Stacy asks:

I need help getting my numbers down without taking drugs. What should I eat so I don’t have to take insulin anymore?

Well, here is a pipe-bomb waiting to happen. Here’s the thing – I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, medical professional, or licensed in any way to give you this information. Therefore, I don’t. My best advice to you, the only one that I can give – is for you to do some research into what protocol that you want to try out, then find yourself a health care team that will work with you on that.

There has been controversy on the blogosphere lately about whether a blogger should be allowed to give dietary advice. I have no problem giving GENERAL advice, but when it becomes specific, (like in the case of diabetes.) then I am not comfortable giving you advice that could directly affect your health. I don’t know your medical history, I don’t have the tools to assess your situation, and I don’t have the know-how to give you a meal plan that will help you.

Heck, I;m still trying to figure out my own!

Keith Hache asks:

Any good recipes for Quinoa?

Great question! Quinoa is all the rage these days. I used to make a lot of it at Jasper Park Lodge – but usually into a salad that no one ate.

These days, people put it into soups, make salads out of it, use it instead of rice for pilafs, the possibilities are endless!

One of the best resources I have found is Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks. She has a good selection of recipes you can look at for Quinoa.

I will be posting something on Quinoa soon, too.

Amanda Mosher asks:

Can very cold temperatures affect cooking times?

Great question! My answer is… it depends what you are cooking with.

In terms of electric ovens, as long as the door is kept closed, your cooking time should not suffer. Just remember that every time you open your oven door, all the heat rushes out as the oven temperature normalizes with the temperatures outside the oven.

If your house or apartment is colder in the winter, then it will take longer for the oven to heat up to the proper temperature. The difference can be a startling 50-100 degrees depending on how long the oven door is opened, which will lengthen your cooking time.

As for cooking on a barbecue – it really depends on how your barbecue is insulated. (Which directly points how expensive your barbecue is.) For the barbecues I use, the cooking time is slightly increased (as long as I remember to keep the lid down most often.) This is because some of the heat is lost through the lid, and to keep the fire itself hot enough to cook with. That’s why I avoid barbecuing in the winter as much as possible. (Plus, it’s freaking cold!)

Do You Have a Question For me?

I am never far from that sucky string called the Interwebs. You can get a hold of me many ways:

• Follow @Jason_Sandeman on Twitter.
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• Ask me a question from my Ask the Chef! page.

Subscribe to the Well Done Chef by the RSS feed or subscribe to Well Done Chef! by email.

Well, it’s Monday again, and I’m here to answer your questions. Let’s get started.

Alexandra Nicholson asks:

I would like to make natural homemade baby food – not really a question but i figure you can help.

Well, you won’t hear any argument from me on that. While it is easier to buy canned baby food, one has to wonder what actually goes into it. Couple that with all the scares we have been having lately, I don’t blame you.

Back when my son was born, I was all gung-ho about making our own food, and searched a lot of places. I finally came across a book (from a dietician here in Montreal no less,) that I feel has the best information, instructions, and book out there.

You can buy the book here through the link in my Amazon store. I put it up there for you or anyone who is interested in making your own baby foods. The best part is that it is really straight forward – nothing too hard.

Michelle Bertrand asks:

If you’re looking to dumb a post down for the layperson (like me lol)… how to pair herbs and spices with meat and veg. I never know what goes with what or what combinations might taste good unless it’s in a recipe, so I usually tend to do the same ol’ same ol’

Ah! This is one of those times that the Flavor Bible comes in handy! When I look up my favorite herb, Rosemary, I find a lot of things:

It goes especially well with Lamb, Grilled fish, Chicken, Garlic, and grilled meats in general. It pairs well with potatoes, peppers, beans, and olive oil. A lesser known pairing could even be apples and apricots.

If you are interested in playing around with herbs, I suggest giving the Flavor Bible a try. In the meantime, I will definitely have some herb related posts for you coming up in the next few weeks!

Tony Kuriger asks:

How to make things better using vinegar. Matching variety to purpose.

This is a good one. There are so many types and varieties of vinegars, it’s really hard to answer this one. How you use a vinegar really depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

For example, a tomato soup may taste a bit flat. The addition of acid to the soup may brighten the flavors a bit. Before you rush off to grab any old bottle of vinegar, you need to think about the profile of the soup. I would never put white vinegar in the tomato soup, it would be too pungent and strong. Balsamic vinegar would be good, or perhaps an aged balsamic drizzled on top would be even better.

If you are looking for a delicate touch, a few drops of champagne vinegar would make a fish dish taste more ethereal.

Perhaps you are eating a foie grass dish – in that case a ice wine vinegar would rock the boat.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, my Google+ account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

Hello all! It’s Monday, let’s get into this week’s questions:

Jennifer asks

Can I cook the seasoned pork loin roast in the Crockpot?

Absolutely! There is nothing like setting your Crockpot on in the morning to come home with the mouthwatering aroma of a fully cooked meal. The only thing to worry about is the amount of fat in your roast. When you are buying the seasoned roast, it’s usually flavored by a marinade. Unfortunately, there is no extra marinade that you can add to the crock to ensure the meat stays moist.

The way to get around this is to add a bit of good fat to the crock with your vegetables and liquid. While your roast is cooking the fat in the pot will self-baste the meat and ensure that it remains tender. If you’ve ever eaten a stringy pot roast, you have suffered from a roast that is way too lean.

Which fats to add? If you are using a pork roast that is marinaded in a sweet marinade, then add a touch of coconut oil, butter, or chicken fat. If the marinade is a bit stronger, (such as an Asian style,) then you can add either olive oil, pork fat, or even sesame oil.

Darren asks:

Do I have to cut the lemons re: preserved lemons k I’ll take a look cause I’ve seen two different way, some say cut lemon into 1/4 wedges and some say cut them but leave attached etc..

I have a recipe for preserved lemons here. It’s really up to you how you want your lemons cut. I have seen the lemons peeled first, then chopped up, brined, then covered with vinegar.

I have always just cut them into quarters, but not all the way through. The reasoning for this – you can put the salt in the inside, and the salt in the outside will all melt together with the weight of the lemons as the vessel fills up. If the lemons are fully cut, then it is harder to get the liquid out of the lemons because there isn’t any weight pressing them down.

If speed is an issue, you can even use a Food Saver to suck out the air in the bag, which will speed up the pickling time.

Dawn asks:

how do they get the gelato so smooth? is it because of the lack of cream or the lack of milk? or is it in the amount of air in the mixture?

This is a tricky question – bear with me while I geek out for a second.

There are a few things that makes ice cream, sorbets, and gelati have a nice, smooth consistency. (Also known as mouth feel.) They are: crystals, fat, overrun, and stabilizers.

The quicker the ice cream freezes, the larger the ice crystals are in the final product. The factories slow the process by freezing the gelati on a large conveyor belt over a long period of time. While this is happening, it is being churned, which introduces air into the mixture. This is known as overrun.

The more fat there is in the base, the better the mouth feel. The thing is, gelati tend to have less fat than the American ice cream base. To get around this, traditionally the Gelaterie let the mixture cure for a while (usually overnight,) to allow the flavors to develop, and the sugars to bind to what little fats there are. Barring that, a stabilizer is usually added. (I am not sure what is in them, just that they are marketed as sorbet or ice cream stabilizer. Usually it’s agar agar, or something else made from a seaweed product.)

The problem with home made gelati is that the mixture is frozen quickly, without very much overrun. (Remember… air incorporated.) The flavors are be more intense, but as there isn’t as much air, it’s not as smooth. That’s also why your cost is more to make it at home than in the factory – you have less air!

How do we fix that? Make your mixture, allow it to “cure” overnight, and perhaps use a stabilizer to make it smoother. You will have to eat your creation within a few days so it won’t gather big ice crystals. I’m imagining that won’t be a problem though.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, myGoogle+ account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

Good Monday to all of you out there. Yes, it’s been a while, and No, I don’t have any excuses. I am back though, so let’s get this Ask the Chef! episode started!

Andy wrote:

Chef-
I’m lactose intolerant and have a stupid-but necessary-question for you; does
substituting soy milk for milk/cream in recipes work? I’m new to the kitchen and
didn’t want to accidentally render one of my first efforts inedible through
ignorance. Thanks!
Andy

Great question Andy! I have never had a problem with substituting soy milk for milk in the past. I have only ever done it a handful of times, so I looked online, and through several of my Asian cookbooks. In most cases, you can substitute the soy milk as if it were a dairy product. The only roadblock you need worry about is whether the soy milk is sweetened or not. You can imagine what a cream soup would taste like with a sweetened soy milk – and I am sure you wouldn’t make that mistake twice!

Harry Conrad wrote:

I am wanting to start exercising with the p90x and was wondering if you have
found any other remedies to the diet plan and the recovery bars that they
recommend I read your posting about the recovery drinks and I am about to give
those a try. Thank you in advance for any information you can give me.

Harry

Good for you, Harry. I did a few turns at P90X, and I agree, it can be brutal. I have a couple recipes for recovery drinks that Harry is speaking about here, and here.

The diet plan is a bit tricky for those who want to go on the Primal Path. What I tried to do was follow the plan, yet ignore the advice about using egg whites, or lean meats. You might be interested in checking out Mark’s Daily Apple – the founder of that site is none other than Mark Sisson, who you see at the end of every P90X video talking about supplements.

Recovery bars present a bit of a challenge. You can go for the lower-carb ones at the store, but they are prohibitively expensive. Mark Sisson has a beauty recipe for a Primal Bar – but be careful; they are addictive!

Garry Hannay wrote:

I am manager of a restaurant and we have started making hibiscus tea. A customer
said it did not taste right, it tasted ok to me. It was prepared maybe 4 days
ago. It is constantly refridgerated but can hibiscus tea go off?

I have never had hibiscus tea go off before, so this one is new to me. Here are a couple of my thoughts on this:

Tea will start to taste a bit stale after several days of refrigeration, but should not develop an off taste. If the tea is sour, then I would ask – how the tea was cooled before it was refrigerated?

I have seen liquids sour quickly because the cook put them away before they were properly cooled. While it is good to have the product refrigerated constantly, if the middle of the liquid is still hot when you put it into the refrigerator, that can cause some issues.

If you continue to have problems, another way is to infuse a simple syrup with the flowers, then dilute in ice water per order for your patrons.

I hope that helps you out Garry! Thanks for asking.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, myGoogle+ account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

Terri writes:

Hi Jason. I happened onto your blog as a result of my ongoing research into the Paleo diet. I am a T2D on 115 units of insuling morning and night. I am about 50lbs overweight, suffer from severe diabetic neuropathy requiring morophine and hydrocodone in order to function a normal work day, P.A.D., and hypertension. The hypertension is under control with medication as well. My BG is running tight between 80-100 for the past year and now I am looking to the Paleo diet to hopefully lose the lbs, reduce the insulin intake, and hoepfully get off the pain medications. My main concern is I fight daily to prevent too low of sugars (and there is nothing worse than that feeling when your BG is too low) and I worry that the Paleo diet might exacerbate that problem. I have googled everything I can about T2D and Paleo diet without much success on people’s experience. Do you have any resources that you can direct me to? I am open to all recommendations. Thanks.

Wow. Straight up? I am NOT a doctor, or an endocrinologist. I am someone who is passionate about doing the right thing, eating right to fix your problems.

That said, there are plenty of resources out there that claim to help the insulin resistance via diet – be it Paleo, Primal, or just low carb. The main problem that I run into is that there is nothing out there that shows a T1D controlling their blood sugar with the lifestyle and NOT running into problems.

Harder still, there are few Endocrinologists out there that will help out with the low carb approach, much less a paleo approach. I don’t blame them; they are following clinical procedure and practices set out from a dietary approach that approaches nutrition from the “cover what you eat” paradigm.

That said, there are resources out there that show anedoctally that you can control your sugars with Paleo, Primal, or low carb. The problem is they are more geared towards prediabetic or T2 patients who are not on insulin. (The risks of hypoglycemia are not a major factor then.)

Treat the advice from the list of links below with a grain of salt:

Robb Wolf Paleo Solution

Marks Daily Apple

Diabetes Warrior

The only approach I know of that can be used AND is backed up by an endocrinologist who is ALSO a T1D is Dr Richard Bernstein. His approach is a very low carb (less than 30 grams a day) that can be adapted to the paleo lifestyle. In the excellent book “The Diabetes Solution,” there are numerous methods to adapting the low carb lifestyle and insulin needs. In my opinion, EVERY diabetic should have this book like the bible. Even if you don’t follow the guidelines, the information inside is priceless. (The link to the book title goes to my Amazon store – and I would maybe get a coffee if you bought it from there.)

Good luck with your journey Terri, and I hope that you find the answers you need.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, myTuDiabetes account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

People are always asking me for advice on their next kitchen equipment purchase.

This week’s Kitchen 101 series will deal with what you need to start cooking on your own. By the end of the week, you will have understand what you need to cook on your own – with the minimal amount of hype associated with each pick.

Nothing is scarier than walking into the kitchen section of the store and figuring out what you need to have, and what to buy. There are so many options, with a lot of “science” behind each pick. Should you buy that celebrity chef’s cookware? What makes a good knife? How will you make your money last? What is the absolute barest essential you need to get started?

My goal is to cut through all the “magic,” and give you the know-how to purchase the items you need, and stretch your dollars the furthest they can go.

Each post will deal with a sub-set of kitchen equipment, as a whole it is way too much information to digest in one article. What I have lined up for this week are:

Stoves, ovens, (microwaves) – Without this set of equipment you aren’t going to go vary far. What to look for, what you actually need.

Pots, pans, and roasting pans – The trilogy of the kitchen. Find out what the experts use, and how that will save you money in the long run by avoiding the hype the marketers throw at you.

Knives – What to look for in a knife, and why. Also, I’ll let you into the surprising secrets a lot of pros have, and how that will save you hundreds, if not THOUSANDS purchasing your next set of knives.

Small wares – The biggest money pit of the whole kitchen – cut through all the clutter and get what you really need to do day-to-day cooking.

Nice-to-haves – This set is the optional equipment for the kitchen. Once you have your basics down from the posts above, you can save up your hard-earned cash and eventually purchase these. Better yet, get them second-hand and save a bundle!

That’s this week in a nutshell. I am so excited to pass off my knowledge to you, I can’t wait to get started!

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, my TuDiabetes account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

Good morning everyone. I hope that this last weekend was not too bad. 9/11 has come and passed, and left us thinking about how far we have come since. It was a terrible tragedy, but one that united all of us in hope against those that would control us through terror.

To the victims, and their families – there are no words that can convey my sorrow for what happened, except – I’m sorry that it did, and we should never let it happen again.

Now, onto this week’s questions.

Comment from Murphy on my Ice Cream for Diabetics post:

Hey Jason I am from a country that is so far country near South Africa, we don’t have ice cream for Diabetic people in our country,i am a diabetic person,i am glad to find your email add,you know what i was just Googling to find where i can buy diabetic ice cream and i found your page of recipes on how to make your home made ice cream,you are an answer to my prayer. i will continue logging on your site for recipes,i will try them out i love cooking.thanks again Jason.have a great weekend.

My pleasure Murphy! I realize that I have not really updated that feature of this site, but it is also the most requested page here for the summer.

What say all of you? Do you want more diabetic ice cream recipes?

Question from jd0268 over at Diabetes Forums:

Here are the requirements my nutritionist placed on me based on . . . whatever they base it on. Firstly I am a newly diagnosed type 2 40-ish (HA!) male with family history of heart disease and diabetes.
Daily Caloric Intake: 1400-1600
Daily Carb Intake: 165 g
Daily Protein Intake: 70g
Daily Fat Intake: 48g
I have lost weight from my attempt to follow this, as well as the diabetes results and med’s taking for diabetes, but . . . I am having a problem “balancing”. I currently am intaking (consistently) the following:
Daily Avg Caloric Intake: 1300
Daily Avg Carb Intake: 180g
Daily Avg Protein Intake: 60g
Daily Avg Fat Intake: 50g
I am trying to understand how to increase the caloric intake, while reducing carb, prot and fat intake.
Any ideas?! LOL!
Thanks
Jason

Jason, I feel your pain!

Unfortunately, there is no real way to do what you are looking to do. The facts are this – when you reduce one macro nutrient, you MUST increase another. If you want to take carbs away from the picture, then you must either increase protein or fats. By doing so, you are looking at increasing caloric density, so you are blowing away your caloric restriction.

That was a mouthful, wasn’t it? The long and short? Decide which direction you are going to take. Do you want to restrict your carbs, or your calories?

If it’s the calories, then the dietitian’s route is the way to go. Simply follow what they are saying, and you will be good to go.

If you are looking to cut the carbs, then forget about calories. They don’t matter. A really good resource I can point you to is Mark’s Daily Apple. They have a primal challenge starting tomorrow.

I am planning on embarking on that challenge, so you can check my site for recipes/etc.

Asked by sisterjameela over at Diabetes Forums:

I’ve been making tons of changes in my diet and really buckling down on my intake because I have diabetes but don’t want to head the insulin route. I noted my sugars have been out of control lately and literally tested everything I put in my mouth.
Culprit was sugar free Torani syrup and non dairy creamer with 0 grams of sugar (on the label).
I used my glucose meter to test all my bottles of Torani and they were testing 500 – 700. I just dipped the strip into the Torani.
Does this mean that Torani is lying or something. I’m more angry than anything but aren’t all sugar free products supposed to test at LO or 0?
The only flavor that tested at LO was the vanilla. The raspberry, caramel, and hazelnut were all amazing numbers.
I can’t be mad at the creamer because it didn’t say it was sugar free, but Torani DOES.
I have a brand new meter with a healthy battery. I called Torani and they acted like I didn’t understand what sugar free meant. “It doesn’t have any sugar ma’am, its made with Splenda! It just tastes sweet but no sugar is in it! Call your doctor and ask her to tell you what sugar free is! If your diabetes is not controlled tell your doctor!”
*sigh*

I’m not sure that I understand exactly how you were testing for the sugars? If I am getting you right, you were dipping your glucose testing strip into the creamer like you would be testing your own blood?

I can see why it would read upwards of 700 then!

The best way I know how to test an item is to eat it, then test your blood sugar to know what the spike will be. That’s the most accurate test. It’s like a science experiment.

If it is sweetened with Splenda, then you are looking at a sugar byproduct. I suggest finding yourself some Stevia instead, or even going without sweetening your coffee if you are worried about the sugar spike.

Question from thisstinks over at Diabetes Forums:

My husband put my coconut oil in the refrigerator and now it is hard to get any out. Is it okay to store it not refrigerated now?

I store mine in the spice cupboard above the stove. I’m sure that’s a faux pas, but hey – it’s how I roll. In the real hot summer months, it was liquid. In the winter it is almost like candle wax.

There is nothing on the bottle to indicate that it needs refrigeration, so by all means, keep it in the cupboard, unless you have a large bottle. If that’s the case, then only keep a small jar out and refrigerate the rest so you won’t get any oxidization.

Asked by Frances at TuDiabetes:

I just picked up the Fall/Winter issue, and I have two questions.
1) Why is this magazine so repetitive? Every issue is the same. Here’s what to buy at the store. Here’s how to divide up your plate. Why don’t they do something useful like profiling people with diabetes who still manage to do interesting things (travel, exercise, whatever), or talk about research that is of interest to PWD?
2)Why does this magazine push the carbs? This issue has about four pages worth of “quick meal ideas” and all of them are useless to me, as they posit 45 carbs at a meal, even for breakfast. There’s an article advising people to cut down on dietary fats, and another one warning you not to limit healthful carbohydrate, even if it means adding some more meds to your regime.

I find that the magazine is pushing too many carbs for me. Then again, I like to eat in a Primal, low-carb way. For most T2 diabetics, (who are trying to control their BG numbers through diet,) are used to eating 500 g carbs a day prior to diagnosis. Diabetic Living magazine is a great resource, because it is automatically “Low Carb” when you compare it to their old lifestyle.

As for catering to the low carb crowd? I can only see that happening when the demand for low-carb is greater. Right now the paradigm is that you can eat in the same style that you were before diagnosis – with the right medications of course.

The good news is that there are a LOT of free websites out there that cater to your needs. Mine just happens to be one of them.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, my TuDiabetes account, my Youtube Channel, or my Twitter account.

In today’s Ask The Chef! episode I will be celebrating my 3rd blogiversary! I am going to be interviewing… wait for it… myself! Find out why I have been absent for a while, some challenges that I am facing right now, and what I plan to do about it.

Let’s get started:

Hey there Jason – Happy blogiversary! 3 years already!

I know! It’s been a crazy ride. I started off with that “blogging” thing, and here I am 3 years later, still posting.

Well, have you noticed the crickets chirping around here? The paint on the walls is beginning to show, and what’s up with the renos?

Wow. You don’t hold anything back, do you?

I don’t have an excuse; I have been in a funk lately. I haven’t had much to say, and I just couldn’t justify “filler” content.

I changed the theme a while back with the intentions of making a pretty site. It’s like how I remodel my house. (An ambitious project undertaken by a procrastinator.) I know that I need to get my butt in gear, but the day just slips away…. I will get it fixed up here shortly though.

How’s the anxiety treating you these days?

Man, you hit hard, huh? It’s a long road to recovery. I have been reading and absorbing any literature on anxiety and panic attacks that I could get my grubby fingers on. Message boards, Twitter, Facebook – you name it, I have looked.

Someone told me about Claire Weekes and I found some audio files. She was the bomb, and way ahead of her time. I hope to get her book soon!

How is the diet going?

I prefer to think of it as a “way of eating.” The truth? I’ve slipped back to eating crap again, and my middle is starting to show it. That’s going to change here, pronto!

How is the career going? Any prospects?

Man, relentless! There is one thing that I am sure of right now; a hotel kitchen or a management position is not in my cards because of my anxiety issues. For those of you out there who don[‘t know about restaurants – the kitchen is a very stressful place.

So what are you going to do?

I wish I was sure right now. I have several interests to explore; how does one choose?

I could get into gardening, writing, photography, food photography, website design, RPG game development, cooking demonstration… the list goes on. My head is spinning with all the choices. Worse yet, what if I choose the wrong one, you know?

What about working with Diabetes?

Yes, I want to advocate for Diabetes, but I don’t want to concentrate on just that. I believe that a lot of things can be solved by how we are living our life, and how we are eating. That’s the direction I want to take.

Oh, so are you still doing that Primal thing?

Wow, that’s a loaded question. The problem is sorting through all the pseudo-science, the conventional wisdom, and just the general bullshit that’s out there. I find that it’s better to see what is working for people out there, and adapt it for yourself. I am finally understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all method to lifestyle.

I am also careful now about using words like “Paleo” or “Primal.” I don’t want to scare anyone off. If you like the results that I get from my way of eating, great. I also want you to visit my blog because the food/recipes look good.

Ah, so you’re not P90Xing anymore?

No. I did 2 rounds, and I still have a middle to show for it. I have to change something up, so I am concentrating on what works for me. Besides, I’m not looking to curl 100 lb dumbbells. I prefer to be functionally fit.

So that’s great, Jason. What can we expect to see from you over the next while? Have you come close to deciding what to do?

I grew up with the saying, “Shit or get off the pot!” As gross as that sounds, it means there comes a time where you just have to decide, and stop hemming and hawing about what you are going to do.

People close to me have told me that I am decent at writing. Therefore, I am going to concentrate my efforts on my writing. I have plans for a cookbook, (there, I just put that out there!) I also have a couple ideas floating around for RPG game development with a possible novel from the same idea.

I want to explore the photography angle. I have been fascinated with photography since I was old enough to hold a camera. I never thought someone could make a living out of it though, so I never took it further. I am loving the idea of food photography and portraits.

Cooking demonstration is also what I am into. I will use Well Done Chef to drive that. I want to teach, to pass my knowledge off to anyone who is crazy enough to listen to me.

Well, thank you Jason, for taking the time out to answer these questions. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

Absolutely! I am here for you all. I get a huge kick out of passing off my knowledge , and inspiring you to cook. I want to throw the question out to you all out there…

What do you want to see me demonstrate to you? I write for you, so leave me the ideas in the comments!

It has been a while since we have done an Ask the Chef! post. I received some feedback a while ago that people would prefer to have a written format for these question/answers. Your wish is my command! Without further ado, here are the questions:

Tina over at TuDiabetes asks:

Ok since I have became a diabetic I have gained weight . And now I can’t lose it all i do is eat. What should i do to stop the craving of food???

I went through the same thing. I started gaining back the weight that I lost as soon as I started exercising and following my Basal regiment. When I used to do cardio, I would go for an hour of intense cardio. Then I would blast a protein shake, bolus for the carbs, and voila! I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks. I had to increase my basal insulin to compensate for the amount of carbs that I was eating, and that is what caused me to gain weight.

Now, I am not sure of your situation, but my advice is to make yourself a diary of your food, (if you are not already doing that,) and then track your weight verses what you ate verses what you injected verses the amount of exercise. Make it your own experiment.

A fantabulous book about that protocol is Ginger Vieira’s book, Your Diabetes Science Experiment. Inside there you will find a LOT of information that will help you out.

Poppa Wheelie

Hey Jason, just wondering if you have a good recipe for a buttercup squash. Not sure what it’s going to side with yet.

I don’t have a recipe per se… but it depends on the use of it. I would either roast it as a side, or make a soup out of it.

Roasted

• Cut the squash into bite size pieces, toss with some garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast them at 350F until they are soft enough to eat, then fire in some chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
• Same deal as above, only instead of garlic and parmesan, add a touch of nutmeg at the finishing point, then some maple syrup. Fire them back into the oven to brown up, and serve.

Soup

• Onions, chicken broth, bay leaf, squash – cook until soft. Remove bay leaf. Blend in a blender (or with hand blender.) Season with salt, pepper, add in a grated apple. (Or two if you have a big pot going.) Finish the soup with chopped thyme.
• Peel, toss with curry powder, roast the squash with ginger,, and when it is soft – put it into a food processor with hot chicken broth, coriander and coconut milk to make a soup. Serve that with rice and any other Indian-style food, and your good to go.

Britt Jansen writes:

Anyway, I was hoping you might recommend a good cooking scale for me… Any thoughts/opinions?
Besides counting carbs (argh!) re: the D, I’m also an avid home baker — converting my recipes to metric weight.
Also, I discovered rather serendipitously that sourdough breads are much kinder to my D body than non-sourdoughs. I’ve read a bit about this at Mendosa’s site. Any other info?
I’d appreciate your input anytime you have a chance. Thanks! Peace, Britt J.

Kitchen scales can be tricky to purchase. Many have so many bells and whistles, and it is hard to get one that will do the job that you need. I wrote a post on a kitchen scale a while back, and for the money, it is pretty good. You can see the link here:

As for sourdough bread, I have heard that the fermentation will eat through the gluten in the bread. I would caution though – if you are diabetic, and bread is something that you need to have in your diet, then by all means, let your meter tell you how it will do for you.

Jaye Galpin over at Marks Daily Apple asks about the Preserved Lemons:

Can home made preserved lemons go bad? Mine are 2-3 month old, not been refrigerated [sic] but topped up with lemon juice 2x’s. Now still cloudy & have thin white mold?? / film on the top lemons.
Are they off???

When in doubt, throw it out. For the next time, once your lemons have made their brine, (after 30 days,) then make sure they get into the fridge. Better safe than sorry! I have an awesome set of instruction on making your own preserved lemons here.

Asked by my Mother:

What is a good recipe for Roquefort dressing?

Perhaps I can make a dressing over the next while. Use something that is local though, not imported. Roquefort is great and all, but a local cheese will be better, I promise!

Asked by adiecain over at DiabetesForum.com

I was diagnosed one week ago as type 2 bg345, also have high blood pressure 155/110.. so…. i have a quandary… I need to lose weight, control diabetes and lower blood pressure.. In order to lower my blood pressure I need to eat low fat… It seems like a lot of the posts I’ve read champion eating high fat and low carb which would probably kill me deader than a dead thing on dead day… I’m just confused and kind of lost cos I thought I knew where I was going with my diet

I hear you there! I was diagnosed 1.5 years ago with a BG of 32 mmol fasting (576) I was given a pamphlet that basically told me to eat bread, and lots of carbs to “cover” the insulin that I was taking. My numbers were all over the place, and I could not keep them under control until I took matters in my own hands and did my own reading.

I read the book, “The Diabetes Solution” by Dr. Bernstein – it opened my eyes. Now, I am not one to just up and believe anything that I read, so I gave it my own test.

After a couple of weeks, I started having “normal” BG readings. (With insulin of course, I am a type 1 LADA) Thing was, I was so sensitive to the insulin, it forced the educators to teach me about injecting by an insulin carbohydrate ratio.

The best thing you can do is just test something out for 30 days, see how you react, and go from there. Despite what doctors and nurses tell you, (unless you are in the ICU,) 30 days of a LC/HF WILL NOT KILL YOU.

Eat to your meter, (here is the version for the non-American out there.) and then use your own logic to determine your eating habits. As usual, the DOC is here to help if you have any questions. In the end, we can only offer advice, as it is you who has to follow it in the end.

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, my TuDiabetes account, my Youtube Channel, or my Twitter account.

That’s right! We are BACK with Ask The Chef!

I decided that it was a shame to lose an awesome Q&A format, and the result of my vacation epiphany brings us the return of the much loved show!

Today I tackle these questions:

Lea wrote:

Hello. I am on the verge of going to culinary school. I just recently visited Le
Cordon Bleu. This will be a career change for me as I work in a laboratory
currently. Im just very nervous about the change, although I am very passionate
about food and cooking. I guess I am looking for reassurance that being a chef
is a great career choice.
Any advice would be helpful!

Thank you!!

Also, Stingray wrote:

I am late to this thread, but just came across your blog from Fat Head.  I have been trying to make the switch to homemade creamy dressings but have a hard time with the mayo.  I looked into the Helman’s Olive Oil and the third ingredient was canola oil, right after the olive oil.  Is it such a small amount to be trivial to you?  I don’t mind making homemade, but the short shelf life makes it difficult. Thanks for any input.

Finally, I ask:

What do you think of Advertising on WDC?

Let me know what you think in the comments!

I finally got my Google+ activated. You can add me to your blogging circle by clicking here:

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, myTuDiabetes account, my Youtube Channel, or my Twitter account.