95 Unpacking Ultra-Processed foods: what every diabetic should know
Release Date: 06/25/2025
95 Unpacking Ultra-Processed foods: what every diabetic should know
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
In this episode, we cover: The hidden health toll of ultra-processed foods The importance of cooking with real foods Healthier Food Choices Food Addiction Awareness Ultra-Processed Foods and Diabetes Risk Misleading Food Label Terminology Portion Control and Food Cravings Healthy Eating Strategies for Diabetes Free Offer from Go CoCo GoCoCo would like to offer one year of Premium GoCoCo for free to all the Happy Diabetic listeners. Here is the information for the free codes. Apple iOS only uses a link, no code to input 1 YEAR FREE for Happy Diabetic podcast Android Android...
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94. The Mediterranean Diet Decoded
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Key Points: • Origins: Inspired by the traditional diets of countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. • Core principles: • Emphasis on fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. • Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts. • Lean proteins—particularly fish and poultry. • Herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt. • Moderation with red wine and dairy (optional, and always in consultation with a healthcare provider). Fun fact: The Mediterranean diet is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest diets globally due to its heart-protective...
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93. Eating for Two: Managing Gestational Diabetes
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Gestational diabetes Overview- Gestational diabetes is diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy (gestation). Like other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects how your cells use sugar (glucose). Gestational diabetes causes high blood sugar that can affect your pregnancy and your baby's health. While any pregnancy complication is concerning, there's good news. During pregnancy you can help control gestational diabetes by eating healthy foods, exercising and, if necessary, taking medication. Controlling blood sugar can keep you and your baby healthy and prevent a...
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92. Janice Dada-Intuitive Eating for Diabetes: The No Shame, No Blame, Non-Diet Approach to Managing Your Blood Sugar
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Janice Dada-Intuitive Eating for Diabetes: The No Shame, No Blame, Non-Diet Approach to Managing Your Blood Sugar Bio: Janice Dada is a weight-inclusive registered dietitian with a private practice in Newport Beach, CA. She is a certified intuitive eating counselor, certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES), and certified eating disorders specialist (CEDS). She is passionate about simplifying and destigmatizing the nutrition- and weight-based discourse around diabetes. Her first book, Intuitive Eating for Diabetes: The No Shame, No Blame, Non-Diet Approach to...
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91. Chef on the Interview "Hot Seat" with Caleb
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
My son-in-law, Caleb, has turned the tables on me in this podcast by asking ME the questions. In this episode I share details of my journey to become a chef and “The Happy Diabetic” …And there are a few sweet surprises for me at the end, as well! Give it a listen! - Chef Robert
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90. Savor the Flavor, Ditch the Fat. Tips for Cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Why should I cook with less fat? Cooking with less fat is beneficial for several reasons: Healthier Dishes: Reducing fat, especially saturated and unhealthy fats, helps create meals that are better for your heart and overall well-being. Weight Management: Fat contains more calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein. Using less fat can help manage calorie intake and support weight management goals. Enhanced Flavor: Contrary to what some may think, reducing fat doesn't mean sacrificing flavor. You can use herbs, spices, and other flavor-enhancing techniques to create...
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89. Make Healthier Food Choices at the Market: An Interview with… GoCoCo
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Bertrand Amaraggi: Co-founder & CEO Julie Ruelle, RD: GoCoCo Registered Dietitian GoCoCo, Download the app: GoCoCo, Our Philosophy: GoCoCo, For people living with or at risk for diabetes:
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88. Breaking Bread… The Art, Health, and Fun of Baking Bread at Home
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Healthy Benefits of Home Baked Bread In addition to being more flavorful and aesthetic, homemade bread can be a much healthier alternative to store-bought bread. The bread you bake at home can be lower in sodium and sugar. In addition to the whole grain goodness of your bread, you can also add a variety of seeds. Try sesame, pumpkin, linseed and sunflower seeds in and on top of your loaves for additional dietary fiber, protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. We also need to talk about what will not be found in your home baked goods. Homemade bread will not contain...
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Episode 87: Eating Plants...Deliciously!!
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
Linda Tyler Cooking Instructor and Cookbook Author Bio Linda Tyler is a plant-based cooking instructor, recipe developer, and writer. She teaches cooking classes for Portland Community College in Oregon and offers one-on-one plant-based lifestyle coaching. She has published recipes in vegan magazines and websites, articles on animal welfare issues, and is a frequent guest on Chef AJ Live on YouTube. She is the author of The Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook. She is on the video review team for Nutritionfacts.org. For more information, see . ...
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86. Living Your Best Happy Healthy Diabetic Life Chef: Robert shares his favorite tips, hacks and wisdom!!
The Happy Diabetic Kitchen
In todays podcast episodeI’ll share my favorite time saving hacks It’s my favorite Kitchen Hacks to make your time in the kitchen count! So, here comes the The happy diabetic cooking academy definition ---in the context of cooking, a "hack" refers to a clever or unconventional technique or shortcut that makes a cooking process easier, more efficient, and more effective and saves time. It's a way to achieve a desired outcome with less effort or resources. Hacks are often simple, practical, and easily implementable strategies...
info_outlineIn this episode, we cover:
The hidden health toll of ultra-processed foods
The importance of cooking with real foods
Healthier Food Choices
Food Addiction Awareness
Ultra-Processed Foods and Diabetes Risk
Misleading Food Label Terminology
Portion Control and Food Cravings
Healthy Eating Strategies for Diabetes
Free Offer from Go CoCo
GoCoCo would like to offer one year of Premium GoCoCo for free to all the Happy Diabetic listeners.
Here is the information for the free codes.
Apple
iOS only uses a link, no code to input
1 YEAR FREE for Happy Diabetic podcast
https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=1446005742&code=HAPPY
Android
Android uses the below code and will only allow us to do 90 days free at a time, but it can be used 4 times Android - 90 days free Code: HAPPY
Bertrand Amaraggi: Co-founder & CEO
Julie Ruelle, RD: GoCoCo Registered Dietitian
GoCoCo, Download the app: https://www.gococo.app/
GoCoCo, Our Philosophy: https://www.gococo.app/our-philosophy
GoCoCo, For people living with or at risk for diabetes: https://www.gococo.app/post/our-type-2-diabetes-warning
The NOVA Food Classification System
Quick recap
The meeting focused on discussing food addiction and the impact of ultra-processed foods on health, particularly for people with diabetes, with Bertrand and Julie sharing insights about the Go Coco app's role in helping users make healthier food choices. The discussion explored how processed foods can be addictive and harmful, while emphasizing the importance of reading labels and choosing whole, unprocessed foods. The conversation concluded with practical strategies for improving diet and health, including the use of the Go Coco app's features and the importance of making gradual changes to eating habits.
Next steps
Chef Robert to subscribe to the Go Coco app and test the new real food tracker feature.Listeners to look at their pantry and make a small, subtle change in their eating habits this week.Listeners to try adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet instead of focusing on what to eliminate.Go Coco team to continue improving the app based on user feedback and suggestions.Chef Robert to potentially meet with Bertrand in Barcelona during his planned trip to Spain in February.
Summary
Food Addiction Awareness Discussion
Chef and Bertrand discussed the growing awareness and concern around the topic of food addiction, noting its increasing presence in media and public discourse. Bertrand highlighted the similarity between the techniques used by tobacco companies to create addiction and those applied by the food industry, emphasizing the success of these strategies in forming habits. Chef expressed excitement about the potential of Go Cocoa as a solution to help people, while Julie, a repeat guest, shared her enthusiasm for being part of the discussion.
Go Coco: Healthier Food Choices
Chef welcomed Julie and Bertrand to the podcast, highlighting their role in creating the Go Coco app, which helps people, especially those with diabetes, identify and avoid ultra-processed foods. Bertrand explained the app's origins in Spain six years ago and its mission to improve health by offering better food choices. Julie, a registered dietitian, shared her experience working with Go Coco, emphasizing her focus on empowering consumers to make healthier decisions for themselves and their families.
Ultra-Processed Foods and Diabetes Risk
The discussion focused on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their impact on diabetes. Julie explained that UPFs are foods that wouldn't be found in a home kitchen and are often highly palatable and addictive, with a study showing a 17% increased risk of type 2 diabetes for every 10% increase in UPF consumption. Bertrand shared user experiences with artificial sweeteners having similar effects to sugar, and both Julie and Bertrand emphasized that people with diabetes should reduce their consumption of UPFs by focusing on whole, unprocessed foods. They also discussed how UPFs often contain unhealthy fats and can lead to weight gain, with Bertrand noting that processed foods are designed to be addictive and consumed in larger quantities despite having the same nutritional profile as unprocessed alternatives.
Portion Control and Food Cravings
The group discussed the challenges of portion control and food cravings, particularly for snack foods like Doritos and cake. Julie explained a study about the first bite of cake being the most satisfying, leading to overeating. They emphasized the importance of reading food labels and choosing foods with simple, recognizable ingredients. Julie recommended using the Go Coco app to scan food labels and get information on ultra-processed foods. The conversation concluded with a discussion on rethinking convenience in diabetes-friendly eating, suggesting that whole, less processed foods like fruits and nuts can be convenient options.
Misleading Food Label Terminology
Chef and Julie discussed the misleading nature of food labels, particularly terms like "low sugar" and "diabetes-friendly," which can still refer to ultra-processed foods. Julie explained that such products often contain multiple non-nutritive sweeteners and added fats to maintain taste, and she emphasized that whole, unprocessed foods are more satisfying and less likely to lead to overeating. Bertrand noted that "low fat" claims are not found on fruits and vegetables, and Chef agreed that these labels can mislead consumers.
Healthy Eating Strategies for Diabetes
Chef Robert, Julie, and Bertrand discussed practical strategies for improving diet and health, particularly for those with diabetes. Julie introduced a new feature in the Go Coco app, the real food tracker, which analyzes meals and provides advice on improving nutrition. Bertrand emphasized the importance of small, gradual changes in diet, such as reducing ultra-processed foods and replacing sugary drinks with alternatives like sparkling water. Chef Robert encouraged listeners to make subtle changes to their eating habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Julie expressed hope in the power of conversation and suggested focusing on adding healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, rather than subtracting unhealthy ones.
GoCoCo: Healthy Food Choices App
The meeting focused on the Gococo app, which helps users make healthier food choices by scanning products and providing nutritional information. Bertrand explained that the app offers a free trial and a free version, with additional features available for a fee. Julie emphasized that user feedback has been instrumental in developing the app's features, particularly for people living with diabetes. The discussion highlighted the importance of awareness and education in making healthier food choices, while also acknowledging the joy of cooking and enjoying food.