The Diabetes Chef Table | Accu-Chek
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The Diabetes Chef Table

Is it possible that diabetes can actually help your family? Diabetes is certainly a lot to manage, but it also provides a unique opportunity for families to better understand their wellness and develop healthy habits together, including the choices they make when it comes to mealtime.

Food plays such a huge role in the life of a family. The dinner table is where we sit down to catch up at the end of a long day and holidays would not be the same without the usual spread of delicious eats. Recipes for those dishes might be passed down from generation to generation. But when you come home with a diabetes diagnosis, it can feel like a roadblock to participating in these important traditions. The truth is that you can still enjoy these times with your family. The only thing that changes is how you support your blood sugar management with food and activity.

Here are some basics on cooking with a thoughtful plan for preparing diabetes-friendly meals, you might find that your entire family is ready to make healthier food choices together.

Make Food Carb Friendly

When we think about cooking with the family, it is common to think of food that gives you a feeling of emotional comfort when eating it. Whether it is grandma’s meatballs or mom’s homemade pierogis, the smell and taste of these dishes can make you feel warm and at home. However, these recipes are often centered around not-so-healthy ingredients, and may contain high levels of carbs, starches, fat, or sugars. Some of the most popular foods like this are:

  • Noodles (25-40g carbs per serving)
  • Dumplings (10-30g carbs per serving)
  • Potatoes (32g carbs per serving)
  • Pizza (26-30g carbs per serving)

Thankfully, there are plenty of easy substitutions, both in terms of ingredients and preparation, that can help to reduce the blood sugar impact of these dishes

Be Smarter with Your Fats

Cutting down on trans and saturated fats is an important aspect of any healthy diet. That is because these types of fats can raise your blood cholesterol levels. Individuals with diabetes are already at a higher risk for heart disease, heart attack, or stroke, so reducing trans and saturated fat intake is a great way to reduce these risks. Try starting by replacing trans fats, ingredients like butter or lard. These hydrogenated oils are actually worse than saturated fats. Luckily, you can easily replace these by cooking with canola oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil or olive oil.

Fiber Is Your Friend

One reason we love carbs is because they leave us feeling full and satisfied after a meal. But there are other options to satiate your hunger without ruining your nutrition plan. Fiber is a fantastic nutrient to seek out because while it fills you up, it is not actually broken down by the body, meaning it will not raise your blood sugar a single point. Great sources of fiber come from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, so mealtime can still be a varied feast.

Sugar Substitutes

While many factors can slow the absorption of carbs into your bloodstream, sugar in food or beverages can immediately raise the levels in your blood. So, when cooking anything with sweetness, it might be best to consider sugar substitutes like Stevia. Also, you may be able to simply cut the level of sugar in a recipe without affecting taste by using alternatives such as honey or maple syrup. Applesauce or bananas are other popular refined sugar substitutes, especially in baked goods.

Eating is one of the great pleasures we share with the people we love. For both the members of your family living with diabetes and those living without it, choosing healthy foods to prepare together can add a new layer of fun and wellness to something you already enjoy.

To view the Arabic version of this article click here 

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