Cooking For Diabetics:
Adjusting Your Diet For
Good Diabetic Health

How is cooking for diabetics any different than cooking what is considered a non-diabetic meal? Actually, the final result should be the same as regular cooking. The objective therefore is to create a simple healthy meal from quality foods and ingredients which will allow your system to grow and thrive to its optimum diabetic health.

Cooking for diabetics does take a little more planning than cooking a regular meal. It is important to get a good mix of foods from the different food groups without over-indulging on the sweets, fruits and carbohydrates groups predominantly. Although the first group we enjoy, and the second and third group we need because of their contribution to our diet, too much of a good thing will cause many serious problems over the long term for your health.

So from this day forward, a typical diabetic meal will include each of the following.

• Fill one portion of your plate with 3-4 oz of a good quality lean protein

• Add one serving from the breads and grain group. This is considered your carbohydrate source for the meal.

• Your third offering should be 1 cup of raw, non-starchy vegetables and also 1/2 cup cooked non-starchy vegetables.

• Next you may add one serving of any low-fat or nonfat dairy product of your choice

• And last is one serving of any type of fresh fruit or canned fruit in water

Simple Rules For Great Diabetic Cooking

So in your menu plan above it was suggested you have one carbohydrate (carbs) serving per meal. A serving of carbs is 1 piece of bread=1 oz.. A standard small sub roll is usually 6” or 6 oz.. You have now just eaten an entire 2 days worth of carbohydrates (or 6 meals) in one small sandwich. As you can tell, sandwiches are an occasional treat but do not base your entire daily diet on bread and its fixings.

Next, by far the most popular food item is pasta. It is not necessary to give up pasta but just remember the carbs rule, 1/2 cup =1 carb choice. Add lots of a good assortment of non-starchy vegetables, some lean protein such as chicken chunks or lean ham cubes a smart salad dressing for moisture and you end up with a big bowl of food which is pleasing to the palete and still good for you too.

The next cooking for diabetics rule is a common mistake by most people. When they see the word salad, such as Caesar salad, cobb salad or even chef salad, most people automatically think “good for you” food. But on some varieties, until you add up all the fats, calories andcarbohydrates in those salads you might as well have just had the 6” sub roll. Stay with an assortment of leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, spring onions, zucchini and more for a good for you treat and good for your blood sugar levels too.

What is one of the most popular “comfort foods” when most people are asked for their favorites? The overwhelming winner has always been homemade chicken noodle soup. Good old-fashioned broth-based soups are low in calories, fat and fewer carbs than almost any other simple meal you could serve.

Another easy to plan and easy to prepare diabetic meal or for the whole crowd is cooking in foil. Using a gas grill, charcoal grill or the old-fashioned tried and true winner is your own campfire. Having everyone pick and choose their favorites to put in their packet is a guaranteed way for the whole crowd to be begging for this one recipe on a recurring basis. It's also "oh so easy on the kitchen help" because the initial prep is easy and clean-up is an absolute breeze.

Just like that over-sized submarine sandwich, the same holds true for over-sized muffins, bagels, soft pretzels, biscuits and sandwich rolls. Many of those over-sized versions can count in at 5-6 oz. of carbs per piece which equals another 5-6 servings of one food. Snack on them occasionally for a treat but stick to the standard size for healthier cooking for diabetics.

So as you can see, cooking for diabetics is really no different than what is recommended for a normal diet. If you had followed the normal diet all along, there is actually a good chance you would not be in this complex a situation now.

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