Shasta Press - The Diabetic Cookbook: Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Recipes for a Diabetes Diet

IntroductionThey Dont Call It Comfort Food for Nothing W e all have special memories of our childhood, and a good number of them center around food. Whether it was a special celebration, holiday, Sunday dinner, Saturday breakfast, or even just ordinary weekday meal, chances are your kitchen was the heart of your home. Home and hearth; family and friends gathered around the table sharing a meal or maybe just dessert; the familiar smells of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies, lemonade, meat loaf, baked beans, breads, and pies wafting from the kitchen make for powerful memories. Food can be comforting to the mind as well as the body, and sharing delicious food made from scratch is the ultimate expression of love. You can taste the care that went into it. When food is made with love, it is simply better.

Its interesting how new cuisines come into vogue, but the comforting and familiar dishes made in the warm, fragrant kitchens of our childhood are the ones we crave. These comfort foods arent fancy. But for most of us, the ordinary dinner of tuna casserole or picnic with savory pork and beans is what tasted the best, and often these recipes are what have been passed down through the generations. Eating Grandmas baked beans or Moms vegetable soup makes us feel good. Its the ordinary, everyday home-cooked foods that taste the best and still bring us the most comfort. As with everything, food has evolved.

Those traditional and cozy dishes typically are high in calories, sugar, and fat. But with our knowledge of modern healthful cooking techniques and fresh ingredients, there is no reason we cant still enjoy our favorite comfort foods. This book reintroduces you to the familiar foods you love to eat, but this time theyre prepared so they can be enjoyed by everyone, including those with diabetes, and they taste as good as you remember. No longer is there any need to cook special diabetic meals when everyone sits down together to share the same meal and continue to make new memories around the table. This book will be especially helpful to those who are newly diagnosed with diabetes. Knowing how to eat healthfully and manage portion size goes a long way toward making it easier to live with this disease.

When everyone can eat the same meal and not feel deprived, people with diabetes, friends, and family do not need to give up their favorite foods, and the family cook doesnt have to do double duty in the kitchen. Cooking and eating can still be one of lifes great pleasures, shared with loved ones of all ages. The recipes in this book are simple to follow: cheeseburgers, French fries, spaghetti, potpie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate-chip cookies, macaroni and cheese, apple pie, mashed potatoes, meat loafthe list includes 150 favorite American classics. Recipes ranging from regional American classics to ethnic favorites are revisited and made diabetes-friendly, and newer favorites like fajitas and curry noodle soup are given a fresh twist. And lets not forget the old standbys: tuna, green bean, sweet potato, and broccoli casseroles are also given a makeover, as are all of the mayonnaise-based salads that are so popular at picnics, like macaroni salad, potato salad, and coleslaw. If youre wondering how these recipes can be more nutritious but also be more flavorful and still taste familiar, the answer is in using high-quality low-fat cheeses, small amounts of real butter, kosher salt, fresh herbs, spices, good-quality olive oil, the ripest produce, and the best poultry, seafood, and meats.

When the ingredients are of good quality and prepared from scratch, food tastes good. Its that simple. Be a selective shopper, and use the recommended ingredients for these recipes, which can be easily found. Youll end up with flavor-rich dishes that your family and friends will love.

CHAPTER ONESmart Food Choices Dont let living with diabetes overwhelm you, because it doesnt have to. If you just follow a few basic rules about daily eating, you should have no problem managing your blood sugar.

Some of this information may not be new to you. But read through this section anyway: it may contain the crucial bit of information you need to make cooking and planning your meals a little easier.

• Keep your blood sugar steady by eating smaller portions spread throughout the day.
• Eat less at meals and have a snack between each meal.
• Limit high-sugar foods and limit alcohol intake.

Carbohydrates

• Pay attention to your food choices. Keep track of your carbohydrate intake and the types of carbohydrates you eat. Know what you can eat. The book Type 2 Diabetes Basics (International Diabetes Center, 2004) presents the following guidelines for people who want to maintain weight but do little physical activity: women can eat 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal (three to four carb choices), and men can eat 60 to 75 grams of carbohydrates per meal (five to six carb choices).

  If you are looking to gain or lose weight or you are physically active, check with your health care provider before changing your diet.

• Substitute all or half of the white flour in recipes with whole-wheat flour. Whole-wheat flour is often the easiest choice, but almond, oat, and soy flours are also good choices. (See the for examples.)
• Choose whole-wheat or high-fiber pastas. Some brands are blends or are higher in fiber and taste just like the traditional pastas you love to eat. Low-carb or whole-grain pastas are digested more slowly and wont cause a spike in blood sugar. They also leave you feeling full longer.
• Substitute any starchy vegetable for pasta.

  Spaghetti squash and zucchini are tasty options.

Sugar Substitutions and Equivalents

• Replace real sugar in recipes with low-calorie or no-calorie, natural or artificial sugar substitutes. Packages often state conversion amounts, and granular sweeteners, such as Splenda or other sucralose brands, measure cup for cup like real sugar. In the case of stevia, far less is needed to substitute for sugar, so check the package and use sparingly. Conversions, including natural sweetener options, are listed on the sweetener chart on in .
• Note that using fruit juice, fruit pures, honey, or molasses in place of sugar is the same as using real sugar. In some recipes these sweeteners are used in conjunction with no-calorie sweeteners to help food to brown or cakes to rise. So the blends sometimes are especially preferable in baking to achieve a browning effect.
• Natural sweeteners for diabetes include stevia, xylitol, and chicory root.

  Other popular no-calorie sweeteners include sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), and saccharin (SweetN Low).

• Dont be afraid to experiment with other sugar-free options. Todays sugar-free or low-sugar pancake syrup and imitation honey taste great. If you cannot find them in your local grocery store, you can often find them online.
• Use spices and flavorings, such as cinnamon or vanilla, to impart a sweeter flavor to foods and decrease the amount of sweetener needed.

Fat and Protein Because diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, it is important to lower your intake of fat. Start by using the following tips to eliminate unnecessary fat from recipes:

• Saut with a nonstick vegetable spray, or make your own spray with olive or canola oil. Spraying makes it easier to use less oil.
• Use nonfat mayonnaise, nonfat sour cream, and nonfat cream cheese. Nonfat Greek yogurt is great for adding creaminess to a recipe.