Gardner - The new diabetes cookbook : 100 mouthwatering, seasonal, whole-food recipes

Stephen G. Rosen, MD

Pennsylvania Hospital

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

I was raised in a family where we grew vegetables in our own garden. I found carrots instead of chips in my lunch box, and sugary cereals were served for dessertnot at breakfast. I was fortunate to grow up learning to cook meals from scratch, because thats what my mom did, and what her mom did, and because that was all they could afford. I had no idea I was eating healthy.

Cooking and eating well with diabetes isnt easy. On top of all the typical challenges to the home cook (time, energy, ingredients on hand, etc.)there are also worries about carbohydrate content, blood sugar, and making the right choices.

I wrote this book because over the many years that Ive worked with people who have diabetes, Ive heard them say that they are told by nurses and doctors to Stop eating sugar! Avoid carbohydrates and no more fruit! In two words, my reaction is: I disagree.

Ive had success helping people with diabetes control their blood sugar while continuing to eat carbohydrate-based foods, including fruit and sugars. I believe that eating well with diabetes is about eating whole, unprocessed foods in moderate portions. Artificial sweeteners and highly processed ingredients have no place in my kitchenand they should not have a place in yours, either! I want you to enjoy real butter, real sugar, and real food. You can identify real food just by looking at it. For instance, a chicken is a chicken, not a chicken nugget. And right away, you can recognize a tomatoit doesnt need a box or a label or fancy packaging.

I know this may be a new way of eating and a new way of thinking about food, but controlling diabetes is about learning to eat in a new way. By choosing whole foods when theyre in season, you are choosing a more sustainable, more nutritious lifestyle. And thats what its all abouta healthy lifestyle, where eating healthy begins with cooking.

Being an adventurous cook is simply about building your kitchen confidenceits about experimenting and failing, followed by experimenting and succeeding. Its about knowing your ingredients and using them to best advantage. None of this is anything more than a learned skill.

Cooking creates both a chemical and an emotional bond with food; it helps you value where ingredients come from and the work it takes to grow, raise, and prepare your meal. It can make you feel happy and responsible for your own well-being, while satisfying the basic need to eat.

Most important, enjoy your food! Make cooking an activity you look forward to and make eating a happy and memorable experience. With this book, eating with diabetes will never be bland or boring again.

Eat well,

There are a few critical items for your kitchen that are worth the money, because some will instantly improve your cooking and others will definitely improve your health. Here are my top three choices for must-have items: