Diabetic menu for the Chinese eater

My dad was recently diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and I am having a hard time finding information on foods/menu for the Chinese diet, just the typical suggestions on foods more prevalent in the American diet. Does anyone know of any place online that can provide suggestions on Chinese foods to eat or avoid? Thanks for your help.

The best tip I can give is portion control. Particularly with the rice and noodles. Otherwise its pretty reasonable. Lots of vegetables with minimal fats although there is some.

excelsior, my Dad is type II as well; Chinese food is actually a very good option (extremely low incidence of type II in the population).

Small portions of rice (brown if possible; noodles & pancakes are a bad option as usually made of white flour); avoid anything breaded (again the flour issue, plus often has added sugar i.e. no to the ubiquitous orange chicken or sweet & sour) & stick to protein/veg rich dishes, particularly if steamed or stir fried. My Dad's favorite options include steamed fish with garlic/ginger etc, roast duck & lots of stir fried greens. He also likes tofu with veg (I don't)! Do watch out for dishes with higher salt content, such as salt/pepper shrimp, high salt can be counter-indicated (he has a heart condition too).

excelsior wrote:My dad was recently diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and I am having a hard time finding information on foods/menu for the Chinese diet, just the typical suggestions on foods more prevalent in the American diet. Does anyone know of any place online that can provide suggestions on Chinese foods to eat or avoid? Thanks for your help.

I do not want to sound flippant but have you considered a dietary consult with a Registered Dietitian (RD) on Chinese ancestory? I am sure that somewhere in the Chicago area there are RDs who work with Chinese patients to develop a diet that would meet their individual needs.

The American Dietetic Association provides a locator service on their website that you might find helpful.

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ad ... U_HTML.htm

From the ADA website:

Registered Dietitians have completed academic and experience requirements established by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, ADA's credentialing agency, including a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and an accredited pre-professional experience program. RDs must successfully complete a rigorous professional level exam and must maintain ongoing continuing education to maintain their credential. Some RDs hold advanced degrees and additional certifications in specialized areas of practice.

Personally, I believe that personal consultations with a licensed dietitian to develop a diet tailored to the lifestyle of the individual patient is critical. If a patient cannot follow a standard diet, they tend to lapse back into old bad habits.

jlawrence01, thanks for the info on the ADA. I'll look into that. And thanks everyone else for your comments. Coincidentally I found a discard copy of the Joslin Guide to Diabetes at the Harold Washington Library this week and will read more about it.

This is a link to the Joslin Diabetes Center, Asian American Diabetes Initiative. Near the bottom of the page, the "Interactive Wok" has listing of the carbs, fat, proteins, sodium, etc of some ingredients in Asian cooking. Hope this will help.

http://aadi.joslin.harvard.edu/