What to eat when the right food isn't available (Hurricane Irma)?

Hi, @retiredteacher. That certainly is a unique situation for trying to eat the right foods for the diabetes diet. I'm so sorry you have been affected by the hurricane and that there is no way to get to a grocery and no electricity. Can't imagine. A few members here who might have some thoughts for you, some of whom I believe you've encountered before, would be @kbart , @ihatediabetes, @gailb, @brendisha79 and @maurtura. @kdubois and @hopeful33250, two of our volunteer mentors who have some endocrine-related experiences, may also have some input.

How are you feeling?

Hello @retiredteacher

I am so sorry to hear that you've been affected by the bad storms, how terrible!

Your question is good, however, for all folks who find themselves without power and have special dietary needs. As I read your post, I was thinking about storing some baby food products - not the most tasty, but they are generally higher in protein and without a lot of sugar or salt. Also, liquid nutrition products - I know there are some that are specifically for diabetics.

I'll be looking forward to seeing other suggestions from our Members. I hope that your power is restored soon!

Teresa

Thanks Teresa. I didn't think of baby food. I may look at the numbers on a jar and see. Maybe it tastes better than it used to, but I haven't been around it in so long that if it's as bad as it used to be, I'm not sure I could swallow it. I know my husband would never eat it. He'll eat snacks and sandwiches.
I'll choose a jar the next time I grocery shop and try it to see how it tastes.

I appreciate the suggestion. I'm sure there are many people in this situation.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher The Junior foods are better than the infant jars - a bit more grown-up in taste, but still lower in salt and sugar than the regular adult food. The Junior foods also have more variety. I had my first surgery of the upper digestive tract days before the big black-out that covered a lot of the East coast and the day I got out of the hospital there was still no power - so the Junior foods were my go-to.

Teresa

You can tell I don't know anything about buying baby food. 🙂 I will check out the inventory and see about the junior choices. I didn't know they had junior choices. But, that sounds better than baby. Thanks for that information. I haven't been around a baby for decades, so I definitely don't know about that grocery aisle. I'll give it a try.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher Sorry to hear you were effected by the hurricane. For some reason, knowing that you live out of town in a rural area, I had envisioned you living in the west, like Idaho, Montana, Colorado or whatever!
You mention not being able to eat numerous things "peanut butter, canned meat, chips, crackers, cheese, and those types of things that are not on the list of the Diabetes Diet are all that is edible". No one ever told me that! I eat peanut butter often, cheese, and canned tuna occasionally. There are very low salt brands of tuna now. I sometimes do add mayo to tuna but I also just put chunks of it on top of a salad.
Someone mentioned the nutritional beverages made for diabetics and I do keep those on hand. They make a good, quick breakfast. I will generally throw a can of it into my blender type of machine and often add some strawberries or blueberries to it. It's not bad, I find the vanilla easier to drink in the morning. I love chocolate but not crazy about it in this type of beverage and as far as the other flavors go, I think most of them have a very artificial taste.
JK

It's funny the way we picture people we know only by a forum or blog name. I was born and raised in the deep South. As we say, "American by birth and Southern by the grace of God." That's the way I feel and at my age, I am a Steel Magnolia to the bone. I do live in a rural area because I do not like people crammed in by other people. I enjoy nature, forests, rivers and such. There are drawbacks, as you mentioned: not having massive numbers of specialists and medical facilities to choose from, but that's a small price to pay. I avoid doctors and hospitals because I've never been sickly, so I never thought it would be important. And, at my age, I'm not interested in anyone running tests that may or may not be necessary or prescribing meds to fatten their purses and Big Pharmas. I researched foods for emergencies and that's where peanut butter, crackers, and non perishables that I mentioned came from. The problem is the salt and of course, carbs and anything used to preserve. I don't eat fish: just a personal aversion of mine. We have electricity now, so a trip to the grocery is necessary, although since there is only one and it's small. But, it's okay. I'm probably odd too that I do not drink smoothies or blender drinks. I am not a coffee fan either. I was raised on sweet tea and diet Coke. Now, both of those are on the no-no list. So I drink water. Diabetes is hard for me. Getting a menu for a week is impossible, so I try to do two days at a time. Since I'm not a cook, I sometimes give up, drive, and get meals from a restaurant. There is just no easy way to deal with diabetes; it's all consuming, and I don't like to spend my time that way. At my senior age, I am somewhat stubborn.

Thanks for the suggestions.

retiredteacher

I also regularly eat peanut butter, canned tuna and cheese. I pretty much eat anything that is low in carbs or sugar. Mostly I eat salads and vegetables, healthy proteins. Once again, it seems we all are different in the food category too.

@retiredteacher We each of course have our priorities and you obviously love nature. I enjoy it but I enjoy the hustle and bustle of cities more. I lived just outside of Boston prior to getting married and I loved walking up the main street (the town is Brookline, which many people think is actually a part of Boston, but it is not) and seeing such a diversity of people. I also do like that excellent medical care is just an hour away if needed. I have a problem with pharma also but not all doctors are huge prescribers, and I try to make sure whomever I am seeing is not. These days of course many medications are necessary since I am post-transplant. They are life saving.
I drink mostly water now too, often with a squeeze of lime in it, or lemon. I do drink coffee in the morning and green tea when I think of it, it is supposed to be really good for you.
Those canned "meal" drinks are not that bad, as I mentioned before, particularly when you put some berries in them. I am older also so it was not something I started doing regularly but now I find the convenience when I am rushing just works well for me.
Regarding the salt problem, I try to be very low sodium myself, keeping it to under 1500 mg a day. I keep track of my nutrients on myfitnesspal and today I was under 600 mg of salt, a low for me. There are many options now for peanut butter, crackers, and some other foods do have low sodium options. Soups are impossible though.
I try to not eat out much because most restaurants really do use a lot of salt.
Glad to hear you have your electricity again.
JK

@dolo It sounds as if you and I are pretty much on the same food trends. I don't do too much cheese, despite loving it, because it does tend to be high in sodium. I have gotten into putting goat cheese crumbles on my salads because it has about half the sodium of regular cheeses. My favorite is blue cheese but that's even higher in sodium.
JK