Patti LaBelle knows firsthand the importance of staying healthy, and she’s ready to share her helpful tips (and a tasty lightened-up recipe) with the world!
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has lived with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, meaning over the past two decades she’s had to transform her diet from one that was heavy in sugar and unhealthy fats to one that’s rich in protein, fiber and healthy fats.
To help keep her diet in check, LaBelle has teamed up with Hood – a dairy brand with a calorie-conscious line of products she can’t get enough of. “I’m a diabetic for 20 years, and when I started using Hood I cut out all of the milk,” she tells Us Weekly. “The Hood beverage replaces milk, and so I started using it in my cereals, my coffee, I make chocolate shakes out of it and I add it to my macaroni and cheese instead of heavy cream. It’s just a perfect fit for me!”
But using the Hood beverage instead of milk is hardly the only change LaBelle has made to her diet in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. After a cheat year following her initial diagnosis, LaBelle drastically altered the way she cooked and ate, and these changes are still ones she uses today.
“Instead of frying my chicken I sauté the chicken and fish, and have changed from a regular burger to turkey,” she explains. “When I do my kale greens, instead of using all the fats like the ham hocks and all that, I use a little grape-seed oil, water and some chicken broth. It tastes just like it did when I was using all of the fats!”
To add an extra boost of flavor without adding calories or fat, LaBelle relies on potent foods such as fresh garlic and habanero or jalapeño peppers. “You don’t miss the salt, you don’t miss the frying of anything, it tastes just perfect,” she explains. “Everything that I’ve been doing since I became this diabetic girl, it’s been very sensible. The thing is, no taste is lost. If people can taste the food and it’s great, you don’t really miss the fats, and the sugar and all that jazz.”
For those who may be struggling with the idea of making changes to their diet in order to make it healthier, LaBelle insists that even with the healthy swaps she’s made, the food tastes the same. “Anybody who is out there struggling with that, just think of your life,” she says.
For a healthier take on a Monte Christo sandwich, which uses the Hood Calorie Countdown beverage in place of whole milk, check out Patti’s recipe below!
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 slices thin bread
- 4 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese
- 4 oz thinly sliced ham
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup Hood Calorie Countdown 2 Percent Reduced Fat Dairy Beverage
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- Sugar-free raspberry jam (optional)
- Powdered sugar (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Layer four slices of bread with the cheese and ham. Place remaining bread slices on top.
2. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, egg white, Calorie Countdown, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Dip sandwiches in the egg mixture, soaking each side for 20 seconds.
4. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add sandwiches and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total.
5. Cut sandwiches in half. If desired, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with jam.
