Diabetics and People with High Cholesterol NEED TIPS

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cr9576
cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
in Food and Nutrition
SO My Dad Just Found Out that he has High Cholesterol and is PRE Diabetic so hes not quite there yet but very close HE is 48yrs and 195 pounds, The Doctor has put him in a rigorous diet . I need some tip on how to help him cook, He looks very sad and kind of depressed that he has to give up almost everything he loves to eat. I make him alot of veggies and chicken but ive ran out of Ideas.. Hes constantly hungry. I hear that too much fruit is bad? No eggs? Any tips and Recipes will be greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • japruzze
    japruzze Posts: 453 Member
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    Exercise will help with both the diabetes and cholesterol. Get him to start walking or some other form of exercise that he might enjoy. Egg whites used in omlets or frittatas are great. Look for low fat cheese and yogurt (if he likes that kind of thing). Protein shakes can also be filling. I use a sugar free protien - nectar. Love it! Good luck! It's hard but worth the effort!
  • SherryRH
    SherryRH Posts: 810 Member
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    When you say rigorous diet, what you mean? Did he give him specific things he should or should not be eating or give him a calorie amount he should be eating. Not trying to be snarky, just trying to figure out what you need. :smile: I am diabetic so add me if you like.
  • el8942
    el8942 Posts: 13 Member
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    What kinds of things does he really miss? Sometimes recipes can be modified so that he can still have the things he likes. Also, if he's constantly hungry, fruits and veggies! They have lots of fiber that will help him feel fuller. One of my dad's diabetic coaches has a motto : "No one ever got fat eating carrots!" Salads are ok too as long as he has a low-fat dressing he likes.
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
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    What about having oatmeal for breakfast? If he eats the old-fashioned, cook on the stove type it will help lower his cholesterol. Adding in a tablespoon or so of walnuts and ground flax seed can help lower his cholesterol. Also, if he adds a tsp. of cinnamon to the oatmeal, it can help keep his blood sugar levels steady as well as his blood pressure numbers.

    Does he take omega 3 fish oil capsules? If not, have him ask his doctor about it. My dad has diabetes and takes the fish oil to lower his cholesterol and help prevent diabetes related eye issues.

    Have him include a lot of fish in his diet. It's good for anyone and will help with the cholesterol issues. Also, whole grains will help keep him full and keep the blood sugar steady too.

    Encourage him to exercise and move as much as possible. For me, I have to get my heart rate up a bit to see my HDL (good cholesterol) numbers improve. Weight training is also great to do.

    You're very sweet to want to help him and I bet he appreciates all you are doing!:flowerforyou:
  • beth40n2
    beth40n2 Posts: 233 Member
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    A person with high cholesterol/high tryglycerides can get those numbers down by going low carb. Diabetics do better on low carb also. When a person eats breads, pasta etc, it turns to sugar in the blood. If he does eat them, he should choose high fiber when ever possible. He should be able eat plenty of meat, vegetables and some fruits. If a person eats low carb, they can have fats without it raising the cholesterol/trygyclerides.

    If a diabetic eats something sweet like fruit, they should eat a protein with it to help stablize the blood sugar. LIke peanut butter or cheese with an apple.
  • cr9576
    cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
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    When you say rigorous diet, what you mean? Did he give him specific things he should or should not be eating or give him a calorie amount he should be eating. Not trying to be snarky, just trying to figure out what you need. :smile: I am diabetic so add me if you like.

    Well He didnt give him a specific diet he just said no sugar nothing fattening and to eat alot of fruit, But i feel like my dad thinks all he can eat is salad
  • cr9576
    cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
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    What kinds of things does he really miss? Sometimes recipes can be modified so that he can still have the things he likes. Also, if he's constantly hungry, fruits and veggies! They have lots of fiber that will help him feel fuller. One of my dad's diabetic coaches has a motto : "No one ever got fat eating carrots!" Salads are ok too as long as he has a low-fat dressing he likes.

    He misses tortillas, steak especially and burgers and pastries with his coffee
  • cr9576
    cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    What about having oatmeal for breakfast? If he eats the old-fashioned, cook on the stove type it will help lower his cholesterol. Adding in a tablespoon or so of walnuts and ground flax seed can help lower his cholesterol. Also, if he adds a tsp. of cinnamon to the oatmeal, it can help keep his blood sugar levels steady as well as his blood pressure numbers.

    Does he take omega 3 fish oil capsules? If not, have him ask his doctor about it. My dad has diabetes and takes the fish oil to lower his cholesterol and help prevent diabetes related eye issues.

    Have him include a lot of fish in his diet. It's good for anyone and will help with the cholesterol issues. Also, whole grains will help keep him full and keep the blood sugar steady too.

    Encourage him to exercise and move as much as possible. For me, I have to get my heart rate up a bit to see my HDL (good cholesterol) numbers improve. Weight training is also great to do.

    You're very sweet to want to help him and I bet he appreciates all you are doing!:flowerforyou:


    Thanks:smile: Well Dr said to stay away from all those vitamins (like herbalife or nutralite) but im sure omega capsules will do him good.
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
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    bumping, this will help me too................ I don't think a lot of fruit will help him though,
  • cr9576
    cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
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    Exercise will help with both the diabetes and cholesterol. Get him to start walking or some other form of exercise that he might enjoy. Egg whites used in omlets or frittatas are great. Look for low fat cheese and yogurt (if he likes that kind of thing). Protein shakes can also be filling. I use a sugar free protien - nectar. Love it! Good luck! It's hard but worth the effort!

    Thanks!
  • cr9576
    cr9576 Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    A person with high cholesterol/high tryglycerides can get those numbers down by going low carb. Diabetics do better on low carb also. When a person eats breads, pasta etc, it turns to sugar in the blood. If he does eat them, he should choose high fiber when ever possible. He should be able eat plenty of meat, vegetables and some fruits. If a person eats low carb, they can have fats without it raising the cholesterol/trygyclerides.

    If a diabetic eats something sweet like fruit, they should eat a protein with it to help stablize the blood sugar. LIke peanut butter or cheese with an apple.

    Ok Thx i didnt know that about the fruit
  • MisterTEZ
    MisterTEZ Posts: 272 Member
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    I am diabetic and I did have high cholesterol.

    I find the only way to keep my blood sugers stabilised is to eat low carb (although I am advised to eat a minimum of 130 g a day but it doesn't work for me)

    I eat a diet low in saturates which helps to lower cholesterol levels (I actually find eggs very nutritious and they never raise my
    cholesterol levels!)

    i eat fruit high in fiber and quite often find fruit does not effect my blood sugar levels

    Plenty of exercise (I work out a min of 60 minutes a day 5 days a week)

    By following this formula my LDL cholesterol levels are kept low and my blood sugar are stable
  • el8942
    el8942 Posts: 13 Member
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    What kinds of things does he really miss? Sometimes recipes can be modified so that he can still have the things he likes. Also, if he's constantly hungry, fruits and veggies! They have lots of fiber that will help him feel fuller. One of my dad's diabetic coaches has a motto : "No one ever got fat eating carrots!" Salads are ok too as long as he has a low-fat dressing he likes.

    He misses tortillas, steak especially and burgers and pastries with his coffee

    There are definitely low-carb tortillas available. They aren't quite as good as not-low carb, but they would let him have tacos and burritos! Also, the burgers are a definite option - the protein will be great for controlling his blood sugars. I make them with either lean beef or turkey. Somewhat surprisingly, the turkey ones are actually delicious as well. There are premade ones available at most grocery stores, or you can make them yourself using ground meat. For buns, either skip it or find a low-carb or "light" version. You want to look at the total carbs per serving, but then subtract the fiber in each serving. The fiber is counted into the total carbs on the label, but it isn't digestible. So if a bread had 10 grams of carbohydrate but 4 grams of fiber, it would be a net of 6 carbs for him.
  • kmacgera
    kmacgera Posts: 137 Member
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    You should get a book or two for him. My fav is Blood Sugar 101.

    There are diabetic classes he can take. I hope to get enrolled with Kaiser on that.

    You are there to help, but he needs the basic knowledge.
  • VMarkV
    VMarkV Posts: 522 Member
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    As far as cholesterol goes, you need to know about fat types.

    You want to limit polyunsaturated fats as much as possible (these are the type that are more prone to inflammation and plaquing the arteries) and make sure most of your dietary fat is monounsaturated (to promote "good" HDL cholesterol). Polyunsaturated fat raises "bad" LDL cholesterol. Saturated fat raises both "good" and "bad" cholesterol.

    Good monounsaturated fat sources: olive oil, avocados, animal fats
    Avoid: vegetable oils (high in polyunsaturated fat)

    "Dietary cholesterol" does not translate into blood cholesterol...blood cholesterol is a measure of proteins that shuttle cholesterol

    I always look up polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat ratios for all my food and try to max my mono:poly ratio...my good cholesterol HDL > 100mg/dl (60+mg/dL for HDL is actually a negative risk factor for heart disease). Coincidentally, lots of people on paleo diets have cholesterol numbers similar to mine (I am not a paleo-er but the fats they choose tend to match mine).
  • shbretired
    shbretired Posts: 320 Member
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    Diabetics should eat often 5-6 small meals.

    Cut out white potato, rice, noodles, crackers.

    Only use multi grain flat breads.

    Lean meats; beef, turkey, chicken.

    Lots of fish.

    Lots of veggies & fruits.

    Oatmeal :laugh:

    Ii believe there are lots of web sites that can help you, with recipes also. ?Google?
  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
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    Hi, my mom is diabetic, and I'm using MFP to avoid diabetes (I'm 56.). Some favorites for us - sweet potatos with some lite margarine, barley for soups instead of rice, barley and sugar-free pudding with some pineapple mixed in (sort of like rice pudding but much more chewy and more fiber), cottage cheese and sugar-free jello. Any fruit with a lot of water (melon, apple) or a lot of fiber (blueberries, blackberries) should be good too. Cereal-based snack mix (like Chex mix, cheerios) would be good if you can make with less salt. Veggie-based pasta toppings over whole-wheat pasta would be good (look up Ratatouille recipes). Switch to 93% lean hamburger and make a smaller burger. Use whole-wheat bun and top with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, etc. I'm sure he will acquire a lot of new favorites, just keep an open mind and keep experimenting.
  • Amommymoose
    Amommymoose Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm also pre-diabetic so feel free to friend me and review my diaries.

    Agreeing with the person that noted that eating anything that resolves to sugar in the body (fruit, starches, starchy vegetables like winter squash, beets, carrots; all flour, and potatoes) should be combined with a protein and fat to reduce the insulin spike.

    There's really no reason he can't eat meat, it just shouldn't be taking up most of the plate. I'm a carnivore, too, but the research is clear that it needs to be a REALLY small portion of your overall intake for overall health stats (10% or less is ideal).

    Cholesterol and triglycerides are usually higher with sugar intake (or rather, intake of things that resolve to sugar). In fact, they used to test Atkins patients by measuring triglycerides (if they were elevated, the patient had been ingesting too many starches/sugars)

    Also--WATER. This is so huge because so many non-water beverages are a pre/diabetics worst nightmare.

    Yes--exercise, but this can be as simple as a daily, 20-minute walk. Seriously--that has an impact. Even just 4-5 days/week will be improvement.

    And this will sound backward, but we eat eggs for breakfast daily. And our cholesterol stats are lower than ever--because we have removed sugars and starches from our diet. Sugar conditions are now scientifically proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a much greater risk to cardiovascular health than fat. We were pushed to become fat-free as a nation and our diabetic stats shot through the roof and our cardiovascular health stats didn't fall. Oh, and your father's doctor could be fined in some states for giving nutrition/eating advice: they're not trained in it. Inasmuch as I don't have a great deal of faith in RDs (registered dietitians), either, he would be much better served working with one on this point. Since he carries a diagnosis, the insurance company should cover it. They could help him with meal planning so he doesn't feel like he's drowning in salad. ;)
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    What kinds of things does he really miss? Sometimes recipes can be modified so that he can still have the things he likes. Also, if he's constantly hungry, fruits and veggies! They have lots of fiber that will help him feel fuller. One of my dad's diabetic coaches has a motto : "No one ever got fat eating carrots!" Salads are ok too as long as he has a low-fat dressing he likes.

    He misses tortillas, steak especially and burgers and pastries with his coffee

    he CAN have tortillas! a low carb diet can reverse pre-diabetes. For pre-diabetics, you need to cut carbs to 50-100 NET carbs per day. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. I am doing low carb right now, and I have a whole wheat/high fiber tortilla every morning with breakfast. I have 2 eggs, 4 strips of soy bacon, a slice of cheese, and the tortilla--its like 400 calories, 20 carbs, 9 fiber ( that means 11 net carbs) and it keeps me full for hours--even through an 85 minute workout.

    for lunch today I had a huge salad with another egg and 3oz of grilled chicken on it.

    For dinner tonight, I had a huge piece of meatloaf and 1/2 c of green beans. I even had enough calories/carbs left to have some chocolate peanut butter covered banana bites.

    you and your dad should either read about the Atkins diet, or the South Beach Diet to get an idea of how to eat *real* food and still get healthy. No need to go crazy and do Atkins induction--cutting down to 50-100 net carbs a day should work out well.

    he can still have his burgers, but wrap them in a high fiber tortilla, or even just take off the top bun ( the bun is a carb bomb!!). I see no issue with the steak. If you check the Atkins book, there are going to be recipes for low carb pastry look-alikes

    http://community.atkins.com/Templates/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=6ef900ea-4056-e011-9663-001ec9b2b3c8&SearchQuery=SearchMethod=CombineAll|PhaseID=-1|MinNetCarbs=-1|MaxNetCarbs=-1|MinCal=-1|MaxCal=-1|Course=-1|CuisineType=-1|DishType=40|CookingMethod=-1|DiffcultyLevels=71|DietaryConsiderations=|CookingTime=-1|SearchPhrase=|PageNo=1|ExcludedIngredients=

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