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some baking guidance please

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Posted 9/13/2008 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
I usually post in the fibro forum, but I have a question for you all.  My dh has been diagnosed with diabetes this past spring.  I've been able to help with the carbs and meal plans a bit because of what I learned with gestational diabetes.  But the differnece was that I only had to do it for 9 mths.  With the fall, I'll be baking more goodies for the kids, but I feel so guilty that I am tempting him.  So I was wondering, is it ok to have Splenda?  I know he needs to limit his diet pop because of the nutrasweet.  I just made him some banana bread, and he was so happy.  Can I keep making him fruit muffins, and even cookies?  How about lemon squares (I'm sure I could find a sugar free kind), what kind of substitute can I use for the crust instead of graham crumbs?  How much sugar is ok?  He eats granola bars right now that have about 6 grams of sugar, and he seems to tolerate it alright.  I don't like him having them though, I think it's too much.  He has also tested his sugar after heavy carb meals, and he says they don't raise his sugar either.  BTW, he went from a 36 sugar value when he was diagnosed to an average of 8 in a day.  He is on metformin and glybuteride, if that is important.  I'm sorry if I seem so ignorant; I would appreciate some guidance.  Any good websites, or personal experience for little treats I can make him? 

Thank you so much!

Posted 9/13/2008 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome over to this side of the Forum! :-)   Your dear husband is lucky to have you taking care of him!  Getting used to cutting out certain food is frustrating especially as we're coming into the holidays - I've been through it just like everyone else who's on here, too.  First of all you (and he, after all this is his disease!) should also realize that flour causes rises in blood sugar, so even if a product says "sugar free", that food will cause a blood sugar rise because of the flour.  Also, I believe too much artificial sweetener can also do that.  Once in a while, a treat isn't going to hurt but if it's a regular activity, his blood sugar will be messed up.  Fruit has fructose, a sugar, but if they're in a muffin, the muffin is made with flour, just like cookies and cake, so the best strategy is to be wise and not eat a lot.  I make a cheese cake with artificial sweetener with no crust.  You can also combine canned pumpkin with the cheese cake mixture and it becomes a pumpkin-cheese cake pie.  No flour and no sugar with either.  He might want to check out the Atkins Advantage bars available in the supermarket.  If his granola bars don't raise his blood sugar, then the Atkins bar may not either.  I'm puzzled that his blood sugar doesn't rise after a heavy carb meal - something's strange here.  Is he upping his meds to cover the meal?  Carbs are what we need to stay away from!   A few posts back, a member posted some websites for low-carb cooking, they might have something interesting for you to read. And I think it's time to start posting some recipes we can tolerate for the holidays, so that's something we need to do soon. Hang in there and search online for low carb food in the meantime.    cool
Posted 9/13/2008 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
mamanan,
Try looking for recipies that use whole grain oatmeal (sold as Old Fashioned Oatmeal) in them. I make up lots of recipes using over-ripe bananas (I store them one at a time in the freezer until I have enough for a batch.), butter or oil, oatmeal and peanut butter plus the levening, salt and eggs. When a cookie recipe calls for flour I put a bunch of oatmeal in the blender or food processor and have at it until I have oat flour. I can usually make do with about 3/4 oat flour to 1/4 wheat flour. I use the bananas instead of most of the sugar and only ad about 1/2 cup of brown sugar to a batch. The resulting cookies are moist, chewy and very healthy. Oats lower cholesterol, whole oats are high fiber, oils prolong the absorption time, peanuts are high in monounsaturated fats and the bananas are full of potassium and other goodies. I usually don't have to worry about overdoing on these because my hubby eats them all before I can have very many!
Posted 9/13/2008 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Lanie and Jeannie for your help :)

With this post, and some lurking I have done here, it has made me realize that I have really slipped in paying attention to what he eats. He is a grown man, and the choice is ultimately his, but I can nag with the best of them, or so he says! lol. I just started back on my weight loss diet, and I use what I learned at my diabetes education class for this. I also need to convince him to eat differently, adding more protein to his snacks, and cutting back on carbs, even if he says they don't hurt his sugar. With my making my meals following these guideliines, it should be easy for him to follow.

Jeannie, I also put my bananas in the freezer! Anyone who sees this thinks I'm nuts, lol. Thank you so much for the fantastic tips, they will help a lot!
Posted 9/16/2008 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
The only thing is, you have to mark the bag when you freeze them... One night I went to fix dinner and realized I had thawed a zip lock bag of bananas instead of bratwurst! LOL! My family is still laughing about that one... I mean, bananas turn brown, they are about the same size and it was an honest mistake, right?
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