If a network were to put on a Diabetic Cooking show on air, how many of you would watch it? If the show were to cover topics as well as different meals, what would you want to see? This idea is not just a question and I would be part of this process of getting the show made.
Please let me know if you guys are interested. And if so, what would you like to see?
There actually is one - at least a diabetic cooking segment. It is part of DLife on CNBC (or different networks?) on Sunday at 4PM. which is a great show - one of the only things in the media that feels true to our actual experience.
That being said, the diabetic cooking segment is my least favorite. I am admittedly, a fussy cook, but I do think that we have such a varied range in the way we eat, that a cooking show would find it hard to know who to appeal to. I feel the same when I see "Diabetic cookbooks". I want to ask "which diabetic?" (not this one).
Sorry to be negative. If you are considering this, you should certainly see the cooking segment on DLife first which is an established show already (or check their website). The only way it would work, imho is if it presented the variety of how we actually eat, talking about carbs and how they affect blood sugar, and then present the choices we make such as Dr. Bernstein, to moderate carb, to no carb limit which is quite a range. Also other dietary choices such as vegetarianism, sugar or sugar substitutes, and other food substitutes people use. Discuss the whole low fat debate. Discuss how to bolus for high carb high fat dishes, etc. Not a simple enterprise.
As Zoe says defining what is a healthy diabetic diet is a bit elusive. I have seen the cooking segment on DLife and it has zero utility for me because I low carb. They generally emphasize eliminating saturated fat and fat in general, but still use things like potatoes and grains in their recipes, things I do not eat. Their carb totals for a meal are often more than I eat in a day. I know from experience that such a meal will send my blood sugar skyrocketing to levels I will not accept. As I always say I am carb intolerant not fat intolerant.
I would watch a low carb diabetic cooking show but I realize I am in the minority and by doing such a show you would be severely limiting your audience. You would also probably incur the wrath of the ADA with such a show, they would tell you to stop promoting an unhealthy diet.
Sorry to be so negative I actually think it would help lots of T2s, not using insulin, to be exposed to the concept of eliminating certain types of carbs from their meals. I would actually tell people to compare meter readings from such a meal with a more traditional meal as part of the show. However many would probably consider this to be low carb propaganda.
There are actually many creative techniques and ingredients that could be highlighted on such a show to make such a diet interesting.
We had a "restaurant" thread recently and, as I did there, I think that for a show, if you say "diabetes", you are sort of automatically limited to 10% of the market, assuming that 100% of people with diabetes would tune in, which may not be the case. In terms of marketing, you would get a lot more traction with "healthy" than "diabetic" I think? The diabetes thing can be referred to but the reasons eating healthy is good for us are also good for the rest of them?
I agree with Zoe. When I hear "diabetic recipe" or "diabetic cooking" I usually am very skeptical because usually the author means "some ADA dietician's idea of what a diabetic should eat" which is not at all what I eat.
What I would LOVE to see would be a program that had very-low-carb and very-low-glycemic recipes that are creative, tasty and made from real food, not packaged and processed junk.
Examples would be a bar-b-que sauce made without added sugar, or sugary ketchup, or artificial sweeteners; or a chopped salad or salsa made with a variety of interesting and tasty veggies (e.g. tomatillio, red onion, cilantro, etc.) and dressed with lime and olive oil; or low-carb ways to "dress up" Greek yogurt, such as grated cucumber, minced garlic, a pinch of sea salt and minced mint -- or two tablespoons of added cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg and toasted, chopped walnuts.
I avoid most cooking shows like the plague because I find that they only stimulate my appetite for things I won't eat (like pasta, breads or desserts) and what's the point of putting myself through that?
Come up with a show that has recipes that are appropriate for people on less than 100 grams of carbs per day (I'm on 50 or less grams per day) and you'd also be popular with all the non-diabetics who are also low-carbing (all the Atkins, Paleo, low-glycemic, etc.)
I would watch. Probably DVR it. Zoe is right. It would need to cover a wide range of topics and diet options. But there is so much to learn and it can be so forgein to many people that this could be a very valuable resource. I am fortunate that I already had a decent understanding of low carb when I was diagnosed. But, most people apparently do not. Learning what the low carb options are, how their affect may change with cooking, how to use them in a meal plan, how to store, prepare and shop for them. Loads of programming material there. And that's just the low carb. You still have vegan, vegitarian, gluten free and how all these variations can impact the different forms of D. There are a lot of options for format and focus. Like a cross between Julia Childs and Alton Brown. I think it could be very beneficial to a lot of people.