Today, we’ll talk about how to stay hydrated with the food we eat!
Soups and Broths
A great way to hydrate your body is by drinking soups and bone broth. Soups based on broths like non-creamy chicken noodle soup, french onion soup, vegetable soup, and bone broths can help provide total fluid needs and are high in sodium, which is beneficial to your hydration. Sodium is lost through perspiration, and it must be replaced. If you’re athletic or highly active, replacing sodium is especially important.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Food is able to meet about 20% of your hydration needs, which is why eating fresh fruits and vegetables can enhance your hydration levels. Fruits and vegetables also have various minerals and fibers that promote a healthy metabolism. Here are some fruits and vegetables and their water content percentages:
Cucumber- 96%
Watermelon- 96%
Pineapple- 95%
Celery- 95%
Lettuce- 95%
Blueberries- 95%
Tomatoes- 94%
Pear- 92%
Grapefruit- 90%
Melon- 89%
If you have trouble keeping hydrated, these are great options for preventing dehydration and keeping your blood sugar levels at a reasonable level!
Dehydration can be very dangerous for people living with diabetes
The risk of dehydration increases for individuals with diabetes since high blood glucose levels decrease hydration in the body.
Drinking water helps keep your hydration and blood sugar levels in check. Besides fighting dehydration, it can also help remove excess glucose.
People with diabetes should drink plenty of fluids – 1.6 liters (L) or 6.5 cups a day for women; and 2 L or 8.5 glasses of water per day for men.
In addition to water, there are a number of other drinks that are also effective for preventing dehydration and increasing fluid intake. Examples include caffeine-free herbal teas, sugar-free sparkling water, almond milk, and sugar-free coffee.
Drinking sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, and sweetened drinks is not recommended since they contain a lot of sugar and will increase your blood sugar levels.
Moderation with sweets and desserts is the key. Enjoy them in small amounts at once so you can fill your plate with other nutritious foods. Limit other carbs to compensate for the sweets. Seek your doctor’s advice for adjusting your diet to avoid consuming too much sugar.
Try replacing sugar with an alternative sweetener. This is a diabetes hack I’ve been using for years.
I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but when I do, I prefer ice cream, cheesecake, apple pie, and key lime pie. I am still able to eat all of these foods by changing the sweetener type. Before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I used to substitute natural, no-added-sugar applesauce in many of my recipes. Nowadays, I use monk fruit and occasionally stevia.
The sugar replacements have less calories and less or no carbohydrates, so they are great as an alternative to process sugar. I’ve compiled a short guide to sugar replacements and sweeteners that are great for people with diabetes.
Low-Carb Granola with walnuts, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds
Looking for tasty granola that’s not loaded with sugar? If you don’t have an allergy or intolerance to nuts, this simple recipe is a fantastic alternative to original granola!
I’ve discovered this recipe in an online diabetes support group. I’ve decided to make some using what I had at the time. It was absolutely amazing! It was like eating a candy bar. I had to stop myself from eating the entire batch in one sitting. All you need is a few key ingredients and you’ll have the perfect complement to any meal or snack!
Try it for yourself and share a picture in the comments!
Make delicious, low-carb, homemade ice cream in 3 hours!
Key Lime Ice Cream with Shortbread Cookie Crumble
Have you been craving for ice cream, but diabetes is in the way?
I have good news for you:
You can still enjoy ice cream without guilt!
Since my diagnosis, I’ve been able to enjoy homemade, low carb ice cream and maintain in range blood sugar levels.
This is a recipe that I’ve found posted on one of my online diabetes support groups. A major pro is that you don’t need to use an ice cream machine to make it. All you need is 3-4 ingredients, a mason jar or a Tupperware container and your hands!
The ice cream takes five minutes to make, at least three hours to freeze and the finished product tastes better than any ice cream on the market! You can create amazing flavors using this recipe, including chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry cheesecake, peanut butter and key lime. You can also make a low-carb ice cream sandwich using homemade low-carb cookies. The possibilities are endless!
Try it for yourself and share pictures of your creation below!
Before I was diagnosed, my husband and I used to have Indian nights at home. My husband would pick up some take out from our favorite Indian restaurant and after the kids went to bed, we would just enjoy some quality time while chowing down on some tandoori chicken, butter chicken and naan bread. It was definitely one of the highlights of the month.
However, once I was diagnosed with diabetes, those nights immediately stopped. After a couple of months without our Indian nights, I was able to find a recipe that’s easy to make a rich taste that’s so comforting that it’s hard to believe that the entire dish is less than 15 grams of carbohydrates. This recipe has revived our special nights.
Try it for yourself and share a picture of your creation in the comments below!
One of the first noodle alternatives I’ve tried when I started my lower-carb journey was zucchini noodles (also known as “zoodles”). Now don’t get me wrong: zoodles are decent, but I got bored with that pretty quickly. I started missing traditional noodles and I had not discovered spaghetti squash, palm hearts or shirataki noodles yet. However, searching through Pinterest led me to a recipe from Resolution Eats for Low Carb Egg Noodles. Even though I could no longer eat gluten in any form, I was excited to try this recipe. So I created my revised recipe it turned out amazingly well!
It’s not the same as your traditional noodles, but it is a wonderful alternative if you’re a fan of egg noodles. All you need is four ingredients: eggs, cream cheese, salt and pepper. That’s it! Once it’s done, you can mix the noodles with your favorite pasta sauce. The noodles take on the flavor of the sauce and do not have that scrambled egg taste at all.
Check out the recipe below, try it yourself and let me know what you think!
Enjoy delicious tortilla chips in less than 10 minutes and less than 5 carbs!
If you haven’t tried Egglife Wraps, then let me give you a few reasons why….
Breakfast wraps
Pizza
Quesadillas
Fajitas
Burritos
Tacos
Crepes
Sandwich wraps
And my new favorite-
Low carb tortilla chips!
Despite it’s many pros, eating strict low-carb does have it’s cons, which include eating traditions versions of all the foods below. However, one lady created a revolutionary product that has completely changed the low-carb/keto game and has empowered me to expand my food options.
Peggy John, founder of Egglife Foods, created Egglife Wraps while experiencing health issues and was told doctors to cut out carbs and sugar. Her experience in the egg industry led to experimenting with different recipes that replaced flour with eggs. This resulted in transforming carb-heavy foods like traditional wraps into wraps that are low-carb, low-calorie, zero-sugar and gluten-free!
There are five different varieties of Egglife Wraps:
Original Egg White
Southwestern
Rye
Italian
Everything Bagel
Each wrap contains between 25 calories-30 calories, 5 grams of protein, 0-1 carbs and 0 grams of saturated fat, which makes it suitable for low-carb, keto and carnivore.
Each original Egglife Wrap is made with egg whites, xanthan gum (for elasticity), salt, natural flavor and nisin (a natural preservative). The other varieties are made with egg whites, xanthan gum, salt, natural flavor, nisin and various spices.
The wraps are sold in select stores and online between $3.99 and $5.99 for a 6-count-bag. If you plan to make an online purchase, there is a $10.99 flat fee because the company just opened their online store due to customer demand. However, free shipping is available if you make a purchase over $49.99.
Out of all of the keto tortillas that I’ve made, the Egglife Wraps are the closest alternative to the traditional flour tortilla. One of my favorite ways to use these wraps is to make low-carb tortilla chips. With some olive or avocado oil, sea salt and additional spices, this makes a delicious snack or the perfect chips to use for nachos. Check out the recipe below and give Egglife Wraps a try. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Before I went on my keto journey, I used to eat apples on a regular basis. I loved them as is, fried or baked. I loved apple pie so much that I once requested an apple pie instead of an actual cake for my birthday. I also loved to eat natural applesauce. I used it as a sugar alternative and added it into pancakes and other baked goods because it was lower in sugar than traditional sugar.
One of my favorite family traditions was our annual trip to the mountains to go apple picking. We would go early in the day, pick apples and end our trip eating delicious apple cider doughnuts, drinking apple cider and purchasing the orchard’s famous apple butter. We looked forward to that every year! However, when I got diagnosed and decided to do a keto plan, I had to give up apples. That meant no more apple pies, apple cider doughnuts, apple fritters, apple cider or fried apples. Eliminating apples from my diet was very difficult for me. In fact, I had constant cravings for fried apples, but at the time I couldn’t find anything that could fulfill my cravings.
However, one day, while looking for new keto recipes to try, I stumbled on an interesting recipe for a keto-apple alternative with an unusual key ingredient….
Zucchini!
Yep, you’ve read it correctly. Did you know that zucchini squash is one of a few veggies that can be made into the perfect apple substitute? A cup of zucchini only has 3.5 grams of carbohydrates, while a cup of apples have 15 grams of carbohydrates. In addition, zucchini provides a good source of riboflavin, manganese and vitamins B6 and C.
One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is to make mock fried apples by cooking them with apple pie spices. This beautiful creation is what I call zapples! Zapples are amazing for breakfast or as a keto-friendly dessert. If you have an allergy to apples, then this would be a perfect allergy-friendly alternative. Check out the recipe below, give it a try and let me know how your creation turned out in the comments. Happy cooking!
When I’ve first started my low carb/keto eating plan, one of the first things that I’ve missed was macaroni and cheese. I had to give up both gluten and gluten free pasta because of the amount of carbs per serving. I’ve first tried cauliflower mac and cheese, which is absolutely delicious! However, I still missed pasta.
Enter Shirataki Noodles
When I first heard about shirataki noodles, I was so ecstatic! I’ve finally had the chance to eat pasta again. I nearly cried of joy when I saw the Miracle Noodle brand’s shirataki ziti noodles! This was my chance to finally have actual pasta noodles. And it did not disappoint.
Shirataki are Japanese noodles made from the konjac yam. It’s low in carbs and calories and the noodles will absorb whichever sauce you decide to make. Here’s the recipe for my version of Keto Mac & Cheese:
Here’s some quick tips:
Rinse the noodles before using as directed. It does have a fishy smell, but rinsing the noodles will eliminate the smell.
Season, season, season! If you don’t add seasoning to the noodles, then it will taste bland.
Do not overcook your noodles. The noodles will have a rubbery taste.
Use turmeric to change the color of the noodles. I usually add it before the water boils.
The serving size is about 2.5 servings. It is possible to use the entire package as a meal. I personally don’t and actually eat just one serving and save the rest for the next day.
Where to Find Ziti Shirataki Noodles
You can purchase the Miracle Noodles on the following sites:
