Reviewed by Janis Roszler, RD, CDE, LD/N

All foods can fit into a healthy diabetes eating plan.

You may be concerned that you will have to give up your favorite foods and family recipes if you have diabetes. But this is not true— all foods can fit into a healthy diabetes eating plan. In fact, you are more likely to be successful if you do not try to completely change the foods you eat. Instead learn ways to adjust your usual recipes to support your diabetes goals.

Increase flavor

Add sweet spices and flavorings: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, almond extract, coconut flavoring, mint flavoring, cocoa powder or lemon zest.

• Add onions and garlic. Try the crushed garlic in a jar and look for frozen onions.
• Use small amounts of very flavorful ingredients such as Parmesan cheese, olives or chopped nuts.
• Add savory spices: basil, curry powder, chili powder, cumin, dill, dry mustard, garlic powder, marjoram, thyme, oregano, onion powder, pepper, tarragon.
• Try sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers.
• Use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
• Use low-fat bottled marinades and salad dressings.
• Add butter sprinkles and sprays to increase flavor.

Get ready

Pick one or two recipes to experiment with. Do not try to change all your recipes right away. Teaching yourself a new style of cooking will take some time.

Get set

A good first step is to stock your kitchen with ingredients and cooking tools that make low-fat, low-calorie cooking easier. Some useful kitchen tools are non-stick pans, a steamer, a crockpot, a salad spinner and a microwave.

Start cooking

• Healthy cooking and baking is easy if you follow these basic guidelines:
• Don’t add fat when you cook. Bake, broil, grill or braise meats. Use your microwave to prepare vegetables without added fats.
• Cut back on high-fat, higher-calorie ingredients. Cut back on fats such as butter, margarine or oil. You can cut fat by 1/3 to 1/2 in most cooking recipes. This is not true in baking.
• Cut back on sugar. In most recipes you can reduce the sugar by at least 1/3 without changing the taste and texture.
• Make meat dishes that use smaller portions of meat, such as stews, kabobs and stir-frys. Remove all visible fat before cooking. Remove skin from poultry before eating.
• Substitute extra-lean ground beef, diced chicken breast or lean ground turkey for ground beef in recipes or rinse and drain ground beef before using in recipes.
• Use low-fat cheeses, and grate them to help them melt. Add lowfat cheese at the end of cooking to prevent a rubbery texture.
• Use wine, fat-free broth or fruit juices to marinate, poach and sauté foods.
• Do not add butter and oil to packaged rice, soup or noodle mixes.
• Cut the amount of high-fat ingredients, like chocolate chips, nuts and cheese by 1/3 to 1/2 in recipes.

If they don't ask, don't tell

Many people are worried their families will not accept their diabetes meal plans. But chances are your family will like your new healthy recipes just as well as your old ones. If they notice, explain to them that the foods that are healthy for you are healthy for your whole family. Good nutrition habits start at home. Ask for their help and respect their food dislikes. They may ask you to not change a few old favorites. That’s fine, just have small portions when you serve these dishes or make them for special occasions.