I read this in a recent edition of a diabetes magazine put out by the AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educators.) I happen to be a member of AADE and highly respect anyone who goes into diabetes education and comes out the other end as an educator. But why, when guidelines have caught up to the 21st century to say we should treat people with diabetes as individuals, do we put out a single sample menu in a food article?

And a particularly poor sample menu and absolutely old school, old thinking. Cheese is suggested for both breakfast and lunch. Refined carbs like an English muffin is suggested for breakfast. As is fruit yogurt which is full of sugar. Why frozen vegetables rather than fresh and if you’re going to suggest a tortilla, why not a whole wheat one?

My bet is everything gets dumbed down to appeal to the masses. But why assume the “masses” need dumbing down? If I only had this menu to work with I could immediately make it healthier with a few switches. Plain Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit replaces the fruit yogurt. A whole wheat English muffin with banana and peanut butter and take the cheese away. Add some beans to lunch with a green salad and take the cheese and crackers away. Sauté a piece of fish at dinner or broil a piece of chicken or make pasta primavera and go for fresh vegetables and maybe half a sweet potato.

Don’t assume people can’t do something before you ask them if they can. We can offer people healthy options they can do with a little ingenuity.