Diabetic & Delicious - Recipe

Vegetarian Times, April, 2000 by Elizabeth Hiser

You won't feel deprived with these healthy recipes

It's a sad but true statistic: Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in this country. Some 16 million Americans currently live with the disease, and every year, thousands more learn they have type II diabetes, the kind related to too much rather than too little insulin. Finding out you have (or are genetically predisposed to) this more-common but less-understood form of diabetes can be scary. But the good news is, it's relatively easy to control--if you take control of what you eat. (Also see "Beating the Blood Sugar Blues," p. 66.)

Excessive body fat sets the stage for type II diabetes by decreasing the body's ability to use insulin. As we all know, extra fat is the result of taking in more calories than we burn, so too much food and not enough exercise are big contributors to diabetes. But not everyone with a spare tire gets diabetes; genetics also plays a role. And judging from the current epidemic, it appears that the underlying genetic tendency is not all that rare.

Studies have shown that people with a genetic tendency for type II diabetes can avoid the disease in the first place by staying active and keeping their body fat within a healthy range. Regular daily activity, including walking, is one of the best ways to keep this disease at bay. Exercise--even if it doesn't result in weight loss--also helps tame diabetes once it surfaces because it helps to control blood sugar levels.

But it's not quite as simple as burning more calories than you take in. There's also the issue of the kinds of fat you eat. Because diabetics are at higher risk for heart disease, saturated fats from animal products and hydrogenated fats from processed foods should absolutely be eliminated. Monounsaturated fats (like olive and canola) are recommended because of their potential for lowering blood cholesterol.

Eating more fiber (experts recommend 25 to 35 grams a day) also helps accomplish the primary objective in diabetes control: losing weight to lower blood sugar. (In fact, eating enough fiber is essential to weight control for everyone, since foods naturally high in fiber are the opposite of foods high in calories.) Fiber slows you down when you eat because it makes you chew and fills you up--and it's virtually calorie-free. One tactic for controlling diabetes is to make sure that every meal and snack contains some fiber, along with carbohydrates. Ways to maximize your fiber intake include eating whole fruit rather than drinking juice, choosing whole grains over refined and basing meals on soy foods, beans and other vegetables.

Sugar usually gets a big thumbs-down with diabetics, but the new nutritional guidelines from the American Diabetes Association actually permit small, reasonable amounts. Its recommendation for sugar intake is based on scientific studies that show that carbohydrates in the form of sugar do not raise blood sugar levels more rapidly than other carbohydrate-containing foods. And even though sweets and other foods high in sugar tend to be high in fat and low in nutrients, a small amount can enhance a recipe and will not be harmful for most people.

Living with diabetes requires lifestyle changes that are hard for anyone to make. But contrary to popular opinion, diabetic food does not have to be boring or tasteless. Follow the dietary guidelines for your health, and with our recipes, you can serve delicious, nutritious meals that friends and family will also enjoy.

Recipes and portions of text from The Other Diabetes: Living and Eating Well with Type 2 Diabetes (Morrow, 1999) by Elizabeth Hiser, M.S., R.D.

Breakfast Bars

MAKES 12

Start the day with a healthy breakfast bar--these are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals plus omega-3 essential fatty acids from the walnuts and flaxseeds. If you can't find ground flaxseeds, grind your own in a food processor, blender or spice grinder so their nutrients are more readily absorbed.

1 Tbs. ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup oat bran cereal
1 cup Bran Buds cereal or any 100%
  bran cereal
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  (3 1/2 oz.)
2 tsp. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 [degrees] F. Lightly coat 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with flaxseeds and walnuts; bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Set aside. Keep oven on.

3. In large bowl, combine oats, oat and bran cereals, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.

4. Pour buttermilk into large glass measuring cup. With fork, stir in egg, oil and orange peel until well blended.

5. Add buttermilk mixture to oat mixture and stir with rubber spatula just until moistened. Fold in dried apricots, then toasted flaxseeds and walnuts. Transfer to prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle top with sugar.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely, then cut into 12 bars.