family meals

[Guest guest]

I'm a newbie to the group who was thinking of lurking, but this

thread has me interested. Family friendly meals...Knowing that there

may be a genetic link with respect to diabetes, why would you want to

provided " family friendly " meals which could affect the blood sugar

of your family who are already at risk by having a diabetic parent?

If you start your children on a diet that is diabetic friendly you

may keep their blood sugars under control and prevent them from

developing diabetes. Or if they do develop diabetes they will have

no trouble adjusting to a diabetic friendly diet since they are

already used to it.

So you suggest that we just treat the whole family as diabetics, making sure

they all get the same treatment as you are having, " just in case you get

diabetes later " I find this along the line of lets go get some radiation, you

may

get cancer because I ahve had it. I am very careful what my family eats, but

I will not restrict them from " Normal things " because I was the one with the

short straw. We keep our pantry stalked with healthy items, and my 105 pound

5'4 " 13 year old is certainly healthy weight wise. She and the rest of the

faimly (12 of us, played about 15 games of water volleyball today, including me

;-)

I have a family history of diabetes (maternal grandmother) and my own

mother is an unofficially diagnosed hypoglycemic (if not worse, she

hates going to the doc so who knows how far down the line to diabetes

she is). I am reactive hypoglycemic with borderline insulin

resistance. Now I have to avoid high glycemic foods, processed

foods, sugar, caffeine and all that other stuff considered bad as

much as possible. If I had been raised on a diet which excluded

those items to begin with, I may not have the medical issues I have

today. Granted those items aren't totally out of the diet because I

can balance some sugar with protein, but overall I eat a much more

healthy diet than before. I have to be careful though because if I

don't keep my blood sugar under control, my borderline insulin

resistance becomes full blown insulin resistance and I am well on my

way to diabetes.

It seems to me you would have been deprived a lot of the joys of normal life

if you had been totally denied those things as a child. When my twins were 9,

they had one particular friend who practically lived here. She never ate a

thing though. Couldn't even eat a piece of fruit. Last year, when she was 22,

she came over with one of the twins, to visit me. While she was here, she

told me that when her Mom and Dad divorced when she was 8m she was put on a very

restrictive diet (no, she was even a slender child) and had become a " closet

eater " she stold thinks from the market and sneaked anything she could get her

hands on as long as noone watched her do it. She told me she had learned all

the tricks (bullemic an anorexic both). Practically destroying her health.

She lives with a friend now, but still finds it unacceptable to eat any sweet

or splurge item like a chip etc, unless she is in the privacy of her room. I

cried when I heard her say this. She spent her whole life believing food is

the greatest sin. Both her parents watched her like a hawk when she ate. I

have no idea why they found this necessary.

I don't understand why people would willingly put their own children

at a higher risk. If you are eating healthier, why not do the same

for your children? Get them eating healthy and into that habit

before it is too late.

Absolutely my kids eat healthy, they always have. They do need the

restrictions on carbs I do, because they metabolize them normally. I have

checked them

all, just to see what tgheir bodies did at 2 hours, because I was curious and

they didn't mind.

I have to agree with many of the others who have posted. Most of

these recipes and the ones I have seen in my diabetic cookbooks and

magazines, as well, don't really seem diabetic friendly, or should I

say, blood glucose level friendly. Some use extremely processed

foods which effect the blood sugar levels quite a bit. I realize

portion control does aid in avoiding the swings of blood glucose

levels, but why not fill up your plate with healthy good

carbohydrates instead. I have also seen several with lots of sugar guess I

missed these ;-)

or artificial sweeteners which in some cases I don't see as a

necessary ingredient. I personally can't use artificial sweeteners

and if you do research on the biochemistry and effects of most

artificial sweeteners you would realize how bad they really are.

Just because they are FDA approved doesn't mean they are 100% safe.

Some I would say are worse for you than regular granulated sugar.

Interesting. There are many different sources, with different views. I have

also spoken with the Healthy Exchanges writer (Jo Lund) at great length

about this, as well as my physician and they both have assured me they both use

them and say some people obsess where they do not need to.

Just a side note for those who are avoiding sugar and find recipes

for some great sounding recipes that say to add a few tablespoons of

sugar, honey, or whatever sweetener of choice. I have started making

those foods without sugar. The family has never had it with sugar,

and really won't miss it. Does lasagne really need 2 Tbsp. of

sugar? I think not.

I have never seen lasagna with sugar in it. At least I never made it that

way.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on the subject. Hi, Group!

Hugs, Marilyn who has 6 children with not a spare pound on any of them ;-)

as well as the grandkids, excluding the 3 1/2 month old, and the pregnant twin.

Personally, I believe the greatest problem in America today is a loss of

family. When was the last time you sat down with your entire family, for a fami

ly meal? This was asked of my twins when they were in high school, by a

teacher. They were the only ones in their classes that said they sit down as a

family every night, without a television, or music, just the art of

conversation

;-) JMHO Marilyn

Marilyn

Moderator for

Diabetic_Recipes

dnevessr@...

Opinions expressed are solely

my own and should not be

mistaken for

Professional advice.