# I need to help my Mum!



## Carrie007 (May 5, 2013)

Hi - my Mum has just been diagnosed with Type 2 - she is 85 and all of a sudden she is scared and depressed - she thinks she can no longer eat what she loves and there's no point in anything now - what can I do to show her that her life can still be good - she is a wonderful person and she needs to know that this isn't the end!!


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## Northerner (May 5, 2013)

Hi Carrie, welcome to the forum  Please tell your Mum that she mustn't worry! People with diabetes can live full, happy and healthy lives, it just needs a little knowledge and planning. The first thing to know is that a healthy diet for people with diabetes is a healthy diet for everyone. Nothing is forbidden, but certain obvious things must be eaten in moderation, and she may have to find more diabetes-friendly substitutes for some things. But it certainly shouldn't mean that she needs to miss out on all the things she loves.

Diabetes is all about carbohydrates - potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cakes sweets etc. What she needs to do is try to keep the amounts of these things small and instead fill up on other things that have less of an impact on her blood sugar levels. I would suggest getting a book called The GL Diet for Dummies and see what she thinks about some of the suggestions in there.

Is she on any medication for her diabetes? It will help if she is active and can get some regular form of exercise. Please reassure her that things will be OK and let us know if you or she have any questions, we will be more than happy to help


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## Pumper_Sue (May 5, 2013)

Carrie007 said:


> Hi - my Mum has just been diagnosed with Type 2 - she is 85 and all of a sudden she is scared and depressed - she thinks she can no longer eat what she loves and there's no point in anything now - what can I do to show her that her life can still be good - she is a wonderful person and she needs to know that this isn't the end!!



Hi Carrie and welcome to the forum. 
It's just a thought regarding your Mum, do you think due to her age she she remembers people from years gone by who have had very restricted diets and limb loss etc and this is what is worrying her?
Things have improved  alot in recent years, so most things your mum can eat even the the so called naughty stuff just everything in moderation. It's just a case of watching the carbs esp startchy carbs. Tell your Mum the forum members will be expecting an invite to her 100th Birthday party


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## Mark T (May 6, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Carrie


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## lesleyW (May 6, 2013)

Carrie007 said:


> Hi - my Mum has just been diagnosed with Type 2 - she is 85 and all of a sudden she is scared and depressed - she thinks she can no longer eat what she loves and there's no point in anything now - what can I do to show her that her life can still be good - she is a wonderful person and she needs to know that this isn't the end!!



Hello Carrie, 
My mum is 92 and was also frightened when she was diagnosed.   She remembers a time when her father had to have food weighed out and could not eat or drink any of the things he enjoyed.   Things have moved on a lot thank heavens.   I expect that your mum is already eating a healthy diet and will soon find that, as others have said, moderation is the key.   My mother used to think that she could only have 6 grapes - not 7 or 8 grapes - but 6 grapes!   Now she is sensible, but not overly rigid about her diet.  Diabetes isn't the end - indeed your mum may well discover a wider range of food than she had tried before.   All the best.


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## mcdonagh47 (May 6, 2013)

lesleyW said:


> Hello Carrie,
> My mum is 92 and was also frightened when she was diagnosed.   She remembers a time when her father had to have food weighed out and could not eat or drink any of the things he enjoyed.   Things have moved on a lot thank heavens.   I expect that your mum is already eating a healthy diet and will soon find that, as others have said, moderation is the key.   My mother used to think that she could only have 6 grapes - not 7 or 8 grapes - but 6 grapes!   Now she is sensible, but not overly rigid about her diet.  Diabetes isn't the end - indeed your mum may well discover a wider range of food than she had tried before.   All the best.



15 grapes are 1 Carbohydrate Portion for Type 2 Carb Awareness purposes.
Grapes are notorious for shooting up bgs and should be approached with care.
Red ones of course are valuable for the anti-oxidant, Resveratrol, in their skins.


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## Carrie007 (May 6, 2013)

*what a great welcome!*

Hi - thanks so much to all who are replying - I'm going to visit my mother today and will be able to reassure her that things aren't so bad. She is going to a clinic in two weeks time but I still think I should give her as much information as possible. At the very basic level should I be checking the sugar content on everything that she buys? I didn't know about the carbohydrates - perhaps smaller portions? Is there something I can buy - some sort of guide - that she can use when shopping? Loads of questions!!!!


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## Northerner (May 6, 2013)

Carrie007 said:


> Hi - thanks so much to all who are replying - I'm going to visit my mother today and will be able to reassure her that things aren't so bad. She is going to a clinic in two weeks time but I still think I should give her as much information as possible. At the very basic level should I be checking the sugar content on everything that she buys? I didn't know about the carbohydrates - perhaps smaller portions? Is there something I can buy - some sort of guide - that she can use when shopping? Loads of questions!!!!



It's not just sugar that she needs to be concerned about, it is the total carb content of food items, as all carbs will convert to glucose and raise blood glucose levels. White bread will actually raise levels faster than table sugar! Best to look at the nutritional information on packets, and for items that are not pre-packed the Collins Gem Calorie Counter provides carb values for most items 

It can be helpful to start a food diary for a week or two and record the carb content of food and drink consumed - this can help you spot things where you might be able to make changes, such as reducing portion sizes of, for example, potatoes, and adding more veg instead. If you need any suggestions or there is something you are unsure of then please ask  Have a look in our Food and Recipes section also for some ideas.


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## LeeLee (May 6, 2013)

Hi Carrie, it's good to see that you are there to support your Mum.  There are books that can help, I think Carbs and Cals is one of them.  Have a look in the Useful links section at the top of the Newbies thread.

It's not all about sugar - it would be so easy if it was!  The body converts all carbohydrates into sugar, but it does so faster with some types than others, and different foods have different effects on individual diabetics.

Here are some examples of what works for me: Breakfast is often a Mullerlight yogurt with 1 weetabix crumbled in, or scrambled egg and bacon with mushrooms and tinned tomatoes.  I only buy small (400g) loaves of wholemeal bread, and have a max of 2 slices per day with low fat soft cheese instead of butter.  I have a jacket spud maybe once a week, and have swapped mashed cauliflower for potato.  I have 50g (dry weight) of half-and-half pasta (I don't like wholemeal) or wholemeal couscous or basmati rice with saucy dinners.  My snacks are almost always fruit, and puddings are fat-free yogurt or sugar free jelly.

Good luck with finding what works for your Mum, that ties in with what she likes to eat.


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## Carrie007 (May 6, 2013)

*Hi All*

Hi Lee Lee - it's so strange looking at your menu - it's almost lists all my Mum's favourite foods. I saw her today and we've made out a shopping list which really isn't that different to what we would normally get -she was so pleased and I've described the message board here and she wants to say thanks to everyone who has been so kind with their advice. It's lovely to see that she is definitely much more cheerful and I'm planning to print out loads of the recipes on the website. I've ordered the books mentioned so in a few days we will be so much more in control. I can't tell you all how much this means to us all (I have two sisters who say thanks too!) Thank goodness for the internet!!


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## Northerner (May 6, 2013)

Great to hear Carrie, so pleased she is feeling much better about things


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