Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> Janet Wilder > wrote:

>>>
>> On my soap box:
>>
>> My DH is diabetic. I weigh dry pasta on my kitchen scale. If the package
>> says it is so many grams of carbohydrates per 2 ounce serving, I'll be
>> able to tell exactly what damage the pasta will do and adjust the
>> serving size accordingly.
>>
>> Cooking for diabetes is a serious science. I read all the package labels
>> and even have downloaded the USDA nutrition file so I can check
>> carbohydrate counts for myself when planning a meal with ingredients I'm
>> not familiar with, especially vegetables.
>>
>> Of course most diabetics and their care-givers don't have a clue as to
>> how to count their carbohydrates because 1) the medical profession is
>> horrible at educating patients and 2) the American Diabetes Association
>> hasn't a clue that their dietary advice mostly works for type-1
>> diabetics who can cover all those nasty carbs with insulin.
>
> Note that many type II diabetics are on insulin also (like me). It's
> not a quick fix for carb intake.

My DH has a pump, but most T-2 diabetics are on oral meds or under
orders to watch their diet and exercise more. Some take that direction
seriously, most, especially senior citizen-types, don't.

We were in a buffet restaurant the other day and I saw a much
over-weight man with a plate full of cookies tell his wife that they
were sugar-free cookies so he could eat them with his diabetes. She
agreed. He must have had 200 grams of carbs in those cookies., but in
his uneducated mind they were okay because they were sugar-free.

Frankly I wouldn't care what people do to themselves, but when they are
obviously on Medicare, I'm paying part of their medical bills.
>> Most type-2 diabetics get a diagnosis and a pamphlet along with a
>> prescription. Maybe a few get a meter, but most don't get educated in
>> how to properly use the meter testing their post-prandial blood glucose
>> readings to see how different foods effect their blood glucose. No
>> piece of paper with a "meal plan" is a substitute for one's own
>> metering. Trust me, I've been feeding and caring for this man for 22
>> years (and he's doing quite well)
>
> That's kind of what I learned in my class last week. Listen to the
> advice, read the handouts and then the meter tells you how well it's
> working.
>
>> A recipe for diabetics should not just substitute artificial sweetener
>> for sugar. A slice of white bread and a tablespoon of refined sugar have
>> exactly the same carbohydrate count. Carbohydrates are found in
>> starches, starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash,
>> fruit and dairy products.
>>
>> The best way to feed a diabetic is to minimize the carbohydrates in the
>> meal.
>
> That's currently the first recommended angle of attack, as I understand
> it.
>


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life