Being diabetic doesn’t mean the end of the world!  Sure, it means changing your diet somewhat, but it’s doable, and it can be quite tasty!  In my life, I’ve got a bunch of folks who are diabetic, and some struggle with what to eat.  When one of my friends asked me to post a few new recipes and ideas to shake up their diabetic menu, I accepted their challenge.  🙂

First, let’s discuss what “diabetic” means.  Diabetes comes about when your body doesn’t use blood sugar (glucose) in the “normal” way.  Glucose is important to your body because it’s a vital source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It’s also your brain’s main source of fuel. When you are diagnosed with Diabetes, it means you have too much glucose in your body.  One way to reduce the glucose is to take insulin, and your doctor is the one who decides how much you need.  Some, who are close to being diabetic, can control their glucose levels by the diet regimen recommended. If you’re overweight, just losing 7% of your body fat can help your glucose levels, so eating healthy and exercising will really help!  Really, when you think about it, isn’t that what all doctors tell you as you age?  “Eat right and exercise!”, seems to be their mantra.  If you are interested in the Diabetic Diet, here’s an excellent source from Web MD – Diabetes diet.

But I promised recipes, so here’s one!  To start off with, since we are encouraged to eat more vegetables, salads are a quick way to consume them.  Most of the salad dressings on the store shelves contain sugar, which is a definite “no-no” for diabetics.  In fact I did a whole blog on just that, found here. Here’s an excerpt from that with the recipe I use:

Making your own salad dressing

Seriously, salad dressing is majorly simple.  For a basic vinaigrette, it’s 1 part vinegar/acid to 3 parts oil.  Add whatever spices you like, and shake it up.  Old mason jars are perfect for this!   In fact, there is a SUPER video by Jamie Oliver about making homemade dressings.  He has some great ideas for salad and dressings in here, and shows you just how easy it is to make simple dressings that taste fabulous!

For those of you who are interested in a dressing I make all the time, here’s the recipe:

Italian Salad Dressing

3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 TBS. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp oregano

Instructions:  Press garlic into mason jar and with the back of a spoon, mash the salt into the garlic for a couple of minutes, until mixture turns into a creamy paste.  Add the other ingredients and shake vigorously.  You can always use a blender for this as well.  Refrigerate what you don’t use.

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Honestly, my son used the Jamie Oliver idea of acid to oil, and made a lemon, olive oil, spices and mustard dressing that was quite yummy.  Throwing stuff in a jar and shaking the dickens out of it is very simple and QUICK!

Salad dressings aren’t just for  salads either.  Make a batch and marinate your chicken in it before you cook/grill it!  The acid in the dressing will break down the meat and make it very tender.  Roast some vegetables in the oven and drizzle your homemade dressing over them.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Enough for now, but I’ll post some more recipes soon, so stay tuned!  Healthy eating doesn’t mean boring!  🙂