by Marilyn Helton
In checking recent issues of the Book Reviews, I note we haven't pulled any cookbooks off the shelf since last spring. Since October is "National Cookbook Month," I'm delighted to serve you a feast of new cookbooks for your cool weather consumption, along with a couple of books filled with terrific tips for weight-loss success!
Those of you with a diabetic child or family member will love the newly released Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes, by Patti Geil, MS, RD, FADA, CDE, and Tami Ross, RD, LD, CD. This wonderful cookbook for kids and parents alike impressed me so much, I created a recipe feature around it in the August issue of the Cinnamon Hearts Web site!
When you're a kid with diabetes, food can seem like "medicine"--eating certain foods at certain times in certain amounts. With childhood obesity leading to type 2 diabetes in children on the rise, the importance of eating healthfully cannot be understated.Authors Geil and Ross have planted their collective fingers directly on the food tastes kids love in Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes. The recipes are divided into three sections: 'Made for a Meal', which includes main dishes, sides, and appetizers; 'Anytime in Between', 'Chock-full of Treats'; and 'Save the Best for Last', which features delicious desserts. Each recipe is divided into simple steps for preparation and degree of difficulty, with complete nutritional information and dietary exchanges per serving. Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes is much more than just recipes though; it opens with a chapter aimed at children themselves. Full of fun food facts, it offers elementary lessons about nutrition, including easy-to-understand diabetes information. Material for parents and caregivers, including discussions of meal plan options and frequently asked questions and answers, is also an important part of this chapter.Finally, some of my favorite features in this delightful book are the creative projects incorporating food and/or food ingredients. How to make a Windowsill Herb Garden and Potato Stampers are the two I plan to share with Taylor, my seven-year-old granddaughter.
Even if you don't have a child with diabetes in your immediate circle, this book is terrific for anyone who wants to involve children in a healthy eating lifestyle. You can't go wrong with this one, folks; it's a great little book for children and grown-ups alike. Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes is published by the American Diabetes Association.
On a slightly lighter note, Help! My Underwear is Shrinking! by Jo Ann Hattner, MPH, RD, Ann Coulston, MS, RD, and E. Michael Goodkind, BA, is written for overweight people who are prone to adult onset diabetes, have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, or are faced with the risk of developing the condition.
This dynamic and enjoyable book is a good read which you can easily consume in a couple of hours. The Appendices feature a Carbohydrate Countdown Catalog, Sample Menus and offer a number of reliable resource, references and Internet links. Published by the American Diabetes Association, this little book is a good choice, especially if you're challenged with shrinking underwear!
If you want more weight-loss motivation, pick up a copy of 101 Weight Loss Tips for Preventing and Controlling Diabetes. Co-authored by Anne Daly, MS, RD, BC-ADM, CDE, Linda Delahanty, MS, RD, LD, and Judith Wylie-Rosett, EdD, RD, this American Diabetes Association publication will help you lose the weight and keep it off -- once and for all.
Quick weight-loss diets (and I hate the word d-i-e-t!) are only temporary fixes for the national obesity epidemic. If you're tired of tricky diets, you need a simple plan that will support good health for the rest of your life! In 101 Weight Loss Tips you'll learn what reasonable weight loss really is, what to eat and when, what sets off your personal weight loss triggers, how to banish binge eating, how to evaluate a weight-loss program, whether weight loss drugs OR surgery are right for you, how emotions figure in the food triangle, what to do when you're not eating and why exercise may be (IS) the magic key to successful weight loss. Losing weight can save you more than money and make you a healthier person inside and out.
Authors Daly, Delahanty and Wylie-Rosett are three experts in the fields of nutrition and diabetes. Their combined experience will help you avoid the risk of developing diabetes and, if you've already been diagnosed, avoid the risk of serious complications by learning how to successfully lose your extra pounds and keep them off.
Enough said about weight-loss tips. The definitive question most folks with diabetes want answered is: What can I have to eat? The answer, of course, is there's no specific "diet" for diabetes because there are just too many individual variables. Your age, health status, amount of exercise you get, dietary restrictions (i.e., low-salt or low-cholesterol), need for a weight loss program, and so on, are elements which factor into your individual eating plan. Each person with diabetes needs a guide or outline, specifically designed for his or her individual needs, and then he can select from almost any food available within the range of choices for his daily meal plan. Once your plan is developed, by a nutritionist, registered dietitian or health care professional, you're ready to select recipes from any number of cookbooks available for healthy eating and/or diabetic concerns. Once you've established your personal plan you can embark on your search for the perfect cookbook to meet your needs.
Magic Menus for People with Diabetes (2nd Edition), is filled with more than 200 low-fat, calorie-controlled meals with recipes for your selection. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack menus, complete with a total carbohydrate count for the meal, are included on each page. For example, one dinner menu with Bay Scallops Parmesan served with one small baked potato and reduced-fat sour cream, steamed zucchini, and a slice of Chocolate Angel Food Cake topped with 1-1/4 cups of fresh strawberries is served up for a total consumption of 64 carbohydrates for the meal.
The recipe suggestions for each meal in Magic Menus sound delicious. Each recipe has a nutritional analysis which includes calories, total fat, total carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, protein, dietary fiber and sugars. Diabetic Exchanges are also included, for those who use the Exchange system. The downside to this tasty little book, however, is in the fact that it is so confusing and cumbersome to find those recipe analyses, which are NOT listed by recipe title or even by menu number or page number! They are found at the back of the book, in order of their appearance in the book (from front to back). This is especially discouraging to those of us who cook on the run and don't have time to look for each analysis in random order.
If this book is rendered again, in a third edition, I would strongly suggest that the editors include the nutritional analysis AND exchange information on the same page with each recipe. I don't want to go on a hunting expedition to see if the fat, carbs and proteins of a recipe that catches my eye will fit into my daily meal plan! Magic Menus for People with Diabetes is published by the American Diabetes Association, Inc.
Mix 'N Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes, (c) 2003 by Linda Gassenheimer, is a new book with an added bonus: All servings are for one or two people! This is a feature too often neglected in the cookbook publishing venue, and I'm glad to see more books coming into the market which recognize the needs of singles, seniors and empty-nesters. Mix 'N Match Meals in Minutes is organized into three major sections: breakfasts, lunches and dinners. There's also a handy "Month of Meals at a Glance," offered in a calendar chart format, right up front at the beginning of the book. Each day gives the reader suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and includes the page number for each recipe. You won't have to go far to find the complete nutritional analysis along with the Exchanges and portion size (frequently omitted in many cookbooks) for each recipe, either! They're conveniently located right on the same page with the recipe, just where you'd expect to find them!
Author Linda Gassenheimer is a syndicated food columnist, radio host, author and chef who has an impressive list of cookbooks to her credit. She's probably best known for her best-selling, low-carb cookbook and nationally syndicated newspaper column, "Dinner In Minutes." And here's what I especially like about Mix 'N Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes: It's a blueprint for people looking to eat both deliciously and healthfully -- whether they have diabetes or not! The recipes are low in carbs, which is vital to folks with diabetes, who work so hard to keep their blood glucose under control.
I also like the variety of nontraditional breakfast, sandwich/lunch, and dinner suggestions, such as a Basque Red Pepper Frittata served with a bowl of Oatmeal, or a Tomato-Cheese Melt and Bran Cereal served up with a Blueberry Smoothie. How about biting into a Toasted Turkey Sandwich accompanied by a side of Bran Cereal for breakfast? Perhaps you'd like to try a Neapolitan Pizza with a fresh Plum for lunch. Or, how about a Steak and Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with a cup of Sliced Mango? A tasty dinner choice might be Southwestern Chicken topped with Salsa and a Tortilla Salad on the side. End the meal with fresh Spiced Berries topped with a balsamic sauce and your meal is complete. You're limited only by your personal taste and sense of culinary adventure!In addition to the creative recipes and menu plans, the addition of a "Staples List" (ingredients you normally have on hand) and a "Shopping List" is another plus, included with each recipe. Each meal has a simple countdown plan to get all the dishes on the table at the same time, and all menus have between 45 and 75 grams of carbohydrate so you won't need to count or plan, just shop, stir and serve!Give yourself, favorite single or couple a copy of this delightful and informative cookbook as a treat! Mix 'N Match Meals in Minutes is another American Diabetes Association publication which I heartily recommend.I hope this offering has satisfied your appetite for new information and will hold you until the New Year! Be sure to enjoy the upcoming holidays in good health and great spirit. Until next time, try to stay balanced and in the moment; it's the best place to be!
Marilyn Helton, diabetic since 1993, is the publisher of Cinnamon Hearts: The Art of Living a Winning Diabetic Lifestyle, a positive-power E-zine for diabetics and their families. Visit the Cinnamon Hearts Web site: www.cinnamonhearts.com.