by Ruth Mencl, MN, RN, CDE
Note: This issue, our Voice reviewer got some help from fellow diabetes
professionals.
DIABESITY
by Francine R. Kaufman, MD
Reviewed by Ruth Mencl, MN RN CDE
A compelling "Call to Arms" would best describe Diabesity. Dr. Kaufman comes with top credentials as a pediatric endocrinologist, and a past president of the American Diabetes Association. She also provides a real insight into the heart and soul of a medical provider, and the tough job it is to be honest about the dangers and long-term effects of a very serious disease. It would be helpful for the reader to have at least a cursory knowledge of diabetes, since she does discuss some complex diabetes issues.
She differentiates between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children, using a combination of explanation and illustration of the components of both. We see episodes of newly diagnosed type 1 patients, versus the obese 14 year who feels fine with a blood glucose of 400 mg/dl. She discusses the change over a few decades, from a society that played and worked hard physically, and ate homemade meals, to one where children sit, eat, and play video games, since it's unsafe to go out to play after school. One of her patients got shot exercising in her neighborhood in the midst of warring gang members.
She describes a society where fast food is king, and mom and dad are both too tired to cook in the evening. Our kids are being bombarded with messages on TV and even at school, as high caloric, cheap food, and minimal exercise pervade our schools. Dr. Kaufman links our genetics and environment to the diabetic/obesity epidemic we are experiencing, not only in the U.S., but globally, as countries attempt to emulate our lifestyle. Her crusade includes ideas about the need to change our culture to one that promotes exercise and healthy eating. She challenges decision makers to make changes to benefit our society before our medical resources are overrun by 30-year-olds routinely having heart attacks and strokes. I highly recommend this book for company CEOs, school administrators, politicians, and any parent who loves their children.
It is available at Borders and Amazon websites for approximately $17 with member pricing. It lists for $27 but can be bought used at Amazon for $13.50, or can be downloaded on Adobe Reader for $12.21.
THE DIABETES AND HEART HEALTHY COOKBOOK
by The American Diabetes Association
Reviewed by Ruth Mencl, MN RN CDE and Barbara Simpson, RD, LD, CDE
The Diabetes And Heart Healthy Cookbook has well thought out recipes
that would be tasty meal options. It provides a week of sample menus at the
beginning, and these would be particularly helpful for people wanting snacks
between meals. However, sometimes the lunch selections are a bit smaller in
order to accommodate a higher content of carbohydrate for a snack, such as the
1/2 cup "Apricot and Apple Granola," a 37 gram carb portion. The high
carb snacks can make the pre-meal blood sugars higher so the buyer would need
to beware in that area.
The sample menus do not show the carbohydrate amounts at each meal and snack.
That would help the person with diabetes to fit in the appropriate amount of
carb at their meals. The average daily carbohydrate intake for these meal plans
is between 174 and 225 grams per day. This may be useful for a man; but for
those people wanting to lose weight, the recommended amount would be more in
the 160-180 gram per day range.
The book does provide cooking tips throughout, and they are unique and helpful. Exchanges and carbohydrate amounts are listed clearly in the recipes. A fair amount of cooking is required, for some of the recipes -- which would appeal more to people with fewer time constraints. The Diabetes and Heart Healthy Cookbook would be a useful adjunct for someone trying to put together a diabetes meal plan who desires to have two to three snacks per day. It lists for $16.95, and can be bought on Amazon.com for $11.53.
GRAHAM KERR'S SIMPLY SPLENDA COOKBOOK
With Suzanne Butler
Reviewed by Ruth Mencl, MN RN CDE, and Barbara Simpson, RD LD CDE
Graham Kerr's cookbook has excellent recipes, using lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, low fat, decreased saturated fat and low sodium. The sauces, spreads and toppings are fantastic! They are particularly lower in carbohydrate and sodium, and will take a little extra time to prepare, but it seems to be well worth the effort. The ketchup and barbecue sauce look really good. It would be helpful to be more specific with the serving size on some recipes. Also, it would be good to have a little less white flour in the recipes. A better option would be unbleached flour.
The exchange amounts and other dietary information are labeled clearly for each recipe. This book focuses on the new sugar-free sweetener Splenda Granular in an effort to reduce calorie and carbohydrate amounts without losing good taste. Mr. Kerr has a special interest in diabetes, due to his wife's diagnosis, and appears to be focused toward traditional, tasty recipes that are simple to make with readily available ingredients.
This cookbook offers simple, easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions. We would
recommend it for those who are looking for special treats that are already modified.
It lists for $12.95 in the U.S. and on Amazon.com for $10.36.