The Diabetic diet, an adventure in grocery shopping. Reading Nutrition labels and making a menu of not so great tasting foods for a healthy diabetic diet.

Cardboard Diet

My first encounter with a diabetic diet about fifteen years ago was very disheartening. After meeting with a diabetic nutritionist, I quickly dubbed this diet the Cardboard diabetic diet with only a hint of carbohydrates and No sugar.  When my wife ask what the new diabetic diet was like, I replied I can eat only plain cardboard with no printing, Ugh and No sugar and one slice of bread a day, and I get some pills to go with that and water. This seemed to be the total abstinence diet. Bread and water.

The Search Begins

Well that menu for my Cardboard diabetic diet lasted about 45 seconds after I walked into the kitchen. Thus began the Great American past time, the new hobby for the aging baby boomers. A search was started for the perfect foods to make the perfect diabetic diet. At first you just read the nutritional value labeling on the foods you normally eat. You are looking for the one that are low or no carbohydrates, low or no cholesterol, low or no salt, and low or no fats. This is called the "low or no diet" for the Nutritional Hobbyist. After searching the through the entire super market reading every nutritional label for the no or low facts, you begin to realize there are other factors that effect to low part of the diabetic diet. The serving per container can controls low part of the low or no facts. You could be eating 2.5 to 4.5 times as much low Salt, fats, Cholesterol, and Carbohydrates if you eat the whole can. I always eat the whole can. It is now the "self-restraint diet". After trying the no or lows as part of your new diabetic diet menu, you discover that many of these foods are less than tasty. Most are completely flavorless. In addition the vitamins that you get in the food you chose for your diabetic diet may only partially provide for your diabetic condition. More on this subject later.

Bread

Bread is a story in itself. You
look for the lowest carbohydrate count. The no sugar bread is saying this is best for your diabetic diet. Maybe? There are the high fiber breads, and then there is whole wheat, multi grain, 7 whole grains, 12 whole grains, 1000 grains, and the fantastic omega-3 from flaxseed. When you think you got this all figured out you find out that you have been lied to by the nutritional facts. The total carb count is not necessarily correct. Some of the carbs are fiber that is not digestible. You make it a ‘self-control diet" making a sandwich with one slice of bread.

The quest continues for the best and don’t forget the most tasty of foods for  your perfect diabetic diet. Taste is everything.  

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