Are you a diabetic or are you cooking for a diabetic? The majority of households are or know a diabetic and have to prepare different dishes than you would normally cook when you get together. It doesn’t have to be a chore and I really can help.
Julie can’t believe she is hearing it again. “Mom, what can I eat?” She just fed her kids, Dillon (7), Kate (5) and Jake (3) pancakes an hour and a half ago on a hot August morning. It seems like all I do is make them food, she thinks to herself. “This is not a restaurant, to order food any time you want” she told them, “and lunch is not for another two hours.” “But I’m hungry,” she hears Dillon say.
No wonder nothing gets done around here, she thought. Her husband, Craig, has been on her case lately about the house being dirty and not having a homemade meal on the table when he gets home from work, like she used to do. He actually told her that he thinks she does nothing but watch soaps all day long. “I wish,” she said aloud.
Julie is a stay-at-home Mom. She tried working full-time a few years ago and for the cost of daycare, she and her husband decided it would be best for her to stay at home. Plus, she will be there when the kids get home during the school year, she thought.
Craig’s in management at a tech company in the city and easily makes enough money for her to stay at home, thank God. When she first started, she absolutely loved it. This is a dream come true, she thought.
Julie seen and heard the “firsts” of her children growing up and recorded it on her phone for Craig to see (if she caught it in time). She loved to cook from scratch and happily made homemade meals every day back then. She even hung laundry up outside every chance she got. The kids were thriving and her husband was so proud of her and the decision they both made for her to stay at home. That was almost five years ago after Kate was born.
She heats up two frozen waffles in the microwave and puts the pancake syrup on the table. “Dillon, there’s waffles here for you,” she yelled upstairs. Dillon came down the steps with a smile on his face, one step at a time, not like the speed demon he used to be when he was small.
He’s put on some weight (actually the whole family has) in the last couple years. He loves his Play Station and is upstairs in his bedroom all day except to come downstairs frequently for snacks and something to drink. That’s okay, she thought, at least he is out of my way so I can get some work done.
Or Are You a Diabetic?
Kate is playing next door with the neighbor girl, Shelby. They will both be in the same class when school starts next month in their small suburban town. She thought it was a good idea for them to play and become friends to make it easier on both of them – at least they will know each other when they go to kindergarten. She smiled to herself, happy with her decision.
Feeling hungry herself, she checks out the fridge to see what is calling her name. She doesn’t feel like making anything so she grabs a bag of Cheetos (her favorite) and sits down to watch TV. I will have to get up anyway in a little while so it won’t hurt that I’m taking a breather before making lunch, she told herself, and believed her excuse because she did not feel any guilt as she dozed off to sleep.
She was awakened by Jake crying after his morning nap. Time to get up anyway, she thought as she picked him up to put him in the high chair and began to make the kids lunch. She gave the baby some Apple Cinnamon Cheerios to keep him quiet while she got his food.
Before she got the baby’s food, she took out three frozen meals for the kids; two chicken nugget meals, one for each child and another macaroni and cheese dinner for Dillon; he’s not full after one anymore.
She used to fix them a homemade lunch, but after finding these gems on sale a couple years ago, life has been so much easier. She can literally have food on the table for them in minutes and do you know what the best part is? The kids love them! So when they are on sale (and they usually are), she buys them in bulk. Julie knows they aren’t the healthiest for them but the nuggets are made from white chicken breast meat and that’s healthy; isn’t it? They are overweight, but it’s just baby fat and they will grow out of it, she thought as the timer on the microwave went off.
As the school year nears, the kids are required to see the doctor for a physical and to get their shots. Julie told the kids if they were good, she would buy them some cookies for a treat. Actually it’s not a treat anymore to her, she has some stashed away above the refrigerator, but the kids don’t know that.
All four of us went into the room and waited for the doctor. I reminded the kids about the treat they would get if they were good. The doctor came in and smiled, asking how everyone was. He began asking Julie questions about the little ones and their daily routine, etc. But with Dillon being old enough to answer, the doctor turned to him and asked “Do you ever feel tired, Dillon?” Julie knew the answer because he was up in his bedroom all day playing video games.
“Yes,” he answered shyly. “Sometimes I take naps in my bedroom when Mom thinks I’m playing video games.” Julie was shocked. She didn’t know he took naps. He asked Dillon if he was thirsty all the time. “I am thirsty when I get a snack” he said. Well everyone is when they get something to eat, his mom thought. After a couple more questions, the doctor asked if he could prick Dillon’s finger to check his blood sugar. “Sure,” Julie said, not thinking anything about it.
The doctor looked at the glucose meter and then looked at her. “Julie, your son has Type 2 Diabetes,” he said. “What?!” she almost yelled. “Dillon has diabetes and we need to get him on medicine as soon as possible. If the oral medication works, great; but if the pills don’t you will have to give him injections every day.” She felt woozy and sick. She doesn’t remember how she got the kids in the car. My son is a diabetic, she heard herself say over and over again on the way home. Folks this happens everyday, and it is not your fault.
Do you know anyone that has diabetes partly due to being overweight or obese? This diagnosis is given every second of every minute of the day, and I do not want this to happen to you. Let’s get ahead of it and prevent disease by what we have control over. And that is what you put in your mouth; the food you eat and the things you drink. This is when it begins, today; and to be honest, not a minute too soon.
So where do you begin? It’s easier than you think to eat healthier. What we know for sure:
1. Diabetics have to reduce their sugar intake and avoid blood sugar spikes
2. Diabetics need to reduce starchy carbohydrates in their diet
Sugar is hidden everywhere in processed food – and salt also, that is how they get us to crave their food. With my recipes you know exactly how much sugar and salt is in your food because you are actually adding it.
Included in the cookbook are other names for sugar lurking in food that you may not know about. Food is delicious and there is no hidden sugar; imagine that. Cooking for a diabetic is easy and no longer a chore.
Grill some chicken and have a wonderful side salad and grilled vegetables. Don’t know how to do that? For a limited time, when you purchase my homemade cookbook The Ultimate Book of Scratch Recipes, I am including The Transition Cookbook with your purchase to get a head start of kicking that sugar habit and losing weight too.
It is so much easier to do when you have delicious food to eat to get your mind off sugar. Find out more by clicking on the link above.