I love my food my bacon and eggs, meat and veg dishes, quite english and traditional. I have never thought that this was unhealthy living, we have never really had the popular take aways,

i have to rethink our diet as my partner has just been told he has diabetes. so the food we enjoy is not now that good and diet is a contributory factor. the problem is..change it to what .

another problem is that i do not know what the products are in the bulgarian supermarkets,

I enjoy cooking so i am up for the challenge. anyone have any suggestions for alternative healthy eating.

gonna miss my bacon and eggs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Star

What does he have to avoid? Just fat / butter, etc., or is there a sugar issue?

Let us know, I'm sure there will be plenty of easy to cook and healthy recipes on the way!

hi chris, your right, i do need to be specific on the dietry requirements and as its all new to me im having to learn about it. :Great:let me double check with my interpreter that i have got it right. i will put specifics on tomorrow mid day.

Being a type 2 diabetic (Diet controlled) myself the things you really need to think about in Healthy diabetic eating includes Limiting sweets, Eating often, Being careful about when and how many carbohydrates you eat, Eating lots of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables, Eating less fat. Limiting your use of alcohol, Its mostly common sense as it is with most diets except in this case its a lot more important than trying to loose a few pounds. Unfortunately there is a lot of stuff in prepack ready meals etc that can increase your sugar levels to a dangerous point so read all the labels carefully and I'm afraid things like chocolate should be reserved for birthdays only :shocked1:which is something I found very difficult :Headbang:Basically avoid fats and carbohydrates as much as possible but you must also try to balance it. Something else you must also do is get your eyesight checked regularly at the hospital not the opticians this is to ensure there isn't any bleed behind the eyes so at least once a year get it done. And finally get your feet checked out once a year as well! Most amputees are diabetics and as a result of an open wound being left or not treated correctly lose a limb! so look after your feet and if you get a cut or anything else get it looked at!!

Get yourself one of those blood sugar testers and check your blood regularly.

If you have diabetes, your body cannot make or properly use insulin. Without insulin high blood glucose, or sugar, levels in your blood will result. Healthy eating helps to reduce your blood sugar glucose levels. It is a critical part of managing your diabetes. By controlling your blood sugar you can prevent the complications of diabetes.

Have a look here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... diagnosed/ and here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This is a Bulgarian site [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

admin ...very informative for us all
one thing i would say to starlite thou ..the checking for a bleed behind the eye can also be done in Bulgaria at an optic clinic..i have mine done at one...also if she prefers a hospital there is a eye hospital in the centre of Varna

ok, the bad news is that it is a very strict diet.

not allowed........bread, potatoes, eggs or anything with sugar in it. red meat.coffee.

allowed....fish, beans, fruit, vegatables, pasta.chicken.

need to review our christmas dinner. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That seems an extremely strict diet to me. You've still got to have carbs!
Surely a normal Christmas lunch would be alright? Just go easy on the roast potatoes and
the gravy. My son has type 1 diabetes so I do know a bit about it!
Why no coffee?

yes, it is extreme. apparently coffee is not good for type 2, but would de caff be ok . i think it is so extreme because the sugar level is not under control.

Just had a trawl round the net re coffee. Seems that coffee can help
prevent type 2, although not enough research done yet.
Very strange! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

mmmmm i have been searching all afternoon and i have to agree, it is not possible to have a balanced diet with such limited choice, in fact its impossible

I think if you look at the links above you will find all you need and as already said 'balance' is important. I do think your doc is going a little over the top but then he knows more than I do and we are all different so there maybe other factors in this that he is aware of, such as high blood pressure in which case you would really need to avoid coffee :Cheers:Check out the sites mentioned and glean what you can.

thanks ashley, yes blood pressure is an issue. im getting stressed :Headbang:will take a look when im calm

I got this from my sister hope it helps a little

Foods with a higher glycemic index number will raise your blood sugar much faster. Those with a lower number will raise your blood sugar more slowly. The lower the number, the healthier the food, for diabetics.

Glycemic Index (GI) Food Chart

For a list of glycemic index values of foods, see the chart below. The reference value of the glycemic-index chart is Glucose (GI = 100)
High GI foods have a glycemic index of more than 70. Low GI foods have a glycemic index of less than 55. Medium GI foods are in between.
Table 1. Chart Showing Glycemic Index of Common Foods

Glycemic Index of Cereals

Kellogg's All Bran 51
Kellogg's Bran Buds 45
Kellogg's Cornflakes 84
Kellogg's Rice Krispies 82
Kellogg's Special K 54
Oatmeal 49
Shredded Wheat 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat 67

Glycemic Index of Grains

Buckwheat 54
Bulgur 48
Basmati Rice 58
Brown Rice 55
Long grain White Rice 56
Short grain White Rice 72
Uncle Ben's Converted 44
Noodles (instant) 46
Taco Shells 68

Glycemic Index of Fruit

Apple 38
Banana 55
Cantaloupe 65
Cherries 22
Grapefruit 25
Grapes 46
Kiwi 52
Mango 55
Orange 44
Papaya 58
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39
Watermelon 103

Glycemic Index of
Vegetables

Beets 69
Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Carrots 49
Corn 55
Green Peas 48
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Parsnips 97
Potato (baked) 93
Potato (mashed, instant) 86
Potato (new) 62
Potato (french fries) 75
Red Peppers 10
Pumpkin 75
Sweet Potato 54

Glycemic Index of Beans

Baked Beans 48
Broad Beans 79
Cannellini Beans 31
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) 33
Lentils 30
Lima Beans 32
Navy Beans 38
Pinto Beans 39
Red Kidney Beans 27
Soy Beans 18
White Beans 31

Glycemic Index of Pasta

Spaghetti 43
Ravioli (meat) 39
Fettuccini (egg) 32
Spiral Pasta 43
Capellini 45
Linguine 46
Macaroni 47
Rice vermicelli 58

Glycemic Index of Breads
inc. Muffins &
Cakes

Bagel 72
Blueberry Muffin 59
Croissant 67
Donut 76
Pita Bread 57
Pumpernickel Bread 51
Rye Bread 76
Sour Dough Bread 52
Sponge Cake 46
Stone Ground Whole wheat bread 53
Waffles 76
White Bread 70
Whole Wheat Bread 69

Glycemic Index of Dairy

Milk (whole) 22
Milk (skimmed) 32
Milk (chocolate flavored) 34
Ice Cream (whole) 61
Ice cream (low-fat) 50
Yogurt (low-fat) 33

Glycemic Index of Snacks

Cashews 22
Chocolate Bar 49
Corn Chips 72
Jelly Beans 80
Peanuts 14
Popcorn 55
Potato Chips 55
Pretzels 83
Snickers Bar 41
Walnuts 15

Glycemic Index of Cookies

Crackers 74
Crispbread 71
Melba Toast 70
Oatmeal Cookies 55
Rice Cakes 82
Rice Crackers 91
Ryvita Crispbread 69
Soda Crackers 74
Shortbread Cookies 64
Stoned Wheat Thins 67
Vanilla Wafers
Water crackers 78

Glycemic Index of Sugars

Fructose 23
Glucose 100
Honey 58
Lactose 46
Maltose 105
Sucrose 65

thanks daisy, there is a lot to learn.

The word moderation comes to mind


Mike