About
I created A Diabetic's Menu to approach the day-to-day challenges and realities that diabetics are confronted with in a more personal and relatable way. I hope that by sharing my journey as a diabetic of over 30 years I can encourage fellow diabetics to take control and not let diabetes hold them back from living the life you want - find the balance!
I also hope to address the misdirected stigma and misunderstandings of diabetes and the wider issues underpinning diabetes. I am passionate about food equality.
Every day activities which most people wouldn't think twice about can pose some serious challenges to a diabetic.
By viewing diabetes with a more positive attitude and a light-hearted mindset I have found that it is much easier and enjoyable to make the lifestyle adjustments needed when you're a diabetic! The Lifestyle Blog shares how I create the lifestyle I want as a diabetic.
Whether you're a passionate cook or have no idea what you're doing in the kitchen, there's something for you on ADM! I'm really excited to be able to finally share my menu, A Diabetic's Menu (ADM).
But that doesn't mean you're doomed to a boring, flavour-less life! I've combined my absolute love for delicious food with the need to cater to my own diabetic needs, to inspire others with my lower-carb, higher-fibre and sugar-free food philosophy.
The Lifestyle Blog gives you an insight into my whole life as a diabetic and how I approach my diabetes outside of the kitchen and cooking.
Instead of letting diabetes control my lifestyle, I control my diabetes to live the lifestyle I want.
I have learnt and developed over the years healthy habits and routines which have helped me with my diabetes management on a daily basis.
I also hope to address the misdirected stigma and misunderstandings of diabetes and the wider issues underpinning diabetes. I am passionate about food equality.
Every day activities which most people wouldn't think twice about can pose some serious challenges to a diabetic.
By viewing diabetes with a more positive attitude and a light-hearted mindset I have found that it is much easier and enjoyable to make the lifestyle adjustments needed when you're a diabetic! The Lifestyle Blog shares how I create the lifestyle I want as a diabetic.
Whether you're a passionate cook or have no idea what you're doing in the kitchen, there's something for you on ADM! I'm really excited to be able to finally share my menu, A Diabetic's Menu (ADM).
But that doesn't mean you're doomed to a boring, flavour-less life! I've combined my absolute love for delicious food with the need to cater to my own diabetic needs, to inspire others with my lower-carb, higher-fibre and sugar-free food philosophy.
The Lifestyle Blog gives you an insight into my whole life as a diabetic and how I approach my diabetes outside of the kitchen and cooking.
Instead of letting diabetes control my lifestyle, I control my diabetes to live the lifestyle I want.
I have learnt and developed over the years healthy habits and routines which have helped me with my diabetes management on a daily basis.
FREDS WORDS:
Weight control/loss
For me it’s simple equation ! Energy in energy out ! Energy in = food intake .....energy out = exercise and being alive ( the energy burned by general life breathing,heart beat,brain function etc )
For weight maintenance energy in should be about he same as energy out
Energy in = Energy Out
For weight loss energy in should be less than energy out
Energy In < Energy Out
Sounds simple ! Well it is but it takes a strong will and a lot of self control as well as patients
For type one diabetics its more about weight maintenance and for type 2 its more about initial weight loss then weight maintenance
With weight loss you have to remember it took years to put the weight on and in my experience it takes time to take it off and take it off for good... this is where patients and dedication come into play
The key thing along the way is to really educate your self on the different types of food as well as read the Labels on everything you eat
When I was growing up take away food and treats (lollies etc) where just that a treat that happened once in a while ...these day the tables have turned and we are using this types of food as the quick and easy go to because of the busy lives we lead... the problem with consuming to much takeaway food or treats and we dont tend to know what’s in them ! Hidden sugars, preservatives, salts, fats etc ... as well as all that we seem to loose control of the potion size... how can you control the energy in if you don’t know what’s in the food and eat to much of it !.. over the years I’ve been down this road and when I think back knowing what I know now I would have to of been a marathon runner to burn all that energy in from poor decisions
Don’t get me wrong I’m not a puritan by any means but For me I use takeaways as a treat ( I just don’t eat lollies etc ) 90% of the time I’m good and 10% of the time a wee bit naughty ... not the other way around !
Energy in is all about making wise food choices and understand what food you are put into yourself ...for diabetics it gets a bit more complicated as you need to know what foods are better for sugar level control short term and long term
Food for me is all about how much energy is going into my body and how long it is going to last in my digestive system and I break this down to 2 types of carbohydrates Simple Carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates
Simple Carbohydrates are general refined and highly processed ( soft drinks processed foods etc...)and Complex Carbohydrates are generally more natural like brown rice,Veges nuts wholemeal flours etc (unprocessed whole foods)
Simple carbs you digest way to fast leaving you with excess energy and no time to burn it whereas complex carbs digest way slower and give you time to use the energy
Insert table
Think of it like this what happens when you pour refined petrol on a fire ....BOOM you get a huge release of energy now think of what happens when you put a log of wood on the fire it takes time to burn and release its energy ... much easier to control a fire with wood than with petrol ! ... its the same for us its much easy to control your energy levels with complex carbohydrates ( food with high fibre content just like the log of wood) than it is with simple carbohydrates (sugary fizzy drinks and processed food with little or no fibre just like refined petrol)
When you eat to much simple carbs like fizzy drinks loaded with sugar you have a massive realise of energy ( just like petrol on the fire ) but what happens inside your body is you absorb all that energy and when you dont use it straight away your body will put into storage for another day (storage = weight)
Portion size !!!
If there nothing nothing else you do then you must do this !!! Portion control has been the key to my 32 years as a diabetic .... smaller portion well balanced meals are the key to keeping my sugar levels on track !!! You can eat beautiful food even some naughty foods (every now and then TREATS!!!) you just dont eat the whole table full !!! !!! I eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day... Small quality snacks between meals are a must they let you get to you next meal not feeling like you want to eat everything in site :-) for me i make my meals as regular as clockwork without fail !!!
Being diabetic is about being ruthless your food routine there is nothing that gets my way of keeping my routine with eating times not work not social life NOTHING :-)
Now bearing in mind the above when i go to the super market i alway read the labels on the products and keep in mind what my philosophy is when i cook food Lower carb, Higher Fibre and sugar free ... all of these are on the nutritional information on the product.
All of my recipes use this philosophy
Make sure you read the labels on everything you buy as there are hidden sugars everywhere !
Do some research around fruit and vegetables have a look online to see what the sugar content is and how much fibre there is ... for me i look for fruit and vegetables that are high fibre low sugar
Energy out
Every minute of every day you burning energy just by being alive !!! Wow that’s some easy exercise just staying alive ... seriously tho you could just eat less energy than you burn by being alive and you will loose weight !
Here’s my thoughts weight loss its a long term commitment and weight control after the weight loss goes on for the rest of your life ... when i got my head around that it was easy for me to control my weight and just get on with the task !
I dont go to the gym and I dont run every day and i don’t commit my self to a regular exercise plan because that is not how I’m naturally wired ... some people are and that’s great ... everyone is different ...its about finding the thing for you that helps keep good weight control and doing it regularly ... for me its eating really well and and doing little bits of exercising like walking the dogs in the weekend ...chopping some wood in the winter , going for a walk around the city at lunchtime to clear my head and burn some energy, I’ve got a walking machine at home that i use every now and then as well as an Exercycle....for me its about trying to do something nearly everyday.. i will say a half hour walk every other day has a great effect on my sugar levels. ( remember always take a snack while exercising in case you have a hypo )
When i needed to loose a bit of weight I work to the plan of putting less energy in than the energy that was going out so my body then started burning fat to fuel the exercise i was doing. As a diabetic that takes insulin i had to take baby steps doing this to keep control of my sugar levels it there fore was a slow process loosing weight but i feel it has help keep the weight off and has really installed better eating and exercise habits in my life.
Weight control/loss
For me it’s simple equation ! Energy in energy out ! Energy in = food intake .....energy out = exercise and being alive ( the energy burned by general life breathing,heart beat,brain function etc )
For weight maintenance energy in should be about he same as energy out
Energy in = Energy Out
For weight loss energy in should be less than energy out
Energy In < Energy Out
Sounds simple ! Well it is but it takes a strong will and a lot of self control as well as patients
For type one diabetics its more about weight maintenance and for type 2 its more about initial weight loss then weight maintenance
With weight loss you have to remember it took years to put the weight on and in my experience it takes time to take it off and take it off for good... this is where patients and dedication come into play
The key thing along the way is to really educate your self on the different types of food as well as read the Labels on everything you eat
When I was growing up take away food and treats (lollies etc) where just that a treat that happened once in a while ...these day the tables have turned and we are using this types of food as the quick and easy go to because of the busy lives we lead... the problem with consuming to much takeaway food or treats and we dont tend to know what’s in them ! Hidden sugars, preservatives, salts, fats etc ... as well as all that we seem to loose control of the potion size... how can you control the energy in if you don’t know what’s in the food and eat to much of it !.. over the years I’ve been down this road and when I think back knowing what I know now I would have to of been a marathon runner to burn all that energy in from poor decisions
Don’t get me wrong I’m not a puritan by any means but For me I use takeaways as a treat ( I just don’t eat lollies etc ) 90% of the time I’m good and 10% of the time a wee bit naughty ... not the other way around !
Energy in is all about making wise food choices and understand what food you are put into yourself ...for diabetics it gets a bit more complicated as you need to know what foods are better for sugar level control short term and long term
Food for me is all about how much energy is going into my body and how long it is going to last in my digestive system and I break this down to 2 types of carbohydrates Simple Carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates
Simple Carbohydrates are general refined and highly processed ( soft drinks processed foods etc...)and Complex Carbohydrates are generally more natural like brown rice,Veges nuts wholemeal flours etc (unprocessed whole foods)
Simple carbs you digest way to fast leaving you with excess energy and no time to burn it whereas complex carbs digest way slower and give you time to use the energy
Insert table
Think of it like this what happens when you pour refined petrol on a fire ....BOOM you get a huge release of energy now think of what happens when you put a log of wood on the fire it takes time to burn and release its energy ... much easier to control a fire with wood than with petrol ! ... its the same for us its much easy to control your energy levels with complex carbohydrates ( food with high fibre content just like the log of wood) than it is with simple carbohydrates (sugary fizzy drinks and processed food with little or no fibre just like refined petrol)
When you eat to much simple carbs like fizzy drinks loaded with sugar you have a massive realise of energy ( just like petrol on the fire ) but what happens inside your body is you absorb all that energy and when you dont use it straight away your body will put into storage for another day (storage = weight)
Portion size !!!
If there nothing nothing else you do then you must do this !!! Portion control has been the key to my 32 years as a diabetic .... smaller portion well balanced meals are the key to keeping my sugar levels on track !!! You can eat beautiful food even some naughty foods (every now and then TREATS!!!) you just dont eat the whole table full !!! !!! I eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day... Small quality snacks between meals are a must they let you get to you next meal not feeling like you want to eat everything in site :-) for me i make my meals as regular as clockwork without fail !!!
Being diabetic is about being ruthless your food routine there is nothing that gets my way of keeping my routine with eating times not work not social life NOTHING :-)
Now bearing in mind the above when i go to the super market i alway read the labels on the products and keep in mind what my philosophy is when i cook food Lower carb, Higher Fibre and sugar free ... all of these are on the nutritional information on the product.
All of my recipes use this philosophy
Make sure you read the labels on everything you buy as there are hidden sugars everywhere !
Do some research around fruit and vegetables have a look online to see what the sugar content is and how much fibre there is ... for me i look for fruit and vegetables that are high fibre low sugar
Energy out
Every minute of every day you burning energy just by being alive !!! Wow that’s some easy exercise just staying alive ... seriously tho you could just eat less energy than you burn by being alive and you will loose weight !
Here’s my thoughts weight loss its a long term commitment and weight control after the weight loss goes on for the rest of your life ... when i got my head around that it was easy for me to control my weight and just get on with the task !
I dont go to the gym and I dont run every day and i don’t commit my self to a regular exercise plan because that is not how I’m naturally wired ... some people are and that’s great ... everyone is different ...its about finding the thing for you that helps keep good weight control and doing it regularly ... for me its eating really well and and doing little bits of exercising like walking the dogs in the weekend ...chopping some wood in the winter , going for a walk around the city at lunchtime to clear my head and burn some energy, I’ve got a walking machine at home that i use every now and then as well as an Exercycle....for me its about trying to do something nearly everyday.. i will say a half hour walk every other day has a great effect on my sugar levels. ( remember always take a snack while exercising in case you have a hypo )
When i needed to loose a bit of weight I work to the plan of putting less energy in than the energy that was going out so my body then started burning fat to fuel the exercise i was doing. As a diabetic that takes insulin i had to take baby steps doing this to keep control of my sugar levels it there fore was a slow process loosing weight but i feel it has help keep the weight off and has really installed better eating and exercise habits in my life.
Behind the recipes
Being diabetic can be challenging, especially when it comes to food. Behind each and every single one of my recipes is pre and post-eating blood sugar level testing. This process has led me to be able to develop recipes that keep my daily sugar levels balanced and my long-term HbA1c tests at a very healthy range of 44-47 mmol/mol (6.2% - 6.5%). These recipes have also passed the taste test - my menu focuses on the long-term and reflects the reality of being a human being!
The Food Philosophy behind
A Diabetic's Menu
Higher FibreThe higher the fibre in your food, the slower the food will digest in your system. The slower the digestion of your food, the better my sugar levels seem to be.
This is because the fibre in your food generally helps with the absorption of the sugars from the carbohydrates in your meal. It is as easy as adding vegetables to your diet and good quality, less processed complex carbohydrates. Having higher fibre meals make me feel fuller for longer and less likely to have cravings for naughty food throughout the day. |
Lower CarbI personally do not follow or believe in a "no carbohydrate diet". Carbohydrates help your body to function with energy and I personally would really struggle to think clearly without some carbohydrates in my day. However, there are different types of carbohydrates and some are better for diabetics than others.
Lower carbohydrate for me includes replacing simple carbohydrates and replacing them with more complex carbohydrates wherever possible. Even though complex carbohydrates are better for you, I still try and reduce the portion size of them. Complex carbohydrates do release energy slower, which is much better for my sugar levels. But, over consumption of them in a meal means although you’ll be eating "good energy", you still want to try and avoid eating too much energy (remember energy // in energy out ) |
Sugar FreeToday there are so many alternatives to using processed sugar to keep that sweet taste if that is what you like. I believe in sugar free because it is just too hard to control my sugar levels and weight when sugar is in my life. It is also so harmful to your overall health.
Unfortunately for diabetics, this means you also have to be careful around natural sugars too! Just because it is honey or maple syrup, it can still be similar to the energy found in processed foods. Even with the natural fibre in the fruit I still have to be mindful as they can have same effect on my sugar levels as refined sugar. I’ve done the sugar level testing so for me I know! But because fruit for example has so many benefits for your overall health, I do so as a treat and I make sure my portion size is controlled. Remember, sugar is a simple carbohydrate (like pouring petrol on a fire). Your teeth will probably be better off with a more sugar free lifestyle as well. |
Weight Loss
These diabetic-friendly recipes have kept my sugar levels balanced & my weight under control through healthy weight loss in the past (over 20 kg) & now with maintaining & managing my weight going forward. And of course I always make sure the food tastes incredible! Long term consistency as a diabetic is vital, which is why it's important to me to create delicious recipes I actually enjoy too.