Anyone know of a good resource? Actual recipes I mean. Sites, books?

Check out the Australian Diabetic Association web site Lara, especially the recipe section. Hopefully you'll find what you're looking for there. Recipes for People Living with Diabetes:
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/...-Well/Recipes/

Calorie King has limited recipes: http://www.calorieking.com.au/content/

Simply Great Meals has a large section of diabetic recipes:
http://www.simplygreatmeals.com.au/h...betic+Friendly

Here's a book that looks to be relevant "The Insulin Restance Diet" :
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Ins.../9780071499842

Alternatively you could telephone the Diabetic Clinic at the nearest public hospital or community centre. They have access to heaps of information related to insulin resistance including books and other resources and all their assistance is free.

Thank you very much.

It's not for me, which makes it a little difficult. I'll check out those sites you left. I appreciate that.

There seems to be an awful lot of conflicting advice around. I've advised her to talk to a dietician privately but in the meantime just trying to gather some more information.

I'd totally forgotten about the Clinics that have been set up at our hospitals. I'll get her on to that as well. Free is good.

thanks.

Be careful with dieticians! Some are still recommending low fat diets!

Insulin resistance eating is low carb at each meal. The metabolic X diets are slightly higher in good fats and provide good protein at each meal. Smaller meal sizes and addition of protein rich snacks throughout the day.

There are some tricks... Dreamfield's pasta has some undigestable carbs added to lower its glycemic index.
Eating certain fruits is better than others... bananas vs cherries.
The cherries are much lower in sugars.

Finding a copy of the glycemic index online is very helpful for choosing things. Good fats like avocados, will slow gastric emptying and reduce insulin spikes and lower postprandial glucose readings, which then improves the HbA1C overall.

I like this resource too:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/

I find adding beans to a meal instead of starchy veggies, or bread, is very satisfying, lasting longer for suppression hunger. Substitute sweet potatoes or yams for regular potatoes.

I use flat breads when making sandwiches...you can save 1/2 or more carb calories this way.

Excellent site. I'll pass that on. Some ideas for recipes in there as well.

I thought the dietician might be able to help her with meal planning/actual recipes. She's not a cook and has limited funds for going all out and is finding it really difficult to put meals together that are fast and tasty. She loves stir fries, but then doesn't know what to use as a sauce .. just an example. A splash of lime at the end isn't doing it for her. I guess as she gets more understanding of it all then her taste buds will change. Also been prescribed metformin (and currently taking oestrogen for PCOS) and she says the metformin is affecting her senses negatively. Is that possible? She's very tiny and yet the doctors keep telling her to lose weight. She's really not eating enough imo.

Flat breads are great idea! I'll remind her about the sweet potato. She's cut out all potato at present.

thanks so much.

p.s. Just also looking at a few sites that Jo has posted in the "sticky". Very helpful too. Thanks Jo.

Yes, metformin changes reactions to food. In general it can reduce appetite, and sometimes cause a low grade nausea that results in avoidance of food in general. It has been used in various weight loss plans for this effect.

A good meal replacement can be a whey protein shake, with yogurt/ low glycemic fruits, and some flax oil. This will provide calories, and nutrients, and taste good. People will drink when they don't feel like eating. Avoiding sugar and using whole things in the smoothie controls insulin too.