Barbara Grunes - Diabetes Snacks, Treats, and Easy Eats: 130 Recipes Youll Make Again and Again

Copyright 2004, 2010 by Barbara Grunes.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanicial, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without express written permission from the publisher.

Diabetes Snacks, Treats, and Easy Eats 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-1-57284-665-4

The Library of Congress has cataloged the first edition of this book as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Grunes, Barbara.

Diabetes snacks, treats & easy eats : 150 recipes youll make again and again / by Barbara Grunes, with Linda R. Yoakam.

p. cm. ISBN 1-57284-060-9

1. DiabetesDiet therapyRecipes. I. Title: Diabetes snacks, treats, and easy eats. II. Yoakam, Linda R. III. Title.

RC662.G725 2004

641.56314dc22

2003021978

1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Surrey Books is an imprint of Agate Publishing, Inc. Nutritional analyses: Linda R. Yoakam, R.D., M.S.

Surrey and Agate books can be purchased in bulk at discounted prices. For more information, go to agatepublishing.com.

Thanks and appreciation go to my special friend Virginia Van Vynckt for her advice and editing; Chris Young for his endless help with the computer; and Chriss beautiful wife, Dorothy, for her encouragement. Additional thanks go to Linda Yoakam, M.S., R.D., L.D., for nutritional analyses; Dr. Debra Edidin, M.D., for medical guidance; and Jenny Edidin for recipe testing. Also deserving thanks are editors Gene DeRoin and Karen Straus, editorial assistant Anna Layton, and publisher Susan Schwartz.

And a very special thanks to my husband, Jerry, who makes all things possible for me.

WHEN MY FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR ASKED ME TO WRITE a Foreword to her new cookbook, Diabetes Snacks, Treats & Easy Eats, we had a lengthy discussion about the books point of view. After all, there are no longer any taboo foods for people with diabetes.

As a nation, however, we are fat and our children are, too. American children have a 30 percent chance of becoming obese adults. We have learned that being overweight dramatically increases the chances of developing diabetes and greatly increases the health risks and complications for a person with diabetes. And like overweight adults, our children are developing diabetes in numbers that are truly frightening. Children are no longer the victims of just Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes; they are now falling prey to Type 2, a preventable disease that used to strike primarily older adults.

Today, adults and children with diabetes are working with their doctor, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator to develop individualized eating plans. They are learning about portion control, how to count carbohydrates or exchanges, and, for those who take insulin, how to adjust their insulin doses accordingly.

We need to do something now to stop this epidemic, and we need to start with our children. As parents, healthcare providers, and caretakers, we should focus on how to encourage the consumption of good, wholesome foods, not on how to make junk food less junky.

This book is Barbaras contribution toward that end. She provides recipes for nutritious foods that are easy to prepare and delicious to eat. She also makes it do-able for the time-challenged home cook by limiting recipes to as few ingredients as possible. Complete nutritional information, including exchanges, is provided for each recipe.

Until the final research work is in, and until you have a chance to developwith a healthcare provideran individualized eating plan for yourself or your child, there are several ways to improve your current health and safeguard your future health: Practice portion control; eat a variety of foods, especially whole grains and colorful vegetables and fruits; reach and/or maintain a suitable weight; and make exercise a daily part of your life.

Debra Edidin, M. D.

Pediatric Endocrinologist

Northwestern University Medical School

CONTRARY TO POPULAR MYTH, THERE IS NO DIABETES DIET. So states the Mayo Clinic newsletter. In fact, medical and nutritional professionals have transformed the diabetes diets of yesteryear into contemporary meal planning that includes just about any foods you like as long as nutrition, balance, and portion control are given careful attention.

No longer are foods labeled as good, bad, or forbidden. No longer does a diagnosis of diabetes mean a life sentence of bland, boring, and unappetizing meals.

Diabetes Snacks, Treats & Easy Eats offers a wide range of recipes from appetizers to desserts and accompanies each with the nutritional information you need to stay within your meal-planning goals.

Even though people with diabetes do not have to give up favorite dishes and snacks they like, including sugar used sparingly and the occasional sweet, it is important to plan meals carefully, both for nutritional quality and quantity. It is even more important for those with diabetes than for the general population to choose foods that are low in fat, moderate in carbohydrates, low in salt, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins and minerals because people with diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease and a host of other health concerns as a result of their condition. Diabetes medications also work better when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Finding the calorie level that is right for your bodys needs, your age, and your activity level is, of course, essential. And even though you can eat moderate portions of just about anything, excess body weight is a serious threat to controlling diabetes and preventing heart disease and other complications that might arise from it.

For people with diabetes, controlling carbohydrate intake can be of major importance since carbohydrates raise glucose levels faster and more dramatically than other foods. Carbohydrates are found in foods with natural or added sugar such as breads, pasta, rice, crackers, cereals, potatoes, fresh fruits and juices, milk, table sugar, jams, and jellies. Other foods contain carbohydrates in combination with proteins and fats; some examples are cakes, ice cream, doughnuts, pizza, potato chips, and soups.

Table sugar used to be a forbidden food. It is now allowed in small amounts when needed for taste or texture, as long as it is counted with the total carbohydrate intake. Researchers have found that sugar does not raise blood glucose levels more rapidly than other foods containing carbohydrates. What is important is the total amount of carbohydrates eaten, not their source.

But beware: sweets and other foods high in sugar may also be high in fat and low in fiber and other nutrients. A high-fiber diet can help diabetics lower their blood sugar and insulin levels by as much as 10 percent. Fiber helps slow the rate at which your body digests and absorbs carbohydrates in food. So a choice between an apple and a doughnut is still an easy one to make.

Although specific nutrition goals that reflect blood glucose targets and other medical aims should be discussed with your doctor, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator, the following guidelines for daily allowances of carbohydrate, protein, and fat can form the basis of a balanced meal plan.

Knowing your individual carbohydrate, protein, and fat needs will help you choose recipes that meet these goals, and you can continue to eat most of your favorite foods. If you look at the nutritional information provided with every recipe in