Type 2 diabetes - Snacks and meals

Posted by trellg132 @trellg132, Feb 1, 2021

Type 2 diabetes what can I eat? I like green apples.

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@dorisena

Yes, natural peanut butter is good for a snack and the fat helps slow down the sugar rise, if any. My granddaughters have always eaten lots of peanut butter and were successful in gymnastics in their childhood. I have eaten a couple of peanut butter cookies this week without any rising blood sugar in the morning, but I eat them with my main meal, not as a snack. I find i need the high fiber diet even more as I age. I don't drink enough water, I think. Dorisena

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Peanut butter taken with green apples are great 👍

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Peanut butter chocolate ice cream would be a good choice if you want to cheat some on your diet because the fat content slows down the blood sugar spike.
If you eat it as part of an entire balanced dinner, there is also reduced spike in the blood sugar. That is the problem when you eat a sweet, sugary snack.
The spike on an empty stomach can be more pronounced. This is a relative thing, however, and depends on your entire day of eating and activity level.
This concept is learned over time as you adjust your diet to your needs. This works in my body and I have fewer high sugar counts. I seldom check my blood sugar at night because of my experience in managing my diet. It is better to overdo at lunch rather than in the evening, if you are tempted. Dorisena

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And, of course, remember it's better to eat an apple than to drink a glass of apple juice because it takes numerous apples to make a glass of juice so you'd be getting the extra sugar of all those apples. Same for oranges and other fruits.

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Oh, yes, Deanna, how I remember cranking the cider press and making gallons of fresh apple juice which gave us the "runs" and bad bacteria if the juice was not pasteurized before drinking. I made some wine out of some of it, and actually that was safer drinking because it fermented out some of the sugar.
We used up all the apples on the ground we could, so I processed the juice and canned it to make it safer to drink. Those days are gone now for me, and my muscles don't miss the hard cranking of that cider press which is stored in the corner of the barn. We learn to be healthier. Dorisena

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Deanna, we are doing so much better with our diets these days given nutritional information which keeps our bodies healthy. Our nutrition education is so much more advanced and helpful to keep our bodies running efficiently for longer, active lives. You won't hear me talking about the good old days on the farm when everything was better and we had no health problems. Rhubarb robs your blood of calcium and liver should only be eaten once a month. Goose fat is not a snack item but at least the sourkraut was good for you if you rinsed some of the saltiness away. Milk needs to be pasteurized and it is one of the most tested products we eat today. No funny business messing with milk safety these days.
Then there were pork rinds to eat which didn't help the diet at all unless you were husking corn in a corn stack in the middle of the winter. The one item I miss is homemade mince meat pie which is made from our own meat, condensed apple juice, dried raisins, and chopped apples and spices. i still think it is a healthy product to eat in the winter after a hard day's work. But not after a gigantic Thanksgiving dinner! We are making better choices these days. Dorisena

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I'm really trying to know what's good to eat and what's not because some many things I read some of the time says something different

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@trellg132

I'm really trying to know what's good to eat and what's not because some many things I read some of the time says something different

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The teacher in me wants to help with a simple plan for eating. Everyday you need protein, vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, and water.
Some people need more or less of some nutrients because of their body functions and health, but a meal should be balanced if possible. Lots of variety covers the needs and helps fill in the gaps with nutrients. Fresh foods are the best nutrients. Developing a taste for certain foods is important and fun to eat. Variety is fun and change is good. You can rely on the basic amounts of foods needed and the Mayo Clinic diet book is an excellent guide, and shows how to increase or decrease amounts based on what your body seems to need.
My list of what to eat would be different than someone else's list. You will like some foods more than others. Try to eat food the closest to plain, fresh, or frozen that you can afford to buy. Skip "manufactured" or processed foods if possible. When you need to pack a food or snack, read the label to keep the sugar and carb amounts as low as possible. Fifteen grams of carbs is one serving, and you need to decide how many servings a day work best for you. Eat protein the size of a deck of cards. Fill half of your plate with vegetables.
Avoid white potatoes and white bread. I can't give anyone a list of what to eat. There are some foods I have never tasted, so I will get around to tasting them eventually. This year I learned to eat a few cooked beets and to drink some beef juice. It is not a high carb food and the nutritionists recommend them. I love spinach, fresh and undercooked. I love parsley but no one else does. It is a journey.
Dorisena

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May I suggest you choose small changes to satisfy your eating interests. Purchase more fresh foods in the produce department, both raw and food you cook.
Decrease the fat foods and the high carb foods in your plans. Don't skip any of the food groups except the sugary sweets. Every week try a new vegetable or a new way of preparing the food. There are free recipes on the web. Eat at regular times every day, if possible. If you get hungry between meals don't eat a sugary snack. Try nuts or a small piece of cheese. Try some seasonings on the plain vegetables but don't use much salt. I use salted butter for flavor and then skip the added salt. Then I can enjoy the special taste of fresh cooked veggies. Don't be offended at the idea of banning potato chips and sodas from your home, except for New Year's or birthdays. I am sure you have made changes already. When you are able, take a walk after a big meal. Make a "crazy" salad by including only the items you like to eat. Add some new food to it from time to time. I used to make a hot buttered parsrley sandwich on rye for a snack when I came in from the garden and was hungry. My granddaughter learned to eat fish by assuming it was chicken. I didn't correct her thinking because she would try anything she saw on my plate. But she loved noodles the best, with added seasoning. I prefer crunchy food. Let us know what new veggie or fruit you have tried and how you fixed it or enjoyed it. The blood sugar numbers will go down and you will feel great. Dorisena

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Where can I order this book your talking about ms Dorisena

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I ordered the book on the Mayo Clinic website with my credit card. Check where they talk about nutrition. I notice they also have a program you can sign up for on the web but i don't know about the cost. I forget the price of the book. Perhaps our monitor can direct us to the site to buy the book. Dorisena

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