Diabetes & TF

[birthbabyjunkie]

My (mainstream) dad has type II diabetes. He's not having to do insulin shots or anything, but he does have a modified diet and takes medicine. I am new to TF and still trying to figure out all the "science" of it. They are coming Friday to stay the weekend (Mama has heart issues and high cholesterol) so I don't know what to make for them! Yikes! What are some things that you would suggest?

[tboroson]

Since you say he's very mainstream, I assume he's buying into all the mainstream diabetes myths about eating low-fat, and not restricting carbs too much. While I don't believe that's the right approach to managing diabetes, he's a guest and stands to be offended if you don't cater to that. So to compromise this with TF, I'd serve something like:

Roasted chicken (that way he can choose breastmeat if he wants)
Brown and wild rice cooked in chicken stock
Vegetables steamed and tossed with sauteed garlic and butter (dice garlic, sautee in butter until just starting to brown, then pour over steamed vegetables and toss)
Salad with a homemade vinegarette
Sourdough bread with raw butter
For dessert, I'd reduce some balsamic vinegar and orange juice with a little nutmeg and brush it on peach halves; then I'd grill those. I'd serve that hot with raw vanilla ice cream, which he can take or leave as he will.

[birthbabyjunkie]

Wow, that post made me hungry! Do you have any recom's for books or sites pertaining to TF and diabetes? I would love for my dad to move to this sort of eating/living, but it's hard to go against the docs. Especially when I don't know much about it.

[kbchavez]

I would recommend the Swartzbein Principle. Not specifically TF, but written by an endocrinologist who bucks the mainstream diabetes "wisdom" and has her patients go low carb and eat lots of fat. From there, it's a quick jump to traditional foods. I think the WAPF gave this book a thumbs up in their journal, too.