I was recently called into my GP’s office to hear news that I was, to be honest, not at all surprised by: I’m perilously close to developing Type 2 Diabetes. My GP advised me to go online to Diabetes Australia to get the latest information on how to prevent it. I find the best way for me to do research, and get my head around new information, is to write about it. So, I’m writing this post mostly for my own benefit.
While I’ve undergone stomach surgery, I haven’t been able to maintain the initial weight loss that resulted. As one of my nurses told me after my surgery, I could still eat Christmas dinner, it would just take me all day. And so I’ve found, such that I’m now back to the weight I was before my surgery. To make matters worse, I’ve since developed a back problem which has drastically reduced my mobility. Therefore, much of what ensues is advice I should follow myself, making this very much a case of ‘Do what I say, not what I do.’
It’s not that I don’t know what’s best for me. In fact, for the most part, this website conforms to the advice given by Diabetes Australia. In this article, therefore, I’ll be focussing on a few extra considerations that people in this situation, especially those with reduced stomach capacity, need to take into account. My basic premise for the following advice will be that the best way to stave off diabetes is to live as though you already have it.
Before we go any further, I should make a disclaimer. I’m by no means a medical practitioner. The following advice has been gleaned from publicly available sources, tempered with my own experience.
The first piece of advice you’ll get about preventing diabetes is to lose from 5% to 10% of your body weight. As I’m sure we’ve all learned, losing weight is easier said than done. Many of us have already undergone bariatric surgery for just that reason. Nevertheless, while we might have a smaller stomach capacity than we once had, we still have all the same tastes and cravings, and, while it might take a little longer than it once did, we can still eat as much as we ever have. If you feel you need help losing weight, you can ask your GP to refer you to the relevant healthcare practitioners, such as nutritionists and psychologists, as well as to weight-loss and pre-diabetic programs.
When confronted by dramatic developments, some of us might make dramatic decisions such as diving headfirst into extreme weight-loss and exercise programs. However, if you’re in danger of developing diabetes, you’re probably overweight and middle-aged, and that is certainly not the time of life to take such drastic action. Your best option is to make healthy lifestyle choices in regards to diet and exercise that you can sustain for the long-term.
I’ve addressed diet and exercise issues as they apply to people who have recently undergone bariatric or gastric surgery in the post Keeping the Weight Off. All the advice there still holds for this situation, so please read it as well as the following tips.
Contents
Tip#1: Be aware of the risks of losing weight quickly
Tip#2: Develop a sustainable exercise program
Tip#3: Switch to healthy alternatives of the food you enjoy
Tip#4: Eat a well-balanced diet
Tip#5: Make your own versions of the processed foods you enjoy
Tip#6: Take control of your snacking
Tip #1: Be aware of the risks of losing weight quickly
From my own experience, I would advise you not to go on an extreme weight loss diet. Such diets are difficult to sustain, and even if you do lose a great deal of weight, as soon as you ease off the diet, the weight will come back, and, as I discovered, more than ever. Nevertheless, there are options for losing weight rapidly, but I would advise you to approach them with care and medical advice.
No doubt you’ve heard of the latest innovation in weight-loss aids – injectable medication such as Ozempic. While it was developed to treat Type 2 Diabetes, as it also promotes feelings of fullness, it has become very popular as an aid to weight-loss. It’s also recommended after bariatric surgery to provide further aid for weight-loss after surgery and prevent weight-gain over time. It is indeed effective, but, like extreme weight-loss diets, if you stop taking it, the weight may come back. If you do take this option, you’ll have to be prepared to get an injection as often as weekly for the rest of your life. Furthermore, as with all medication, it comes with health risks and side effects, so make sure to discuss these with your doctor before embarking on such a program.
A more established option for weight-loss is a diet based on meal replacement products known as a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). These products are usually shakes, but can also be bars, soups and even desserts. Such diets will help you lose weight rapidly, but you have to be careful to supplement these products with lots of low-calorie drinks and plenty of non-starchy vegetables. As they are high in protein, they may also put excess strain on your kidneys. Such diets are not recommended for the long term. Medical practitioners advise that they should only be used when rapid weight-loss is necessary to deal with your immediate health issues, such as before major surgery or to ease pressure on damaged joints.
I have tried a VLCD diet and I found that, having limited stomach capacity, I have had to be judicious in my approach. I could not follow the recommended diet as it actually made me quite ill. Based on trial and error, my own research and advice from a friend, I’ve developed my own diet. I have 2 VLCD bars each day (as they are the least bulky and, to my mind the most appetising option) and two light, virtually vegetarian meals per day, and lots of water. It’s also recommended that you take a fibre supplement such as Metamucil to reduce the likelihood of constipation. You can download my VLCD Diet Chart PDF here. However, I would still urge you to take medical advice before following my lead.
Once you have reached your weight-loss goal, high-protein/low-calorie prepared meals can help you to maintain it. High-protein/low-calorie prepared meals are available from selected retail outlets such as supermarkets and pharmacies. Many of the meal delivery services also offer high-protein/low-calorie meals, or even complete weight-loss diets, some of which include meal replacement products. These programs are useful, but they don’t always cater to people with reduced stomach capacity. Before you order, check their websites to see if they provide meals within your required portion size. (For more see Eating in with Next to No Cooking.) However, medical practitioners advise that it is better for you in the long term to learn how to prepare healthy and appetising meals yourself, such as those you’ll find on this website.
In my own experience, I’ve observed that people who have undergone bariatric surgery, or are taking meal replacement products, seem to think that because they have taken these drastic steps, they can otherwise freely indulge in high-calorie food. This is counterproductive, to say the least. To gain any benefit from your drastic action, you also have to make long term changes to your overall diet and attitudes towards food and eating, kick those old, unhelpful habits, and create a new habit of making healthy food choices.
Tip #2: Develop a sustainable exercise program
Alternatively (or additionally) to changing your diet, you may consider taking on an exercise program suitable for an Olympic athlete. Again, I would recommend caution. I’m always concerned when I see obese people trying to jog and obviously suffering. I fear they will do themselves some damage, if not to their heart, to their back, knees and feet. Any such injury would put an immediate stop to your exercise program, and you’ll find it very difficult to take it up again later.
While weight and resistance exercises are good for strength and flexibility, the best exercise for promoting weight-loss, especially for the older person, is walking. In fact, you can get as much benefit from walking a certain distance as from jogging it, and, not only will you be safer, you’ll enjoy it more, which helps to make your exercise program sustainable. Furthermore, walking, especially with companions, is not only good for your physical health, it’s also good for your mental health. Walking is highly recommended by the Heart Foundation which provides individual walking plans and runs walking groups. Walking groups are also often run by community health services and local neighbourhood houses.
However, not all of us can walk long distances. If you do have limited mobility due to obesity or because of problems with your back, knees or feet, you can try non-weight-bearing exercise programs. These programs provide exercise for body tone and weight loss without putting a strain on your back and knees.
- A popular option is water exercise such as swimming, water aerobics or just walking in water. Your local swimming pool should offer a range of programs and facilities.
- If you prefer to stay home, you can exercise on a stationary bicycle, or, for a cheaper and more compact option, you can get a mini-exercise bike, which is just the pedals which you can use while sitting in a chair.
- Another option is a chair exercise program. You’ll find a range of commercial apps and programs available. I can personally recommend the Launchpad program which is freely available on YouTube.
Remember, though, before you embark on any exercise program, to make sure to get sound medical advice.
Tip #3: Switch to healthy alternatives for the food you enjoy
When faced with the danger of diabetes, our first thought will go to cutting out the foods that can cause or aggravate it, such as fat, sugar, salt and carbohydrates. Cutting down on all of these would certainly be helpful, but we needn’t cut them, or what we enjoy about them, out altogether. Instead, we can eat them in moderation or switch to healthy alternatives.
Fats
While it would be wise to cut down on fat, our bodies still require a small amount of fat in order to function. Fortunately, not all fats are bad, though they come in degrees of virtue. Going from best to worst, we have:
- When you have a choice of fats, your first choice should be Monounsaturated fat such as in olive and canola oil, some margarines (check the label) as well as avocado and avocado oil.
- Polyunsaturated fat is also a good fat which is found in most margarines (check the label), sunflower and safflower oil, among others, and oily fish such as salmon and tuna. Seeds, nuts, nut spreads and peanut oil contain a combination of Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fat.
- It’s important to reduce your intake of Saturated fat as much as possible, as it promotes the production of bad (LDL) cholesterol. Saturated fat is predominantly found in animal fats including fat on meat, skin on poultry, butter and full cream dairy products. It’s also found in tropical oils such as copha and palm oil as well as coconut oil and coconut milk.
- Trans fats are the bogeyman of fats. There are two types:
- Natural trans fats are found in the meat and milk of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, but are not dangerous.
- Artificial trans fats are very dangerous and are created when vegetable oils are chemically altered to extend their shelf life and keep them solid at room temperature. Artificial trans fats have been virtually banned but can still be found in trace amounts in highly processed foods.
To ensure you get the right type and amount of fats, I would recommend that you:
- Avoid saturated fats and substitute mono- and polyunsaturated fats by cooking with olive, canola or avocado oil, using margarine instead of butter, and eating lean meat, skinless poultry and more fish.
- Avoid fatty and highly processed deli-meats. Eat bacon, sausages, burgers or rissoles in moderation, choose low-fat varieties and bake or grill rather than fry.
- Avoid full cream dairy products by choosing low-fat milk and cheese, and, for example, substituting natural yoghurt for ice cream and light smooth ricotta for heavy cream.
- Instead of heavy cream, use low-fat milk in creamy dishes, thickened with cornflour or potato starch. Puréed soups can be thickened and given a creamy texture by including some potato with the vegetables. For additional creaminess, you can stir in a dollop of natural yoghurt before serving.
- Get rid of the deep fryer and get an air fryer.
- Reduce the use of oil in your cooking by using a non-stick frying pan or wok and air, shallow or stir-frying rather than deep frying. You can reduce it even further by using an oil spray for frying, baking and grilling. You can also use chicken stock for sautéing and stir-frying.
- Avoid deep fried takeaway food such as fried chicken or fish and chips and switch to roasted or barbequed chicken and grilled fish, or try sushi, sashimi and rice paper rolls.
- Experiment with alternatives to deep-frying fish and chips. Fish fillets can be air fried, shallow fried, poached, steamed, grilled, barbequed and baked in the oven or microwave. Potato chips can be baked, air fried or shallow fried. (See Something Fishy for a range of cooking methods for fish)
- Frozen battered fish fillets or crumbed chicken tenders as well as frozen chips do not need to be deep or pan fried and can be cooked in the oven on a non-stick baking tray, or one lined with baking paper, without additional oil.
- Use soy milk or almond milk instead of coconut milk in curries.
- Spread margarine, low-fat cream cheese or a nut butter, such as peanut butter, on your toast instead of butter.
- Avoid commercially produced muesli bars, sweet biscuits (cookies) and dry biscuits (crackers) as well as potato crisps and corn chips. You can make your own or buy low-fat biscuits such as crispbread or rice cakes instead. (See Quick and Healthy Snacks: High Protein Biscuits)
- Avoid commercially produced pastries and pies. Make your own pastries using low-fat puff pastry or filo pastry, or you can make crustless pies topped with a savoury crumble or mashed potatoes. Alternatively, you can use pita bread as a substitute for pastry in pizzas, flans and turnovers. (See 6 Ways with Pita Bread.)
Sugar
When faced with the prospect or diagnosis of diabetes, our first thought would and should be to drastically reduce our sugar intake. Your diet can include a little sugar, such as half a teaspoon in a cup of coffee, or a scrape of jam on your breakfast toast, but little more. Your best option would be to try to eliminate sugar altogether from your diet, as some will always slip past your guard, especially in processed foods.
The following strategies should help:
- Cut out highly sweetened treats such as chocolate and lollies (candies) and substitute dried fruit and nuts (for more see below). If you can’t do without them, choose sugar-free chocolate and lollies which are available from pharmacies.
- Cut out standard cordials, soft drinks and sports drinks and substitute plain water or water with lemon or lime juice, or cold herbal tea or infusions. If you can’t do without soft drinks, choose sugar-free varieties.
- Always check the labels of your grocery purchases for sugar content. Foods labelled ‘healthy’ will often contain sugar. Even savoury items such as sauces and condiments may contain sugar. Either choose a low-sugar variety or an alternative product, or you can make your own.
- Use alternatives to sugar in your baking such as desiccated coconut or coconut sugar. (See Quick and Healthy Snacks: Microwave Cakes-in-a-Mug)
- If you drink several cups of tea or coffee a day, try taking them without sugar. You’ll soon get used to the taste and might even come to prefer it that way. Alternatively, you can use sugar alternatives such as coconut sugar, Equal, Stevia, Sugarine or Splenda. Another option is switching to herbal tea.
- Switch from butter and jam on your breakfast toast to margarine and a scrape of honey. Alternatively, you could try low-fat cream cheese or a nut butter such as peanut butter.
- Avoid commercially produced breakfast cereals, desserts, sweet biscuits, muesli bars, cakes and muffins and make your own sugar-free versions. For suitable recipes see Quick and Healthy Snacks and Desserts.
Fruit and Sugar
While fruit is an important part of your diet as it provides nutrients and fibre, it does contain natural sugars. Therefore, it’s recommended that a diabetic should have only two serves of fruit each day, preferably fresh fruit (one large or two small pieces of fruit make one serve). You can have some other fruit products, but they should be taken with caution.
- Fruit juice might provide nutrients, but it’s been stripped of its fibre and may contain added sugar. You should limit fruit juice to ½ cup per day.
- One of your daily serves of fruit can be canned fruit, but make sure to avoid fruit in syrup. Choose fruit in juice and drain off the liquid.
- Dried fruit can contain a great deal of sugar when compared gram-per-gram to its fresh equivalent, so should be taken in moderation. When buying dried fruit check the label to ensure it doesn’t contain any added sugar. The daily recommendation is 30 grams which is best absorbed when eaten with a source of good fat and protein such as cheese or nuts (though not in a packaged ‘trail mix’ which sometimes contains chocolate or other sweets.) The best dried fruits for diabetics are prunes, dried apples, apricots and peaches. (Beware of Apricot Delight as it is very high in added sugar.)
Salt
Salt doesn’t contribute directly to diabetes, but it does contribute to high blood pressure. People with diabetes are more susceptible to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. So, in order to avoid these complications, it would be wise to cut back on your salt intake.
The easiest way to do this is to stop using salt in your cooking. You might find your food bland at first, but you’ll soon get used to tasting the food instead of the salt, and you can compensate for any loss of flavour by using lots of herbs and spices.
You’ll find that the recipes on this website don’t include added salt. Instead, they are flavoured by a range of common herbs and spices and any saltiness comes from ingredients such as chicken stock powder, soy sauce, diced bacon and Parmesan cheese. (See Pantry Essentials)
If you’re concerned that you might not get enough salt in your diet, don’t be. You’ll find that even the most basic ingredients you buy from the supermarket – including bread, canned vegetables, liquid stock and soy sauce – will contain some sodium, so choose low-salt or low-sodium varieties where available.
There are even higher levels of salt in processed foods – so, again, check the labels – as well as in takeaway and restaurant meals, so you should either eliminate or minimise these in your diet.
You might be tempted to use a salt substitute instead of giving up salt altogether. However, some salt substitutes contain potassium chloride which can be dangerous for diabetics. It can be harmful to the kidneys and interact badly with your medication, especially any for blood pressure. Consult your GP before using such products.
Carbohydrates
Despite their bad reputation, carbohydrates are essential to our health as they’re an important source of energy, especially for our brains. However, most of us probably eat too much and the wrong types of carbohydrates, so we can certainly do with reviewing our carbohydrate intake. The recommended daily intake for carbohydrates varies according to your age and gender (See Recommended number of serves for adults) so here we’ll focus on what and when rather than how much.
Some people may opt for a low-carbohydrate diet which, for most people, is a quick and safe method for lowering blood glucose levels and reducing body weight. However, it would be wise to consult with your GP before embarking on such a diet, as it might not be safe for some people, such as children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with a history of eating disorders. (See Low-carbohydrate eating for people with diabetes)
The best carbohydrates for us are those with a low-GI (glycaemic index) value as they break down slowly and so have less impact on our blood glucose and cholesterol levels. (See this useful chart for more information.) We should also consume carbohydrates in moderate amounts spread throughout the day to maintain our energy levels and prevent peaks in blood glucose levels.
When cooking with carbohydrates you can reduce the impact of high-GI food by pairing it with low-GI food, thus averaging out the GI value of your meal. For example, serve pasta and rice with legumes or lean meat, combine high and low-GI vegetables in a soup, or serve a fruit salad with natural yoghurt.
Following are a few tips to complement the recipes on this website.
Bread and Wraps
While sliced white bread is comforting, it contains very little fibre and has a very high GI value. In fact, the popular sliced soft breads, even those labelled wholemeal, multigrain and light rye, are actually white bread with some bran, grains or rye added, which reduces the GI value a little, but not by much. When it comes to bread, the quick rule of thumb is the darker and denser the bread, the better. The best options are wholegrain bread, multigrain and seed loaves and traditional sourdough. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein varieties of bread are also available from the supermarket and bakeries.
Those of us with limited stomach capacity will also need to reduce our bread consumption. Less bulky alternatives to sliced bread include pita bread and sandwich thins which are both available in wholemeal varieties. When it comes to wraps and tortillas, compare the fibre content for the best option. (See 6 Ways with Pita Bread)
Pasta, Rice and Instant Noodles
Standard pasta is recommended as part of weight loss diet, so there’s no need to banish it entirely from your plate. Nevertheless, there are high-fibre, wholemeal and high-protein varieties available as well. You can also find gluten-free pasta and varieties made with non-wheat products such as spelt, pulses and chickpeas. Some might take a little extra time to cook so check the cooking instructions. (See One Pot Pasta from the Pantry)
Rice is more easily digested than pasta so has a higher GI value and thus is best eaten in moderation. Of the many varieties of rice to choose from, the most highly recommended are the long-grain varieties, including Basmati and long-grain brown rice. The downside of brown rice is that it can take about 40–45 minutes to cook. If you find this inconvenient, your options include cooking it in a large batch, draining well and freezing in single portions or you can use brown microwave rice instead of white. (See Quick and Healthy Snacks: Microwave Rice)
Both rice and pasta should not be eaten alone and should be served with lean protein, legumes and/or non-starchy vegetables.
Instant noodles (or ramen) are relatively low in fibre and have some fat as they are made with white flour and are fried as part of the drying process. Furthermore, the added flavourings that come with the single serve varieties may contain unhealthy ingredients. They are certainly not suitable as a mainstay of your diet. However, they can be part of a healthy diet if you choose the plain variety, only eat them in moderation, add your own broth and seasonings and make sure to serve them with fresh vegetables and protein such as egg, meat or tofu. (See Things to do with Instant Noodles)
All of the above can be substituted by konjac or miracle spaghetti, rice or noodles which are highly recommended for weight loss. Made from a tuber called konjac, they have no carbohydrates and next to no calories. You’ll find instruction for their use and a range of recipes online. However, konjac products are expensive, come in 400gm portions, which might be too large for those with reduced stomach capacity (though they can be refrigerated in water for a few days) and, having a very different texture to the standard varieties, are what you might call ‘an acquired taste.’
Breakfast Cereal
Back in the day, there was a joke going round that if you bought a carton of Corn Flakes, you’d get more fibre from eating the cardboard box than its contents. Unfortunately, the old saw still stands. Most commercial cereals are low in fibre and high in sugar, so, as usual, check the label. The best options are the whole wheat cereals such as Weet-Bix, Vita-Brits and Weeties or oat-based cereals such as Oat Crisps. These are best served with low-fat milk, no added sugar and topped with fresh fruit.
Even the ‘healthy’ options, such as oat clusters, can be high in sugars especially if they contain dried fruit. Care should also be taken with muesli and granola products. Check the labels for fats and sugar. Toasted muesli, for example, is actually pan fried in oil. Alternatively, you can make your own muesli or granola and thus control the fat and sugar content. (For my part, I do like these cereals, but I have them as an occasional treat when I’m too lazy to make a dessert.)
A healthier option is homemade porridge, preferably made with rolled rather than quick oats, supplemented with added protein such as almond meal, cooled with low-fat milk or yoghurt and topped with fresh fruit.
In fact, you can reduce your overall carbohydrate intake at breakfast by swapping some of its cereal content with protein such as cottage cheese, egg, nuts, tofu and natural yoghurt.
For alternatives to breakfast cereal see Hearty Breakfasts from the Pantry.
Vegetables
Vegetables are an essential element of our diet. While they generally contain some carbohydrates, the majority of vegetables have little or none. Therefore, for the most part, vegetables can be a mainstay of a low-carbohydrate diet. However, vegetables do vary in carbohydrate levels.
- Most salad and stir fry vegetables, otherwise known as non-starchy vegetables, have a very low to negligible GI value and so come highly recommended.
- Some semi-starch vegetables, for example pumpkin, peas, carrot, parsnip, broad beans and beetroot have a low to medium GI value, but rarely increase blood glucose unless eaten in large amounts of 200gm or more.
- Starchy vegetables have a high GI value, but of those, orange flesh sweet potatoes and corn have a lower GI value, while most common potato varieties and white flesh sweet potatoes have the highest GI value.
- While legumes such as beans, chickpeas and lentils are high in carbohydrates, they have a low GI value. They are also a rich source of protein, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins as well as being low in fat, virtually free of saturated fats and contain no cholesterol.
Vegetables are an important feature on this website, so for a wide range of vegetable recipes see Vegetable Essentials.
Tip #4: Eat a well-balanced diet
As we have seen, one of the most effective ways to stave off diabetes is through our diet. However, here again we should not go to extremes. All of the above recommendations can be incorporated into a well-rounded and well-balanced diet. However, what comprises a well-balanced diet varies according to your age, gender and activity levels. For details see Recommended number of serves for adults.
As you can see, the daily intake is expressed in serves. For what counts as a serve for the various food groups see Serve Sizes. However, while the recommended amount of each food is expressed in serves, that is not necessarily how much we might eat at a time, so it’s important to distinguish between a serve and a portion. For example, a sandwich may be one portion, but, as a serve of bread is one slice, it will actually contain two serves of bread. Likewise, a sushi roll might be one portion but contain only a half-serve of fish.
Nevertheless, the above recommendations are for people on a normal diet. The following are a few extra considerations for people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Make sure you drink plenty of water
One of the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes is excessive urination. However, that should not lead to cutting back on drinking. On the contrary, it means that an adequate fluid intake is more important than ever, as urination is how the body sheds excess sugar. Staying well-hydrated also helps to regulate blood sugar levels as it allows for better transportation of glucose and insulin throughout the body. It also helps to prevent kidney disease which is a greater risk for diabetics. The recommended daily fluid intake is 2 litres for men and 1.6 litres for women.
Spread your meals throughout the day
Those of us with reduced stomach capacity will already need to take small meals spread throughout the day. This is also recommended for diabetics and pre-diabetics as sugar levels spike after meals. Taking more and smaller meals throughout the day will reduce sugar spikes and make it easier for our bodies to manage glucose levels. It’s also recommended to spread our carbohydrate intake as well, as it makes the greatest contribution to blood sugar levels.
Protein
Protein is essential in our diets, especially as we age, as it maintains muscle mass. Dieticians recommend that we have some protein with all our meals, and it can come from a range of sources. The latest advice for a typical week of evening meals is to have one to three poultry or lean red meat dishes, with the remaining meals based on heart-healthy protein sources such as fish and legumes. Additional protein sources include eggs and low-fat dairy products.
Therefore, a healthy diet would include:
- Lean meat – up to 350gm per week (i.e. 3–4 serves) – mostly skinless poultry and some lean red meat – best served in low-fat cooking methods such as stir-fried or roasted
- Fish – 2 serves per week (i.e. 2 x 100gm) – preferable oily fish such as salmon and tuna – best served poached, baked or steamed
- Legumes – 2 serves per week (i.e. 2 x 1 cup) – including tofu (bean curd), beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils
- Low-Fat Dairy – 4 serves per day for the older person (e.g. 1 serve = 1 cup milk or 40gm cheese)
- Eggs – up to 7 per week
Carbohydrates
Despite their bad reputation, carbohydrates are an important part of a well-balanced diet. The number of recommended serves per day varies but is generally between 4 and 6.
In general, a serve of carbohydrates is 1 slice of bread etc. or ½ cup cooked pasta, rice, oatmeal etc. However, while it’s easy enough to measure out slices of bread when making a sandwich, I don’t find serving sizes given in cooked measurements very helpful for rice and pasta, so the following guidelines might help:
- Pasta – the ratio of cooked to uncooked pasta is 1:2. Therefore, ½ cup of uncooked pasta makes 1 cup of cooked pasta which is equal to 2 serves.
- Rice – the ratio of cooked to uncooked rice is 1:3. Therefore 1/3 cup of uncooked rice makes 1 cup of cooked rice which is equal to 2 serves.
- Rolled or quick oats – the ratio of cooked to uncooked oats is 1:2. Therefore ¼ cup uncooked oats makes ½ cup cooked oats which is equal to 1 serve.
When choosing carbohydrates, it’s all too easy to choose products that rate as ‘empty calories’ in that they provide calories but little else in the way of nutrition, especially fibre. Therefore, we should choose carbohydrates that provide plenty of fibre and, where possible, some protein. We should also favour carbohydrates with low GI levels (see above.) Therefore, when shopping for the following, we should choose:
- Bread – wholegrain, multigrain, wholemeal or low-carb/high-protein
- Pasta – high-protein, wholegrain, pulse-based
- Rice – long-grain, brown
- Biscuits – crispbread, rice cakes
- Breakfast cereals – whole wheat cereals, oat cereals, rolled or quick oats
- Starchy vegetables – yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, sweet corn
Fruit and Vegetables
As fruit contains natural sugars (see above), diabetics and pre-diabetics should restrict their fruit intake to 2 serves per day, preferably fresh fruit (one large or two small pieces of fruit make one serve).
The general recommendation for vegetables is at least 5 serves per day, favouring low-GI vegetables (see above) such as salad greens and stir-fry vegetables, while limiting starchy vegetables to 1 serve per day. A serve of vegetables generally is ½ cup or 1 cup of leafy greens.
Tip #5: Make your own versions of the processed foods you enjoy
As we have seen above, processed foods can contain unhealthy additives such as excessive sugar and salt, highly processed carbs and the wrong kinds of fat, so I recommend that you substitute them with homemade versions.
One of the aims of this website is to encourage replacing processed products with healthy homemade alternatives, so you might find the following entries helpful for making your own versions of or alternatives to:
Breakfast cereal –
» Hearty Breakfasts from the Pantry
Instant Soups –
» Quick and Healthy Snacks: Soup-in-a-Mug
Canned Soups –
» Cooking in Bulk: Soups and Vegetable Medleys
Oven Ready Fish –
Frozen Meals –
Desserts –
» Healthy Desserts from the Pantry
Cake –
» Quick and Healthy Snacks: Microwave Cakes-in-a-Mug
» Quick and Healthy Snacks: High Protein Muffins
Biscuits –
» Quick and Healthy Snacks: High Protein Biscuits
Crisp, chips etc –
» Quick and Healthy Snacks: Feeling Peckish
Tip #6: Take control of your snacking
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to controlling my weight, my downfall is snacking. I tend to snack in the evenings while I watch way too much television.
Those of us with limited stomach capacity may feel that we’re snacking all day, but what I’m referring to is not having small meals that contribute to our nutrition but eating for the sake of eating. Indiscriminate snacking may contribute to our immediate well-being, but it isn’t good for our long-term health. So, for some of us, if we want to get our weight down, we’ll have to take control of our snacking.
Make changes to what you snack on
The easiest aspect of our snacking to deal with is choosing what to snack on and switch from unhealthy snacks to healthy ones. The first thing you’ll need to do is to identify your unhealthy choices, stop buying them and banish them from the house. Then we can find healthy substitutes, such as the following:
- Sweets and chocolate – dried fruit and nuts, fresh fruit and berries
- Sweet biscuits – crisp breads or rice cakes with some cream cheese or peanut butter, sugar-free homemade biscuits (see above)
- Crisps and chips – homemade popcorn, pita chips, roasted chickpeas, carrot chips
- Ice cream – natural yoghurt, smooth ricotta, homemade custard
- All of the above – snack carrots, baby cucumbers and celery sticks, water or herbal tea
For a few ideas for healthy snacks see Quick and Healthy Snacks: Feeling Peckish.
Identify why you snack and find alternative solutions
Next time you pick up your favourite snack, before you put it in your mouth, ask yourself, ‘Why am I eating this?’ I would think your most likely answer would be habit, boredom, stress or hunger.
If your answer is habit think about how you developed those habits and why? Do those conditions still apply? What alternative, healthier habits, can you substitute for them? It might have been a good idea to have a midmorning coffee with three biscuits at work, but do you still need to now that you’ve retired? How about having a herbal tea instead? Are you eating that piece of chocolate because you really crave it, or enjoy it, or just because it’s what you always have at this time? Try satisfying your sweet tooth with dried fruit and nuts instead. Do you always snack while working on the computer or watching TV? Get yourself a drink of water or a cup of herbal tea instead.
If your answer is boredom, you might look for alternative activities to fill the void such as taking up a hobby, joining interest or social groups, attending adult education classes, or scheduling activities, especially those that get you out of the house, at the times you’re most likely to snack. This could be as simple as going for a walk or phoning a friend.
If your answer is stress, your first step would be to identify the cause of your stress and think about how to eliminate or reduce it. If the stress is inescapable, think of alternative ways to deal with it such as meditation, exercise, social activities, craft work or even an engrossing online game.
If your answer is hunger, it may be that you’re not eating enough. Even if you’re watching your weight, make sure you’re getting enough nutritious food in your day, as supplementing an inadequate diet with ‘empty calorie’ snacks is going to undermine all your efforts. You could also spread your food intake throughout the day by having several small meals instead of a couple of large meals, thus giving yourself less time to develop hunger pangs. If you’re still hungry after dinner, make yourself a healthy, sugar-free dessert or snack instead of picking at biscuits and sweets. (See Healthy Desserts from the Pantry)
Get a good night’s sleep
You might remember the old saying: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. I’ll pass on the ‘wealthy and wise’ (and the casual sexism), but it will certainly contribute to your good health. When it comes to snacking, getting enough sleep will help provide the time and energy to take up alternative activities. If you tend to snack at night, as I do, going to bed early will also give you less time to snack. So, it’s a win-win all round.