When it comes to: What should I eat? When should I eat? Can I eat that? Do I look at the carbohydrates? or Should I look at fat? What about calories? Can I eat sugar? O my, my eyes are going sideways just thinking about all of this craziness. For every question you ask on this topic, it seems like you will get a thousands answers that are all different and everyone says they have the secret.
We don't claim to have the secret, because we don't think that there is just one single answer for every person. There's just too many variables. However, we do have an opinion. Here's what the culinary team at Diabetes of America says on this topic: Balance is the key. This is worth saying again. Balance is the key. Overindulging in any one area, no matter what it is, never seems to be the right answer. With that being said, destroying yourself over a small piece of cake you had at a holiday party is crazy. You still need to enjoy life. Everyone has favorite dishes, family recipes, and places they love to eat at. We're not saying don't enjoy those items. We're just saying be smart about how often and how much of them you enjoy. If you took the time to find this website, we already know you're a smart person. Most likely you don't need us to tell you what will happen if you eat 6 pieces of fried chicken with mash potatoes, gravy, and macaroni and cheese on the side; followed up with 3 biscuits covered in butter and honey with jumbo slices of cheese cake... washed down with 2 cans of soda for dinner every night! We take a very practical approach, and work like crazy to come up with some amazing dishes that are health conscious, easy to make, and penny wise.
We don't claim to have the secret, because we don't think that there is just one single answer for every person. There's just too many variables. However, we do have an opinion. Here's what the culinary team at Diabetes of America says on this topic: Balance is the key. This is worth saying again. Balance is the key. Overindulging in any one area, no matter what it is, never seems to be the right answer. With that being said, destroying yourself over a small piece of cake you had at a holiday party is crazy. You still need to enjoy life. Everyone has favorite dishes, family recipes, and places they love to eat at. We're not saying don't enjoy those items. We're just saying be smart about how often and how much of them you enjoy. If you took the time to find this website, we already know you're a smart person. Most likely you don't need us to tell you what will happen if you eat 6 pieces of fried chicken with mash potatoes, gravy, and macaroni and cheese on the side; followed up with 3 biscuits covered in butter and honey with jumbo slices of cheese cake... washed down with 2 cans of soda for dinner every night! We take a very practical approach, and work like crazy to come up with some amazing dishes that are health conscious, easy to make, and penny wise.
Diabetes of America Success System
Most of our culinary team comes from the restaurants industry. Why can't you use some of are proven tricks in your home kitchen to simplify your life, save on your budget, and eat some great food? Below you will see a list of our best tips that we use every day in the restaurant kitchen.
The Pantry Set Up
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Set up your kitchen for success! This is a list of basics we think you should have in your pantry. These are items that you will use daily or once in awhile and shouldn't necessarily need to buy every week.
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The Bin System
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In our refrigerators, we have 3 special bins of perishables. These bins are simply refilled a couple times a week, making meal planning and preparation quick and easy!
We refer to these bins as the vegetable bin, fruit bin and salad bin. The key is to take a small amount of time a couple days a week after your usual food shopping and chop all the vegetables, fruits and salad ingredients for the 3 bins. Here's the math why this works, so you understand how this one step can save you a ton of time and headache, setting your week up for success. If you ate three meals a day that included fruit, vegetables, and salad, you would need to get out your cutting board, bowls, and knife for each meal. As if that wasn't enough work, you would also have to clean up the mess you made in the kitchen 21 times a week. Compare this winded effort verses prepping the bins in advance only two times a week. |
Proteins and Dairy
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Ok, so you have your basic pantry stocked up. You clearly understand why the three perishable bin system is a great idea. Now you need to stock the rest of your staple items in your refrigerator for the week. This includes protein and dairy essential for optimal health.
We understand a lot of people have special dietary needs and wants. Naturally, a meal plan integrating these specific needs is essential and unique for each person. However, for the sake of this section, we use our meal planner which includes a mixture of meat based proteins such as chicken, fish, beef, pork, and shellfish. Dairy items include cheeses, butter, milk, eggs. |
