If you are lucky, you and your whole family will take up the "new diabetic diet" and lifestyle all together. That is the most wonderful way in the world to get it started. You will be great reinforcements for each other to withstand the counterproductive pressures of your workaday lives, avoiding the dangerous foods hiding in the SuperMarket and to withstand any early backsliding that may occur. You can plan your meals together, plan your exercise together, and in general enjoy a much-heightened bond of family fellowship.



The only person in your family

However, you may find yourself the only person in your family who is really interested in this new "healthier" lifestyle.

Now, if you are the person responsible for preparing the family meals, things will probably work out well. Your meal preparation job will simply be a little tougher. You will have to prepare two separate meals each mealtime: one for yourself, and one for the rest of the family. You also have to be responsible for careful management of your prescriptions and natural supplements that are now part of the routine.

However, cooking for one is very easy.

You'll soon learn to keep lots of things, such as vegetable stews and your favorite complex carbohydrates like special breads, REAL whole grain rice (not that phony brown rice) handy for putting on the table. Above all, don't force your new eating and life style on your family just because you are in control of the kitchen. That is a good way to make enemies in the family, and, in addition, to sour them on the whole concept of supporting mom, dad or the grandparents or whoever.

Instead, be the leader!

Set a good example for them and answer whatever questions they may have. Even encourage questions. Try hard, however, not to preach. This has exactly the same negative effect as force-feeding them those all essential complex carbohydrates when they have not already accepted the reality of the SuperMarket Food dangers. You might try to educate the family with some fun books and google searches. Try searching google for "Supermarket food kills monkey" or "origin diet". Lots to find and read on healthy foods. Not to mention the "American Diabetes Association's" own food sections.

But maybe, "I do not run the kitchen"

If you are not the person responsible for preparing the family food, things may get rather sticky. A wife may have her feelings utterly crushed by a husband who decides to make that life saving decision and get on a diabetic diet and supplement program. His or her cooking may be a very important part of their self-image, and the merest suggestion that she should change how she is cooking may be devastating.

A husband in this situation must be very gentle and very wise indeed. If he is clever and lucky, his wife may agree to learn how to shop through the SuperMarket, cook foods the healthy way just for him. On the other hand, you "non kitchen managers" may simply wind up fixing your meals for yourself.

You can expect some friction, particularly with the cook, whose kitchen you are now sharing. But things usually work out well, and you end up learning a lot about cooking and your own personal tastes.

The cardinal rule

Once again remember the cardinal rule: Do not preach to your family. Simply set a good example and answer any questions about your new healthy lifestyle and your family may have. You will probably find that after you have been on the program for a while, half your family will have converted to it.

Diabetics are most successful when they work with others in creating and staying with your diabetic diet plan. There are a number of good resources you can contact for help. Three of the best are diabetes educators: "Association of Diabetes Educators," diabetes education programs "American Diabetes Association," and your local programs and dieticians (American Dietetic Association.)

People at these groups are trained to work with you on your diabetic diet, with suggestions for getting the most out of your diabetic diet and staying with it until your blood sugar and weight are under control.

So lead the charge for the family, and get them interesting a healthy lifestyle. Make then a healthy food advocate. Then next step is nutrition, supplements and they are amateur dietitians.