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Nutrition for Elderly with Type 2 Diabete

My mother-in-law had breast cancer (mastectomy performed) in 1995; she was later diagnosed with Type 2 diabete (1997) and again was later diagnosed with chronic Hep B (2000) which required treatment/hospitalization, and she is still taking medication for Hep B.  I don't know what the chemical name of the medication at this moment (everything is in brandname in Chinese).

My concern/question:  She is very fragile and is evidently underweight (5ft 3in, weighs under 90 lb).  she is eating very little because and she is avoiding chicken altogether (myth about its toxicity).   (1) She is eating congee (porridge made with white rice) - and I think that this is giving her too much starch (sugar) and this is in liquid form and I am afraid her blood glucose will rise rapidly  after meal.  What do you think?  (2) She is confined to her apartment because she believes (and others in the family agree) that she is "too weak" to do any exercise.  I would think moderate exercise such as walking around the block is very important for her to stay reasonably fit, and I can see that this confinement is also taking a toll on her emotional health.  Is it OK for her to go out and just walk the block for, let's say, 15 minutes at either dawn or dusk so that it's not too hot.  (3) Since she is avoiding a lot of nutritious food and is eating very little, I am thinking about sending her multivitamins/minerals.  What do you think?  Is there any particular vitamin or mineral that she should/should not be taking in terms of her conditions.
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Avatar universal
Why dont you blend up fruit shake with tofu and offer it to her in a straw.  Check out Dr. Weil and his website and look for the recipe for Berry Shake, only substitute the Sugar for Honey instead.  Bound to knock her socks off. Doons
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Avatar universal
Yoyo,
I think that you may be best to address this question at the diabetes strand on this board.  Most of us here have hepatitis c and are not very familiar with hepatitis b or diabetes.  I do know, though, since my fiance has diabetes, type 2, that exercise is very important in controlling that disease.  It does also sound like her diet isn't good for her diabetes.  I think that since she's on treatment for hepatitis b and has diabetes, she should have a diet prescribed by her physician.  I hope that you will get more answers from other people who have diabetes on the diabetes strand here at Med Help International.  Good Luck to you and your family.
Smiles, Sue
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