Type 2 Diabetics- tell me your dining stories and tips

[DanaHesson]

anyone else?

 

[Sadie22]

I was diagnosed first with glucose intolerance about four years ago but did not receive diabetes education until after I was diagnosed with Type II about two years ago. My mother has Type II, diagnosed in her 80s, I had gestational diabetes, and how I wish instead of doctors telling me I was higher risk of developing diabetes by age 40, they had said you will develop diabetes if you don't start to eat healthy and lose weight RIGHT NOW. How I wish I had known about diabetes education and had attended classes years ago.

Depending on the doctor, some do not know that diabetes education exists. You may have to ask for it.

I highly recommend that your husband ask his doctor to prescribe diabetes education sessions, including training sessions with and followup with a nutritionist. This should be covered by most health insurance plans. It will be very helpful if you attend all sessions with him so you can be an active partner in managing the condition. If that is not possible, recently published books regarding Type II diabetes will be helpful also.

If the doctor has not given your husband a glucometer to check his blood sugars to see how different foods and food combinations affect his blood glucose levels, the diabetes educators will certainly talk to him about the use of one. I never ever prick my fingers. I use a meter that allows me to prick my arm (no pain at all) and uses the tiniest amount of blood.

Some people can tolerate sugarfree foods, some are affected by sugar substitutes the same way they are by sugar. Sugarfree does not mean everyone can or should eat that food. Some sugarfree foods have as many or more calories as a sugar version. They may have more fat than a sugar version. The sugar alcohols used in some can act as a laxative.

As my diabetes educator taught me, in order to keep my blood glucose levels on as close to an even level as possible, I need to eat approximately equal amounts of carbs, about 30-45 grams, at each meal, with an additional 15-30 grams for between meal snacks, for a total of 180 grams of carbs spread out over the course of a day. I also know how much fat and protein I should have. These amounts may be different for a different size person.

I've pretty much memorized the carb counts for the foods I eat most and have finally learned how much a healthy serviing is (such as a serving of protein is the size of a deck of cards or the palm of my hand). I know I need to eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains and refined carbs rarely and in moderation. Although there is nothing strictly off limits, I need to plan for splurges on refined carbs such as cake.

There is software that can be used to chart out balanced meal plans. I use Calorie King on my desktop computer which allows me to input goals for calories, carbs, fat, protein, cholesterol, salt, and a few other things.

I used my glucometer a lot at first, but as I learned how different foods affect me I don't need to use it as much, although I keep it with me. I've also learned to recognize how highs and lows feel. The idea is to avoid these, but stress or a change in routine affects blood glucose levels. I do carry snacks and water with me at all times.

I'll be increasing my exercise to build endurance for our trip to Disney in July, which may mean I can fit more snack foods into my plan.

I'm going to try the Tonga Toast this trip also, but I know eating the entire portion would make me feel lousy, so I'll definitely be sharing with my husband. Also, having some fat and protein along with the carb food will slow down its digestion and control the sugar spike to some degree.

 

[DanaHesson]

Luckily I am an LPN, and work at a hospital. I have spoken with both the diabetes educator and tne nutritionist on his behalf. The nutritionist said he could have around 70g of carbs per meal based on his height and weight, which makes things alot easier on me. He also has no problems with the sugar free items, and neither do I. I have already lost 9 pounds following HIS diet He/we start diabetic education in March, though I feel alot of it will be repeat info by then!! I really appreciate all the advice and information...

Has anyone else had interesting/special foods/desserts made for them by the Chefs at Disney? Can anyone else suggest TS or CS with particularly good sugar free options?

Thanks!!!

 

[Hugpug]

When making ADR'S be sure and mention that you are diabetic. This will let them know and the chef will come out to you to help you choose and make changes to your food to eliminate or subsitute surgar items. I had the Tonga Toast but they did not cover it in the sugar coating and I used sugar free syrp instead. I got to enjoy my meal even with my restritions. They did this at every meal I had ADR's for. As for CS meals I had leaned what I could have and not have or how to watch how much of something I could have. Diabetis education was a big help. One thing I have that helps me curb my wants since I was always hungry in the evening is I ate 1/4 cup nuts a couple hours before my meal and it made me feel full when it came time to eat and I ate less.

 

[Sadie22]

Luckily I am an LPN, and work at a hospital. I have spoken with both the diabetes educator and tne nutritionist on his behalf. The nutritionist said he could have around 70g of carbs per meal based on his height and weight, which makes things alot easier on me. He also has no problems with the sugar free items, and neither do I. I have already lost 9 pounds following HIS diet He/we start diabetic education in March, though I feel alot of it will be repeat info by then!! I really appreciate all the advice and information...

Has anyone else had interesting/special foods/desserts made for them by the Chefs at Disney? Can anyone else suggest TS or CS with particularly good sugar free options?

Thanks!!!

Dana, I didn't realize I was preaching to the choir! Since you asked about desserts I was very concerned that possibly no education at all had been provided. I have found a number of primary care doctors who just tell patients "watch your sugar and avoid potatoes" and nothing else. (My mother's last doctor was like that.) Many don't know anything about glycemic index research or other topics useful in diabetic meal planning.

I need to lose weight as well as keep my blood glucose levels even, and my problem is I spend too much time in front of a computer when I need to spend more time exercising.

Passporter's Open Mouse for Walt Disney World has some information for managing diabetes at WDW. I think I read in there that someone received a cheese plate with a sweet chocolate sauce drizzled over everything, so it's suggested to ask for sauces on the side so you can choose to indulge or not. Speaking to a chef is also suggested.

I'm sure you'll both have a a great trip!

 

[DanaHesson]

thank you Believe it or not, my husbands doctor did not provide any education at all either. I am really glad I knew enough to ASK for a referral to the class . I know that his partner has been out, and he has had the flu, but if the way he handles things from here on out does not improve, we will be switching docs for sure!! . It sure would be nice if more docs would just say "that is not my specialty" rather than mucking around with things that they are not well versed in.

Thanks again for all your helpful advice and information

 

[disneygal55]

I'm surprised that your husband's Dr. didn't set him up with a glucometer. That was one of the first things that my DH's Dr. did. It really helped to identify how my DH was reacting to food intake and how high or low his sugar was when he was having side effects. On several occasions his blood sugars dropped down to a very low number when we were in Disney due to all the extra walking.

 

[beasleybear]

When making ADR'S be sure and mention that you are diabetic. This will let them know and the chef will come out to you to help you choose and make changes to your food to eliminate or subsitute surgar items. I had the Tonga Toast but they did not cover it in the sugar coating and I used sugar free syrp instead.

Thanks for bringing that up! This was something that I knew was available, and yet it didn't really occur that the TT would be an ideal situation to play the "talk to the chef" card. I'm calling to cancel a few ADRs tonight and while on the line I'll remember to request that for our Kona breakfast.

 

[Sadie22]

I'm still learning about the disease and about how I react to different foods myself although I've been living with this condition now for over two years. I wasn't going to mention my diabetes on my ADRs, but now I think I will. And I will ask for special preparation of my Tonga Toast as suggested by Hugpug. Thanks!

Regarding doctors not giving glucometers or suggesting diabetes education, again, many of them don't know much, if anythng, about these things. Even some younger doctors don't -- it's not just the doctors my old fogey age. The doctor my mom had before I moved her nearer to me told her to watch her sugar, never drink juice, and not to eat potatoes and carrots. He wasn't long out of medical school! Even the doctors who have some knowledge may not be up on the latest research.

 

[DanaHesson]

I'm surprised that your husband's Dr. didn't set him up with a glucometer. That was one of the first things that my DH's Dr. did. It really helped to identify how my DH was reacting to food intake and how high or low his sugar was when he was having side effects. On several occasions his blood sugars dropped down to a very low number when we were in Disney due to all the extra walking.

actually, his meter is being shipped I will feel MUCH better when he is checking his sugar twice daily. That way we will know if all the changes we are making are working or not! They also upped his amaryl to 8mg a day, which makes me nervous, because I know how much sugar he was taking in before, and how drastically we have changed his diet. I have admonished him rather strongly that he cannot skip meals anymore.

I am looking forward to the diabetic education classes, and I am also looking forward to getting on the scale on sunday to see how much more I have lost on "his" diet !!! (nine pounds last week!)

 

[leeh1530]

Dana, congrats on his diet! LOL!
I'm not diabetic, but my father is and we were in the World in 2008, shortly after he was put on insulin. His is very manageable and he just watches the carbs and tries to stay away from *too* much sugar. While we were in WDW, he fell in LOVE with the sugar-free strawberry bar. Like, sought it out with each cart. It was almost comical. He wasn't too big on the sugar-free ice cream, because most of what he found was vanilla, which he likened to wallpaper paste. He did, however, give high marks to the sugar free butter pecan. I took his word for it. However, STAY AWAY FROM THE RASPBERRY SORBET!!!!!! Now, Dad is one of those guys who will eat anything, complain about nothing. When the man has that look on his face and says, "You want it? I can't stand it," you know it isn't good. And he was right. All I could taste was chemicals. I only ate it because I hated to waste the money! We still kid about it.
I know that someone mentioned the free fridge, esp. if you are in the Values. We had one and it was good. I had brought some things I knew he would eat that would stay in our luggage and we had his insulin in there. Word of advice though, check your bill when you check out. They had charged us for the fridge even though it was medically necessary. I showed Dad and he asked about it. All he had to do was say he was on insulin and I think he may have showed his prescription. No prob, all taken care of!
We had no problems whatsoever. He stayed hydrated and walked quite a bit. He really tried to avoid a lot of fries and starches, which in turn ended up on my plate. Hmmm, no wonder I didn't lose weight on that trip.
Coincidentally, one of our other travel partners is also Type II, so they kind of worked on finding treats together. They both indulged a little though, with cookies from Goofy's Candy Co. Hey, if you're going to cheat, DO IT RIGHT!!!
I think you'll be fine in the World. Walk, walk, walk! We didn't really eat at TS, mostly CS. Our only TS was Chef Mickey's, so I can't speak for any special treats made by the chefs. Sorry! Let us know how it goes!

 

[DanaHesson]

thanks for the heads up about the raspberry sorbet. we likely would have tried it because the regular raspberry sorbet is one of our faves. We WILL seek out the strawberry bar, and I will probably try the butter pecan, but I doubt hubby will because he hates pecans!

Luckily my DH is not insulin dependent. The information about the fridge is good to have though, because I have a cousin who is on an insulin pump that is planning her first trip

 

[leeh1530]

Not a prob! I'm happy to help, especially if it keeps you away from the evilness that was the raspberry sorbet. When Dad uses the word "vile" to describe food, it's bad.