Mom is mildly diabetic (early dementia btw) and refuses to give up sugar in her tea/ coffee... hates Stevia, Splenda & other substitutes.

Look for a book called " the Calorie King" It literaly lists thousands of food and their calorie, fat and carb content. This can help control the BG numbers.

Sugar is sugar. Carbs are carbs.
I eat as few carbs as possible.
I was taken off of metformin last year. My numbers are a little higher than they should be. I let things go during Luz's illness. I am getting things under control again.

Good Luck

Lemon helps with the after taste. I used to use Twin.

I think the point is maintaining a normal range blood sugar, How is hers?

Can you adjust her other carbohydrate foods to keep her BS normal? For example give her less fruit which is high in sugars.

If she can eat a little protein at the same time as the sugar it should help to keep her sugar levels from spiking.

I find some of the artificial sweeteners TOO sweet, plus of course it is a different kind of sweet. You might be able to cut her sugar intake in half by using both real sugar and a sweetener (I personally like truvia) and experimenting to get the amounts right.

For the general reader, if anyone would like it?

Chai masala ratios (Meera Sodha's mother's recipe):

50g ground ginger
25g ground cinnamon
25g ground cloves
15g ground black pepper
15g ground cardamom

N.b. that's the ratio of spices for the mix, not per cup!!!

You mix that lot together (it'll keep six months) then use ¼ teaspoon of it per mug, along with 3 parts water to 1 part milk, 1 proper teabag per person, and sugar to taste. Put them in a pan, stir well, bring to the boil, simmer for one minute and then strain into the mug.

Speaking as an Earl Grey drinker I have to say I think it sounds revolting, but Meera Sodha's food recipes have never let me down yet.

Wren,

What is any treatment is Mum getting for her diabetes? Is she on Metformin?

How much sugar does she put in her tea?

I am not from India, but my step dad was, he loved his sweets. He drank sweet tea, coffee and loved Barfi and Gulab Jamun. Luckily he did not develop diabetes before he died.

I know it is hard to find today but my grandmother liked Saccharine. It did not have the after taste that can come from Splenda and Stevia. Other people like Xylitol, but be careful if you have it in your house, it is toxic to dogs.

How mildly? Any treatment?

Without very strongly-worded doctor's orders to back me up I wouldn't think of trying to stop your mother having her hot drinks three times a day. Unless she likes it insanely sweet (there was a regular at the coffee bar in the cancer unit who had SIX sugars in hers! Six!!!) it's just not worth making her miserable about.

Does she like chai? I think there's a recipe that uses evaporated milk - the milk isn't sweetened but it is concentrated and has a kind of caramel flavour to it. She'd still want sugar, but maybe less of it.

Wren, at this point I wouldn't worry about it. Let her have her sugar in her tea. Just watch her intake for the rest of the day. Cut the carbs and sugar the rest of the day. There are certain vegetables and fruit that contain sugar that you may want to go easy on. I think carrots are one of the vegetables. Natural sugars can be as bad as processed. Research on the internet.

So how is everything going with you and Mom. I assume she will be staying in the states now.