Diabetes And Cooking

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Old Tired Rebel

Old Tired Rebel

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I know there is a lot of members here with diabetes. How do you cook?
Sine we have moved back from the foothills of NC I weighed in at 400Lbs and lost down to 350.

Since I have been in the hospital and back home for 2 months we stopped frying foods a Southern tradition. I almost quit eating bread except for a sandwich now and then,Changed from regular tea with sugar to decaf tea with sweet n low. and Caffine free diet soda. But I also drink more water I try to get in 3 liters or more a day.

So what are some favorite recipes and what are some of the things you do?
I weighed at 316 yesterday and went from 54 size pants to 48 in 4 years. I feel great and even more about weight loss
 
My wife is Type 1 and now I eat like her b/c it is easier. We mostly eat meat(bbq or broiled sometime fried in olive oil) and veggies(bbq or sauted in olive oil and a little butter). No pasta, potatoes, rice or much bread(this stuff turns to sugar in your system). I still eat that stuff but not as much.
 
There should be some meal plans on line...
 
i have type 2, alot of green stuff meats all lean... which is good cause i like deer and bison and even get my hamburger lean now. and lots of leafy green stuff as unprocessed as you can stand it...lol broccoli, spinach (i love baby) and so forth.

i only use olive oil for cooking and no white color foods... to starchy and instant sugar in your system.

if you eat oatmeal you want the steel cut, for flavor add cinnamon (its suppose to help with sugar spikes)

the food you need to eat dont have to be boring....the key is to retrain your taste buds which looks like you done with tea and such.. i use splenda cause sweet and low had a weird aftertaste to me.

also get up and out as much as your body will let you, get that exercise...even if its just walking.

HTH
 
Gnome said:
i have type 2, alot of green stuff meats all lean... which is good cause i like deer and bison and even get my hamburger lean now. and lots of leafy green stuff as unprocessed as you can stand it...lol broccoli, spinach (i love baby) and so forth.

i only use olive oil for cooking and no white color foods... to starchy and instant sugar in your system.

if you eat oatmeal you want the steel cut, for flavor add cinnamon (its suppose to help with sugar spikes)

the food you need to eat dont have to be boring....the key is to retrain your taste buds which looks like you done with tea and such.. i use splenda cause sweet and low had a weird aftertaste to me.

also get up and out as much as your body will let you, get that exercise...even if its just walking.

HTH
Click to expand...

With the Tea it does have a bitter aftertaste. But when we switched to Decaf the bitter aftertaste it isn't here. I always like fresh veggies or frozen the canned veggies loses all the vitamins. We go to a local Butcher shop and get our meats all extra lean including hamburger which is 93/7.
No frying at all. Baked,broiled, and soon a new gas grill.
The exercise is the hard part but me and the goes to small stores to walk,it's safer for me to be on a flat surface. My back and legs are still weak.
 
First off let me congratulate you on the weight loss :colors:
Toast the hole wheat breed and I do know to stay away from most seasonings and tenderizers.
keep up the good work Cliff :rock: I am so happy to hear you are losing some unneeded lb's bud :glasses8:
 
memike said:
First off let me congratulate you on the weight loss :colors:
Toast the hole wheat breed and I do know to stay away from most seasonings and tenderizers.
keep up the good work Cliff :rock: I am so happy to hear you are losing some unneeded lb's bud :glasses8:
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike the encouragement.
 
The cardinal rule: No white starch. Eating white starch will spike your blood glucose faster than eating plain sugar. So, brown rice instead of white rice, and wholegrain bread and crackers and stuff instead of white. The rice thing is easy even if you think brown rice is gross; get brown basmati rice which is delicious. The bread thing is not as easy as it sounds; most "wheat bread" has a small amount of whole wheat flour and the bulk of it is white, and they try to trick you by applying clever marketing names like "wheat flour" and "white whole wheat flour" to what is still white flour. What you want is whole wheat flour and/or other whole-grain flours, not cut with white ("wheat", "white whole wheat", "enriched") flour. Crackers are easy; get Triscuits (nothing but whole wheat, oil, and salt) instead of Ritz (white flour, butter, sugar...). Become a label reader!

Pasta seems like it would be forbidden, because it's made with flour, but all you have to do is make sure to cook it firm and not mushy and it's fine. The reason is because of how the starch is modified in the process of turning flour into pasta.

Also keep in mind that no matter what clever name they put on sugar, it's still sugar. "Cane syrup", "evaporated cane juice", "Agave syrup", "florida crystals", "corn syrup", "corn sugar", "invert syrup" -- all sugar. And no, artificial sweeteners do not give you an easy out, see here.

As for the American Diabetes Association: Much of its advice is suspiciously out of step with the advice from authorities in every other first-world country -- some think it is because the ADA is heavily funded by corporations and industries with a financial interest in particular advice being given. So by all means take a look at what the ADA says, but cross-check it with the Canadian, Australian, U.K., New Zealand, and South African authorities and go with the preponderance of evidence.

Beyond that? Portion control. A piece of chocolate is "yes", a bar of chocolate is "no". A handful of cherries is "yes", the entire bowlful is "no". Two chicken thighs is "yes", four is "no". Most of us, diabetic or not, eat way too much. It takes about 20 minutes for our brain to get the message that we've eaten enough, after we've eaten enough. We manage to eat a lot of food in those 20 minutes! Eat slower. You can always go get more if you're still hungry in half an hour. If you are just getting started, spend fifty bucks on a good digital kitchen scale and spend three months learning what 3 ounces of protein looks like, what 5 ounces of carbs looks like, etc. Once you have calibrated your mind that way, portion control is easy to do just by eye.
 
You can also get whole wheat pasta and tortillas. I was told I had Type II in 2005, went on meds for 6 months, screwed my system up, went off for 6 months, re-tested and everything was in the normal range. Lost 35 lbs, got off the meds and now just watch what I eat. Quit drinking diet sodas, they are not very good for you and new info claims say they will help you to gain weight. Drink lots of water and exercise. Muscle breaks down sugars faster and better than fat, also, watch your salt intake too. High blood pressure and heart disease also go hand in hand with Diabetes. Also, if your medical plan has it, get with a Dietician that can help you with meals for your Diabetes. I have Kaiser and went through their Diabetes classes which were taught by a Registered Dietician specializing in Diebetes. Good luck, it looks like you are heading in the right direction with you weight loss.

Dan in Silicon Vallley
 
slantsixdan said:
The cardinal rule: No white starch. Eating white starch will spike your blood glucose faster than eating plain sugar. So, brown rice instead of white rice, and wholegrain bread and crackers and stuff instead of white. The rice thing is easy even if you think brown rice is gross; get brown basmati rice which is delicious. The bread thing is not as easy as it sounds; most "wheat bread" has a small amount of whole wheat flour and the bulk of it is white, and they try to trick you by applying clever marketing names like "wheat flour" and "white whole wheat flour" to what is still white flour. What you want is whole wheat flour and/or other whole-grain flours, not cut with white ("wheat", "white whole wheat", "enriched") flour. Crackers are easy; get Triscuits (nothing but whole wheat, oil, and salt) instead of Ritz (white flour, butter, sugar...). Become a label reader! Also keep in mind that no matter what clever name they put on sugar, it's still sugar. "Cane syrup", "evaporated cane juice", "Agave syrup", "florida crystals", "corn syrup", "corn sugar", "invert syrup" -- all sugar. And no, artificial sweeteners do not give you an easy out, see here.

As for the American Diabetes Association: Much of its advice is suspiciously out of step with the advice from authorities in every other first-world country -- some think it is because the ADA is heavily funded by corporations and industries with a financial interest in particular advice being given. So by all means take a look at what the ADA says, but cross-check it with the Canadian, Australian, U.K., New Zealand, and South African authorities and go with the preponderance of evidence.

Beyond that? Portion control. A piece of chocolate is "yes", a bar of chocolate is "no". A handful of cherries is "yes", the entire bowlful is "no". Two chicken thighs is "yes", four is "no". Most of us, diabetic or not, eat way too much. It takes about 20 minutes for our brain to get the message that we've eaten enough, after we've eaten enough. We manage to eat a lot of food in those 20 minutes! Eat slower. You can always go get more if you're still hungry in half an hour.
Click to expand...

The bread part was easy for me. I will see if the grocer I go to carries the rice. I can't have my ice tea without a sweetener and Sweet n Low has been around since I was a kid. I don't eat much candy so that is not a problem but I do like cakes so my wife is looking for cake recipes that can be used.

Chicken I only eat one piece I can't stomach it I found out I am allergic to most birds like Turkey and just a little chicken. My wife does not buy meat at a grocery store because she can't get meat that is lean enough. So she buys from a butcher and end up spending the same amount for meats. Little processed food not much at all.

So I made this thread so see what what recipes people are using so others can try different foods that are healthy and has little effect on blood sugars.
 
old tired rebel said:
The bread part was easy for me. I will see if the grocer I go to carries the rice.
Click to expand...

Also check the bulk-foods section or a bulk-foods store.

I can't have my ice tea without a sweetener and Sweet n Low has been around since I was a kid.
Click to expand...

Try Stevia (health food store). It's a leaf extract of the stevia plant. VERY sweet, a tiny bit goes a long way. Some people can and some people cannot detect a bitter aftertaste (it's genetic who can/can't).
 
stansblue72 said:
Way to go Cliff, glad to hear your on the road to a healthy life style.
Click to expand...

Thanks stansblue72. I really haven't felt this good in a few years so it shows me I haven't been eating properly. Right now my biggest problem areas are breakfast and lunches, supper time is usually easy.
 
dartsixty7 said:
You can also get whole wheat pasta and tortillas. I was told I had Type II in 2005, went on meds for 6 months, screwed my system up, went off for 6 months, re-tested and everything was in the normal range. Lost 35 lbs, got off the meds and now just watch what I eat. Quit drinking diet sodas, they are not very good for you and new info claims say they will help you to gain weight. Drink lots of water and exercise. Muscle breaks down sugars faster and better than fat, also, watch your salt intake too. High blood pressure and heart disease also go hand in hand with Diabetes. Also, if your medical plan has it, get with a Dietician that can help you with meals for your Diabetes. I have Kaiser and went through their Diabetes classes which were taught by a Registered Dietician specializing in Diebetes. Good luck, it looks like you are heading in the right direction with you weight loss.

Dan in Silicon Vallley
Click to expand...

I will try the whole wheat foods to help add some variety. Diet Soda is hard for me but I am weaning off. In my first post I am drinking a little over 3 liters of water a day and have finally gotten a appointment with a dietitian next week,which my endocrinologist recommended.
 
slantsixdan said:
Also check the bulk-foods section or a bulk-foods store.



Try Stevia (health food store). It's a leaf extract of the stevia plant. VERY sweet, a tiny bit goes a long way. Some people can and some people cannot detect a bitter aftertaste (it's genetic who can/can't).
Click to expand...

Stevia interesting? Also wanted to ask you Dan how do you prepare your rice?
 
there are diabetic cook books out there that i use also almonds are good for you like a handfull and dark chocolate is good for lowering your bs level small squares
 
old tired rebel said:
Stevia interesting? Also wanted to ask you Dan how do you prepare your rice?
Click to expand...

Usually in an electric rice cooker which is easiest. Stove and pot works okeh, too, just pay attention to the rice/water ratio otherwise it'll be either gummy (overcooked) or dry (undercooked). Beyond that? Nothin' fancy. Maybe a little salt added to the water, but that's it.
 
slantsixdan said:
Usually in an electric rice cooker which is easiest. Stove and pot works okeh, too, just pay attention to the rice/water ratio otherwise it'll be either gummy (overcooked) or dry (undercooked). Beyond that? Nothin' fancy. Maybe a little salt added to the water, but that's it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dan.
 
We havent really looked at diabetic recipes yet. We have stayed away from rice. We used to eat basmati, but it was white, we will have to look for brown. One trick Lori used for rice was to add a bouillon cube(flavored), you can get beef,veggie, mushroom flavor, makes a huge difference in the taste. I have knocked off all whites(pasta, rice, potatoes) due to the starch getting converted to sugars. Dietician said portion size is huge and that fats are alright too although the idea is to get the weight down. I drink tea and coffee, but my coffee was black, with tea we use splenda. Been eating way more salads lately, I hope to drop about 20-30 lbs. My blood sugar hasnt been below 8 since being diagnosed, and has been as high as 13, but the doc is still getting me up to full dose on my Metformin, Im taking 2 pills a day now..started at 1/2 pill twice a day.

Congrats on the weight loss Cliff, losing unwanted and unneeded pounds sure makes you feel better!
 
The wife browns the rice before cooking. Keep in mind she is a Mexican, so this is normally a bit spicy. Then she boils water and adds to the rice when it is golden brown. Also add chicken broth, Pato Sauce and boil, add onions salt or what have you with it covered. When it starts to dry out remove lid, simmer until it dries out. Check pan to make sure no water remains.....but this is with white rice, she is partial to Mahatama..
 
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