We started our diabetic education classes

[Brandi Clark]

Hi licia. While I can't recommend a diabetic cookbook I would like to recommend a sweetener that I use because I too am diabetic. For a sweetener I use Splenda. I don't know how familiar you are with this but I can't tell much difference between this and sugar. It can be used for cooking and baking. One tsp. contains less than 1 gram of total carbs.

Good luck!
Brandi

[licia]

I think I will forego the idea of a cookbook for now. I already have some that have diet sections and a few diet cookbooks that perhaps I can use or adjust the recipes some. We go tonight for another session and will hear the results of a week trying to follow orders. Thanks for all the help. This is an entirely new era for us, but find that as we get a bit older almost everything changes.

[Lady C]

If you decide you need a cookbook try Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook; ISBN: 0-7645-6704-7

It has some great basic information about controling blood sugars and eating. It even gives a week of menus/meals (eating 6x per day).

[Kid4eva]

The best thing you can do for your (type 2) diabetes is gaining muscle mass. The musculature plays a big role for taking up sugar from the blood and when you have little muscle mass, your pancreas tries to compensate by flooding the blood with insulin. This doesn't work long term, and ultimately two things happen, the insulin has a lower effect on the muscle, and the production of insulin itself is lowered cuz your beta-cells of the langerhans islets are "exhausted"

Reducing calories, and rapidly absorbable carbs is beneficial, but it is kinda different to reduce the intake when you ain't moving your bum. Reason: the stomach ain't even distended enough to give you the feeling of fullness before you have exceeded your diet plans if you don't start excercising.

I am talking bout type 2 diabetics here, which means the most of you, the poor chaps with the type 1 needs exogenous insulin, period. But you guys can actually do something about your disease, and guess what: it's free. Second fact, it takes more than 5 min a day. Lose weight with endurance training and gain muscle by lifting weights. Then afterwards, start bi**hing about the diet.

[Swann]

The best way to add a few carbs is a piece of fruit. Good for you to boot! A glass of oj can take you over the top but a whole orange, apple, cantaloupe (low in carbs), grapefruit, berries.... and the list goes on! Add berries to your cereal too or dried fruit which have a far amt of carbs.

[Claire]

Licia, we've been going through the same thing. Hubby is allowed 30 for breakfast, 30 for lunch, 60 for supper, and 15-30 for three snacks. I told him when we started that I wouldn't be the food police, and I hate math, so if he turned meals into math problems for me I'd just buy frozen meals and say screw it. I was proud and pleased to learn that I was already buying and cooking very healthy (I thought I was, thank you Mom and 6 years of Home Ec classes!), he just had to control how much he ate of what I was making. He now uses a 1/2 and full cup measuring cup to serve himself. he eats a lot more fruit for snacks. His doctor said he's very proud of him ... that his numbers are such that he wouldn't even know he'd diagnosed him as diabetic. I've always joked with the doc that we eat healthy, good, food.... unfortunately we eat enough to support a small third person. Hubby now has to watch beer and wine, count them as part of the meal or snack. I think what is hardest is that we'd cut back on meat and dairy because of the cholesterol thing. After awhile you learn that you cannot follow every diet for every condition that might befall you. We both agree that diabetes is the most important. My life won't be worth living the day shots come into the picture, so we're working hard on the diabetes things.