How to Survive a Diabetic Diet

Within the first few minutes after my diagnosis as a diabetic, the one thing that became blazingly clear to me was that I had to change my diet. Easily said, not always so easily done. Most of the nutritional pyramid’s base that I had been using as my guide to healthy living was now all but off limits to me. The Mediterranean diet that is so recommended, and I so loved, was no longer something that would keep me healthy now that I was confirmed as a diabetic.

The challenge was to keep my carbohydrates count down, maintain the fiber in my diet, while liking what I ate enough to stick to my diet.

The first few weeks were boring and very sad. I was almost always hungry and almost never satisfied. But by counting every gram of carbohydrate that passed my lips I managed to lose weight and lower my numbers. Could I keep this up? The blandness of just protein and salad became an obstacle I had to overcome. Good thing I am a chef.

Curtail what you eat for the rest of your life requires more than adjusting your diet; you have to adjust your attitude toward food and eating. It does little good to bemoan what you can’t or shouldn’t have. You need to focus on what you can have and celebrate that. The trick for me is to make the diet as varied as possible and taste as interesting as possible.

One nutritionist introduced me to spaghetti squash as a “substitute” for pasta. Let me tell you that it is no substitute for spaghetti (1/2 cup Spaghetti squash = 5g. carb, 1.1 g fiber; 2 oz. whole wheat pasta = 35g. carb. 3g. fiber). I think it tastes lousy with pasta sauce. It took a lot of trial and error to turn it into something I actually like and look forward to eating. As it turns out, Spaghetti squash loves olive oil and garlic. It loves pesto sauce, and while it does not love pasta sauce, it does love roasted or sun dried tomatoes. I now find myself using almost as much as I used to use pasta or rice.

Cauliflower is another “substitute” (this time for potato [1/2 cup cauliflower = 2.6g carb, 1.7g. fiber; Potato ½ cup= 15.6 g. carb 1.4 g. fiber]) that turned out to be a great prize. The first recipe I tried was for mashed cauliflower. From there to cauliflower salads both American and German style. These recipes have turned out so good that I don’t hesitate to serve them to guests. My experience with cauliflower is that it loves dill and parsley. Not a lot, just a hint to set off its flavor.

Bread is a big thing for me. My local nutritionist introduced me to Joseph’s Lavash bread (net carbohydrate count of 8 grams per slice), Arnold Sandwich thins (net carbohydrates 16 grams) and Sara Lee “Delightful Whole Wheat bread (net carbohydrates of 9 grams per slice). Knowing about these products helped bring some normalcy back into my life. The pile of lettuce and tuna on the plate was once again a sandwich. The hamburger now had a diabetic compatible bun, and my egg in the morning once again had a slice of bread to nest on. Joseph’s Lavash also gave me an alternative to chips or crackers. Brushed with oil and seasonings one sheet of Lavash makes 32 “chips” for a net carbohydrate count of 8 grams and gives me back that salty crunchy taste I missed so much. This helps me keep my carbohydrate count down, keep the proportion of fiber in my diet, all while adding great new flavors and textures to my menu.

There is no question that to control what you eat will help you to live better and manage your diabetes. Winning is being able to stick to a better diet by making food more interesting and less of a chore. Your mind is as important as your plate.

Lavash chips

32 chips

Net carbohydrates                  8g.

Preheat oven to 375

Note: I serve these with soup in place of bread or crackers. But just by themselves the crunchy salty taste is a great substitute for chips.

Because of the low net carbohydrates I use a lot of the Lavash as well as the TORTILLA FACTORY TORTILLAS.

PER EACH SHEET OF LAVASH

3 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ Tsp. black pepper

2 tablespoons dry herbs (Your choices)

            oregano

            basil

            thyme

            rosemary

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Combine seasonings, cheese and olive oil. Using a pastry brush spread over the UNCUT sheet of Lavash.

Cut in equal quarters and cut each quarter in 8 equal pieces to make a total of 32 chips.

Bake at 375-400 degrees for 3 minutes, rotate pan and bake 2-3 minutes longer. WATCH LIKE A HAWK. It burns very, very fast.

Cool on rack.