Food & Drink

[Graham Johnston]

I have been thinking of changing my career into Food & drink, but would like to focus on diabetes food.

1) Is there any online food shop that you know of, that specialist for diabetes?
2) Any cooking school that especially for diabetes?
3) Can we drink wine?
4) I know it is "goodbye" to sugary sweets :'(, but is there any special sugarless chocolate that we can eat? (I am asking because I might want to go to cooking school especially for sugarless sweets too)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Robin]

You'd have to go into the legalities. It's against the law now to describe food as 'diabetic' or 'suitable for diabetics'.
The trouble is, people's diabetes varies so much, that their diets also vary. For a start, what works for a Type 1 on insulin, probably isn't going to work for a diet and exercise controlled Type 2. Then there are the Type 3c, who often have to watch fats, and take Creon as well as insulin.
Some find they can follow a normal healthy mixed diet, some reduce carbs, some cut them out as far as possible.
Sugarless sweets normally contain polyols, which can make frequent trips to the loo necessary! A lot of us eat 85% or 90% dark chocolate, which has little carb or sugar in it.
I certainly drink wine! People normally manage to factor in some alcohol, if they want to.
Sorry to sound so negative, but it's really not that straightforward.

 

[Amigo]

I don’t wish to sound too forward Graham because your intentions are good but in truth, you do sound rather clueless on the subject generally and I think you need to study the basics of food, cooking and general nutrition before diversifying into what you describe as ‘diabetic food’. I’m not aware of cooking schools that only specialise in such a thing because in reality such a notion shouldn’t exist. It’s about mastering the basics and then learning how to adapt ingredients to make them lower carb. Good luck!

 

[Graham Johnston]

Robin: ok then I'll go to Cooking school to cook normal food!

Amigo: Everyone always starts as a beginner at something, that's including cooking

 

[Amigo]

Robin: ok then I'll go to Cooking school to cook normal food!

Amigo: Everyone always starts as a beginner at something, that's including cooking

That’s exactly my point Graham and that was my suggestion. It’s good what you’re trying to do but the basics need to be mastered first and I wish you well in your career change and in mastering your own condition. That’s actually the way most of us learn the most about making carb free or lower carb alternatives. @Mark Parrott on here is a brilliant example. Have a look at his posts and the food he’s adapted.

 

[Graham Johnston]

ok AMIGO, I'll look at his, I admit I know nothing about carbs but am willingly to learn, but I haven't decided that I will be going to learn to cook. To become a travel vlogger is still my top target

 

[Amigo]

ok AMIGO, I'll look at his, I admit I know nothing about carbs but am willingly to learn, but I haven't decided that I will be going to learn to cook. To become a travel vlogger is still my top target

Follow your dreams Graham! 🙂

 

[Martin Canty]

Hi Graham, as stated, a solid foundation in cooking skills & nutrition would be the place to start....

One of the problems I have when eating out is a lack of decent substitutes for carb laden foods (vegetables, crusts, sauces etc), that would be the big value add along with nutritional information about each component of the meal available. On the flip side, as a well controlled T2 I do have a little flexibility but pay for it over the next few days with elevated FBG readings.

For a niche market you might look at Ketogenic, Paleo or Mediterranean inspired offerings.

 

[Mark Parrott]

Hi Graham. I think you need to look at learning low carb cooking as it's carbs, not just sugar, that raise our BG levels. This means replacing wheat flour with coconut flour or ground almonds (I find a 50/50 mix of the two the best). More eggs & moisture are required when replacing wheat flour. Sugar should be replaced with sweeteners that are suitable for cooking, such as Truvia, Stevia or Xylotol. These do contain polyols, so try to use as little as you can get away with. Don't use 'sugar free' chocolate, try 85% or higher dark chocolate instead. For cooking savoury meals, it's about replacing starchy veg, such as potatoes with lower carb alternatives. I use celeriac or turnip as replacements.

 

[Drummer]

I suggest that you look at the various low carb recipe sources around - there are a lot now a days - and also what low carbers and the controlled by diet types eat day to day, as I was eating low carb, as the only way I could eat and maintain weight and be healthy long before I was diagnosed - in fact I suspect that my diabetes started after two long sessions on antibiotics in my teens and early 20s and I kept it disguised for a long time by eating the Atkins diet and sticking to low carb foods in general.
I make myself alcoholic ginger beer and ferment all the sugar out of it, then add something to sweeten it when I pour it out. Dry wines are fine, spirits too, with sugar free mixers.
Many people who eat low carb find that if they do decide to eat something prepared for or by 'normals' it is far too sweet because the perception of sweetness is dulled by perpetual sugaryness in the diet.
Suitable chocolate is not specialist for diabetics, it is just the really good stuff - over 80 percent cocoa - though using that to prepare something lighter is a good idea - it is possible to make a low carb trifle using almond biscuits and berries in gelatine, sugar free jelly, real custard, real cream - maybe with finely chopped nuts or a stiff gelatine chopped small - though it would be nice to get some small sweet moulds in the shape of fruits and add flavours and colours to them.
As the low carb solves diabetes for type two movement is still resisted or ridiculed by some people it would be difficult to get into a mainstream establishment to learn about it - even though it is a long established treatment for type two diabetics.