The first thing to remember is that you need to be careful about how your food is prepared. For your wellbeing, you may need to switch to more healthful cooking techniques and ingredients than you used before your type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and Sue McLaughlin, RD, diabetes educator and president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association says ‘Little changes in recipes can make a big difference in improving management of type 2 diabetes’.
McLaughlin offers non-frying methods of cooking as ‘One of the best ways to adhere to a diabetes diet’. Instead, stir-fry, bake, or poach as these require little or no oil. Also, replace your saturated fats, like butter and lard, with olive oil or canola oil when fat is necessary, and switch to skimmed milk, fat-free cream cheese and fat-free plain yogurt when a recipe calls for sour cream. McLaughlin recommends swapping fat-based sauces and toppings for ‘Lemon or lime on fish and vegetables’.
When it comes to sugar, try replacing or reducing the amount you use in recipes with artificial sweeteners because ‘With a little creativity, many sugar-free recipes can be just as tasty as standard recipes containing sugar,’ says McLaughlin. Sweet spices, such as ground cinnamon, or vanilla extract can be great for sugar-replaced baking, and only use fresh or frozen fruit if a recipe calls for it. For flavourings, turn to herbs and spices or garlic salt instead of salt, or, if you must, choose sea salt over regular table salt as it contains slightly less sodium. You could also half the amount of salt that the recipe calls for and substitute it with more flavourful fresh herbs.
Finally, choose whole grains over white bread, rice and pasta as refined grains like these lose much of the glucose-friendly fibre in the refining process, and you need fibre to keep blood sugar levels under control. Use stronger flavoured cheeses in small amounts rather than a lot of mild cheddar and choose lean meats over fatty ones. Lastly, don’t over eat with large portion sizes as this can send blood sugar levels and your weight skyrocketing. If you make too much, or your portion is too large at a restaurant, simply save it for tomorrow – it’ll save you the effort of cooking again!