Cooking For A Diabetic

If you or a loved one has diabetes, then you already know how important it is to strictly control the diet. Sometimes diabetic cooking can be a challenge and it is easy to get into a rut. The challenge is to prepare foods that are nutritious, won't cause a spike in blood sugar and yet are appealing to eat. Because diabetes is such a widespread condition today, there are many diabetic cookbooks on the market to make it a little easier for you to prepare both healthy and yummy meals.

There are some general guidelines you should follow to make sure your meals are healthy and you should keep an eye on fats, sodium and carbohydrates. It is best to avoid frying foods when possible and instead, broil, boil, or roast. Before cooking, remove the fatty portions of meat and take the skin off of chicken. Use broths and other food items that are low in saturated fats and sodium. Use non-stick frying pans so you can cut down on the amount of oil used. Substitute vegetarian meals in place of meat based meals on occasion and substitute certain fruits in place of ice cream and chocolate sweets. Use skimmed milk and other non fat dairy products and fat free dressing on salads or use yogurt as a salad dressing.

Reduce the amount of sugar you use when cooking or eliminate it altogether. You can use an artificial sweetener instead such as splenda or cut the sugar back to about 1/4 as much as you would normally use. This may not work with sweets and other desserts and those should be eliminated except for diabetic desserts. Artificial sweeteners have their own drawbacks but can be used in recipes where sugar is not needed to create the right texture, color or moisture level. It may take a while, but eventually you and your loved one will lose the taste for sugar and learn to enjoy the natural flavor of foods once again.

It is also important that you use measuring spoons and measuring cups when you cook for a diabetic and measure out portion sizes accurately. Cooking for someone with diabetes can be a challenge but thanks to the many wonderful cookbooks that are on the market today, it is getting much easier to make healthy and tasty meals. You can easily find diabetic dessert recipes and recipes for holiday meals as well as everyday eating. Remember though to follow the dietary guidelines as set forth by your doctor or the doctor of your loved one since everyone is different and the doctor is the best one to give advice on the proper diabetic menu to follow.

INDIANA'S OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER

Editor's note: This letter appears in response to Margaret Musgrave's cooking column "A well-stocked dorm fridge can impact academic success" which appeared in the Aug. 27 issue.

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