Step Into Spring With Healthier Habits
I just returned from a morning appointment and I'm full of fresh "Spring is in the air" enthusiasm. We're having one of those rare, end-of-winter days on the West Coast, the kind that plays tag with your senses and teases you into believing you can do anything, even exercise!
We diabetics know how important good nutrition is for good glucose control. According to an ADA spokesperson, however, most consumers think of nutrition as a matter of "rules and denial," and that good healthy eating takes "too much time to prepare." With more than 55% of our nation classified as obese, and childhood obesity leading to ever- higher numbers of type 2 diabetes in children, the experts are alarmed. This means that the complications of diabetes, such as heart attack and stroke, can and will show up earlier in adulthood (early 30s)!
Lifestyle changes, such as better eating, come in stages, and you'll be a lot more successful if you start small. Small stage examples would be planning and shopping ahead for meals, eating smaller portions, making your changes enjoyable, and adding new foods to your menu.
We're going to be facing lots of celebrations this Spring: Easter and Passover, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Father's Day and various and assorted graduations and weddings. All are food-focused, and for the diabetic, will always present a challenge. If you need a little more motivation to get you started in the direction of a healthier lifestyle, visit your local library and check out some of the cookbooks we've described below. Your body will thank you!
I love Robyn Webb's cookbooks, and one of the best is the FLAVORFUL SEASONS COOKBOOK : Great Tasting Recipes For Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Published by the American Diabetes Association, Flavorful Seasons is filled with over 400 recipes and a wealth of cooking tips and inspirational quotes. Chef/author Robyn Webb has also included great ideas for holiday decorating and seasonally-appropriate menus for holiday entertaining. (This reviewer wrapped the "Day In Bermuda" menu around a Mother's Day theme for the Cinnamon Hearts website this past Spring. The menu included Pina Coladas, Tropical Chicken Salad, Citrus Rice and Coconut Pudding Squares. All recipes were simple enough for Dad and the kids to prepare while Mom was out of the kitchen for the afternoon).
Full page ingredient information on topics such as Serving Squash, Saucy Stir-Frys, Better Salad-Making, Grilling Techniques, Marinades and Dry Rubs, Grab Some Grains, A Hill of Beans and The Sweet Smell of Spices punctuate each section of the book.
THE FLAVORFUL SEASONS COOKBOOK not only fills a cookbook collector's requisites, but is deliciously healthy and practical. Recipes are easy to prepare, and use readily available seasonal ingredients. I like the "one-liner" anecdotes just under the title of each recipe, which offer serving suggestions for accompaniment or taste descriptions to help the cook in planning the rest of the menu. This is a great gift suggestion not only for diabetics and their caretakers, but for those of all levels of cooking experience who wish to prepare healthy meals, suitable for every occasion. Highly recommended.
THE FLAVORFUL SEASONS COOKBOOK, by Robyn Webb, (c)1996, published by the American Diabetes Association, $16.95.
Brand new on the cookbook scene is COOKING WITH THE DIABETIC CHEF, by Chris Smith. Who better to write a diabetic cookbook than a chef who has personal experience with diabetes? Chris Smith was midway through his culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America and apprenticing at New York's prestigious restaurant Le Cirque, when he gradually becoming unable to keep up with the demands of a fast-paced restaurant kitchen, coupled with the long daily commute to work. He frequently felt drained and fatigued. Constantly thirsty and needing to urinate more than normal, his work was beginning to suffer. After his third week at Le Cirque, he resigned to finish his apprenticeship in a restaurant closer to home.
By the time Chris began his fourth semester at the Culinary Institute of American, he started to develop stomach pains and cramps along with deepened fatigue, and more frequent thirst and urination. After he dropped 30 pounds, Chris' doctor tested him for diabetes and the rest is history. Chris was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Armed with determination after educating himself about his diabetes, Chris learned that he could control his disease with proper care and insulin management, without having to make radical life changes. With enthusiasm and dedication, Chris Smith dedicated his focus, training and experience as a chef, to teaching diabetics how they can still eat healthy and delicious foods while maintaining balance and control of their disease.
COOKING WITH THE DIABETIC CHEF is the culmination of Chris's approach to food: Using natural ingredients which are as fresh as possible and cooking with traditional techniques to bring out the best flavors of the ingredients. Herbs and spices are used throughout the book for complementing the best natural ingredients available. Divided into the four seasons for ingredient availability, recipes such as Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, Cornish Game Hen in Herb Butter, Sauteed Lemon Shrimp with Zucchini and Yellow Squash Julienne, Rosemary Pork Roast, Baked Stuffed Apples, Blackberry Cobbler and Chocolate Cake Celebration are just a few which have piqued my taste buds.
Overall, I applaud Chris Smith for showing us how he was able to turn a potentially devastating diagnosis into a pathway to achieve his goals and dreams. COOKING WITH THE DIABETIC CHEF teaches us all how to create healthy culinary masterpieces by using use the best and freshest possible ingredients. Most of all, Chris Smith teaches us that a diagnosis of diabetes is not a culinary death sentence!
(One admonition only from this reviewer, however: If you are a type 2 diabetic on a weight reduction program, or have high cholesterol levels or heart disease, be aware that some of the recipes contain higher amounts of fat than usual. Just remember to practice balance in your meal planning, i.e., if you want to sample some of Chris's delicious wares which have a bit more fat or carbohydrate in the analysis, plan ahead and work the recipes into your total daily meal plan. If you have any questions or doubts, discuss them with your doctor, dietitian or nutritionist.)
COOKING WITH THE DIABETIC CHEF, by Chris Smith, (c)2000, published by the American Diabetes Association, $19.95.
He's back! Alan L. Rubin, M.D., who authored DIABETES FOR DUMMIES, has now teamed up with Fran Stach, R.D., C.D.E., and Chef Denise Sharf to produce THE DIABETES COOKBOOK FOR DUMMIES. This new cookbook sets out to dispel one of the most common myths about diabetes, which is that people who have diabetes can't eat "regular" food.
In addition to more than 100 delicious recipes and great advice you can use at every meal, Dr. Rubin has included sections on Building a Healthy Lifestyle, Eating Out, and a section titled The Part of Tens: Ten Simple Steps to Improve Your Diet; Ten Easy Substitutions in Your Eating Plan; Ten Strategies to normalize Your Blood Glucose and Ten Tactics for Teaching Children with Diabetes Healthy Eating Habits.
For me, one of the most useful sections of the book was information on how to take a recipe nutritional analysis and manually calculate the dietary exchanges (Starches, Proteins, Fats, Milk, Fruit and Vegetables). This is found at the end of Part 1: Building a Healthy lifestyle. In my experience, I've run across many great healthy recipes, complete with nutritional analysis, but omitting the dietary exchanges so necessary for those diabetics who need to know the exchanges per serving. I plan to reprint this formula as standing information on our Cinnamon Hearts website.
As usual, Dr. Rubin and his team have done an outstanding job in the recipe department, too. Lots of good information on ingredients, creating balanced meals and adding desserts to the diabetic meal plan, as well as the benefits of breakfast, eating out and fast food tips. This book is also a fine teaching tool if your talents in the kitchen are lacking finesse. Recommended. THE DIABETES COOKBOOK FOR DUMMIES, by Alan L. Rubin, M.D., (c)2000, published by IDG Books, $19.99.
Marilyn Helton, type 2 diabetic since 1993, is the publisher of Cinnamon Hearts~The Art of Living A Winning Diabetic Lifestyle, a positive-power online e-zine for diabetics and their families. You can find more of Marilyn's book reviews, articles and recipes online at: http://diabeticgourmet.com, www.fabulousfoods.com, www.practicalkitchen.com, or Cinnamon Hearts website: http://members.xoom.con/cinnhearts/
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