Cooking For A Diabetic
If you or a loved one has diabetes, then you already know how important it is to
strictly control the diet when cooking for a diabetic.
Sometimes diabetic cooking can be a challenge and it is easy to get into a rut.
The challenge is to prepare foods that are nutritious, won't cause a spike in
blood sugar and yet are appealing to eat. Because diabetes is such a widespread
condition today, there are many diabetic cookbooks on the market to make it a
little easier for you to prepare both healthy and delicious meals.
There are some general guidelines to follow to make sure your meals are healthy
- you should keep an eye on fats, sodium and carbohydrates.
Avoid frying foods when possible and instead, broil, boil, or
roast. Before cooking, remove the fatty portions of meat and take the skin off
of chicken. Use broths and other food items that are low in saturated fats and
sodium. Use non-stick frying pans so you can cut down on the amount of oil used.
Substitute vegetarian meals in place of meat based meals on occasion and
substitute certain fruits in place of ice cream and chocolate sweets. Use
skimmed milk and other non fat dairy products and fat free dressing on salads or
use yogurt as a salad dressing.
Reduce the amount of sugar or eliminate it altogether. You can use an artificial
sweetener instead such as Splenda or cut the sugar back to about 1/4 as much as
you would normally use. This may not work with sweets and other desserts and
those should be eliminated except for diabetic desserts. Aim for a sugar free
menu.
Artificial sweeteners have their own drawbacks but can be used in recipes where
sugar is not needed to create the right texture, color or moisture level. It may
take a while, but eventually you and your loved one will lose the taste for
sugar and learn to enjoy the natural flavor of foods once again.
It is also important that you use measuring spoons and measuring cups to measure
portion sizes accurately.
Cooking for someone with diabetes can be a challenge but thanks to the many
wonderful cookbooks that are on the market, it is getting much easier to make
healthy and tasty meals. You can easily find diabetic dessert recipes and
recipes for holiday meals as well as everyday eating. Remember though to follow
the dietary guidelines as set forth by your doctor or the doctor of your loved
one. Everyone is different and the doctor is the best one to give advice on the
proper menu to follow when cooking for a diabetic.