Any advice please re: Biscuits for Diabetics?

[Cate]

Just when you think things cannot get any worse, two weeks ago mum had a very serious heart attack, had fluid on the lungs, and has a slow internal bleed (which caused the heart attack). The Doctors and Nurses on A & E were wonderful, they really did save her life.

I won’t go into the horror of the terrible standard of care once mum was put onto the Ward, suffice to say they had no idea how to care for a patient with AD.

I am very pleased to say mum was well enough for the whole family to celebrate with her today her 89th birthday.

However whilst the doctors were carrying out their tests, they discovered mum is diabetic, to be controlled, thank goodness, by diet.

The staff at the NH have no problem at all controlling her diet, they make ‘special’ puds for her etc., when she cannot have what’s on the menu.

However, mum is missing her night time biscuit with her cuppa, the NH seemed to favour custard creams, chocolate digestives etc., all of which she is not allowed, also she likes to keep a stash of biscuits in her bedroom, 'a cuppa being too wet without one'!!

Does anyone have any experience of diabetes, and know what biscuits are fairly low in sugar that I could buy for mum.

Best wishes

Cate

 

[jenniferpa]

I can't speak to the taste, but Sweet N Low do several biscuits which are sold as suitable for diabetics including a vanilla sandwich biscuit which should be similar to a custard cream.

I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I'm not surprised that the ER did great work, nor, unfortuantely, am I surprised to hear that the ward was awful.

Jennifer

 

[Grannie G]

Hi Cate,

You could make your own biscuits using Splenda granules. It`s a sugar substitute you can cook with, unlike many others, and is suitable for diabetics.

Unforunately diabetics need to watch thier fat intake too, so don`t make them too tasty.

 

[Nell]

Hi Cate,
I'd be very surprised if your Mum is the only person in the NH with diabetes. I expect a number of residents would need diabetic biscuits - have you checked to see if they have anything they already use - or can recommend? Just a thought . . . .

 

[Charlyparly]

Hi,

I would presume that your Mum may well have had diabetes for some time then? Particularly as the hospital only happened to stumble across this whilst looking for other things?

You'd have to check / speak with the home and her GP of course (just to make sure) but if it's just the night-time biscuit with her brew - and as long as she's not devouring a full packet, I see no reason why she can't still have it?

If she's stopped from having it - she might go looking. That's when you end up with a handbag or bedside cabinet absolutely crammed with stuff!!

As they say, as little of what you fancy...

Charly

 

[sue38]

My mum was diagnosed with Type II diabetes some years ago and has successfully managed to control it with diet alone.

I don't want to break the advertising code but she likes biscuits from a certain Count on Us range. I don't know if they are low in sugar but they are low in fat and I understand, as Grannie G says, that diabetics have to watch their intake of fat as well.

Maybe you could ask the doctors about these? I am no expert and neither is my Mum. She refuses to believe that there is sugar in alcohol. ...but she must be doing something right.

Sue

 

[Grannie G]

She refuses to believe that there is sugar in alcohol. ...but she must be doing something right.
Sue

Good point Sue.

 

[Brucie]

I don't want to break the advertising code

We're close to having a new definition regarding advertising and recommending that will hopefully clarify what can and can't be said, and enable recommendations of helpful/useful products.

 

[Margarita]

Pleased to read that its your mother birthday to day and she recover from the heart attack .

your mother share the same birth date as my brother .

about the diabetic my mother , has it also , I was told that from the district nurse that plan digestive biscuit and rich teas biscuits are OK eaten in moderation , its going to be hard to break the habit of a life time now with your mother at the age of 89 , so to let her eat a little of what she like won't harm her , as her food diet for diabetic is control .

Its that stash of biscuits in her bedroom , that your going to have to keep an eye on, as she may not be aware how many she eating .

As even if you replace them with all low fat low sugar biscuits & she eats to may of them , they can still be harmful .

Brenda (moderator as I think they two Brenda on TP ) could explain it better, as also I would not spend lots on money on those diabetic Bks treats that you can get in the chemist , I was told they are not as good as they make out to be .

 

[Cate]

Thank you everyone for all your advice, and I think you are right, a little of what you fancy does you good.

Brought mum home today, the sugar free jelly and reduced sugar jam went down well, as did the roast chicken dinner, thankgoodness her appetite is still fantastic.

This evening when I took her home I located the stash of biscuits and have given the staff half to look after, if she thinks she's running low, she will only have one before she goes to bed with the her last cuppa, which will give me time to replace them with something more suitable

Many thanks all.

Cate

 

[Lila13]

We were told 2-3 plain biscuits a day would be OK, also Wiltshire Farm Foods do a variety of special puddings for diabetics. (Though with my mother the main problem was getting her to eat enough of anything at all.)

 

[noelphobic]

Pleased to read that its your mother birthday to day and she recover from the heart attack .

your mother share the same birth date as my brother .

about the diabetic my mother , has it also , I was told that from the district nurse that plan digestive biscuit and rich teas biscuits are OK eaten in moderation , its going to be hard to break the habit of a life time now with your mother at the age of 89 , so to let her eat a little of what she like won't harm her , as her food diet for diabetic is control .

Its that stash of biscuits in her bedroom , that your going to have to keep an eye on, as she may not be aware how many she eating .

As even if you replace them with all low fat low sugar biscuits & she eats to may of them , they can still be harmful .

Brenda (moderator as I think they two Brenda on TP ) could explain it better, as also I would not spend lots on money on those diabetic Bks treats that you can get in the chemist , I was told they are not as good as they make out to be .

Good advice Margarita. Most of the food items labelled as being especially for diabetics are over priced and no better than 'normal' stuff in moderation. My son has had type one diabetes for 3 years and I never ever buy 'special' biscuits, nor would I recommend anyone else to. The same goes for chocolate etc. A lot of this stuff also contains sugar substitutes some of which can have a laxative effect - I had an unfortunate experience with some sugar free mints once!

I wonder who buys all this 'diabetic' food as Diabetes UK and dieticians etc never recommend it!

 

[Margarita]

I had an unfortunate experience with some sugar free mints once!

lol same happen to me

Cate I did not release you take your mother home , as I was going to tell you about a Jam that I found in Salisbury , I have not seen it any where else its called

St. Dalfour france Fruit Rhapodic de fruit Black Cherry or streburry few other one No Added Sugar, My mother love Jam on toast , its a bit lumpy because its concentrated , but only sweetened with Natural fruit juice's No preservatives , flavorings or colours

 

[noelphobic]

DIabetes UK position on 'diabetic' foods:-

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/Our_Views/Position_statements/Diabetic_foods/

I've never bothered with sugar free or diabetic jam or low sugar baked beans. Unless you eat huge amounts of jam the sugar content doesn't matter too much. I asked the dietician about the low sugar baked beans and she said just to use normal ones. The low sugar ones tend to be more expensive also.

The one thing we do use is 'diet' soft drinks, although David now has moral objectins to using products from a certain big name soft drink manufacturer so hardly ever drinks fizzy drinks - unless you count beer of course! I hope he would have non diet coke if he had a hypo and it was all that was available though - would hate to think he would risk his health in order to not breach his scruples!

 

[Lila13]

Dieticians did recommend the Wiltshire meals and puds, and I thought they were quite good value for money, of course if you have the time and the skills you can make things better and cheaper, but if you are relying on carers coming round the only thing they do is heat things up in a microwave.

 

[noelphobic]

Dieticians did recommend the Wiltshire meals and puds, and I thought they were quite good value for money, of course if you have the time and the skills you can make things better and cheaper, but if you are relying on carers coming round the only thing they do is heat things up in a microwave.

just had a look and it says all the main courses are suitable for diabetics and the desserts which have up to 5g sugar are also OK. Sounds reasonable to me. It's the stuff with lots of sweeteners in it that causes the problems. Never used them though so can't comment otherwise.

I have also been told to not order the diabetic meal on a flight as they tend to be too low in carbs. Of course there are differences between type one and type two, and in whether insulin is used - and although it is always used in type one, it is less often used in type two.

I think a much more conservative approach can be used for an 89 year type two not on insulin than should be used for an 18 year old type one.

 

[noelphobic]

Dieticians did recommend the Wiltshire meals and puds, and I thought they were quite good value for money, of course if you have the time and the skills you can make things better and cheaper, but if you are relying on carers coming round the only thing they do is heat things up in a microwave.

Cate's mum is in a nh though so these would not be suitable for her.