What's With All the Recipes??
"What's with all the recipies?" I can almost hear people saying. "Isn't this supposed to be a gaming blog?"
Yes. Yes, it is. But here's the thing. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It's not something I asked for, and it's not something I did wrong. Am I overweight? Yeah, but not nearly as badly as a number of people I've known who didn't get diabetes. For many people, it's just the bad luck of the draw. I got the 2 of clubs in the Action Deck.
Okay, maybe not that low, but you get the idea. Also, see what I did there? Gaming!
When you get diagnosed with diabetes, it's like a punch in the gut. Your entire life changes overnight. Suddenly you're looking at, "you know all those things you love? You're done."
As time goes on, it turns out that it's not that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. First, the new medications are outstanding. I'm managing mine and I'm not even on the needle. Second, there are, in fact, reasonable substitutes for a lot of those things you loved. You can enjoy sugar-free candy every so often. Just don't overdo it or you'll spend hours in the bathroom--there's a pretty picture for you.
Really, the worst part about having diabetes is the preaching. Everyone knows the magic cure. Everyone knows what you must do to take care of yourself. And the worst are the self-educated health gurus who want to tell you that artificial sweeteners are going to give you cancer, brain disease and make you fat. Hint: Splenda is just sugar with an extra chlorine molecule attached. Not only does it not make you fat or give you cancer, it doesn't even stay in your body. Just passes right through undigested. Hint: Stevia is all natural. Hint: there are no artificial sweeteners that cause cancer. Period. It's a myth.
But I digress. Diabetes is exacerbated by, and your chances of getting it increased by, a sedentary and non-active lifestyle. It's quite literally rampant among gamers and geeks, because we quite frankly, spend a lot of time on our asses, as a rule. In fact, it was a couple friends in the gaming community who actually got me through those first tenuous couple months of dealing with my diagnosis.
Another thing about gamers: we love to snack. I mean, we really love to snack. So much so that Mountain Dew and Doritos have become a stereotype of gamer culture. For the record, I prefer Coke Zero, but I do love some 'tos.
Anyway, as I went on I started investigating ways I could still enjoy things like baked goods while managing my diabetes. I discovered the wonders of things like almond flour and Splenda, and realized that you can make almost any recipe you want by substituting out the regular carbs for things like the above. It occurred to me after a couple people asked me to share, that others in the gaming community might like these recipes as well, most of which I've modified or developed on my own, and which are generally really easy to make.
So there you have it. The connection between these recipes and gaming is simply that a surprising number of gamers have diabetes or are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, and we all love to snack at the game table. I hope you guys enjoy the recipes and don't find them too intrusive to the blog.
Yes. Yes, it is. But here's the thing. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It's not something I asked for, and it's not something I did wrong. Am I overweight? Yeah, but not nearly as badly as a number of people I've known who didn't get diabetes. For many people, it's just the bad luck of the draw. I got the 2 of clubs in the Action Deck.
Okay, maybe not that low, but you get the idea. Also, see what I did there? Gaming!
When you get diagnosed with diabetes, it's like a punch in the gut. Your entire life changes overnight. Suddenly you're looking at, "you know all those things you love? You're done."
As time goes on, it turns out that it's not that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. First, the new medications are outstanding. I'm managing mine and I'm not even on the needle. Second, there are, in fact, reasonable substitutes for a lot of those things you loved. You can enjoy sugar-free candy every so often. Just don't overdo it or you'll spend hours in the bathroom--there's a pretty picture for you.
Really, the worst part about having diabetes is the preaching. Everyone knows the magic cure. Everyone knows what you must do to take care of yourself. And the worst are the self-educated health gurus who want to tell you that artificial sweeteners are going to give you cancer, brain disease and make you fat. Hint: Splenda is just sugar with an extra chlorine molecule attached. Not only does it not make you fat or give you cancer, it doesn't even stay in your body. Just passes right through undigested. Hint: Stevia is all natural. Hint: there are no artificial sweeteners that cause cancer. Period. It's a myth.
But I digress. Diabetes is exacerbated by, and your chances of getting it increased by, a sedentary and non-active lifestyle. It's quite literally rampant among gamers and geeks, because we quite frankly, spend a lot of time on our asses, as a rule. In fact, it was a couple friends in the gaming community who actually got me through those first tenuous couple months of dealing with my diagnosis.
Another thing about gamers: we love to snack. I mean, we really love to snack. So much so that Mountain Dew and Doritos have become a stereotype of gamer culture. For the record, I prefer Coke Zero, but I do love some 'tos.
Anyway, as I went on I started investigating ways I could still enjoy things like baked goods while managing my diabetes. I discovered the wonders of things like almond flour and Splenda, and realized that you can make almost any recipe you want by substituting out the regular carbs for things like the above. It occurred to me after a couple people asked me to share, that others in the gaming community might like these recipes as well, most of which I've modified or developed on my own, and which are generally really easy to make.
So there you have it. The connection between these recipes and gaming is simply that a surprising number of gamers have diabetes or are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, and we all love to snack at the game table. I hope you guys enjoy the recipes and don't find them too intrusive to the blog.
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