Mmmmm, sugar

Yeah, I know, we diabetics love the stuff. And the pharmaceutical/chemical community does it best to try to satisfy our desire for sweets. Usually, they use cheap chemicals to try to imitate the taste. Personally, I can't use any because I always have the chemical aftertaste. Pink, yellow, or blue, they all are nasty. What I have done is weened myself off sugar. I drink Wendy's iced tea straght up, no sweetener.
Coffee just milk. Did you know milk has a lot of sugar? Read the label. Cereal, just milk. Oatmeal, nada.

You would be surprised how quickly your tastes change. Might have to go gradually, like add half your usual, but it will be worth it.

According to most research not sponsored by the manufacturer, artificial sweeteners are not healthy for us. Try to go natural, if you can.

Stay well.

Substitutions

I'm not a big fan of substituting things. I would rather not eat something, than to eat a sugar-free substitute. Crazy, huh?
But, there is a good reason.
Splenda, Nutrasweet, the pink stuff, the blue stuff, it doesn't matter--I can taste it and I don't like it. Diet soda just has an aftertaste that I really find, for lack of a better word, nasty.

But, one good thing is that the substitutes are not particularly healthy anyway. I don't know the specifics, but our body treats substitutes like sugar, even firing the synapses as if it were sugar.

So, where am I going with all this?

General Tso chicken. This is one of my favorite meals, but it is high in fat, carbs, and everything that is unhealthy for anyone, let alone a diabetic, particularly a type 2 who needs to lose some pounds.

What to do when I really, really, really want something? Usually I would limit portion size, but that works with chocolate or treats. I will have a tiny piece of good dark chocolate instead of a bag of milk chocolate. That works. But it just won't work with dinner.

I have found a way to have pizza. No, I can't have regular, but I do get thin crust, which gives me a pizza-like experience. Back to the General.

Fried and breaded and served over rice with a sauce. It looks like I'm going to have to really limit the times I have it.

But when shopping, the Mrs. found General Tso's sauce on the grocery shelf. Hmm.

Ok, so last night, she sauted some chicken breast, mixed in a little of the sauce, and served it over brown rice. It wasn't exactly like my favorite Chinese restaurant makes it, but it was pretty good. Hot and spicy, with a hint of sweetness. And it was healthy. Low fat, and limited carbs.

So now, we have a new dinner that both of us like-- a healthy version of General Tso's chicken. This is going to become a regular meal for us.

How do you substitute to meet your needs as a diabetic?