Hosting Diabetic w/Cholesterol Issues

[Amethyst]

OK, I know there are forum members who deal with both these dietary issues daily.

We will be hosting a relative (male, early 70s, widower) for 5 nights. He has activities lined up for lunch and dinner most days, but will eat breakfast at our house every morning, dinner with us one night, and I'd also like to stock the pantry and fridge with snacks for him.

When I asked what kind of lower-carb/lower-cholesterol foods he'd prefer, he kind of went off on "well, the things I LIKE are all bad for me, so..." and I did not really get an answer. Although, he did indicate that he is trying to keep the Bad Stuff out of his diet; he's had 2 heart attacks. I wish I could ask his wife - but unfortunately, Heaven doesn't have a hotline.

Suggestions would be so welcome.

P.S. Sometimes the good vs. bad food discussions can get rather heated. Please bear in mind, I am not trying to control his health for the rest of his life; simply give him some thoughtful food choices while he's with us.

Thanks,

Amethyst

 

[Beldar]

I fall in both of those dietary buckets myself.

To be honest, as a diabetic there is nothing off limits. The key to controlling my blood sugar, outside of medications & exercise, is limiting the amount of carbohydrate intake at any giving time, which reduces any radical blood sugar swing. So I pay close attention to portion control and the amount of carbs in any given meal / snack.

And as far as cholesterol is concerned, I just lay off the red meats and watch my total fat intake. The statin I take pretty much takes care of any "mistakes" I may make.

I've had consultations with dietitians regarding how to be aware of my diet, and between that & the meds everything is under control.

Seriously, you're not going to kill him in 5 days. Just don't load up on the sweets, breads and pastas and he'll be just fine. You could always take a look at some of the recommended meal planning on the 'net and whip those up for all of you. Besides, he should know how to take care of himself already if he is aware of those 2 conditions. Keep some OJ and hard candy around in case his blood sugar falls too low & he needs a boost (he'll recognize that).

Diabetics only harm themselves if they completely ignore their condition and blow off any meds they need.

Just one point of view, HTH.

_B

 

[Bamaman]

I too am a type II diabetic, and finding something healthy for breakfast is difficult. Just about every breakfast item is a carb. of some sort. If my blood sugar's relatively high, sometimes I do wrong and just drink a Diet Coke and skip breakfast.

You've got "garbage in a box", or cereal. I try to stick to plain Cheerios. And oatmeal is another option that's healthier. Many will eat yogurt that's not sweetened with sugar.

My best suggestion is to wait until the gentleman arrives, and just ask him directly what he eats for breakfast.

I put myself on insulin (rather than pills) and my blood sugar's more consistent. And I later got an insulin pump while I had good insurance. The pump allows me to eat moderately, note my blood sugar level and the amount of carbs and it dispenses the correct amount of insulin needed. It allows me to eat more normal diet items, like a sausage biscuit for breakfast.

 

[MikeWillRetire]

If he is not worrying about it, neither should you. At his age and circumstance, I would take his lead. Enjoy his company. Eat.

 

[Meadbh]

Although I rarely have house guests, I live in an area where many of my friends do, and are dealing with assorted dietary restrictions on a regular basis.....sometimes several different ones at the same time.

One strategy would be to ask for a list of prohibited foods and favourites. Then use your discretion.

 

[Amethyst]

As I said, I did ask...and got no real response. But I know him well enough to know that he does know the "right" stuff, and would be pleased and flattered if we did provide the "right" stuff. He simply doesn't want to make demands. Does it help if I note that he is an engineer? (EE) and a computer scientist?

Although I rarely have house guests, I live in an area where many of my friends do, and are dealing with assorted dietary restrictions on a regular basis.....sometimes several different ones at the same time.

One strategy would be to ask for a list of prohibited foods and favourites. Then use your discretion.

 

[bld999]

JMO, It's the diabetic's responsibility to regulate diet and meds to produce the frequently elusive state of control. If you provide options at each meal, or enough individual choices for him to select from, he can make it work. He may not get exactly what he wants, but if he won't tell you, you can't help him to that extent anyway.

Same with cholesterol, he can police his own condition according to what he believes are risks or "free" zones in his diet. It's not your job to keep him on the straight and narrow, but providing one or two simple options will allow him to make the necessary choices.

Neither condition requires special foods to any extent, just normal foods in regulated quantities with respect to the diner's management plan.

 

[MRG]

I'm not diabetic, but here's some suggestions:

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Diabetic-Low-Cholesterol-Diet-Foods-To-Eat.htm

 

[Amethyst]

MRG's web site was just the ticket. The dinner will be salmon with asparagus, and homemade persimmon bread for dessert. For breakfasts, we'll have muesli, with several kinds of fruit and berries, plus eggs and Taylor ham/Canadian bacon if he wants them (I've been reading that eggs are not really the cholesterol monsters we used to think they were). I happen to know he loves raw vegetables so I'll have a covered plastic dish of those for noshing. Actually this all sounds so good, I may have to eat it all myself

 

[Elbata]

Forgive me, I'll be the contrarian.

 

[Amethyst]

He can go on the rice diet when he gets home. That's his business. LOL

 

[bld999]

Forgive me, I'll be the contrarian.

From the linked article:

"His numbers also showed how a high-carbohydrate diet improved blood sugars and often cured type-2 diabetes."

You got the contrarian part right... where did he find the numbers in question, a dumpster?

 

[MRG]

MRG's web site was just the ticket. The dinner will be salmon with asparagus, and homemade persimmon bread for dessert. For breakfasts, we'll have muesli, with several kinds of fruit and berries, plus eggs and Taylor ham/Canadian bacon if he wants them (I've been reading that eggs are not really the cholesterol monsters we used to think they were). I happen to know he loves raw vegetables so I'll have a covered plastic dish of those for noshing. Actually this all sounds so good, I may have to eat it all myself

I've never had Persimmon bread, but salmon and asparagus tonight for dinner. Black rice too.

I can say eating this way has been good for us, started in the spring. Together DW and I have lost 75 pounds since April, day ten since I've taken my last blood pressure pill it's been running 110/70! I'm not on any meds anymore, DW has eliminated 2 and has cut 3 others back substantially. Not bad since we both actually enjoy this type of food.

 

[audreyh1]

I've never had Persimmon bread, but salmon and asparagus tonight for dinner. Black rice too.

I can say eating this way has been good for us, started in the spring. Together DW and I have lost 75 pounds since April, day ten since I've taken my last blood pressure pill it's been running 110/70! I'm not on any meds anymore, DW has eliminated 2 and has cut 3 others back substantially. Not bad since we both actually enjoy this type of food.

Congrats MRG!

I've been getting readings below 110 most days, and sometimes below 100! In my case just dropping 12 pounds or so dropped BP readings by 20+ points.

 

[Amethyst]

Made from the strained pulp of wild persimmons. It's hella work to strain those suckers, but nothing else in the world tastes like it. It's like spice cake without any spices.

I've never had Persimmon bread, .

 

[eytonxav]

As far as carbs go, just look for natural slow digesting carb sources. Processed sugary ones from a box are probably not he best.

 

[FIRE'd@51]

I was diagnosed a Type II about 10 years ago, and this has worked well for me

Shoot for about 30 gm of carbs per meal, 15 for snacks

Here are few suggestions for tasty low carb foods:

Breakfast: bacon and eggs, Kellogg's Secial K Protein cereal, oatmeal

Snacks/dessert - Kroger Carbmaster yogurt (1 six ounce cup has only 4 gm of carbohydrates), Murray's sugar free cookies (3 cookies about 15 gm of carbs), Russell Stover sugar free candy (3 pieces about 15 gm of carbs), Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream

Bread - Nature's Own white wheat

In my opinion, there are really no "No-No's" - just watch portion size - (eg, 3 ounces of potatoes is OK)

Only Diet sodas

Do not worry about fats - cheese is fine

Red meat is OK

 

[donheff]

If he is not worrying about it, neither should you. At his age and circumstance, I would take his lead. Enjoy his company. Eat.

+1. He signaled you that he is not paying attention - probably using or will use meds to address his problem. Unless you have very specific ideas that you believe are helpful and you want to proselytize you should just stick to your normal habits and let him/her choose.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks for sharing your specific suggestions! We will all be fine, especially since it turns out that all the acceptable foods are things we ourselves like ...so just in case he ends up doing all his eating elsewhere, we will be happy with the leftovers

He does take some medications. Says he is trying to adjust lifestyle factors to avoid having to take even more.

I was diagnosed a Type II about 10 years ago, and this has worked well for me

Shoot for about 30 gm of carbs per meal, 15 for snacks

Here are few suggestions for tasty low carb foods:

Breakfast: bacon and eggs, Kellogg's Secial K Protein cereal, oatmeal

Snacks/dessert - Kroger Carbmaster yogurt (1 six ounce cup has only 4 gm of carbohydrates), Murray's sugar free cookies (3 cookies about 15 gm of carbs), Russell Stover sugar free candy (3 pieces about 15 gm of carbs), Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream

Bread - Nature's Own white wheat

In my opinion, there are really no "No-No's" - just watch portion size - (eg, 3 ounces of potatoes is OK)

Only Diet sodas

Do not worry about fats - cheese is fine

Red meat is OK

 

[GrussGott]

The best diet for anyone with heart disease (i.e., heart attacks or strokes) is a vegan diet, no added oil, nuts etc. The goal is to halt the production of vascular plaque and cap it so that it cannot do further damage.

One researched version is Dr Esselstyn's from the Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program | Make yourself heart attack proof

I was on a salmon & kale diet but couldn't get my cho down below 150 until switched to an esselstyn high carb diet... The side benefit has been I've lost 15 lbs!

 

[haha]

No suggestions from me, as everyone is an expert in these things, so what could I add?

But I have been testing my blood sugar for 10 years now, and it has gotten steadily better, such that now it is normal, 24 hours a day. I eat very low carb, and I exercise like a madman.

One other comment, diabetes can create havoc, short and long term. But you can very safely ignore cholesterol. Long term your guest may or may not want to consider cholesterol, but you can safely forget that for his visit.

Ha