Do You Feel Lost In A Kitchen?
by Kathi
(Pennsylvania)
Do you feel like if they get you in a kitchen you might as well be reading a book in some foreign language? For many people, their idea of cooking means it comes out of a box, a bag or a can. Place this then in the oven or on the stovetop and when it's hot, they've cooked. Serve it up now and tonight's home-cooked meal came straight from a box.
Or even those people experienced at cooking also can have trouble understanding what their doctor/nutritionist means when they ask you to expand your selections to include more proteins, better fats and lower carbohydrates etc. to obtain better blood sugar readings.
So when you get diagnosed with a disease like diabetes and it is suggested you must learn how to combine different food groups into a suitable meal, immediately that lost little lamb in a kitchen feeling overwhelms you and the general feeling is this is just never going to happen. So what I've did is work up a cheat sheet so when you are grocery shopping, or just planning a meal, mix and match the different proportions recommended by your dietitian (or from the general listing below) from each food group which results in a complete balanced meal.
Each itemized category below shows you foods which are in each of the food groups. Also, each list identifies which items from that group are the most beneficial, the OK group and the least beneficial-use sparingly types of foods. A common recipe for a good balanced dinner meal will include the following:
- 1 protein source
- 1 fat
- 1-2 servings raw vegetables
- 1 serving cooked vegetable
- 1 fruit
- 1 beverage
So use the lists below, mix and match the different items from each category to build yourself a good quality dinner meal for each day. Use the numbers beside each food then to
understand what one portion size actually looks like. Soon, with a little time and some more experience, you will find working in the kitchen is not only easy but more importantly it can be
Fun!
| Favorable Selections | OK Selections -
Limit To Occasionally | Unfavorable Selections -
Use Sparingly |
|---|
| skinless chicken or turkey breast 3 oz. | lean beef or pork 3 oz. | bacon 2 strips |
| haddock 3 oz. | canadian bacon 2 oz. | lean ground beef 3 oz. |
alaskan wild salmon 3 oz. | chicken, dark meat 3 oz. | hot dog 1 link |
| shrimp 3 oz | pork chop 1 small | pork sausage 2 links |
| tuna in water 3 oz. | turkey bacon 3 strips | salami 2 oz. |
| 2 egg whites plus 1 egg or 1/2 cup egg substitutes | 2% cheese 1 oz | 2 whole eggs |
| fat free cheese 2 oz | reduced fat mozzarella cheese 1 oz. | hard cheese 1 oz |
| cottage cheese 1/2 cup | | |
________________________________________________________________
| Favorable Selections | OK Selections -
Limit to Occasionally | Unfavorable Selections -
Use Sparingly |
|---|
| almonds or peanuts 6-8 pcs. | light mayonnaise 1 tsp | bacon bits 1 tsp |
| olive oil 1 tsp | regular mayo 1/2 tsp | butter 1/3 tsp. |
| olive oil w/ vinegar 2 tsp | walnuts 6 pieces | vegetable margarine 1/3 tsp |
| homemade peanut butter 1 tsp | | vegetable shortening 1/3 tsp |
________________________________________________________________
- Carbohydrates - Cooked Fruits and Vegetables
| Favorable Selections | OK Selections -
Limit to Occasionally | Unfavorable Selections -
Use Sparingly |
|---|
| green/wax beans 1 cup | carrots 1/2 cup | biscuit 1/2 piece
|
| cabbage 1 cup | sliced beets 1/2 cup | whole wheat bread 1 slice |
| cauliflower 1 cup | fresh corn | plain donut 1/4 donut |
kidney beans 1/2 cup | fresh peas 1/2 cup | english muffin 1/2 muffin |
| spinach 1 cup | baked potato 1/2 potato | regular blueberry muffin 1/2 |
| broccoli 1 cup | fried potato 7 slices | pita pocket 1/4 pocket |
| apple sauce 1/2 cup | baked beans 1/4 cup | white rice, cooked 1/3 cup |
| egg noodles 1/2 cup | hamburger roll 1/2 roll | potato chips 4 pieces |
| cooked whole wheat pasta 1/2 cup | graham cracker 1 piece | BBQ sauce or 2 T ketchup |
_______________________________________________________________
- Carbohydrates - Raw Fruits and Vegetables
| Favorable Selections | OK Selections
Use Occasionally For Variety | Unfavorable Selections -
Use Sparingly |
|---|
Up to 1 cup mixed of the following selections:
broccoli, shredded cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, fresh tomato | 1/2 banana
1 1/2 T. raisins
tomato juice 8 oz | fresh fruit juices-
orange 4 oz.
cranberry 4 oz.
apple cider 4 oz. |
Up to 1/2 cup of the following selections:
radishes, salsa, snow or sugar peas | apple 1/2 large
canteloupe 1/4 melon
watermelon cubes 1/2 cup | honey 1/2 T.
ice cream 1/4 cup or less
sugar 2 tsp. |
| Up to 2 cups of mixed salad greens or one tossed salad in a bowl | Up to 1/2 cup berries of your choice (blue, black strawberry or raspberry) | candy bar 1/2 of a bar |
Up to 1/2 cup of the following:
grapefruit wedges, grapes, honeydew, orange, pineapple | fresh pear 1/2 pear
fruit cocktail in water 1/2 cup
canned peach in water 1/2 cup | |
| tangerine, peach or kiwi 1 pc. | | |
Use this chart as a guide (in the approximate measurements shown) to
give yourself a good start on trying to figure out different meals for each day to aid you in achieving a good mix of variety without falling into the slump of food boredom. Be careful with the unfavorable column though and try not to use anything from here more than one item per day, and no more than 3 items per week.
Following this chart will also help you to
determine what foods are good for you in each food group and help you achieve a longer lasting daily diet plan which will aid you in blood sugar control, better insulin control and in the end you will find you are probably losing weight without even trying, a goal we can all be especially proud of.
