Like you, I find it difficult to find the time needed to source and try out complex recipes, so simple suits me best (in most things in life). Bear in mind that I had no other pre-existing medical conditions (apart from pre-D) before changing the way I eat, so if you do, take medical advice before diving in.
First thing I did was to read Michael Mosley's book, 'The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet' from cover to cover (not hard, because it's a fairly short book), on the basis that 'knowledge is power', as well as being a great motivator. If you're not familiar with the book, have a look at the related website:
https://thebloodsugardiet.com/. Most of what's in the book is there.
My advice - ie what has worked for me (lost almost 2 stone in 3 months, now have 'normal' readings for everything and my gout has disappeared) - would be as follows:
Avoid (for the first couple of months, at least): bread (of all kinds and colours), potatoes, breakfast cereal, crisps, cakes, puddings, biscuits, pasta, rice, sweets, tropical fruit. Also avoid reading any nutritional advice on the NHS website, as it will make you depressed/confused. They know they're wrong, but can't quite bring themselves to admit it yet. They will.
Adopt: lots of fish (tinned mackerel and sardines are really handy) and seafood; eggs; homemade soup; full-fat Greek yoghurt; meat of all kinds (preferably with as little processing as possible, though I make an exception for chorizo); lots of green veg (the greener the better - eg cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, courgettes/zucchini - which are fantastic when cut into thinnish slivers, brushed with olive oil and garlic and cooked on a griddle); green/red/orange peppers (eat raw with hummus); mushrooms; pulses (3 or 4-bean salads are wonderful for adding to soups, salads, etc); berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspeberries), which I add to yoghurt; cheese (not too much); nuts of all kinds as a snack; very dark chocolate - ie over 70% cocoa solids (tip - don't bite it. Let it melt on your tongue. You'll thank me one day, I promise); lots and lots of extra virgin olive oil, both for cooking and as a dressing. Oh, and quinoa as a substitute for rice or pasta (sounds posh/exotic, but you can get it in discount stores such as Home Bargains).
With a list like that, it's fairly easy to put together a varied set of simple menus. I also regularly visit the 'What have you eaten today?' forum on this site to get other ideas.
My other top tips would be - if you're physically able:
- Walk at least a couple of miles every day, longer distances if you can
- Do some basic resistance exercises - eg press-ups, small weights - for 10 mins a day
- Do some core exercises - eg stomach crunches
- Learn to meditate and try to do it daily. I'm an atheist/rationalist/instinctive skeptic, so am not particularly interested in the mystical or spiritual baggage that sometimes accompanies it, but rather in its practical effects on my sense of wellbeing. It works - end of. If you're a novice, try this series of articles for starters: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/how-to-meditate
- Don't beat yourself up - an occasional cake, chip butty, handful of crisps, etc won't do any harm (as long as it's just an occasional treat)
There are so many food ideas on this website that you'll probably never get bored with what you eat. Good luck, my friend.