Website: Nutrition Data

I've been online for the last several hours, trying to find Pinoy resources about diabetes management. Sadly, I haven't found any Filipino support group for diabetics nor local websites that comprehensively tackle diets for diabetics.

This is one of the very few US-based websites that come close to what I'm looking for. Nutrition Data provides several helpful tools that can help you manage diabetes: BMI and Daily Needs calculator, health articles, nutritional content of different kinds of fruits.

Maybe this is an opportunity for me to start my own Nutrition Data.

Recipe: Seasoned Grilled Fish with Black Rice

My first attempt to cook a diabetic-friendly dinner involves grilled fish.

Sorry but I forgot the name of the fish. I just took the first fish fillet I saw at Landmark’s grocery. But the fish turned out to be good enough for D.

Here’s the recipe:

Seasoned Grilled Fish

½ kilos of fish fillet (whichever kind you like)
3 tbsp of powdered garlic
3 tbsp of powdered onion
2 tbsp of Spanish paprika
5 tbsp of grape juice (use real grapes and then juice it)
3 tbsp of water

Directions:
1. Cut the fish fillet in manageable sizes, about 2 inches wide
2. Mix the water, garlic, onion, paprika and grape juice. Mix well. You can also use regular garlic and onion.
3. Sprinkle the mixture over the fish fillet.
4. Set it aside for at least 30 minutes. Marinade it longer to allow the seasoning to penetrate the fillet.
5. Grill each side for 5 minutes. Turn over when brownish.
6. Serve with your preferred rice. For me, it's black rice.

Note: You can also grill vegetables to complement the fish like carrots, peas and corn.

The day after the diagnosis

A day after we found out that my husband D has type 2 diabetes, we went to the grocery to buy ingredients that are more diabetic-friendly.

This is just for starters because we need to formally see a nutritionist-dietitian so that D can have a medically approved diet plan. Right now, we’re just concentrating on getting ingredients that have the lowest sodium and sugar content as possible. We also stocked up on whole-wheat ingredients like cereals, rice, bread, etc.

I also started a food table, taking note of the nutritional content of every food ingredient (and brand) that we buy. I am being obsessive-compulsive but I want to ensure that what I prepare for D is good for his health.

One realization we had is that diabetic-friendly ingredients are expensive. A kilo of black rice costs about P102, which is equivalent to about three kilos of regular polished rice. But then again, you can't put a price on health. It's better to spend on a healthy food than spend on hospital bills.

The Diabetic Life

I decided to start a blog about living with diabetes when my husband was diagnosed to have type 2 diabetes.

Since last night, I have been surfing the Internet for support groups for Filipino families dealing with diabetes and my search hasn't been productive.

This blog was created to chronicle our life and how we manage diabetes. I also hope that this provides other Filipino families credible information on how to manage this disease.