If you are at all like me, after being diagnosed with diabetes, you are kind of afraid of the ktichen. Afterall, that is where it might have all happened. there is no need to be afraid of the ktichen - it's one of the best rooms in the house to win the war on diabetes.
I remember before I heard those words, "You have diabetes." I loved kitchen tools. Why? I had to make sure I was putting enough sugar in the cookies...and butter. Can't forget the butter, can I? I am not kidding. Measuring cups were used most of the time to measure sugar. In just about everything. I even found out a little bit of sugar made pasta sauce better!
Well, now I have new uses for the measuring cups, spoons and even a scale - to make sure I am getting the right portions. I know, you can eyeball what three or four ounces of meat look like without a scale (kind like a deck of cards), but if you have a scale you will know exactly. Okay, I am going on about a scale, but to tell you the truth, I learned the visual clues on some items, which can be found here. I am actually a bit too lazy to weigh my food.
However, I have used measuring cups from Day One for a lot of foods like berries and cereals. Look at cereal boxes to determine what a real portion size is - or at least what they use to base the nutrition information. I have found it to be somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup. Measure it out and put it in a bowl - and that's it besides a bit of milk. You don't get to add more cereal. Add a piece of whole wheat toast (I never, ever thought I'd be advocating whole wheat anything!), if you need to add food, or add a 1/4 cup of berries.
Whatever you do read labels, know what you are getting nutritionally and get in the habit of measuring everything until you can eyeball it. But, beware of CREEP. What is creep, you ask? It's when you subconsciously make the portion sizes bigger as you eyeball portion sizes. I found I need to check the portion sizes every couple of weeks just to make sure I am still adhering to the portion guide lines. It's way too easy to make them bigger than they should be if you aren't using a measuring cup.
I can hear you now, "I don't have a measuring cup." Go out and get one either at a Target or Walmart, or you can even go to your local thrift store. Wherever you get your measuring cups and spoons, make sure you wash and sterilize them prior to using. Yes, you will need the spoons, too.
Learn the portion sizes. Use measuring tools in the kitchen - they will become your new best friends. Learn visual clues to portion sizes. Learn carb counts of the foods you eat. Lots of learning going on, but it will pay-off very quickly as your glucose levels and weight drop.
You are in a war - make you sure have the right weapons. Your fight starts in your kitchen.
And, if you eat out often, learn what you can eat at the places you enjoy by looking at nutritional guides that most places have easily available.
This is such an exciting time for you as you start your battle in earnest. You can win the war and control diabetes.
Measuring cups. Measuring spoons. Maybe a scale.
No comments:
Post a Comment