Hello all,

My father, a diabetic, is having quintuple bypass surgery today. I
will be staying with him the first week of April, after he is released
from the hospital, to help take care of him. One of the things I want
to do while I'm there is prepare some meals for him that he can freeze
and heat up in individual portions. My step-mother doesn't cook much,
so this would be a big help for both of them.

If you have any diabetic, heart-smart recipes that would freeze well
(and are relatively easy - I also have a 7 month old baby to wrangle!)
please post them. He doesn't like squash, carrots, mushrooms, or
onions.

Thank you!
Amy

"Amy" > wrote in message
oups.com...

> If you have any diabetic, heart-smart recipes that would freeze well
> (and are relatively easy - I also have a 7 month old baby to wrangle!)
> please post them. He doesn't like squash, carrots, mushrooms, or
> onions.

Is he on insulin? And what's your idea of heart-smart?

My dad is a pain in the neck to cook for - you could add any veggies except
peas, plus garlic, to your dad's list. I have to disguise veggies - would
your dad eat soups, for instance? Or stews, thickened with veggie puree?

How amenable would your step-mother be to learning some easy meals? That
might be another option? What kind of food do they like?

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.4/<6 T2 DX 05/2004
1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
95/74/72Kg

Nicky wrote:
> "Amy" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
> > If you have any diabetic, heart-smart recipes that would freeze well
> > (and are relatively easy - I also have a 7 month old baby to wrangle!)
> > please post them. He doesn't like squash, carrots, mushrooms, or
> > onions.
>
> Is he on insulin?

He wasn't before he was in the hospital, but now they're using it in
the hospital. I don't think he expects to remain on it once he's
released, but I'm not sure.

> And what's your idea of heart-smart?

My idea right now is lots of whole grains, things that grow (fruits and
veg) in as close to a natural state as possible, low fat, low
cholesterol, but I don't *know* exactly what he needs. I'm hoping to
be able to talk to the nutritionist, but I don't live in the same town
as he's being treated in, so it may or may not happen.

> My dad is a pain in the neck to cook for - you could add any veggies except
> peas, plus garlic, to your dad's list. I have to disguise veggies - would
> your dad eat soups, for instance? Or stews, thickened with veggie puree?

I think for the first week, he'll eat what I feed him, or he'll starve!
He's pretty good, all things considered, although if he could he'd
live on peanut butter and popcorn. I'm planning on making a big batch
of the Weight Watcher's 0 point soup and freezing it in single portion
sizes. I'm also going to make a big batch of whole wheat pancakes for
him to heat up for breakfasts after I'm gone.

> How amenable would your step-mother be to learning some easy meals? That
> might be another option? What kind of food do they like?

She's cooperative. I think she'll learn, but I don't want her to have
to stress over it for the first few weeks - I'd like to give them a
good start toward new habits. Generally we like standard midwestern
food around here, although my step-mom leans more southern (greens,
okra, etc.). Dad likes Chinese - I could do a stir fry one night while
I'm there, but that wouldn't freeze well. It's a good way to get some
veggies in!

Thanks for your help,
Amy

"Amy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Nicky wrote:
> > "Amy" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >
> > > If you have any diabetic, heart-smart recipes that would freeze well
> > > (and are relatively easy - I also have a 7 month old baby to wrangle!)
> > > please post them. He doesn't like squash, carrots, mushrooms, or
> > > onions.
> >
> > Is he on insulin?
>
> He wasn't before he was in the hospital, but now they're using it in
> the hospital. I don't think he expects to remain on it once he's
> released, but I'm not sure.
>
> > And what's your idea of heart-smart?
>
> My idea right now is lots of whole grains, things that grow (fruits and
> veg) in as close to a natural state as possible, low fat, low
> cholesterol, but I don't *know* exactly what he needs. I'm hoping to
> be able to talk to the nutritionist, but I don't live in the same town
> as he's being treated in, so it may or may not happen.

That's a bad diet for a diabetic. We have to limit the amount of grains and
starchy foods we eat. Most of our vegetables should be low carb and fruit
may have to be limited. Some find they can eat berries. But many other
fruits spike our BG (blood glucose). But this is very much an individual
thing. What works for one person might not work for another.

Fats should be of the good kind like avocados, nuts, olives, and olive oils.
Peanut butter is great too! Provided it's the natural kind and not the
stuff with transfats in it.
>
> > My dad is a pain in the neck to cook for - you could add any veggies
except
> > peas, plus garlic, to your dad's list. I have to disguise veggies -
would
> > your dad eat soups, for instance? Or stews, thickened with veggie puree?
>
> I think for the first week, he'll eat what I feed him, or he'll starve!
> He's pretty good, all things considered, although if he could he'd
> live on peanut butter and popcorn. I'm planning on making a big batch
> of the Weight Watcher's 0 point soup and freezing it in single portion
> sizes. I'm also going to make a big batch of whole wheat pancakes for
> him to heat up for breakfasts after I'm gone.

Keep in mind that Weight Watchers stuff may have too many carbs in it for
him. I can do popcorn with no problems provided I watch how much of it I
eat. 3 cups is considered a serving. I pop it in olive oil. Peanut butter
is great! But get the kind without transfats. He probably won't be able to
eat bread though, or only maybe one slice. Better to eat it with peanut
butter or possible apples if he can eat them without spiking.

I'd skip the pancakes if I were you, unless you want to send his BG through
the roof! The body is most insulin resistance in the morning and many of us
find we can eat less carbs then. He'd be better off eating eggs (or egg
whites) and vegetables or some cottage cheese.
>
> > How amenable would your step-mother be to learning some easy meals? That
> > might be another option? What kind of food do they like?
>
> She's cooperative. I think she'll learn, but I don't want her to have
> to stress over it for the first few weeks - I'd like to give them a
> good start toward new habits. Generally we like standard midwestern
> food around here, although my step-mom leans more southern (greens,
> okra, etc.). Dad likes Chinese - I could do a stir fry one night while
> I'm there, but that wouldn't freeze well. It's a good way to get some
> veggies in!

Chinese is another thing he'll have to do without unless he's willing to
forgo the sweet sauces, rice and noodles. Greens would be fine and so would
okra so long as it's not breaded and fried. You could do chicken and
noodles, going very light on the noodles and adding a ton of veggies. Of
course you'd have to find veggies he likes.

--
See my webpage:
http://mysite.verizon.net/juliebove/index.htm

"Amy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> And what's your idea of heart-smart?
>
> My idea right now is lots of whole grains, things that grow (fruits and
> veg) in as close to a natural state as possible, low fat, low
> cholesterol, but I don't *know* exactly what he needs. I'm hoping to
> be able to talk to the nutritionist, but I don't live in the same town
> as he's being treated in, so it may or may not happen.

Right. As you've gathered by now, that kind of diet is poor for a diabetic.
The other problem is that individual diabetics react to different foods very
differently - for example, a "heart healthy" oatmeal breakfast puts me in ER
territory blood glucose wise, but there's one or two people on the group who
can cope with it. Incidentally, that's not something a nutritionalist is
likely to be able to help with.

If he stumbled across this group and didn't know how to change his diet to
suit his diabetes (and not coincidentally, lower his risk of heart disease)
we'd ask him to read this link:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm

The trick is to lower carbs substantially, and to be very selective about
what carbs he eats. Similarly, replacing most of his saturated fats with
olive oil, avocados, etc. lowers the risk of inflammation - and it's
inflammation that's his biggest risk for a heart attack.

All of this may be quite a radical change for him, and probably not what he
wants to hear when he comes out of hospital! However, if you don;t get both
him and your stepmother on board, they'll just revert as soon as you're
gone. Getting him to test his glucose levels an hour after meals to see how
he ate affected him is the first step. It's very hard to be wedded to whole
grains if they double or triple your blood glucose levels...

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.4/<6 T2 DX 05/2004
1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
95/74/72Kg