Diabetic Menu

Diabetic cooking is not as hard as it seems. The very first step simply entails choosing the right healthy and fresh ingredients for their recipes. Also, diabetics must be very careful when it comes to the kind of methods for cooking, which should always be concentrated on reducing saturated fats and cholesterol so as to reduce heart disease risk. These should also keep your calorie count down. A good method for diabetic cooking is to maximize the dish’s nutritional value. There are great methods which you can apply in order to cook food suitable for diabetics.

First, baking – which is great for vegetables, poultry, fruits and lean meat. It is even great for puddings – you just need a bit of additional liquid in order to make this happen. Second to baking is stewing or braising. This is good for browning meat or fish right on the top of your stove, which you then proceed to cook using small quantities of liquid. Another great diabetic cooking technique is grilling. When you use a rack to grill, you can instantly drain most of the fat away. Next, you have microwaving. The microwaving cooking technique can nix the fat when you put the food in between paper towels to let the fat seep into it while you are cooking it.

Poaching is another great method of diabetic cooking. You just simply have to pop your diabetic recipe into a covered pan and let it stay until the water gets minimized. Another is steaming, wherein you put the food in a basket that has perforations and then place this basket on top of simmering water. This great diabetic cooking method gets better with extra seasoning for more flavors. And finally, you have stir fry. In a wok, you can sauté or stir fry food using a little bit of olive oil.

Reducing the salt and fat content while adding flavor to your cooking is important. To make it happen, prepare your own cooking stock rather than resorting to prepared cubes. These cubes are very much high in salt. You should always choose to use vinegar and extra virgin olive oil compared to prepared salad dressing which is also high in salt. Make it a point to wash your canned vegetables because in doing so a substantial amount of salt can be eliminated from them. 

Always trim fat off the meat, and make it a habit to strip poultry of its skin. Always drain the oil from canned fish and try to carefully rinse it in water before cooking. Using herbs and lemon juice will enhance the flavor of your cooking, too. If you follow these dishes, the outcome will be healthy and flavorful.

The first one is Grains and Starches. This food group consists of plenty of breads, which is a huge source of carbohydrates. You must always choose whole grain products for your body – these are complex carbs that break down a lot longer, letting your body properly deal with sugar influxes. You should take six up to eight servings of bread a day. Other things that are included in this category are pasta, potatoes and corn.

The second group is deal vegetables, which include tomatoes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and cucumbers. These are great samplings of vegetables that are ideal as side dishes or maybe even a snack. You should get three up to five servings each day.

The third group consists of fruits – fruits that contain natural sugars as well as carbohydrates. You should watch your fruit intake . Ideally, you should combine them along with proteins either during your snack time or right before you exercise. You could have a banana, an apple or a peach as one serving. You should eat around two to four whole servings each day as a requirement.

The fourth group is milk, or all dairy products. These are also high in carbs, so you ought to limit your intake to one eight ounce serving each time. Strive to go low-fat with milk all the time. The fifth group is protein, which includes meat and meat substitutes. You need around six ounces of protein foods each day in about two to three servings. 

And finally, you have fats and sweets which are also necessary but not as important as the other five groups. You should choose these wisely and try to go for sugar-free variants if you can.

Being on a menu for diabetics can be a tad overwhelming, especially since you have to figure out how much you should eat of something and when you ought to eat. Moreover, you also need to learn the nitty gritty stuff such as the effect of carbohydrates on insulin and glucose levels. These can be a bit challenging, but having a simple and easy to follow meal plan will make the diet a bit more enjoyable.

Meal planning, of course, is very important in a diabetic diet. It helps you factor in things like how much weight you need to lose or how you can control the condition. Preparation and also modification are the keys to this – it will help you make things balanced and at the same time healthy. With proper meal planning, you will be able to reduce your need for medication, control your blood sugar, exercise proper portions and other things.

Of course, this does not mean having to resort to bland tasting meals. You can still make it delicious with – again – careful planning and a bit of thought and care. Consider a smart sample menu which is not only going to lead you to a healthy eating lifestyle but also keeps you feeling full and satisfied.

For the first day, a breakfast of bran muffins, half cup of blueberries and a cup of fat free milk is good. Follow this up with a small banana for snack and a lunch that consists of: a small whole wheat pita, spinach salad, 2 ounces of low sodium turkey breast, tomato slices, mustard for flavor, an orange for dessert and a cup of fat free milk. Your late afternoon snack would be twenty almonds, a small cup of low fat yogurt and a cup of herbal tea. When it’s time for dinner, consider grilled shrimp, 3/4s cup of whole wheat pasta, half a cup of black beans and some steamed broccoli.

On the second day, have two slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, a banana and a cup of tea for breakfast. Your snack ought to be a cup of herbal tea, half cup of unsweetened applesauce with two tablespoons of chopped walnuts. For lunch, some lean roast beef with a side of whole wheat bread, steamed cauliflower and a cup of coffee would taste really good. An afternoon snack of two small fig cookies and milk ought to do the trick. And finally, for dinner have some chicken breast sautéed with 1 cup of veggies and two thirds cup of brown rice.

On the third day, have some bran cereal for breakfast topped with a cup of strawberries plus a cup of milk. For snack, have a dozen green or red grapes with half a cup of cottage cheese. For lunch, sip on some barley soup, nibble on a multigrain roll and have one apple for dessert, washed down with some coffee. As a snack, have one fourth cup of sunflower seeds and a small cup of low fat yogurt. And finally, for dinner have some broiled halibut with a mixed green salad, two thirds cup of whole wheat couscous, and a cup of tea or coffee.