How to Help Your Parent With Diabetes Stick With Diet Recommendations

Quick summary

Your mom has a sweet tooth, and she can consume a box of cookies in one sitting. Your dad doesn't see why -- at his age -- he should bother watching what he eats. Sound familiar? But healthy eating is a key component to controlling blood sugar levels and weight, two major tools in managing type 2 diabetes and warding off diabetes-related complications like heart disease. Here are ways to help your parent with diabetes make smart food choices.

Think small

Before you attempt to overhaul your parent's diet all at once, take a deep breath and reconsider. You may find there isn't much that needs tweaking. Have her keep a three-day food diary to get a sense of what, how much, and when she eats.

Remember, too, that change is hard for everyone -- especially the elderly. So take small steps if you find you need to help your parent readjust her eating patterns.

Sometimes just minor changes in meal habits can make a big difference in controlling blood sugar levels. For instance, consistency plays a role in keeping blood sugar on track, so try getting your parent to eat about the same amount of carbohydrates -- the nutrient that has the biggest effect on blood sugar levels -- at each meal.

Get personal

Because food preferences are so individual, it's best to help your parent figure out a meal plan that takes into consideration her likes and dislikes, eating habits and schedule, and any health issues that may impact the way she eats. Keep a list of her favorite foods, recipes, and meals to help you and any health professionals you enlist in the process come up with a meal plan that's realistic -- and one she may actually stick with.

Educate yourself and your parent

Unsure of what constitutes a healthy, varied diet suitable for a parent with diabetes? The same foods that you should eat -- vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat or low-fat dairy products, beans, lean meat, and fish -- are also wise choices for your parent. In addition, balancing nutrients -- carbohydrates, proteins, and fats -- at meal and snack times is as important as the particular foods your parent eats.

To learn more about how diet affects diabetes, it's a good idea to take a diabetes education class, available at many diabetes centers and local hospitals. Look for a nearby program that meets the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) national standards of excellence.

Keep it simple

Don't overwhelm your parent with too much diet information. If you bombard her with complex instructions about what, when, and how much to eat, you run the risk of losing her cooperation altogether.

Instead, look for clear, concise ways to convey your message. For example, moderation is key to controlling blood sugar levels -- regardless of how healthy the food is -- so paying attention to portion size is important.

An easy way to learn portion control is the plate method. If you think of a plate as a circle, divide it in half, and then divide one half in half again. On the full half of the plate goes vegetables and salads, a quarter of the plate is reserved for protein, and the remaining quarter is for carbohydrates or starches.

Seek expert advice

It can be hard for a parent to suddenly find herself getting advice from her child, and you may find your best efforts met with resentment or resistance. So don't set yourself up in the thankless role of the Diet Police.

Instead, it's a good idea to enlist the aid of a registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator. These professionals can work with you and your parent to develop meal plans that take into account food preferences, ethnic and cultural considerations, co-existing medical conditions, family circumstances, and weight issues.

Dietitians and diabetes educators also have expertise in how the body uses food and how food affects blood glucose levels. These educators can offer recommendations on carbohydrate counting, establish realistic goals, help create shopping lists and menus, and clarify any misunderstandings about diabetes, diet, and sweets. The ADA recommends that every person with diabetes receive a personalized meal plan designed by a registered dietitian.

Share your parent's dietary needs with other caregivers

If your parent is in an assisted living facility or an adult family home, make sure to explain -- both verbally and in writing -- your parent's food needs. Some facilities will have a registered dietitian on staff but not all do. Regardless, it's a good idea to set up an appointment, by phone or preferably in person, to discuss your parent's dietary needs with an appropriate member of the staff.

Look for ways to serve healthier food

If you shop or cook with your parent, there are many ways you can discreetly influence her food selection. Help your parent make good choices at the grocery store -- pick a rainbow palate of fruits and vegetables for variety and optimal nutrition. That means choosing produce from across the color spectrum: Think red peppers, orange carrots, green broccoli, purple eggplant. Swap white rice with brown rice for that stir-fry dinner, or add whole-wheat spaghetti to serve later with your parent's favorite pasta sauce. She may not even notice the difference.

Read labels: Check nutrition facts on packaged and processed foods so you know what your parent is eating -- and how much. These labels include details on serving size, calories, and fat, sodium, and carbohydrate content, as well as how much of a specific nutrient the food contains. The ADA's virtual grocery store is a good place to get information about what exactly goes into those packaged goods.

Likewise, go for healthier preparation methods: It's better to bake, broil, grill, or roast than to fry. Choose monounsaturated fats (such as olive or canola oil) instead of butter. Use nonfat or low-fat milk and cheese in recipes that call for these ingredients. Avoid fast food as it tends to be high in fat, salt, and calories.

Mix it up: Keep the menu interesting by experimenting with spices and finding low-fat substitutions, such as using low-fat or nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream, cream, or coconut milk in sauce recipes. Need some more ideas for what to cook? Find diabetes-friendly recipes at the ADA website.

Stay positive

Nobody responds well to nagging, bullying, or begging, which rarely work as a long-term strategy anyway. Keep the focus on what your parent can eat, instead of what's on the no-no list. And accept that although your parent will occasionally backslide into old habits, that doesn't mean she's fallen irreparably off the healthy food wagon.

When you share a meal with your parent, serve a variety of nutritious foods that everyone can enjoy and then take the focus off what's on the table. You want mealtimes to be a pleasant experience, not something that your parent dreads.

Allow the occasional treat

Don't sweat the small stuff. The occasional cookie, slice of cake, or scoop of ice cream is probably okay, as long as it's accounted for by reducing calories elsewhere, increasing activity, or adjusting medication.

Such infrequent indulgences may help your parent from going on a sugar bender. No one likes to think she'll never eat an Oreo again. But as a general rule: Keep junk food out of the home -- to ward off temptation -- and limit snack foods like chips and sweets like cake to a once-in-a-while treat.