Boyfriend and recipes.

My boyfriend is super picky but he also has diabetes. I worry a lot about this because he's so picky and a lot of the stuff he can eat has carbs in them. He's gonna supplement some of his meals with Atkins stuff but I know that will get boring for him.

He likes chicken so I'm trying to come up with recipes for it. I have one already I am gonna try and learn and maybe even a second one.

It has to be pretty simple. He doesn't eat vegetables all that often. It's not good for him but chicken would be better than pasta and stuff like that.

Anything would be helpful, thanks!

[TheAtomicBlade]

Hmm,
Chicken, you could of course go with grilling/steaming/boiling it. Steamed Chicken with a bit of salt and pepper is something I love.
Also
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/qui...hicken-recipes

I dont know helpful that would be, but it seems pretty good.
Hope this helps a bit.

[Eternal]

Just wanted to say that pasta isn't bad for you, and I'd argue chicken is actually less healthy. Carbs are our main energy source, and our bodies run on glucose. If he likes pasta, you could make your own tomato sauce for it and hide some vegetables in that such as spinach.

When you have diabetes you have to minimize carbs because it turns into sugar or something like that. Most of the stuff my boyfriend eats contains carbs. He needs to cut them down to a certain extent. Even his doctor said that. In his case protein like chicken is a lot better for him than pasta.

[Kintsukuroi.]

Carbohydrates are turned into glucose when eaten which means they do cause your blood sugar levels to rise. However, this doesn't mean carbs are necessarily "bad" but need to be eaten smartly. Instead of eating refined carbs (ie white flour) it's better to eat whole grain foods. Has he seen a dietitian (medical nutrition therapy)? The amount of carbs that he should be eating varies with activity levels and body size and some other factors, which a dietitian can help in creating an eating plan which explains your carb needs, etc. On average, an adult starting point for carbs are 45-60g but of course that is just an average and can vary for each individual.

I don't eat meat but this site has some recipes that could be useful to check out.

Also, there are low carb options for pasta that still taste good. You can check out Shirataki noodles. The tofu ones do have 3g of carbs per serving but MIracle noodles have some that are very low to none carbs. Zoodles (zucchini pasta noodles), spaghetti squash, eggplant which can be used in lasagna all are fairly low in carbs.

You can always check out whole grain pastas with fiber as well as those are healthier than white pastas. You can check out this brand for lower carb pastas but portion sizes are key.

There is also other options for foods with proteins like beans, lentils, peas, tofu, fish/seafood, etc that can be used to mix up meal options.

I knew he could eat some carbs but I think he eats too many. We'll have to look over the things he eats and see. He's asked his doctor some questions and all he said was cut down the carbs. He didn't say how many he could eat. I also don't know if his insurance will pay for him to see a dietitian.

[Coffee.]

Here's a recipe my mom often makes for my dad! Maybe you can also make a side of steamed broccoli or a salad that he likes (it's okay if he covers it with ranch haha, as long as he gets the veggies!). My mom makes it with rice, but if you want to lower carbs you don't have to, or you can make it with brown rice for some fiber. Quinoa would be a good replacement as well, higher in protein!

I'd ask him how fructose affects his blood sugar, and consider smoothies! I know very little about diabetes tbh so it's hard for me to recommend, but smoothies are a very good way to sneak veggies in! You can do a frozen banana, his favorite fruit (I like a granny smith apple in this recipe), a cup of spinach, and your choice of milk for consistency. I'd also put a protein powder if it was going to be breakfast, or a few tablespoons of peanutbutter!

If you want him to experiment with spices more, consider doing an Indian style chicken! Indian food is just bomb. Try looking up recipes on Indian butter chicken or something. Once again, these come with rice typically so make the choice of the amount of carbs he needs depending on blood sugar. On researching those recipes, I stumbled upon this one and it looks good too! It's not Indian but has some amazing spices, plus low-carb!

Does he like eggs? Those can be good replacements as well.

Sorry, you got another long-time vegetarian. But I'm also a foodie, so I hope cooking together is fun!