Recipe Revamp: How to Make your Favorite Recipes Much Healthier

One of the first things that a diabetes diagnosis means is that every one of those favorite recipes you had, all of those wonderful dishes grandma used to make, and all of those "feel good" foods you love so much... well, they're now off limits.

At first, most people's reaction to a diabetic diet requirement is something like: "Well, great. Everything that tastes good is bad for you. All that's left is bland nuts and twigs."

The Good News

The good news is that this initial reaction is actually untrue. There are tons of great foods and recipes you can enjoy on a diabetic diet. Many of those favorites can also be revamped to become diabetic-approved as well.

Make Substitutions

First, start with the obvious. Substitute recipe ingredients for healthier options, such as replacing whole milk with 1 percent, whole eggs with egg substitute (2 egg whites = 1 regular egg), using low-fat sour cream and non-additive yogurt, etc.

Even favorite chocolate desserts can be made by replacing the chocolate with cocoa powder and vegetable oil! 3 tablespoons of powder and 1 tablespoon of oil equals one ounce of chocolate.

There are a lot of other great solutions too. Talk with your nutritionist, but you can replace sugars with substitutes in most recipes. You can also, if your doctor approves, eat fruits at certain times of the day as well.

Get Creative

Quite often, recipes call for things that are easily left out or replaced by something else. Round up your healthy, diabetic-approved ingredients in the kitchen and see what you can come up with. A little creativity can make for great meals!