Dino’s

Heritage Cuisine

Discovering the Food of Epirus and Sicily

http://mediterranean-revelry.blogspot.com

Mediterranean Revelry, a Greek/Sicilian Dinner Party

Copyright © 1996/2010 P. Farina - All Rights Reserved

Simple Cooking Swaps for Type 2 Diabetes

If you are a Diabetic type 2, like me, the following advice will get you on the right track to lowering you A1C.

These easy cooking tricks will help you transform your family’s favorite meals into diabetes-friendly dishes.

You don’t have to give up your favorite foods now that you or a family member is dealing with Type 2 diabetes. In fact, a few small changes in the kitchen will help you transform some of your recipes into diabetes-friendly dishes. To make your healthy cooking a little easier, here are 14 simple substitutions that help cut fat, sugar, and calories but lock in plenty of taste.

·        Use one-third or one-half the sugar called for in a recipe, and then add a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, or vanilla to replace some of that sweetness.

·        Substitute some or all of the sugar in a recipe with an artificial sweetener such as Splenda (sucralose) or Truvia (made from the leaves of the stevia plant).

·        Cut back on the fat in a recipe by one-third or one-half. Substitute canola or olive oil for some or all of the butter called for, and use a low-fat cooking spray to coat pans.

·        Replace the oil in a baking recipe with pureed fruit such as unsweetened applesauce or baby-food pureed prunes.

·        When you’re making a recipe that calls for cheese, use strong-flavored cheeses, which will allow you to use less and still have a lot of flavor.

·        Replace a whole egg in a recipe with a quarter-cup egg substitute or two egg whites.

·        Substitute whole-milk products with low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

·        Allow stock, soups, and meat drippings to cool, then skim off and throw out the congealed fat. Adding an ice cube or two will speed up this process. Use this method to strain out cooking juices and make low-fat gravy.

·        Use whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice in recipes that call for white flour or white rice.

·        Add healthy ingredients like vegetables and beans into recipes when appropriate. For example, add broccoli or cauliflower to macaroni and cheese, and put garden vegetables in pasta sauces.

·        When using meat, choose the leanest cuts possible for your recipes.

·        Use low-sodium or sodium-free stocks and broths.

·        Substitute fresh or frozen vegetables for canned veggies, which contain sodium.

·        Use lots of fresh herbs and spices to add flavor.