I love to cook but now i am thinking all the time about my diabetes and how i should adjust things. I still have two teenagers at home so i don't what it to change what they are eating. what do you do?
Hi Michael! It makes sense that you have a ton of stuff to think about right now. But making adjustments slowly while figuring out what spikes your numbers can work. Depending on what the family is eating, you can skip the carb-iest part of the meal or change your portion size. As examples, if we're having a stir-fry or beans & rice, I'll serve everyone but myself the rice. If I'm making pizza, my crust is wafer thin compared to the others and it's more of a side dish with my salad. Keep a log to see how your foods affect you, and keep testing. Good luck!
thanks i have tried the lite crusts from Papa Murphys Do you find Pasta is a killer to the glo reading?
It varies from person to person. For myself, 1 cup or less of the whole wheat kind with a good protein source is usually fine. I'll usually do ricotta and broccoli with it, as I'm not much of a meat-eater. Keep an eye on your sauce, though. Some of the red sauces can be sugary.
As a carb-lover, the best shift in thinking for me was to allow myself to enjoy the stuff I loved. But as a side dish, in moderation. So a small portion of the wholegrain pasta with a bigger portion of veg or meat. When I really miss dessert, 1 Hershey kiss (only 3g carbs!) is at least a nice way to end a meal.
You'll start figuring out what works for you as you go.
I also love to cook, but it's simpler for me as I live alone. But then, I'm a vegetarian so that makes it harder! But I look upon it as a challenge to come up with creative interesting dishes that are also reasonable on my blood sugar. We are definitely all different. For me, pasta, which used to be a big part of my diet, is just not worth the trouble. I do eat it occasionally when I'm out and it's the only vegetarian option - sometimes it works, more often it doesn't.
This is coming from a non-parent, so take it for what it is, but I think the person doing the cooking should determine the menu. While some things can be altered by portion (like one slice of thin pizza with a large salad while others eat 2 (or more!) slices, I would make thin pizza. Unless you eat very low carb, you can only be helping your family eat more healthy by reducing the carb count in your meals!
We are definitely all different so as the others have said, keep track of different meals and how they work for you. Some people like "substitute foods" and there are lots of recipes on the low carb group. I personally don't care for them and don't even use artificial sweeteners. Some people eat anything just in smaller servings, others find that certain foods are just too unpredictable and choose to eliminate them. Find what works for you and your family and hopefully you will enjoy the process.
thanks to both of you
The other "problem" i am having is eating enough protein. My health coach, which is awesome having, says i need to eat many more grams of protein (150 grams) which for me is actually hard to total up in a day any ideas
We have two teens at home as well. We cook and eat regular dinners. I eat the same meat and vegetables as everyone else. The only thing is that I really restrict my carb intake. So, if the other members of the household are enjoying rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. as one of their side dishes, I just make sure there is an extra vegetable (or a small salad) so I don't have a noticeably empty spot on my plate.
My teen-age son has adjusted to many changes in the kitchen. White rice is gone (& he doesn't complain); barley, black beans are more common & he loves that. When my son cooks for us, he knows dinner MUST have a big salad. He is also understanding when I don't want to buy certain tempting snack foods for the house.
Mostly it's a question of tweaking things . . . and we are both eating more healthily.
Personally, I don't count grams of protein, fat,calories or any other substance than carbs. I don't believe there is a standard amount of anything we need for our diet. I believe, in general, in a balanced diet, with lots of healthy fresh vegies and fruits, and in particular with limiting carbs to the extent we are comfortable with.
Beyond that, the key is that you are healthy and satisfied both physically and emotionally by the food you eat. If your blood sugar is reasonably controlled, your weight is stable, your health and energy is good, then you are eating the right amount of everything for you!