NDR: Diabetic recipes

emoflamingo

My dad was finally diagnosed as diabetic after being borderline for years and not doing anything to take care of himself. His job is dependent on him controlling it with diet (he loses his CDL if he has to use insulin) and I wanted to help him out by giving him some ideas. There are tons of cook books out there so I was wondering if anyone has some good ones. I thought about getting him a subscription to Diabetic Cooking but he works so much I don't know that he'd really read it.

Any suggestions would be great. Our relationship has been strained the last year (huge blow up fight with my brother and they are still not speaking) and I want to do something nice for him. 

Mrs Acorn Blue

My dad is borderline diabetic and the best thing he did was to visit a Diabetes educator.  She laid out a sensible and easy to follow meal plan that took into account foods he likes.  My mom cooks a LOT and really hasn't changed what she makes...it's more about portion size and balancing carbs and protein.  Not every insurance pays for it so maybe offering to do that would be better than a cookbook, especially if he doesn't cook a lot.

emoflamingo

Yeah, he doesn't have insurance either. (Don't get me started on how irritated he makes me in regards to that.) He's self-employed, so it's astronomical and he never sees a doctor unless it's dire.

He said he's not allowed to eat any pasta, rice, bread (carbs or starches of any kind), plus no apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, tomatoes and corn. I know there's more, but I've forgotten the long list. So far, he's dropped 20 pounds (he was probably 40-50 pounds overweight) and he looks exhausted because he's not eating enough calories.

jord1234

I am not a dietician but he can eat carbs. As the other poster stated it is about portion size. Many of the pharmaceutical companies offer general diabetes education classes which include information on diet. He can call his doctors office to see if they know of any in his area. 

mrs.jacinthe

I'm not sure what doctor recommended that diet, but it doesn't sound right to me.  I'm no dietician, but my dad has had diabetes for the last 20 years (managed with diet only) and he eats all those things ... just in moderation.  Here's a helpful link from Mayo that my mom references a lot as regards diet:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

If you're looking for specific recipes, anything from the ADA is a good place to start.  http://www.diabetes.org/  They also have local offices and resource centers where they do counseling and classes - low cost or free, at least where my parents live.

ETA: I just realized I totally forgot to actually provide the links to my favorite cookbooks.  Sorry.  LOL

This one is great for comfort food.  Since your dad is a trucker, these would be closest to truck-stop restaurant food/home cooking, if that's what he likes:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Diabetes-Association-Comfort-Cookbook/dp/158040443X

Also, I have owned several different editions of the regular ADA cookbook and this one is my favorite - from 1987:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-diabetes-association-american-dietetic-association-family-cookbook-american-diabetes-association-staff/1109251779?ean=9780130039156&itm=1&usri=9780130039156

emoflamingo

mrs.jacinthe:

I'm not sure what doctor recommended that diet, but it doesn't sound right to me.  I'm no dietician, but my dad has had diabetes for the last 20 years (managed with diet only) and he eats all those things ... just in moderation.  Here's a helpful link from Mayo that my mom references a lot as regards diet:

(I deleted the rest because I hate huge blocks fo quotes lol.)

Thanks for the suggestions! The reason they said NONE of that is because after a 12 hour fast, his blood sugar was twice what it should be. Combined with his vision rapidly declining (new prescription was completely useless after 2 weeks and it was a huge jump from a small positive to a huge negative on the lenses) so I think they're trying to manage it right now until he can get it under control. Because, like I said, insulin is a "no job" sentence he can't afford.

I'll order him some books and hope he doesn't take offense to it. I love my dad and I want him to be around for a long while.