My father is very close to being diabetic. he is 57. what foods can help lessen the risk? Already works out?

Question

I'm just looking for things to do for him. he's already started exercising more. any help you can give me is much appreciated. thank you all.

Answer 1

^I'm glad your taking such good care of your father.

I'm giving you the basis for a healthy eating plan. He needs to watch his carbohydrate intake he can discuss this with his doctor or nutritionist he needs to know how many carbs he can have per meal or snack, this can vary from person to person. It's better to eat 5 or 6 smalls a day to help keep your glucose (sugar) stable .

Whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and poultry. Stay away from the white stuff as much as possible, sugar, white bread, white potatoes, white flour, white rice etc. The less processed and closer to nature the food the better. Whole grain breads, whole grain wheat flour, brown rice and sweet potatoes are healthier choices.

Exercise as you know is also very important. He needs to watch how much fat is in his diet, fat doesn't have any carbs. but can still raise your glucose levels, if to much is eaten. Good luck, I hope this helps. I'm giving you a link to a diabetes site, that can give you more information.

Answer 2

Yes, having somewhat higher blood sugar than I want, I can tell you. Cut out most sugar and limit your consumption of bread/pasta/rice/potatoes to only 4 servings daily. You don't have to go low carb, but you do have to watch the carbs carefully.

Now, on the flip side. When I was in my early 20s, I had an illness that caused my pancreas to malfunction for nearly a year. The only way I could get that in hand was to cut out all bread/pasta/rice and I had one potato (3 oz) a day (bad grammer, I know). That's what finally worked. At the time, they did not have medication for diabetics and I did not want to have to take injections of insulin. If he isn't overweight, this is possibly his problem as well.

A lot of folks have found that following the current Weight Watchers program worked far better for them than the current diabetic diet that is often touted. Most are off medication within a few months. I would certainly try that as well.

The primary reason that Dr. Atkins developed his diet was for his diabetic patients for whom medication wasn't working. As you know, the research coming out shows that it is not the bugaboo a lot of people were claiming and has a number of unexpected benefits. Most folks who complain about it never read the book. READ IT before following the diet.

Answer 3

Someone in my family has a high history of this, all seven sisters have it, and so does his mother, their all overweight, it's not the food it's in the genes, and the MAIN thing is your weight, he had gained about thirty pounds, and had to go on Metformin, so he cut down on sugars and portions of what he ate, not a diet, they don't work anyway, he went from a forty pants to a thirty six just by cutting down, and now that he's lost the weight his sugar went down and he doesn't have to take the medicine anymore, so tell you dad to keep an eye on his weight. History, middle age, and weight are all the ingredients for becoming diabetic.

Answer 4

He needs to educate himself, maybe with your help, on the diet that many diabetics must follow for life. It's not a matter of eating or avoiding particular foods but of eating the right amounts of the right foods at the right time to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

Ideally your dad will control his weight (losing if needed) and exercise regularly. He can aim for this daily dietary intake:
Carbohydrates 45% to 65% of daily calories
Protein 15% to 20% of daily calories
Fats 20% to 35% of daily calories

Search diabetes + diet for lots of links. Here's some from reputable sites: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/eating_ez/#eat
http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/overview.jsp

You dad may miss some old eating habits that he enjoyed even though they weren't good for him. Remind him how much better he feels, or how good it is to know he'll be around for many more years because he's healthy.

Answer 5

He should avoid white foods as much as possible (white bread, white rice, white sugar, white pasta, potatoes....). Whole wheat bread, pasta, brown rice- anything whole grain is better. It's recommended to eat protein at every meal- it makes you feel fuller longer, and fat helps prevent your blood sugar from rising too fast, so if he does eat bread with a meal, a little butter or cheese with it will help offset the blood sugar rise. If he's alreading exercizing it sounds like he's really committed and he should do really well- diet and exercize can keep people off meds for years. Good luck.

Answer 6

Either he is diabetic or he isn't. There is really no such thing as being close to it. To help lessen the risk he should lose weight if he is over weight, exercise regularly and eat a low carb diet that is high in protein. He needs 3 small regular meals a day and high protein snack between each meal and at bedtime to help keep the blood sugar level.

Answer 7

Your father needs to eat fewer 'sugary foods' ... but he also needs to watch his 'blood sugar' closely for at least two weeks while he's adjusting his diet. Tell him that things like 'sugary sodas' are bad, but so is BEER, WINE, and HARD LIQUOR. Yes, he can drink alcohol, but he should 'limit' his intake of them. He also needs to 'pay attention' to his bowel movements ... if they get 'too loose' it's just as bad as 'chronic constipation.' He'll need to 'cut down' on 'carbohydrates' ... potatoes, noodles/pasta, and rice all 'convert directly to sugar' in the body. Too much 'meat' can be bad, as can too much cheese. Tell him to eat 'good, well balanced meals' and to RELAX and ENJOY LIFE ... that 'relaxation' can actually be one of the 'best medicines' for a person who is 'pre-diabetic' and is using 'diet' to keep from becoming a diabetic. Also, tell your dad to CUT DOWN ON SALT ... and READ THE INGREDIENTS/NUTRITION CHART on EVERYTHING he buys in the store ... most people get 10 TIMES MORE salt than they 'need' and that could also be contributing to your dad's 'medical problem.' He'll HAVE TO start eating more 'natural foods' and that will also help him keep to a 'good diet' to stay in the 'normal' range between hypoglycemia and diabetes.

Answer 8

Someone who is diabetic is best to eat a diet similar to that of someone eating "low carb". Try to get him to avoid eating sugar, white bread, pasta. Replace items with white flour with items that are whole grain ... whole grain, not just whole wheat ... this helps not raise the blood sugar.

Of course I am not a doctor, so be sure he consults his doctor.

Answer 9

The best thing he can do is to keep exercising and try to lose weight. Other than that, limitng carbs is the only other thing he can do.

Answer 10

wheat bread
grapes
pasta(without the sauce)
anything full of nutrition
try not 2 have him have a lot of sugar
he is going to gain some pounds when he eats theese foods but thats what is supposed to happen cuz your healthy.