HELP! diabetic big eater company coming!!!

Suzannejl
Suzannejl Posts: 212
in Food and Nutrition
My brother is coming to visit for 2 weeks! First off he eat's like a horse. Second he's diabetic!

What do I buy? What do I cook?

I also have a house full of teenagers! I have a 17 yr old boy, 14 yr old girl, (who will both be in Marching Band Camp One of those weeks!) and an 11 yr old girl who is a stick but also eats like a horse!

Maybe I should just payoff the grocery store manager for his master key! Should I take out a 2nd mortgage to pay the grocery bill??? :laugh:

Seriously, any suggestions would be helpful...I love to cook and bake, but don't want to spend all my tme in the kitchen!

Replies

  • lbaileyjohannsen
    lbaileyjohannsen Posts: 133 Member
    Maybe try centering your meals around foods that are low on the glycemic index.

    http://www.glycemicindex.com/

    The GI is a good resource to figure out what foods will spike one's blood sugar. A lot of diabetics center their diets around this tool.
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
    But how do you cook enough for teenage kids that have been burning 1000 cal a day, and a diabetic bro that will practically eat two meals in the time it takes you to sit down and begin your meal?
  • Unknown
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  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
    good thinking, just plan as if I'm feeding two more mouths, not just one more. And no, I don't think he does a very good job of following his diabetic diet. I just don't want to be the death of him. My kids are skinny mini's and eat like there's no tomorrow! Very very very active, especially that week.
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
    He said he "should" not be eating rice, simple grains, potatoes, pasta, etc....but he LOVES THEM. His words, not mine. So he knows better, just no will power. Maybe it's my problem, not his. It just torques me that he eats so much and so quickly! Once we were sitting down for pizza, and before we had all sat down or even said grace he had 1/2 his pizza gone. I announced that "uncle" was saying grace tonight. He said, I've got a mouthful! I said, exactly my point. I want to cook nice for him, but I don't want him to eat us out of house and home, and casseroles are sooooo much easier.... :-(
    :sad:
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    This is NOT a healthy meal to make.. but its inexpensive and very hearty..

    Homemade salsbury steak:

    2 pounds hamburger, 2 egggs, beaten 2 beef boullion cubes, 2 packets broen gravy mix.

    mix burger & eggs. make into patties. Brown well on both sides.

    Remove from pan, wipe out grease.

    mix both beef cubes into ONE cup of water. put the boullion into the frying pan and place the burgers in it. Cook on medium, covered until done.

    In the mean time, mix gravy packets according to directions.

    this serves about 3 hearty appetites. Adjust as needed.

    Serve with mash taters or rice and a veggie.

    again, not recommending this for watching the weight, but its deffo one of my families favorites! (and you will never eat prepared salsbury steak again!)
  • TheNewLeslie
    TheNewLeslie Posts: 44 Member
    I know what you mean. My dad is diabetic - and gluten intolerant. And my husband and I are vegetarian. Whenever he comes to visit, it's a struggle getting together enough food for him with the right compliment of protein and carbs, still have it be vegetarian, and have it be gluten free.

    For the record - he's Type 1 diabetic (insulin dependent) and has always taken very, very good care of himself. He's been diabetic since he was about 18. But the man eats like a horse! I guess he has to eat more to give him a better chance of managing the sugar. If he doesn't eat enough carbs, he goes into low blood sugar mode, and that is something I've seen a few times and don't ever want to see again.

    Good luck with the visits! And enjoy the houseful of "hearty eaters"....
  • mommaPeach72
    mommaPeach72 Posts: 30
    Do you know how bad you sound? Do you want meal ideas, or do you want to vent about how big a pig your brother is?
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    no offense, but if your bro eats like that he's probably not following a diabetic diet. ask him if he has any diet restrictions that he follows, otherwise just make what you normally would make, but double the portion.
    As a type 2 diabetic myself, we are suppose to limit ourselves with a single serving of foods especially starchy carbs. In my case though I have to eat frequently otherwise my blood sugar would crash & I've been having this horrific experience lately. As for the foods, limit him to single serving of sugary fruits such as grapes, mango, banana and starchy carbs like bread, rice, pasta even if its 100% whole grain. Or even better replace the starchy carbs with fibrous carbs such as veggies.

    EDIT: By the way, if your brother lifts heavy weights then theres a good chance that he has a valid excuse to eat like a horse since our bodies burn glycogen which are found in our muscles during weight lifting.
  • roguestates
    roguestates Posts: 223
    Why can't you just make what you normally make with ONE extra portion? Avoid using the things he's supposed to avoid anyway. If he's still hungry, he can go find more food. You don't have to aid and abet his bad behavior, and as a guest, he isn't supposed to be too disruptive for your daily routines.
  • nene01pop
    nene01pop Posts: 80 Member
    CHicken... Chicken... and veggies! broccoli, cauliflower, greens... make him healthy while he's there, and for the kids... tell em to hide their unhealthy snacks in their rooms!
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Do you know how bad you sound? Do you want meal ideas, or do you want to vent about how big a pig your brother is?
    I don't see the reason why you feel bad about the post unless his eating habits strucked on you as well. Moreover she didn't mention that her brother is big. I don't think the OP is venting here, she has no idea about dietary restrictions for diabetics & the fact that her brother eats like a horse despite of his condition. So she's asking about meal ideas.
  • FatStoatLondon
    FatStoatLondon Posts: 197 Member
    Do you know how bad you sound? Do you want meal ideas, or do you want to vent about how big a pig your brother is?
    I don't see the reason why you feel bad about the post unless his eating habits strucked on you as well. Moreover she didn't mention that her brother is big. I don't think the OP is venting here, she has no idea about dietary restrictions for diabetics & the fact that her brother eats like a horse despite of his condition. So she's asking about meal ideas.

    I thought the same thing...
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I like the casserole idea, if you have recipe's that you can use whole grain pasta's and lots of vegetables in, it means you control the percentages of protein/carb/vegetable..... because they are in a mix.
    My husband is a big eater because he works long days at a physically demanding job. Some times he doesn't get time for a propper meal so he is ravenous when he gets home. My solution was to serve him a healthy snack before dinner with a tall dring of ice tea. often apple with cheese, or vegetables with hummus.
    then I would start dinner with salad (or soup in the winter) and then by the time the main dish was served the other food had calmed the blood sugar and it slow him down.
    I want him to enjoy food, but to also get nutrition into him so he will have a long happy life.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
    Some things you can precook to stay out of the kitchen might be a big batch of chicken veggie chili, couple pans of roasted veggies then pick a meat, turkey or beef meatloaves, tomato based soup with meatballs and veggies sprinkle lil cheese in. Dozen hard boiled eggs for quick snacks.
  • rubberbiscuit
    rubberbiscuit Posts: 128
    Newly diagnosed diabetic here. My nutritionist says that when I plan meals, I should think protein first, then veggies, then fiber, and finally carbs. Carbs should be the smallest component of the meal. The protein should be lean and sodium content should be low. Some examples of a dinner meal are burgers on a sandwich thin with a side salad, pork tenderloin with veggies and 1/2 a pita pocket, chicken cacciatore with 1/2 cup pasta and a salad. A lot of times I will cook more than one vegetable to round out the meal and make it more filling. Also, diabetics should have a snack between meals. Some of my favorite snacks are greek yogurt, a handful of almonds, or low-fat cheese sticks; these foods are high in protein low in carbs.

    Edited to add that my information is based on my diabetic needs. Mine is controlled by oral medication, diet and exercise. Someone on insulin may have different nutritional needs.

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