Oh that’s difficult too. I just find the changes can happen more rapidly the fewer carbs are eaten.
But everyone is different. Still, as you were told as well, balanced is the way to go.
WE eat normal food. Not overly sweet - I have a sweet tooth but had to curb what i eat - like i did when i tried to loose a few pounds. Soup is good - meat, chicken, veg are good - Pasta (high in slow burning carbs - good if she is running rounds after the kids) - sweet - jelly, fruit cocktail - nothing with too much sugar…
This type of stuff - imaging she is trying to loose some weight - not in the Atkins way.
So, here’s my question for the OP: why is it your responsibility to remove stuff from your house? I assume she is an adult and unless she’s asked you to do something like this, she is responsible for her own diet. She is the one who has to make the choice about if and how strictly to follow the dietary recommendations set out for her. I really recommend this post over at the Fat Nutritionist about permission.
I’m reading the OP as saying this is someone coming in for an evening to stay with the kids, not a long-term thing - if she was going to be staying with the kids for several nights, I’d think that yes, it would make sense to ask her if there’s anything specific she’d like to have on hand for meals. And if you still want to have something nice for her to have on hand, ask her. (and if she says “yes, I’d love X” - even if you think X is not something she should be eating, that’s not a decision for you to make).
This is a bit of a soapbox thing for me - it took me a long time to learn (and sometimes I still have to re-learn) that I (and ONLY I) am responsible for what I eat.
This is the most sensible thing to do. Fad diets and dramatic changes are not optimal, as it can just set up cravings. Basically, what consists of a healthy diet and exercise plan for diabetics is the same as what is healthy for non-diabetics: fruits, veggies and whole grains, carbs in moderation, mono-fats, less salt, smaller portions. Chances are, if this is your dietary regime and you’re not obese, you will never be diagnosed with Type II.
Things have changed a bit over the years. In 1993, when I was diagnosed, insulin had to be taken 20 mins before food, which was a challenge in restaurants. About ten years or so ago I started on an insulin that could be taken when you started eating. These days with Humalog I inject after I have eaten so I can tailor the dose to exactly what I have eaten.
Certainly makes life easier!
Except I was! Oh, those were fun times. I remember sitting with the CDE having them go over what I should be eating and how much I should be exercising. I ate more healthily than they recommended and exercised about twice as much as they recommended, but doc was STILL insisting I was Type 2.
That’s about when I decided doc was an idiot and started exploring other options.
There’s two opposing schools of thought even among diabetes doctors; endorsing a conventionally ‘healthy’ high-carb low-fat diet with lots of whole grains, beans, fruit and veg, and the Carbs Are Now Bad For You approach. For me the second makes the most sense by far and anectodally, the diabetics I know who follow it seem to do a hell of a lot better (in terms of keeping their blood glucose consistently lower, using much less insulin if they have to, not being fat, and not going blind and getting their feet cut off). But there’s no way to change someone’s mind if they’re committed to the first approach, and plenty of docs, dietitians, and nutritionists will support them.
The low carb approach is gaining in popularity with doctors, thankfully - my MIL was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago now and I would have had a fit if her doctor told her to eat lots of ‘healthy whole grains’, but he’s staunchly in support of limiting total sugars and of course grains are mostly glucose so therefore to be avoided. She’s been great with sticking to her diet plan, based on foods that are mostly protein and fat as well as unlimited veg. She’s lost 40 lbs and kept it off and improved all her health markers drastically. If she sticks to it, she will never have to use insulin, and right now her blood glucose is always kept low enough to keep her body from being harmed.
Nothing is absolute, which is why I said “chances are”. Even those who are diagnosed with Type 2 can come off the meds with proper changes in lifestyle. It doesn’t mean that you’re cured, just that the diabetes is controlled without meds.
Most - not all, but the great majority - of type 2 diabetics also have problems with dyslipidemia and should be limiting unhealthy types of fats and in general eating a heart-healthy diet. This means, in a broad sense, cutting down on the fats from animal sources and moving more towards plant-based fats. Diabetes is a major cardiac risk factor. There is such a thing as going overboard; it’s all about moderation and being sensible.
From what I have seen in the last 9 years of working extensively with type 2 diabetics, there is no one diet philosophy that is best for everyone. Some do better going low carb; some do better not limiting carbs that much but concentrating on the high-fiber carbs. (My husband is one of these.) This is a huge debate in the diabetic community with a lot of people leading holy wars on the One True Diabetic Eating Plan, but in practice people are different and have different needs. The important thing for a diabetic is trying different things and finding what works for them and keeps their levels under control.