Breakfast

• No need to get fancy. One of the best foods you can eat for breakfast is oatmeal, and Quaker makes it pretty easy. The best choice is double fiber (8 grams per serving). To make it a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal, add a powerhouse fruit like blueberries or raspberries, plus an ounce of dry roasted almonds or a heaping teaspoon of natural peanut butter to crank up the protein. Skip the juice and the milk.
  
  Another great choice is eggs. Scramble up a couple with some fresh spinach, an ounce of grated cheese and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Add two links of turkey sausage, browned, sliced and steamed with a sliced apple and some sweet onion. Each of these ideas knocks out a full serving or two of fruits and/or vegetables first thing in the morning, getting your nutritional needs off to a great start.
  
  

Lunch

• Black bean soup is healthful, easy and tasty. Saute onions and mushrooms in a little unsaturated fat margarine until the onions are tender, then add a splash of zinfandel wine and some chopped fresh spinach and simmer for about a minute. Rinse the gunk out of a can of black beans and add to the mushroom mix, along with 1 tbsp. of medium salsa to add a little bite. Add ¼ cup of water and simmer for 5 minutes for a fast and easy lunch.
  
  If you're just dying for a burger and fries, try making turkey burgers, but make sure you read the label. Some preformed turkey burgers are made with dark meat and have nearly the same fat as low fat beef. Buy the loose turkey breast and add a little olive oil to make it nice and juicy. A low carb, whole grain bun and a Dagwood stack of tomatoes, romaine lettuce and onion make it healthy and satisfying. Cut a small potato in wedges, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic salt, and bake in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes to make a healthier version of fries.
  
  

Dinner

• Dinner, and really every meal, is about substitution. Five fruits and vegetables per day seem like a difficult amount to achieve in a society that reveres junk food. To cut fat and add fiber---and get in those all important veggies---put vegetables in everything. For example, when you're ready to mix up a meatloaf, or make hamburgers or meatballs, load the food processor up with a variety of veggies and chop them very fine. Zucchini, squash, spinach, celery, onions, green pepper, mushrooms and parsnips are all good choices. Add about 30 percent vegetable mix to your meat and you won't taste the difference. Freeze extra vegetable mix for future use---and add it to spaghetti sauce, chili, soups and even oil and vinegar salad dressings.
  
  For mashed potatoes, try substituting mashed cauliflower. The texture is different, but it's still satisfying and similar. If it doesn't work for you, try a half and half mixture to provide the texture of potatoes with only half the starch and high-impact carbs.
  
  

Snacks and Desserts

• Since you are not only allowed, but also encouraged to eat fruit, take full advantage with a peach cobbler topped with oatmeal and nut crunch or a half-cup of mixed berries topped with sugar free, fat free yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. Nuts and fruit have excellent nutritional impact and keep your blood sugar nice and level. If you're in the mood for cake, how about a zucchini-nut muffin made with flax oil, sugar substitute, and whole grain or oat flour? Top with a dollop of cream cheese icing made with sugar substitute.
  
  Diabetic diets don't have to be boring, bland or restrictive. The key is to make healthful substitutions for food you should never have been eating. Within days, you'll feel more energetic and less bloated. But the best benefit to cooking healthy, easy diabetic meals is the knowledge that you're feeding yourself and your family better.