FAKE OR SUGAR-FREE POWDERED SUGAR

Diabetics often come across recipes calling for powdered sugar. You can make your own substitute for powdered sugar that works very well in recipes.  Since I first started making my own, Swerve has come out with a good product. Since I use it so seldom, I still prefer to just make my own.

3/4 cup of Splenda Granular
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Place both ingredients in a blender and blend until it is a very fine powder. Use as you would powdered sugar.

0 grams of sugar and only 4 carbs per tablespoon.

WHAT WE EAT AFFECTS BODY CHEMISTRY

‎"Everything you eat and drink changes the chemistry of your blood. Our cell membranes are lined with fats that are comprised primarily of those we've eaten in the last 90 days." Keith I Block, MD, Medical Director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment and Director of Integrative Medical Education at University of Illinois College of Medicine. Did you note he says "in the last 90 days"? You cannot change your body overnight. You do it steadily over time!

file photo

Diabetic Stars

BREAD VS SUGAR

When the American Diabetes Association lifted the ban on sugar in 1994, it made a tablespoon of sugar equal to a slice of bread on the diabetic exchange. Each is considered a starch exchange. This is a reminder to be cautious with bread. When you eat a slice of white bread, it is like eating a spoonful of sugar. When you eat bread, it should always be whole-wheat or other whole-grain. Don't even keep white bread (unless it is white whole-wheat) in your house. And read the nutritional label and pay attention to the sugar listed even on whole-grain breads. If you have young children, they should be trained to eat healthy bread. My six-year-old (now 15) granddaughter loves whole-grain breads because that is what she's used to at my house.

SIMPLE BANANA PANCAKES - NO FLOUR

You can replace flour and sugar with protein and potassium when you make these simple pancakes using only egg and banana.

1 large egg
1 large banana

In a small bowl, peel and slice the banana.

Mash banana and beat in the egg to combine well.

Spray a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Pour batter onto skillet, one-fourth cup at a time.  Cook until browned, turn and cook until browned on both sides.

May eat as is, use instead of bread for a breakfast sandwich, or enjoy with some sugar-free syrup.

Yield: 3 pancakes

File photo. These pancakes with not fluff up as in this picture. 

CLEANING WOODEN CUTTING BOARDS

This is a post from my health blog. I am sharing on my food blogs as this is important information.

Bacteria can grow in the deep knife cuts on wooden cutting boards because wood is porous and nearly impossible to clean.  A quick wipe is not enough to kill the germs on such a board.  To be sure you are getting rid of all the germs, soak wooden cutting boards in 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water for at least 2 minutes.  Wash the board with hot soapy water following the soaking.

file photo

LOW CARB KETO JELLO WHIPS

1 box (.3-oz) Sugar Free Orange Jello (or flavor of your choice)

3/4 cup boiling water

1 cup ice water

1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Pour water into a medium mixing bowl; add jello and stir until completely dissolved. Stir in the ice water (place ice in a 1-cup measuring cup and add water to fill cup). Stir into the jello mixture and stir until ice melts and mixture thickens.

Place jello mixture and Greek yogurt into a blender and blend on high 30 seconds.

Pour mixture into individual serving glasses or a medium bowl and chill for 2 hours.

Per 1 cup: 35 calories, 2 g carbs, 6 g protein

Photo and my version of a recipe from Resolution Eats

Note: I do not follow or promote a KETO diet. I do however eat a KETO recipe from time to time.

CARBS TO PROTEIN RATIO FOR DIABETICS

Diabetics should generally eat snacks and meals having one-third as many proteins as carbs! For example, if you have a snack that contains 21 grams of carbs you want to balance that with 6 to 8 grams of protein. This is not a hard and fast rule but something that should be done as often as possible. It will help you control your blood sugar in almost all cases.This is what I was taught years ago and  I have successfully controlled my diabetes by following this rule and taking a 500 mg metformin for almost 13 years. This is the only way I count carbs.

COMPLEX CARBS TO BOOST YOUR MOOD

Feeling down or depressed? Eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Yes, these are carbohydrate foods but they are the complex (or good) carbs. These carbs boost your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a mood-elevating chemical in the brain. Just remember to eat some protein, too.

SOY PROTEIN AND TYPE 2 DIABETES

It seems soy protein has a lasting beneficial effect on the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys of persons diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  In a study published in the journal Diabetes Care,  patients who ate soy protein showed significantly lower levels of fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides.  The study also found that C-reactive protein levels, which signal inflammation in the body, were lowered along with other indicators of kidney disease.

If you aren't currently eating soy protein, you need to add it to your diet!  Don't know what to include?  Try tofu, soy milk, soy burgers, edemame, etc.

This is a file photo.