question for any diabetics out there

[Val]

I'm going to a potluck tomorrow and it's going to be all veg (probably all vegan too), gluten free and one of the attendees is diabetic. She didn't say anything about having people make diabetic friendly foods, but I want to. Right now I've just made some pumpkin muffins where I replaced the majority of the sugar with Splenda (I used some sugar, because from previous experience I find Splenda kind of sucks) and used unsweetened soy milk.

The thing is that I made them with corn flour (since it's gluten free). I know that corn normally has a lot of sugar in it, but I thought corn flour didn't. Looking around online it seems like corn flour is still pretty high on the glycemic index. Thoughts? I made 12 muffins with 1 and 3/4 cups of corn flour.

I'm also bringing curry fried rice (done with brown rice and using sugar free table syrup in place of the maple syrup it calls for), so should I just leave it at that?

[Digital Ghost]

Personally I would say that diabetics do eat sugar they just try not to eat too much of it.

I wouldn't worry too much - I'm sure your vegan cooking is ace.

Somebody is probably just about to kill me for what I say - but thats my view on it as a diabetic.

[RachelJune]

My dad makes me chuckle. Whenever I bake stuff, I always make an effort to make him special cake/muffins with less sugar or using agave syrup. He'll have some of it and then mostly eat the "proper" stuff anyway, lol He is fine so long as he doesn't over indulge.

Maybe you could ask the person themselves to find out what's typically ok for them and what's not. Everyone is different and some may have different levels of tolerance than others. I'm sure she will appreciate all the effort you're going to. I guess as vegans we're all too aware how nice it is when people do this for us!

[Gorilla]

Right now I've just made some pumpkin muffins where I replaced the majority of the sugar with Splenda

some vegans boycott Splenda because of the animal testing that went into the development of the product.

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...hlight=splenda

[pusskins]

Hi Val,

I have Type 1 diabetes, 15 years and counting. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to do anything special to food to make it 'diabetic-friendly'. People with diabetes just eat the same ol' stuff as you 'normal' people! 'Diabetic' food isn't necessarily healthy, and I have never eaten any. So worry not, and use good quality sugar with delight! We like things to taste nice, too! I bake and consume many cakes and use golden syrup and sugar copiously on my pancakes - mmmmmm!

However, it was very sweet (no pun intended!) of you to make the effort, and I am sure it will be very much appreciated

x

[jonnie falafel]

Hi Val,

I have Type 1 diabetes, 15 years and counting. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to do anything special to food to make it 'diabetic-friendly'. People with diabetes just eat the same ol' stuff as you 'normal' people! 'Diabetic' food isn't necessarily healthy, and I have never eaten any. So worry not, and use good quality sugar with delight! We like things to taste nice, too! I bake and consume many cakes and use golden syrup and sugar copiously on my pancakes - mmmmmm!

However, it was very sweet (no pun intended!) of you to make the effort, and I am sure it will be very much appreciated

x

I agree with you pusskins... I'm guessing you just compensate with Insulin. Those that control diabetes and follow a low glycaemic load diet would have to be wary of consuming a lot of sugar, but the occasional indulgence would be harmless.

[Hemlock]

We just tell our diabetics to eat a normal but very healthy diet with plenty of fruit and veg although the ones we see are largely highly uncontrolled + amputees because they drink and smoke incessantly so we try and avoid sugary puddings and the like.

I also don't really advocate the use of splenda and the like, it doesn't taste great and isn't very good for you. The curry fried rice sounds great or risotto would be good!

I remember when I was a nurse back in the early 80's the diabetics used to get a menu programme where they had to weigh their carbohydrates and all sorts and we'd treat diabetic ulcers with egg white and oxygen *cringe*

[mariana]

My grandfather is diabetic and he tries to limit his intake of sweets but he does indulge occasionally. When I make vegan cupcakes, he ALWAYS indulges. He doesn't use Splenda but he does sometimes drink diet soda. It does seem to vary by person. I have a friend who's diabetic who has a very bad reaction if he consumes even a moderate amount sugar (I remember once he had just a few sips of a Starbucks frappuccino and had a reaction). I'm sure the person you're cooking for will know their personal limits so if you just tell them what's in the food they can judge how much they can have. I'm sure they'll enjoy your food!