Healthy and Delicious

Revised 12-29-00

My grandmother has Type-1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes. She has to take insulin shots daily and has a specific diet to maintain on. The last 6 years has been a real roller-coaster for her health, in and out of hospitals quicker then pop princesses and their newest plastic surgery. When I was 16, my grandmother had to have a quadruple bypass surgery. What is that? Well let me try my best to explain it with words, though its easier to understand with pictures.

There are many veins and arteries that come and go to the heart. One of them, the coronary arteries, blocked up in my grandmother. See what many people dont realize is that by eating a diet of high fat food, over-time the fat itself will deposit on walls of artery and veins causing blockage. In fact, I am more worried about today's teenagers then I am about any other age. They love to go to the local fast food restaurant on a daily basis. They consume high amounts of fat, lard, grease, and low amounts of fiber, not to mention they do not adequately exercise. A recent scientific study showed a group of teens that appeared healthy on the outside, actually had beginning stages of atherosclerosis (fatty build up in the body) at the age of 16...once fat accumulates on your blood vessels, it stays there until it is removed via angioplasty or bypass surgery. What is a Bypass Surgery? That is when doctors use either a vein or an artery from a cadaver or they graft one from your leg and they use the healthy unclogged artery or vein to become a new "on ramp" for your heart. So the doctors will locate the exact spot of fatty build up in the artery, clamp that section off on both sides, and then they will attach the new artery or vein to the unclogged portion of the bad artery or vein. Thus it is called a bypass. Double bypass is when one artery has to have 2 bypasses, called shunts. Triple bypass is when an artery has 3 areas of plaque that need to be bypassed, and Quad bypass is when there are 4. I believe the most one has had done is something like 7, but I am not sure.

So when my grand-mother came home from surgery, her regular physician gave her a stern lecture about the importance of exercising and a healthy lifestyle. My grandmother is very obese, thus this only exacerbates her diabetes.

My family had a meeting and we decided that it would be in my best interest to help my grand-mother out. You see, at the time, I was pretty sure I wanted to become a doctor. Why? Because I wanted to help people. Well, I still want to help people, but not through Medicine. I dont believe in their tenets of practice, nor could I deal with the managed care. I believe the Soul or the Psyche is what is important. Healthy Soul: Healthy Body.

Anyhow, I became my grand-mothers proxy health aide. I gave her insulin shots, measured her glucose, etc. However, something wasnt working as she wasnt getting much better. I finally decided she needed to stop eating all the fatty and salty foods and start really taking her Diabetes seriously. That was when I bought the Diabetic Cooking.

When I saw this magazine at the grocery store, I was instantly drawn to the title, and then I flipped through the recipies and started salivating at the tasty meals. Let's look at the content itself:


-Facts About Diabetes: The first 4 pages of this magazine talk about Diabetes and Diabetic Management Diet. It is very thorough and I love the tips it gives for Diabetic patients to live a healthy life. The magazine states 6 things one can do to have a more healthy life. They are eat a variety of foods (just because you have Diabetes does not mean you cant have a wide range of food in your diet), Maintain a Healthy Weight (this is a must, overweight and obese individuals put more stress on the pancreas and the insulin production cells), Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products, Use Sugars in moderation, and Use salt and sodium in moderation. These are great tips for people with and without Diabetes.

-Appetizers and Drinks:
Spicy Vegetable Quesadillas (8 servings), Pineapple Ginger Shrimp Cocktail (6 servings), Smoked Salmon Appetizers (about 2 dozen), Southern Crab Cakes With Remoulade Dipping Sauce (8 servings), Shrimp Dip With Crudites (10 servings), Cranberry-Lime Margarita Punch (10 servings), Oregon Hot Apple Cider (8 servings).

Personal Note: I love the Quesadillas, they are just too good and they do not have any meat in them, which is great!!

-Salads and Soups:
Pear and Cranberry Salad (6), Spicy Pumpkin Soup With Green Chili Swirl (4), Crab Cobb Salad (8), Texas-Style chili (hot hot hot)(8), Double Corn and Chedder Chowder (6), Santa Fe Grilled Vegetable Salad (8), Spinach Salad With Hot Apple Dressing (Wonderful)(6), New England Clam Chowder (Definately a must)(2)

-Main Dishes:
Turkey And Pasta With Cilantro Pesto (6), Roast Turkey With Cranberry Stuffing (10), Oven-Roasted Boston Scrod (6), Shrimp Etouffee (8), Hoppin' John Supper (Yummy)(8), Mustard-Crusted Roast Pork (8), Hazelnut-Coated Salmon Steaks (4), Easy Brunch Frittata (6)

-Side Dishes:
Southern-Style Succotash (6), Boston Baked Beans (Oh my God, these are too good)(8), Spirited Sweet Potato Casserole (8), Hawaiian Stir-Fry (6), Potato Pancakes With Apple-Cherry Chutney (12), Wild And Brown Rice With Exotic Mushrooms (8), Spicy Southwestern Vegetable Saute (6), Festive Cornmeal Biscuits (12), Carrot And Parsnip Puree (10), Roasted Potatoes And Pearl Onions (really good)(10), Molasses Brown Bread (18 slices)

-Desserts:
Caramelized Peaches And Cream (another Oh My God)(10), Maple Pumpkin Pie (10), Tropical Fruit Cream Parfaits (5), Cinnamon-Ginger Tortilla Sticks (5), Strawberry Margarita Pie (8), Cocoa Hazelnut Macaroons (36), Maple Caramel Bread Pudding (8), Mocha Crinkles (72), Turtle Cheescake (16), Apple-Cranberry Tart (8)

Perhaps you can see why I love this Recipe Magazine so much! If you mouth isnt watering by now, I would suggest you get yourself checked for Dehydration.

Each time the magazine is issued, new recipes come in, and occaisionally they will "replay" an favorite of the subscribers. In fact, I highly recommend you subscribe to this tasty and delightful magazine.

Disclaimer: I am not a Medical Doctor, or a Registered Dietician. Therefore before making any changes in your diet, please consult with your doctor first as she knows more about your condition and medications. Some of these recipes include the use of alcohol in them as ingrediants. Many medications can not be mixed with alcohol, death can and often will result. Some of the recipes are higher in sodium then others, so always refer to your Physician before doing anything to improve your health.







I am not a diabetic. My grandmother, on the other hand, is afflicted with this ailment. Over one summer, I was doing home hospice for her and I stumbled upon this magazine. I bought it and took it home. I looked through all the recipes and I was pleasantly suprised. 90% of the recipes were very low in sodium....there were a few that had very high milligrams of sodium and they were main dishes, but I didnt think they would be appropriate for one who had severe case of diabetes.
As I was making the meals, I would often dish out a plate for myself. And I absolutely loved them. 80% of the recipes in the magazine, I loved to pieces. Now, you have to know that I am a very picky eater. I rarely eat from cookbooks or anything like that as I dont like the taste or the style. But the Diabetic Cooking recipes were delicious. And very healthy and they introduced me into herbs and spices other than salt or pepper. I recommend this for the diabetic and nondiabetic alike. After all, we all could use low salt meal's in our nutrition right?