I have been diabetic for 51 years, so I have seen my share of good and bad advice/ understanding/ excuses for eating well. I have not purchased many “diabetic cook books” because we all know that healthy eating is healthy eating, whether one is diabetic or not. (I also laugh because some of the titles imply that the book or the food is diabetic rather than being written to help one understand a “diabetic diet.”) I did, however, just discover a book that may be helpful guidance for someone who is looking for new ways of cooking, looking for new dishes to try, or just looking for help in controlling the carbs.
The book I found is Healthy Makeovers for Diabetes: Simple Ways to Transform Your Cooking. First, the title is BAD, but the ideas inside are good. Secondly, this is a good cookbook for everyone, not just for someone with diabetes. The book essentially talks about what to have in a healthy-cooking pantry, and then provides tons of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. It talks about alternative to carb-laden meals, and gives easy to follow instructions for more healthy meals. BUT BEWARE: one still has to be smart and to read the nutritional analysis at the end of each recipe. This is not necessarily a totally low-carb cookbook. Some of the recipes are decidedly NOT low carb, but they do contain ingredients that are more slowly-released carbs to avoid blood sugar spikes.
I have tried a couple of the recipes, and I am pleased with the results. While I am T1 diabetic, no one else in my immediate family is; however, I still bought a copy of the book for each of my grown daughters.
Just thought I would pass this on. The book is a Better Homes and Gardens book, published in 2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The most inexpensive place I have found this book (other than borrowing a copy from my local library) is through Amazon.
Having diabetes has been a blessing in disguise because it has taught me to read labels, to be self-aware of what I eat, and to seek out better, healthier ways of preparing food for my family. Happy eating!