Cooking Without Sugar
Diabetes
BY CAROLYN ffILSDON
GILLES
Crawford Co. Correspondent
When one is diagnosed as a
diabetic, according to Registered
Dietitian Carol Huggins, Outpa
tient Counselor with Meadville
Medical Center, “Everybody
becomes an expert”.
But everybody is not an expert.
Diabetes is a serious disease (hat
affects every organ of the body.
Said Huggins, “I can’t stress
enough the importance of
education.”
According to Huggins, when a
diabetic is newly diagnosed and
admitted to the hospital, the
immediate goal of health profes
sionals is to get the patient’s sugar
to a more normal level. While in
the hospital, some basic “survival
skills” will be taught: how to give
an insulin shot, how to do glucose
monitoring and the basics of the
diabetic diet. But this is not a good
time to do intensive teaching.
Being diagnosed as diabetic can
be overwhelming to a patient and
not the best time to absorb nutri
tion information. In the outpatient
program in which Huggins works,
patients have access to 10-12
hours of teaching after discharge
when they’re feeling better and
are more receptive.
At Meadville Medical Center,
patients with diabetes receive an
in-hospital visit from a dietition
and are given his/her name and
phone number for future consulta
tion. Huggins sees the out-patients
who are referred from doctor’s
offices for clarification of the doc
tor’s diet prescription. Initially,
she looks at her client’s existing
food habits. Said Huggins,
‘They’ve been your habits for
however many years old you are
and suddenly they’re asking you
to make major changes...! think
that we can take these one step at a
lime...(making) gradual changes
that you’re going to be able to
stick with.”
Huggins zeros in on those food
habits that are most offensive to
the diabetes and works with
patients to individualize their meal
plans. These days, almost any
thing can be worked into a diabe
tic diet plan based on exchanges.
The dietition considers a patient’s
life-style, age, exercise level, food
preferences and the amount of
time and effort he/she is willing
and/or able to contribute. A calor
ie level is determined and foods
divided into milk, vegetable, fruit.
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please
share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask
that you include accurate measurements, a complete
list of ingredients and clear instructions with each
recipe you submit. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good,
Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522
Feb.
4-
11-
18-
25-
Home On lie Band
bread, meat and fat exchanges.
But the exchange system may be
confusing unless someone
explains how to use it.
Said Huggins, “The whole key
to this is; the better educated a
diabetic is, the more self
sufficient they’re going to
become. So if they have the know
ledge base to work from, they can
do this on their own.”
Patients with diabetes can be a
help and inspiration to each other.
Lois May of Linesville was diag
nosed with adult-onset diabetes
about 5 years ago. Her dad, 80,
was diagnosed diabetic at the age
of 70. May’s first indication of the
disease was when her vision went
black while driving. She went to
an eye doctor, then a medical doc
tor, who pieced this symptom
together with others she was
experiencing, excessive thirst and
dry skin, to diagnose her diabetes.
She first was able to control her
blood sugar with pills, but after
two years went to insulin. She
consulted dietitian Carol Huggins
and watches her diet “pretty close
ly.” May carries instant frosting
with her “just in case,” but has
never needed n. She uses the Glo
cose Monitoring Machine but also
recognizes physical symptoms,
such as extreme dryness of the
mouth, that signal her to increase
her insulin and adjust her diet.
Although diabetes was in the fam
ily, Lois wasn’t particularly upset
about her diagnosis. Her only fear
is that she should lose her eye
sight. But diabetes hasn’t held
Lois May back. She said, “I’ts just
something I had to cope with.”
Huggins agrees that the Glu
cose Monitoring Machine is a
wonderful tool for diabetics. Said
Huggins, “Different foods affect
people differently. The physi
cian’s goal is that your sugar’s
going to be as normal as possible.
The diet can be so much more lib
eral if you’re willing to check.”
Monitoring has been critical to
40 years of successful diabetes
management for Mary Greene of
Springboro. In 1947, Mary was
diagnosed as a diabetic. They gave
her 20 years to live. Over 40 years
later, she has written her life story,
Living With A Broken String, as
a message of hope to diabetics
everywhere. “What is says is that
you can do it.” She gives credit for
her excellent dietary control to her
“miracle machine,” the Blood
Glucose Monitoring Machine. She
calls it a “breakthrough in diabetes
Cholesterol Free Recipes
Valentine Specials
One Dish Meals
Favorite Meat Recipes
Just because It’s dessert doesn’t mean it’s a no-no for those on a sugar-free diet.
management.” With the help of etes Self . Management> p>o Box Individual Cheese
f^ h - teChn ° ° gy i Sh t f a ‘ d 1183 > Dover, New Jef sey 07801. Apple Danish
Ca , n r p° W °°f f ° r ’ It is a wonderful magazine written Yield: 1 serving
~ a . d . to , T de e fP < ?f ta " cy - on a lay level. It is easy for con- Exchanges per serving: 1 High-
Said her husband John The s ory sumers y to read Zdcrsmd. Fat Meat. 1 Bread. 1 Fruit,
that he s trying to relay is that $l2 f()r 6 issues a year Ingredients:
S Recipes are reprinted with per- 1 cup water
thina .hi, fh' d fir mission from The American Diab- ‘A teaspoon cinnamon
dung that she really wanted to etes AssociationArhe American dash nutmeg
Mar h'h preca “ u ° ns that Dietetic Association Family 1 small apple, cored, peeled, and
Mary had to take were but a small Cookbook y thinly sliced
price to pay to keep her disease Creamy onion Dip { slice bread> loasted
manageable and enhance the qual- yield: 1 cup (8 servings) 1 1-ounce slice processed Ameri-
Uy T h< f lt6 ' u .. . Exchanges per 2-Tablespoon can Cheese
The idea to share their inspire- serving: 'A Vegetable, 1 Fat. 1. Measure water into small
Uonal story with others first came indents: saucepan. Add spices,
rom r. . Leonard Snider, an 2 Tablespoons dry onion soup mix 2. Add apple slices; bring to a
ne dermatdogist, and Dr. Barry j CU p dgjj-y sour cream boil. Reduce heat; simmer until
D. Stamm Cheif Opthamolog.st Method: apple is tender Dndn
? fr°h Plta in E . nC -J hC 1. Stir onion soup mix into sour 3. Place applq on toast. Top
book, hot off the presses, has been cream . with cheese.
endorsed by the Erie Diabetes 4 . Broil until cheese bubblcs .
Association. Mary had Dr. David (Turn , 0 p B 8)
Kirpatrick read it over for medical
accuracy. He indicated that it gave
“support to the beginning diabetic
to let them know that they can lead
a normal life.”
Other “diabetes how-to” books
lay out “dos and don’ts” but Mary
has a real ministry to the diabetic.
She knows what it is to go to work
with it and live with it. She gives
no medical advice. She just speaks
from her experience. Needless to
say, Mary is in demand as a moti
vational speaker for diabetics. She
is schuduled to speak at the spring
rally of the American Diabetic
Association.
Mary Cooper Greene’s book is
available for $12.95 (plus PA
sales tax) from Greene Associates,
P.O. Box G, Springboro, PA
16435-9666.
Other resources for the diabetic
are: The American Diabetes Asso
ciation, National Service Center,
16610 Duke St., Alexandria, VA
22313. Phone: 1-800-AD A-DISC.
Publications include: Exchange
Lists For Meal Planning, Healthy
Food Choices, Diabetes ’B9 (a free
quarterly newsletter for non
members who live with diabetes),
and Diabetes Forecast (a monthly
magazine for ADA members).
Each state has at least one Diab-
2. Chill. Serve with vegetable
relish tray.
Featured Recipe
Bananas have a well-deserved reputation for their good supply of
nutrients, but few people realize how healthful they really are.
They are an excellent source of potassium, B vitamins and vitamins
A and C. Besides potassium, their mineral content includes calcium,
magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and iron. They are 98.5 percent
fat free, have no cholesterol and contain 95 calories.
Great tasting, good for you and packed with essential vitamins and
minerals for a healthier you, bananas are definitely for everyone!
Looking for a new way to serve bananas? Try the following recipe
from the Lancaster County Extension Office.
BANANA BRAN MUFFINS
3 ripe bananas
V< cup whole bran cereal
'A cup milk
1 egg
‘A cup light molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
'A teaspoon salt
V> cup raisins
Slice bananas into blender, whip until pureed. Soften bran cereal in
milk. Combine bananas, egg, molasses and oil until blended. Combine
flour, soda and salt. Stir flour and moistened bran mixture until just
moistened. Fold in raisins. Spoon into well greased muffin pans. Bake
in 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Yield: 12 muffins.
If you are concerned about too much fat and cholesterol in your diet,
use skim milk in the above recipe, and use two egg whites instead of
the whole egg. You can also substitute 'A cup flour with whole wheat
flour for more nutritious muffins.