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Archive for the ‘diabetes’ Category

Whether you’re diabetic or just trying low-carb or low-glycemic diets to lose weight, it can be tough to plan meals. When potatoes, pasta, rice, and bread are pretty much out of the picture, it can be almost impossible to follow your tried and true recipes.

How can you go low-carb and still enjoy eating?

1. Read labels. Beware light, lite, diet, and sugar-free items. You still need to check the carb count!  For example, the “sugar-free” candy my husband bought still contained 4g of carbs per tiny piece. Some foods will list unreasonably small serving sizes to make their foods seem more low-carb friendly.
2. Substitute a no-calorie sweetener for sugar. Remember that not all sweeteners stand up to heat, so choose carefully for baking. NutraSweet in particular doesn’t stand the heat, but Splenda does. Make your own whipped cream with a no-calorie sweetener and whipping cream. This goes great on sugar-free jello and fresh fruit.
3. Drink calorie-free drinks and sodas. These usually have no carbs or 1g carb per serving. Read the label to be sure.
4. Substitute Carbquik for flour. In a recent post, I mentioned their product, along with my recipe for biscuits. This also works as a breading; I rolled chicken breast in it the other evening for fried chicken tenders.
5. In the same post, I also mentioned Dreamfields pasta. Use it as you would any other pasta, but check your sauce to make sure it’s low-carb too.
6. Try low-carb breads. I buy one from Nature’s Own that’s 7g carb with 2g fiber. To me, it tastes like any other wheat bread.
7. Turn salads into a meal. Since raw vegetables are great for diabetics and those trying to lose weight, add some lean meat or cheese to the salad to turn it into a meal. Try fresh spinach with a vinaigrette dressing. Add a few sliced strawberries and some fresh crumbled bacon.
8. Use gelatin to thicken desserts. Often sugar is added to a recipe to thicken it as well as sweeten. While a non-calorie sweetener will add the sweetness, it won’t give the same texture. Experiment with adding unflavored gelatin to thicken the recipe.
9. Use eggs as a binder. I do this now with meatloaf with good success. Instead of adding breadcrumbs or oats, I add 4 or 5 large eggs to a large meatloaf. The eggs serve the same purpose of holding the meat together without adding carbs.
10. Try low carb, high protein drinks. These are great as a breakfast replacement or snack. Also, they’re a great substitute for chocolate milk, since that’s pretty high in carbs. As an added bonus, they’ll satisfy your sweet craving as well. Most have only 2-3g of carb per drink.

These techniques can help you begin to alter your recipes for a low-carb eating plan. Be adventurous too; by trying different foods and recipes you can keep your menu from getting boring. You may be giving up carb-laden foods, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up enjoying your meals.

Recently, my husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As you can imagine, that puts a whole new focus on our efforts to eat better and lose weight.

For those who don’t know much about diabetes, I’ve put together a short article. Although I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about it already, I’ve learned a lot in the past few weeks.

Type 2 diabetes means that your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or doesn’t use the insulin it produces efficiently. That leaves glucose in your blood (which is bad) because your body’s cells aren’t burning it as they should. Over time, the high levels of blood sugar can affect your eyesight, cause nerve damage (think of the tingling feet you see in commercials), and make you more susceptible to heart attack and stroke.

Obviously, this is something to be taken seriously.

A person without diabetes usually maintains a blood sugar of 80-100, even after meals. However, most doctors will consider an after meal blood sugar of up to 180 normal, though most non-diabetics rarely reach that. I’ve tested mine a few times, and my highest has been 104! To get a diagnosis of diabetes, most doctors look for several blood sugars over 200.

Diabetes and Nutrition

Believe me, I’m learning how difficult it can be to cook (and eat) a diabetic diet. First off, low-carbohydrate is key. Bread, potatoes, pasta and rice are pretty much off limits, or severely restricted. How many meals have you put together lately that don’t use any of those? We’re eating LOTS of vegetables, along with some sort of protein at each meal.

I have found a couple good low-carb substitutions. The first is Dreamfields Pasta . This tastes exactly like regular pasta, and it doesn’t have a negative effect on his blood sugar. One word of caution though; check the sauce you buy. Some spaghetti sauce is loaded in carbs, and that will just defeat the purpose.

Another product we’ve tried with success is Carbquik. It’s a baking mix similar to Bisquick, but low carb. I do have some recipe recommendations though. Sift the carbquik before trying to use it; it’s pretty lumpy. Also, add a little extra baking powder and oil, just like you would for biscuits or pancakes. The mix doesn’t rise as much as flour, so you’ll want to pat it out a little thicker for biscuits than you normally would. I also like to use some buttermilk instead of water (or mix them half and half). That only adds another 1 g of carb or so per biscuit, and it does wonders for the taste.

If you know of any good low-carb recipes or products, post a note in the comments. I’d love to hear it.

Diabetes and sugar-free foods

Many people think it’s fine for diabetics to eat sugar-free foods. I thought so too until I did some research. For instance, a typical sugar-free cookie still has over 20g of carbs. That’s as much as my husband eats in an entire meal. Even without the sugar, having two or three of those would wreak havoc with his blood sugar. The same goes for other sugar free snacks; often they’re still pretty high in carbs. I’ve. been doing a lot of label-reading lately.

We’re working hard on getting used to the new way of eating, and I’m experimenting with new foods and recipes. If we’ve learned anything so far, it’s how important it’s going to be for both of us to work on eating healthier and losing weight.