice and halved cherry tomatoes), avocado, bacon, eggs (I hard boil a dozen almost every week, eat them for breakfast and snacks), Greek yogurt (higher protein than regular, look for one without a lot of added sugar). Note that I'm not trying to lose weight, just looking at blood sugar, hence the inclusion of things like bacon .

I actually found that I didn't have to change the foods that much, just rebalanced the portions. For example, instead of a heaping plate of spaghetti with garlic bread, I now treat the pasta as a small side. About 1/3 cup of pasta, top with meat sauce (heavy on the meat & tomatoes, no added sugar) & plenty of cheese, big side of sauteed spinach or kale, and a salad with olive oil & vinegar. Satisfies the craving with enough other stuff to mitigate the spike.

If you don't mind my asking, how is your cholesterol with that diet? My family history tends to run high, so I don't think I could do that diet without consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not Type II, but I had gestational diabetes and had to watch blood sugar carefully. I still follow the general guidelines and check blood sugar periodically, mostly out of curiousity / to keep an eye on the risk of developing Type II, although I'm definitely not as strict as I was during the pregnancy.

My favorite foods: Salmon!!!! Or any kind of seafood. Protein + good fats = good blood sugar profile (for me, at least). Nuts, peanut butter, broccoli, kale (sauteed w/ lemon juice and halved cherry tomatoes), avocado, bacon, eggs (I hard boil a dozen almost every week, eat them for breakfast and snacks), Greek yogurt (higher protein than regular, look for one without a lot of added sugar). Note that I'm not trying to lose weight, just looking at blood sugar, hence the inclusion of things like bacon .

I actually found that I didn't have to change the foods that much, just rebalanced the portions. For example, instead of a heaping plate of spaghetti with garlic bread, I now treat the pasta as a small side. About 1/3 cup of pasta, top with meat sauce (heavy on the meat & tomatoes, no added sugar) & plenty of cheese, big side of sauteed spinach or kale, and a salad with olive oil & vinegar. Satisfies the craving with enough other stuff to mitigate the spike.

If you don't mind my asking, how is your cholesterol with that diet? My family history tends to run high, so I don't think I could do that diet without consequences.

I haven't had a problem with cholesterol - don't remember the exact numbers, but well within the "good" range. Low/moderate cholesterol tends to run in my family, though. My husband's is a bit higher than mine, still considered normal ... he eats a similar diet as mine, but with a bit more junk food; he also has a family history of higher cholesterol. Hard to say how much the difference between our numbers is due to the minor diet differences vs genetic.

[Anonymous]

Aren't type II diabetics able to eat just like anyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren't type II diabetics able to eat just like anyone else?

You're kidding, right?

Sometimes Type II is age-onset, but more often it's caused by poor diet, e.g. high fat and obesity.

[Anonymous]

I have gestational diabetes - I recently stumbled across atkin bars. They are pricey but they have like 14 g carbs and 10 g protein. I eat one as a snack before bed and my fasting numbers are great in the morning. They are a rare sweet treat!

[Anonymous]

Unsweetened almond milk, Dreamfield's Pasta, whole grains, eggs, brown rice, salads, green veggies, meat and seafood, sourdough bread. Homemade baked goods from the cookbook The Diabetic Pastry Chef.

[Anonymous]

I did a modification to this NYT Chinese-style shrimp and eggs recipe, and it turned out great.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/recipe-of-the-day-scrambled-eggs-with-shrimp/?_r=0

2 eggs
egg whites (enough to substitute for 2 eggs)
half tbsp sesame oil
1 tabsp soy sauce
2 cups steamed chopped cauliflower
2 cups of frozen shrimp chopped

I mixed the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and then added the other 2. Cooked on low heat in a pan sprayed with oil.
Very flavorful.