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Need to improve my cooking skills quickly or die

2K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  gonefishin 
#1 ·
Hello, I have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease and type 2 diabetes. My doctor thinks this is from my poor diet, I am not a good cook but I now have more motivation than anything in the entire world (my life) I have to in the next 8 weeks learn to cook meals that are delicious, nutritious and look good. I want to be the best possible cook I can as fast as I can. One of my hobbies is to model people and produce the same results they produce. So if anyone knows any cook that went from very little cooking knowledge into a very solid cook in a short period of time and could point me in that direction, that would be fabulous.

So I am calling on anyone or anything to help me improve my cooking skills as quickly as possible, any resources out there would be great. Whether it be books,articles, videos, forum posts, a mentor. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much
 
#2 · (Edited)
There are some great cookbooks for cooking for diabetes. In fact Betty Crocker has a very good book on this topic. I would start small with some basic recipes and then build your cooking skills from there. In other words start with the basics and grow from there.
[h1]Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook: Everyday Meals, Easy as 1-2-3 [Hardcover][/h1]

Here are two books reviewed by ChefTalk that can also help.
[h2]Betty Crocker Whole Grains: Easy Everyday Recipes[/h2]
http://www.cheftalk.com/products/betty-crocker-whole-grains-easy-everyday-recipes/reviews#3585
[h2]Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda: Sweet Treats Low in Sugar, Fat and Calories[/h2]
http://www.cheftalk.com/products/un...ts-low-in-sugar-fat-and-calories/reviews#3648

I would also search out a diabetes support group in your area I am sure the member will also have good ideas on how to get started cooking. They will also give you some needed support.
 
#3 ·
NICKO is right. I am also diebetic type 2>  In addition to the food factor and cooking. Exercise, and try and knock off some weight > I have found that for me 1 pound equals 1 point of blood count. Stay away from rice, pastas and breads in excess. Its not so much the sugar ingested as it is the CARBS. Good Luck
 
#5 · (Edited)
I wonder if we're not putting the cart before the horse? It isn't recipes, per se, the OP needs, but basic information in two areas:

1. What foodstuffs can he eat? More importantly, which ones can he not? I would immediately get in touch with the Diabeties Assn, which can help with that. And I believe there is now a similar group for Celiacs. They, in conjunction with his doctor, will design a nutritional plan. He can then fit specific recipes into that plan, once he learns:

2. Cooking techniques. If I understand correctly, the OP does not have much cooking knowledge. But the rule stays the same: good cooking consists of using good techniques to manipulate good ingredients. What is it Michael Symon is saying now: "If you follow a recipe you'll make one great dish. If you learn techniques, you'll be able to make hundreds of them."

So, I'd like to hear back from him before going any further, to find out specifically what he's looking for.

Hotdog: One thing to learn immediately is that there are some real surprises in terms of nutrition. I cook for a diabetic, and learned that the hard way. So, one resource you want to use often is the composition of foods database. You can find it at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
 
#6 ·
Hey Hotdog,

You've got some things going for you. The first is that you're seeking out information to help you live with your disease. I'd see if your doctor could send in a dietitian to answer any questions you may have and to give you some basic guidelines. Celiac.com forums have a lot of members that will assist you by sharing their experiences. You have a compounded problem because you're also a diabetic. But these two problems coexisting are not that rare, so there should be some good information out there on the two.

While others may also have Celiac disease you have got to get to know YOUR BODY and how it reacts. A plus side is that you'll probably be eating healthier better tasting foods than you did before, the bad news is some of your other favorites are totally off limits. You'll have to start cooking with fresh ingredients, season with salt and pepper. This may sound like it's bland and void of flavor, but good fresh vegetables are indeed tasty when properly seasoned.

Introducing one new food or one new seasoning at a time will seem like a pain in the behind. But this will be the only way you'll know how that one ingredient is affecting you. READ LABELS, READ LABELS, READ LABELS! It's amazing what ingredients are in some of our foods, sauces, seasonings, etc. Read labels and start a log of brands you can and cannot have. Use categories to make referencing easier in the future. This is not only for your use...but also anyone else who may cook for you. Did I say read the label on EVERY item you purchase?

Do you live in a home with anyone else? You will probably want to get new pots and pans, and designate them ONLY for your food! No gluten!

I hope things work out well for you. It's a big change...but one you have to make. Stick with it and cook with fresh ingredients. Seek guidance from your doctor, dietitian and from your body.

gluten-free wishes>>>

sincerely,

dan
 
#7 ·
PM me if you have specific questions. gluten free former chef for the past 5 years. one thing that you won't expect is the withdrawal symptoms from gluten. for me it was like going off of opiates. just how some people react when you make the diet change. but... you'll feel so much better in a couple of months.
 
#8 ·
Hello all, and thank you for the kind support and help you have all given me. The internet contains alot of "jeckle and hyde" types who are nice in real life, but rude on the internet and I want to thank you all for your kindness and understanding.

I have a good idea about the foods I am supposed to eat, the problem is I have no idea how to prepare them in a way I like. So I need to become the best possible chef, cooking the best possible meals in the shortest period of time. I am looking to "model" someone who went from being a novice to a really solid chef in the shortest period of time possible. This is because I am addicted to foods I am not supposed to eat and I do not feel I will be able to make the change unless I can prepare meals that look good and more importantly taste great. I basically need a crash course in all things chef. So any resources for that would be awesome

Thanks again.
 
#12 ·
A secret of diabetes control is MODERATION  and eat small amounts many spaced times during the day.,and check your blood daily to keep track of yourself
 
#13 · (Edited)
The true secret to controlling diabetes is glucose control.  Insulin is secreted by the B-cells of the pancreas.  Some diabetics secrete very little insulin, and others secret more just not quite enough.  The B-cells react to the levels of glucose in the body.  Without the insulin, the cells cannot get the glucose.  They get hungrier.  The body tries to react by raising the glucose levels so some can get in to feed the cells when there is not enough insulin (or fast enough insulin) supply "unlock the cell door" to let the glucose in.  The first thing a paramedic or ER physician checks for when confronted by someone in  a coma is to smell their breath.  Too much glucose in the blood gets decarboxylated in the lungs and produces acetone.  Acetone is easy to detect and is a sure sign of someone in a diabetic coma.

The above is just some history.

Ed was somewhat right when he said small amounts (moderate amounts) frequently.  That's partially true for diabetics who still can produce insulin but not enough insulin.

The secret to that secret is glycemic load.  Potatoes are a tremendously potent glycemic load.  Leave them the **** alone.

Check your fasting glucose regularly.  Glucose levels are all over the place when you've been eating.  One important test is where a patient is given a high sugar content drink of known amount of sugar, and the glucose levels are monitored to see how fast the body can bring the glucose back down to normal levels.  Traditionally, a glucose level of 100 dl/l was considered ideal.  Nowadays its anything between maybe about 60 - 100.

Also, about every 3 months or less, get a hemoglobin A1C test.  This shows what your average glucose has been like.  Anything below 6 is pretty much normal.  Mine was 4.9 and my fasting glucose was 91.  Doctors were convinced I had diabetes because I was diagnosed recently with severe sensory neuropathy.  Surprised me.  The usual suspect is diabetes.  If your extremities, especially your feet and legs and sometimes your arms and hands seem numb, it might be carpal or torsal tunnel syndrome, OR it could be signs of diabetes.  Find a good doctor who knows what he's doing.

Start finding out about foods with low glycemic characteristics.  Those types of food present the least challenges to your pancreas and help control the glucose levels by not overtaxing the pancreas' inherent ability to produce insulin.  If you're an insulin dependent diabetic, look into insulin pumps.  Medtronic just recently announced a new Medtonic Minimed pump that monitors your glucose and doses out the proper amount of insulin.  You wear it on the outside of your body.  The goal, and I worked on this in the '70's, was to find a closed loop implantable pump with a long lasting implantable glucose sensor.  The idea was that the glucose sensor would act like the pancreas reacting to glucose levels, and tell the pump would how much insulin was proper amount of insulin to pump out in response.  Such a device still is in the works, the biggest problem still being clogging of the sensor by blood components.

As far as celiac can't help you much there.

doc (not a MD)
 
#15 ·
great news, i love my seed upgrade.

Any one?

To be continued....

__________________
watch movies online
Lencoo12, what kind of wheat germ are you trying to spread?

THIS IS A GLUTEN FREE thread! Please leave all gluten or excessive sweetness in another thread where it's better suited.

Yikes!

on the off chance that lencoo12 is an upstanding new member, and not a spammer....Welcome (but I still don't understand your post)

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif,

dan
 
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