How changing my diet has made me look differently at the food we eat

A long title but true. I knew so little about food before I was diagnosed with diabetes and though I still don't know a lot more, there are certain things I know now that make me look differently at the food I eat. I know a lot more about carbohydrates. For example, I didn't know that sugar and starch are carbohydrates. I didn't realize that some carbohydrates are absorbed more quickly that others. I didn't realize that by having something acidic (such as vinegar or lemon juice) with a meal, your digestion is slowed down and therefore the carbohydrates are more slowly absorbed. I learn a little more each week and am slowly tweaking my diet. I now eat a salad with a vinegar or lemon juice salad dressing with my mid-day meals. I enjoy potatoes and miss being able to eat them. However, if I eat new potatoes and have a dressing with them, I can still eat them.

The big no-nos in my diet are wheat products, rice, pasta (unless made with durum wheat) and potatoes. However, you learn fairly quickly how to deal with these restrictions. I try to eat only rye and sour dough breads which are more acceptable than regular wheat breads. I've discovered how much I enjoy both of these types of bread, so no real loss there.

(more later)

I'm diabetic and I wonder how that will affect my cooking?

Last week I found out that I was diabetic. Needless to say, I railed against my fate. I have type 2 which apparently means that though I have enough insulin my body fails to recognize it. How will this affect what we eat.

I actually don't have a lot of sugar in my diet and so I don't think that I will miss it all that much. I won't meet with the dietitian until Tuesday but I have started to look at what I eat and what processed foods are lurking in my cupboards. I really enjoy instant soups when I'm at school. No more! Sugar in a soup! Yuk! I sometimes buy kidney beans already in a sauce. Again, they have sugar in them so I'll be buying beans in water from now on. And that's it. The tomatoes are sugar-free, as is the tuna (of course!). I don't really buy much more in the way of canned and processed food. I like jam on my toast but rarely have it in. I'm much more of a marmite person. Ah well, no sense second guessing. I'll just have to wait and see.

I realize that this doesn't have much to do with 'More for Less' but I'm sure that it will. How about 'more flavour with less sugar'. Perhaps this isn't only going to be about sugar. Perhaps there is more to it.