How should type 2 diabetics eat?

There are differences between carbs so when choosing between carbohydrates, choose the lower glycemic index carbohydrates. There's also glycemic load which also takes into account how many carbs is in a usual serving. The lower glycemic index carbohydrates take longer to become glucose so the glucose level is spread out and easier for the pancreas to handle, it's like taking rush hour traffic and spreading it out through the day. Another way to spread out the load would be to eat smaller meals but more frequently.

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I hate trying to count carbs and calculate portions so I just use the plate method. Using the portion control and 30 minutes of exercise each day I was able to lose over 150 lbs and go off diabetes medication all together.

The three main things to watch in your portion control is those foods that relate to the ABC's of diabetes:

AC1 - This means limiting the carb portions to keep the blood sugar levels steady, hopefully under 7.0, 6.0 is even better. A way to help this is to increase the fiber content of the carbs so as to slow their absorption, i.e. instead of all white flour, use half wheat flour, instead of white rice, brown rice, instead of regular pasta, whole grain pasta, etc...

Blood Pressure - Diabetics of both types die of heart attacks or strokes 66% of the time, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke is undetected hypertension. Keeping the sodium intake at 1500 mg or less is helpful so finding salt alternatives to spice up foods and choosing lower sodium versions are preferred.

Cholesterol - This speaks to the heart attack and stroke danger again. Using healthy fats (Omega-3, no trans fat, low saturated fat) and eating leaner meat help this the most.

People with type 2 diabetes need small amount of the right carbs. When your talking to your father he needs to know the right proporton of meat,fish turkey ,chicken .The proportion is the size of his hand . He needs small amount of carbs (Sweet potato ,brown rice ,egg noodles.) Then the rest of the plate in vegetables. If your father a vegeterian he needs lentils and kidney beans and all those things so he gets his protien..If your father feels like a sweet then light icecream with a jelly or yoghart, or all kinds of fruits.. When he eats breakfast it can be porridge or brown bread . Its very important that your father knows that he has to control his diet not the medication. People get lazy and think they can still eat and drink what ever they like and think that a pill is going to stop them from having diabetes If your fathers on 1 pill tell him he doesnt have to take medication if he watches his eating habits and checks his readings every day. If he doesnt i can tell you that he will be taking more pills in 2 years time to try to control his diabetes.

ok, if he is diabetic, sugars are off (like donuts or bread) now, he can eat anything (even burguers) but just a BITE!, since he is vegetarian I think he can actually do better than most people, everything have to be in smaller portions, no big dish please, I do have diabetes and I eat for breakfast: 2 - 4toast and a glass of non fat milk, mid day, a couple of apples or a bowl of popcorn (the one made by hot air, not microwave), for lunch, a salad with a piece of meat (bolied, not fried and only a small piece) mid afternoon, same, fruits (no sugary fruits) and for dinner same, now, we can also eat soups with vegetable, but the most important food he will eat it's at dinner because that food will have to last him all night, so, he can eat a bit more or even toast or bread again (again, smaller portions too), one day a week, he can eat something he likes (in smaller portions) like a do, also he can watch his glucose and see what kind of foods are best to eat, brown rice is great! but it's still carbs so in little portions too, hope that helps.

If you have type 2 diabetes and you don't understand your diet restrictions then you should see you doctor about this and perhaps a dietician or nutritionist so that you understand what is going on in your body. If you are seeing a general practitioner make an appt with an endocrinologist.

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Diabetics on insulin can take insulin to cover what they eat. Over time they become very experienced with how different types of carbohydrates and carbohydrates mixed with fat and protein affect them and so become very proficient at dosing insulin. For those diabetics not on insulin, though, more carbohydrate restriction is usually required to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

I know diabetics on insulin - Type 1s and Type 2s - who can get away with 100-150+ grams of carbohydrate per day, including fruit, grains, rice, and potatoes. I'm a Type 2 on oral medication only and I just can't eat that many carbohydrates or any of those starches and sugars and keep my blood sugar in a good range. I don't want to knock diabetics who can eat that way. We use different methods to control blood sugar and we're all in different stages of the disease, so my tolerance for carbohydrates may not be your father's and vice versa.

You asked how your father can figure out how many carbohydrates to eat. I wish I could tell you a number per day, meal or snack. I can't and no one here can. That number is highly individual. The only way your father can determine the number is by testing his blood sugar after eating. From testing, he can create a meal plan of "blood sugar safe" food to build on and then test as he introduces new food to his repertoire. I discovered that my blood sugar is best when I keep my carbohydrates to 30 grams per day. I also spread those carbohydrates over the afternoon and evening when my blood sugar seems the most carbohydrate tolerant. The morning is the worst time for me to eat carbs and many diabetics have this problem, too.

That's why testing is the only way to approach this. He'll learn how many carbohydrates to eat, what types (can he get away with fruit? what kinds? does he do okay on grains, rice, potatoes, beans or corn?), when his body is most sensitive to carbohydrates, and so on. With all due respect to your father's doctor, brown rice spikes my blood sugar just like white rice. I wish it weren't so, but carbohydrates are carbohydrates and they all hit bottom eventually. Your father may be able to eat a small portion, who knows, but just depends on his body.

So, I just encourage you to talk to him about testing his blood sugar after eating and to write down his levels and food intake. After testing 5-10 meals, he should have a really good sense of what's impacting him positively and what's not, and hopefully that will inspire him to follow a diet that considers all carbohydrates, not just sugar. The fact that he's a vegetarian is a workable obstacle. He can eat cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds, and all sorts of non-starchy vegetables. I make cauliflower "rice" by food processing it with the grater blade and then stir frying it with green onion and chicken in soy sauce, sesame oil, and fresh garlic. Pretty tasty stuff. Your father could skip the chicken and add almost anything.

I want to tell you about two doctors I encountered on YouTube. At first I was skeptical, but I checked them out pretty thoroughly and I'm convinced they're legit. What I'm interested in is not exactly what you're interested in. Keep that in mind, but don't think my interests are all that matters here. There's plenty of room for variety.

First, I say go to youtube.com and type in Dr. Neal Barnard. I'll tell you what I liked best, but he's got a lot of videos and you can take your pick. I liked his 4 part series. Another one I recommend is go to youtube.com again and type in Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. He also has a lot of videos. My favorite was Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof. Again, don't take my choice, pick your own.