You can still enjoy “Soul Food” without it leaving you with diabetes!

If you think of Soul Food, you can probably picture a typical American family sitting down to a table full of delicious food.

There are potatoes, fried chicken, crispy bacon bits, corn bread, organ meats, peas, gravy and a bunch of other hearty foods to choose from.

And while Soul Food is American, if you think about it, it's not so different to what we eat here in SA during an average Sunday lunch.

The thing is, all these foods are high in fat and salt and it's probably why SA is fast becoming one of the top countries on the obesity and diabetes lists! And why, according to the latest Discovery Health stats, 60% of people in SA are obese…

That's why, when the Philadelphia Tribune posted an article about how to eat Soul Food without increasing your risk of obesity and diabetes, we knew we had to pounce on it and share it with you.

Here are four tips to change a few things about your cooking so a typical Sunday lunch doesn't leave you with weight and blood sugar issues…

 
IMAGINE: Not worrying about your blood sugar ALL the time!
 
Stop feeling guilty about not being able to follow your doctor's long list of  "do's" and "don'ts" ALL of the time
Shake those nasty mood swings
Turn your body into a leaner fat and CARB burning machine!
 
Get ready to turn that dream into a reality - because you're about to discover the effortless secret to supporting your blood sugar levels...
   

Don’t let your favourite foods be the reason you develop diabetes

 
Tip #1. Cut back on salt
 
You can still make all your favourite foods, just use less salt when you do.
 
Instead of pouring salt over your meat, adding it to veggies and boiling your potatoes with it, use other herbs and spices for flavour.
 
The Philadelphia Tribune says using sea salt can also work because it has a stronger flavour so you use less, but make sure you do use less!
 
Tip #2. Go for low-fat alternatives where possible
 
Frying and cooking usually requires lots of fat and oil, but you can do away with using excessive amounts and bake your food instead.
 
You can still bread your chicken, coat it in egg and bake it to perfection instead of frying it.
 
Also, use less fatty meat in your dish. Cut the fat off beef and lamb, don’t cook crackling and use turkey bacon instead of pork bacon to reduce the fat content of your meal.
 
Tip #3. Lower your meal’s fat-content even further
 
If your recipe requires you to use cream, mix half the amount of cream with fat-free milk.
 
Use olive oil instead of butter to cook with. You can even use unsweetened applesauce in your mielie bread instead of butter or oil.
   
Popeye ate Spinach to fight off harmful enemies proving there’s more to greens than meets the eye...
 
It’s not only Popeye who is entitled to fight off unwanted enemies using Spinach...
 
Like Popeye, you too can fight off harmful health enemies such as high cholesterol, cancer, heart disease, weight gain and many other unwanted health complications with the power of the right greens.
 
Discover the greens that’ll help you power up against health enemies here.
   
Tip #4. Choose the right veggies
 
From potatoes to mielies and peas, starchy veggies are usually in abundance on the table. And while you don’t have to stop eating them, mix them with other healthier, low carb veggies like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.
 
There you have it! You don’t need to stop inviting your family over for Sunday lunch to lose weight and lower your diabetes risk. Simply change a few things about the way you cook without drastically changing the flavours!

Tags: diabetes, foods for diabetes, preventing diabetes, diabetes risk, how to prevent diabetes, foods to eat to prevent diabetes, diabetes prevention, blood sugar control, obesity and diabetes, diabesity