Simple diet advice for my mother!

Semele

Hi all

My mother has had a recent diabetes scare, has been on a diet of sorts for a couple of weeks since and fortunately recent tests have come back clear after having been borderline previously....however:

She wouldn't be the most knowledgeable about nutrition and isn't particularly internet-savvy, so has been asking me for advice on how to keep eating better. I've been recommending that she watch the amount of sugar and empty carbs rather than obsess about fats, and that she switch either breakfast or lunch to a more protein based meal very day instead of eating a bread based meal twice a day (dinner tends to be a meat and 2 veg affair, nothing particularly wrong with it apart from watching portion size IMO). As far as I understand it, that's the best and most sustainable non-diet way to go??

The thing with my mum though is that she will far more readily believe something she reads in a 20 year old diet book or in the Daily Fail than something she hears from me, so no matter what I say she's back to "healthy" cereal, low fat yoghurts rather than full fat natural, salads with no protein or fat etc, Flora spread on toast etc. It's not sustainable, she inevitably hits the biscuits at night and she's eating joyless crap instead of flavoursome nutritious meals. For example, we roasted a chicken the other night at home and yet instead of having it for dinner like the rest of us, she had a salad sandwich (literally lettuce, cucumber and tomato, on bread with Flora) because that was low-fat. Lower calorie, undoubtedly, but relatively empty ones and she was starving 2 hrs later! I feel like I'm bashing my head against a wall trying to (badly) explain why that's not going to work long term.

Can anyone recommend somewhere I could direct her to for better info and meal ideas? I've tried to explain the low-GI idea, but am not doing a great job, and everything I do say seems to be wiped clean by the next Daily Mail expose of the hidden dangers in [insert perfectly healthy food here]:mad:

In case I've made her sound like an idiot, she's not and I don't mean to! She's desperate for useful, practical information, but has only recently ventured online and hasn't yet learned how to critically evaluate sources there! Please help!

PS- also meant to say I'm more than happy to buy her a diet/recipe book, if anyone can recommend one either.

jlm29

Perhaps a session with a dietician or some other professional with a relevant qualification would be a more appropriate gift than a book?
I just had a quick look at the website of the Irish nutrition and dietics website (indi.ie), they have a section to search for a dietician in your area. They also have a couple of info leaflets you can print out I think.

Ant11

Sounds very similar to my mother about a year n half ago. I feel your pain, it's a very tough spot to be in, feeling helpless. Sometimes the more you push the more she will fight it. My mother yo yo'ed for years and wouldn't listen to what I said. I did exactly what you did but had to stop as I was getting nowhere and probably pissing her off. In the end I backed off and eventually she came to me and asked for help. I basically asked her to give me 2 week and if she didn't lose weight, look and feel healthier she could go back and do what she liked. Getting rid of bread and biscuits was the biggest thing for her. By that alone she started to lose weight while I started to introduce healthier options, meat/veg/good fats and started sending her pictures of meals/recipes and even cooking the odd dinner together. Hang in there, make her dinner or invite her over to your place and cook. Ask her to try your way for a few weeks, either way she can go back to square one if she wants so there's no harm in trying your way.

jlm29

jlm29 wrote: »

Perhaps a session with a dietician or some other professional with a relevant qualification would be a more appropriate gift than a book?
I just had a quick look at the website of the Irish nutrition and dietics website (indi.ie), they have a section to search for a dietician in your area. They also have a couple of info leaflets you can print out I think.

Actually, I just looked more closely at that advice booklet. There's a lot of "0%" fat this, and Low fat that... So maybe cut out those bits! Some of the rest of it would probably be useful though!

Semele

Thanks guys!

Part of my problem is that I live in a different country, otherwise I'd just take over the cooking for a while! She's really eager for advice but it's hard to de-programme someone who has grown up with the received wisdom that fat=bad and low-fat carbs=good! and who has never encountered anything that says otherwise. She's interested in bits I tell her but she really need it in black and white in a format she can keep referring back to.

Animord

If you are looking for a book for her have a look at the Harcombe diet.

There is quite a lot of blah on the website but it is basically, full fat, protein, few carbs for the first five days then after that eat real food forever. including how to cheat the odd time!