Diet Tips and Strategies

In order to control diabetes, you MUST understand carb counting. So read the page on that if you don't already understand it, before you dive into other diet topics.

Knowing how to do it, and DOING it are two separate issues. I find it is harder to actually control my diet when I am discouraged, or when I feel like it isn't really going to matter anyway. It is much easier when I am pregnant (there is another life at stake that I WILL protect!), when I have encouragement from family to do so, and when people around me do not make it harder to do by bringing in foods that are not wise.

But mostly, it is a matter of determination. If I am determined to do it, I do, and I don't cheat. If I am not, I make more mistakes. Remember, I am currently controlling my diabetes strictly with diet, so if I overdo, I cannot compensate with insulin, I will have a problem instead. I have such a low glucose tolerance right now that there is almost no room for error. I even have to watch my consumption of "free" foods.

The thing that helps me the most is having quick foods on hand that I can use in a hurry, combined with making sure we do NOT have foods in the house that are not healthy. There are three steps and options to this:

1. Clean out your cupboards. Get rid of everything that is not healthy, and don't buy anymore. Don't tell yourself that you'll switch as soon as you run out, you'll just sabotage your efforts. Get rid of it, because keeping it will cost you more in medical care than the box of pasta or can of peaches is worth.

2. Buy good foods. The more natural, the better, the fresher the better. Keep lots of fresh veggies, uncured meats, whole grain ingredients, whole potatoes, fresh fruits, and other healthy foods in the house.

3. Keep stocked up on healthy snacks and quick fix. You can try buying healthy stuff, but most of it has too many additives, and not enough really good stuff in it, so your best bet is really to make stuff in large batches and freeze it. We make whole wheat pockets, pizzas, breads, snack bars (fruit and chocolate), cinnamon rolls, whole wheat english muffins and bagels, and other baked goods in large batches, and freeze them. We pre-cook meats and re-freeze them so they are fast to thaw and use. We make extras of favorite foods and save them for another meal. We buy pre-washed and cut veggies, and other fast but healthy items. We cook large batches of hashbrowns (made from skin-on potatoes), or country breakfast (potatoes, eggs, sausage or ham, and veggies), freeze it and use it when we are in a hurry. We keep enough on hand to always be able to make a quick breakfast shake, or have a fast protein item with a shake.

It takes time to prepare ahead, but it helps so much in keeping the diet in check. When I need something, I can grab it and eat it, and I often need food very quickly when I am hungry. Having something healthy on hand means that I am not overcome by impatience, or by a genuine emergency when I really NEED something now!

When we are on the run, we generally take extra with us. This insures that if we get stuck somewhere, we won't be forced to eat something unhealthy just because there were no good choices. If we eat at a restaurant, we choose the best possible meals, high in veggies, and low in refined carbs. We carry bottled water everywhere, so a drink is never a problem either.

I also buy a few packaged snack items, because they can be stored for longer periods. My favorite for both nutritional value, lower sugar, and reasonable price, is SlimFast Optima products. I can get them in either 1 or 2 carb exchange items, and I routinely have a few stuffed in my purse just in case I need something while I am out and about. They still have a lot of sugar (sugar alcohol does count), and are not very natural, but they have a better nutritional balance than granola bars, and even better than the diabetic specific bars or shakes. Dannon yogurt smoothies are also a fast and relatively healthy item to carry along.

We prepare every time we go someplace, and we take a day every week or two to make large batches of items we regularly use. Since our family is larger than most, we have to do that more frequently. Home baked goods will store nicely in the freezer for a month or more though, so the average family could easily bake less often than we do. My kids help with it, and all of them know how to make at least one regularly used item, with the younger ones getting supervision or help from the older kids or adults in the home. All of the items we make are nutrition controlled, which is the best possible food available. We keep the ingredients as natural as possible (with as little Splenda as we can use for the treats), and make our own recipes for things that we love but cannot eat in regular forms.

We also use specialized ingredients if we like them better. We use Hard White Wheat and mill our own flour because it makes the BEST baked goods ever. We mill Durum wheat for pasta flour, because it makes a difference in making very tasty pasta (half and half with hard white wheat flour). We use Basmati Brown Rice, because it tastes SO good - better than any white rice ever, and with no nasty bitter taste that is so common to brown rice. We use a certain brand of dried pasta because it not only tastes good, it is the most economical.

I use specific appliances to simplify food prep. I have a good crock pot which gets used for boiling wheat, for making casseroles, soups, stews, and more. I also use the crock pot for cooking beans while I sleep, for batch cooking meats ahead of time (makes a terrific stock also which simplifies even more meals). I have good pans for baking large batches of baked goods ahead, and we have a KitchenAid Mixer which gets a lot of use for everything from baking to mixing homemade sausage. A food processor lets us rapidly shred cheese or whole potatoes (skins on) for cook ahead batches of many items, and a chopper helps us rapidly chop large amounts of nuts for snack bars. A good blender makes morning smoothies a snap, and a good wheat mill sees a lot of use producing flour for all that stuff. We also have an oat roller because we much prefer the fuller flavor of freshly rolled oats.

I have many specialized recipes, many of which are in the Recipes section. I make sure that any supplements I use are worked into my daily routine, and that if they go with meals, that I find a way to take them with me when I have to be out for the day (I end up spending entire days either traveling, or in medical offices for appointments with my youngest son).

The key to succeeding with diet has been, for me, largely a matter of eliminating as many situations where I have no choices as I possibly can. By preparing ahead, I can provide my own choices, and I don't have to live by anyone else's rules.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.