Be aware also that Italian ices and granitas are equivalent to the sorbet in this demonstration in terms of calories and sugar content.
1-cup scoop rich strawberry ice cream
540 calories, 33 grams fat, 48 grams sugar
33 grams bad fat = 6 ½ pats butter
12 teaspoons sugar
1-cup scoop strawberry sorbet
200 calories, 0 grams fat, 48 grams sugar
12 teaspoons sugar
0 grams bad fat
3 sugar-free strawberry Creamsicles
75 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams sugar
1-cup scoop rich strawberry ice cream
540 calories
=
22 sugar-free strawberry Creamsicles
540 calories, 0 grams fat,
0 grams sugar
* * *
LO-CAL SWEETENERS: NO FEAR!
If you have read horror stories about sweeteners in no-added-sugar treats, sugar-free candies or diet beverages, relax: the stories are not supported by scientific evidence. All sweeteners approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been subjected to rigorous scrutiny, and we consider low-calorie sweeteners both safe and useful.
Useful they certainly are. Sweeteners are one area where “natural” is not necessarily better: sugars, honey and syrups are not helpful where both weight loss and fighting diabetes are concerned. So by all means, use the sweeteners to take the edge off a tart beverage, satisfy your sweet tooth or in cooking, and don’t worry about them in the treats on the Beat Diabetes Pyramid.
For the most part, the dessert recipes in this book call for and have been tested with Splenda, but by all means follow your own lo-cal sweetener preference.
One caveat: we do not recommend aspartame—sold as NutraSweet or Equal—for use in cooking, although it’s fine as an addition to a drink or sprinkled on your fruit.
* * *
A NOTE ON CHOCOLATE: THE GOOD KEEPS GETTING BETTER
Chocolate is the gift that keeps giving—as rich in health benefits as it is in pleasurable taste. Yes, chocolate contains saturated fat, but unlike other saturated fats, its fat content does not raise blood cholesterol levels. And cocoa, which is chocolate without the fat, is even low in calories.
We’re talking here about dark chocolate—not milk or white chocolate, which are loaded with sugar. White chocolate, in fact, is not technically chocolate at all and delivers none of the considerable health benefits of chocolate.
But at the heart of the matter is chocolate’s content of flavonols, phytonutrients found in many fruits and vegetables, including the cocoa bean. Especially where diabetes is an issue, flavonols pack a powerful health punch, helping to raise insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, decrease bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol and promote the health of blood vessels. There’s a simple way to put it: chocolate is very, very good for heart health.
Several studies have shown that insulin resistance drops and insulin sensitivity rises after ingesting chocolate—specifically, dark chocolate. That gives chocolate a special punch when it comes to preventing and/or managing diabetes.
Equally powerful is research showing chocolate’s impact on blood pressure. One recent study demonstrated that the drop in blood pressure from consuming cocoa products was equivalent to the decrease that would have been achieved had the study participants been taking blood pressure medication! Well, how would you rather control your blood pressure—with prescription drugs or with cocoa?
Cocoa and chocolate have also been proven to be beneficial where vascular health is concerned. Studies have shown that these foods help limit the buildup of plaque in the arteries by lowering LDL cholesterol. At the same time, they help raise HDL cholesterol levels. Other studies demonstrate the power of chocolate to inhibit blood platelet activity and limit clotting—the same sort of thing aspirin does—and to keep the blood vessels relaxed and dilated, thus helping to maintain a healthy blood flow.
Yes, there are calories to contend with, so how can you get these stunning benefits of the flavonols without the calories? One answer is by focusing on cocoa—regular cocoa, not dutch cocoa, which is processed with an alkali that actually destroys the flavonols. Try adding a teaspoon of cocoa to your hot or iced coffee for a mocha effect. Or mix it into your sugar-free cocoa mix for a healthful hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. If you find the taste isn’t sweet enough for you, add a packet or two of Splenda or your preferred low-calorie sweetener.
Another way to get the benefits of flavonols is sugar-free dark chocolate candy bars. Although caloric, these bars are fine for an occasional treat.
One note: when making desserts with chocolate, always use unsweetened or baking chocolate (100 percent cacao), and sweeten with sugar-free syrup, sugar-free preserves or the low-calorie sweetener of your choice.
As you see, chocolate can be your friend. And as the recipes that follow demonstrate, where weight loss and diabetes management are concerned, chocolate lovers really can have it all.
BEAT DIABETES BROWNIES
1 cup granulated Splenda
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup unsweetened soy protein powder*
6-8 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup brewed coffee, regular or decaffeinated
½ cup sugar-free syrup (preferably chocolate, but any flavor is fine)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan, or coat with nonstick spray.
1. In a large bowl combine Splenda, flour, protein powder and salt. Add coffee, syrup, oil and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
2. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over top and press gently into batter.
3. Bake 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly in pan before cutting into squares.
Yield: 12 brownies
Regular brownie (2 ½ ounces)
360 calories, 14 grams fat, 20 grams sugar
= 3 pats butter, 5 teaspoons sugar
vs.
Beat Diabetes Brownie
(per 2 ½-ounce brownie)
110 calories
9 grams fiber
= no sugar added
less than 1 gram saturated fat
1 package sugar-free instant lemon pudding
1 ½ cups soy milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 ½ cups sliced strawberries and/or raspberries
LEMON-BERRY PARFAIT
1. In a bowl, beat together pudding mix, soy milk and lemon juice, and zest until smooth.
2. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow mixture to thicken slightly.
3. Divide pudding and berries evenly among 3 dessert dishes, alternating layers of pudding and berries.
Yield: 3 servings
105 calories per serving
Lemon square (pastry)
420 calories, 0 grams fiber
20 grams fat = 4 pats butter
48 grams sugar = 12 teaspoons sugar
vs.
Lemon-Berry Parfait
105 calories
4 grams fiber
0 grams fat
0 grams sugar
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 ½ brewed cups coffee, regular or decaffeinated
1 cup soy milk
1 package sugar-free chocolate pudding mix, not instant
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum or brandy, or 1 teaspoon flavoring (rum, almond, orange, maple, hazelnut, etc.)
BEAT DIABETES CHOCOLATE FONDUE
1. Add chocolate and coffee to a medium saucepan. Stir mixture over low heat until chocolate is melted; remove from heat. Add soy milk, pudding mix an
d salt, and stir or whisk until mixture is smooth.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Stir in vanilla and rum or brandy, or other flavoring.
3. Serve warm, in a fondue pot, with assorted fruit.
Yield: about 6 ½-cup servings
½ cup regular chocolate fondue
400 calories, 35 grams fat,
20 grams sugar
= 7 pats butter, 5 teaspoons sugar
vs.
* The saturated fat, represented by the butter, is from the chocolate in the recipe. The fat in chocolate, though it is saturated, does not raise blood cholesterol. The saturated fat in the regular fondue, however, is from both chocolate and cream; the latter does raise cholesterol.
½ cup Beat Diabetes Chocolate Fondue
60 calories
3 grams fat*
= ½ pat butter,
no sugar added
TUTTI-FRUTTI BAKED APPLE
4 large apples
1 cup diced mixed fruit, fresh or frozen (cherries, peaches, pineapple, etc.)
¼ cup sugar-free jam or marmalade
2-3 packets Splenda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Core the apples and place in a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Fill the apples with the fruit mixture, mounding any additional fruit on top of each apple.
4. Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with foil.
5. Bake 30 minutes; remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve warm or cold.
Yield: 4 servings
130 calories each
Apple tart 390 calories
vs.
Tutti-Frutti Baked Apple
130 calories
CHAPTER 9
Look and Lose
See for yourself.
Everything we’ve been telling you in the past eight chapters—all the science and all the background detail on the various kinds of food—goes into action in the pages that follow. Here you’ll find the kind of Picture Perfect demonstrations that have long been the signature trademark of Dr. Shapiro’s bestselling books.
What are Picture Perfect demonstrations? They’re vivid comparisons of related food options and the health and weight-management consequences of each option. One look and you get the picture—perfectly. And once that picture is in your brain, you never forget it.
Some of it will surprise you. Maybe for years you’ve been depriving yourself of pancakes slathered in syrup—way too fattening, you assumed. Have a look at the Monarch’s Meal demo and think again. Or maybe you’ve been careful to satisfy your coffee craving with a no-fat, no-cream version that still gratifies your sweet tooth. Is it Place Your Order? Check out the demo by that name to see the truth.
In the gallery of demonstrations that follow, you’ll see the truth for yourself in comparisons of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, appetizers, dinners, desserts and saboteur foods. No one is telling you what to eat. But it’s been proven time and again that once you see what each option really represents—and what the consequences can be to your waistline and your health—you’ll know which choice is right for you.
BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
You’ll pay a big price in calories and heart health for this small breakfast of a muffin and chai. Filled with sugar and fat, it’s a diabetes grenade waiting for the pin to be pulled. The exact opposite is true for the breakfast on the right—waffles smothered in sugar-free syrup, plus blueberries, plus coffee laced with milk. With a fraction of the calories, fat and sugar of the small breakfast, and with more than ten times as much fiber, this big breakfast is definitely beautiful.
23 teaspoons sugar
5-ounce blueberry muffin
550 calories
10 grams fat
1 gram fiber
52 grams sugar
Medium chai latte
290 calories
7 grams fat
0 grams fiber
39 grams sugar
TOTAL
840 calories
17 grams fat
1 gram fiber
91 grams sugar
vs.
2 Van’s waffles
150 calories
3½ grams fat
8 grams fiber
3 grams sugar
2 tablespoons sugar-free syrup
10 calories
0 grams fat
0 grams fiber
0 grams sugar
1/3 cup blueberries
25 calories
0 grams fat
3 grams fiber
0 grams sugar
Coffee with low-cal sweetener, 2 tablespoons milk
20 calories
0 grams fat
0 grams fiber
0 grams sugar
TOTAL
205 calories
3½ grams fat
11 grams fiber
3 grams sugar
¾ teaspoon sugar
SWEET TOOTH AT BREAKFAST
If you’re someone who likes to start the day with a sweet taste in your mouth, you don’t have to do it at peril to your waistline and your health. Check out the calorie difference between the single cranberry scone and four—count ’em!—pieces of light bread slathered with sugar-free jam. Get your fiber, avoid the fat and satisfy your sweet tooth four times over with this choice of breakfast.
5-ounce cranberry scone
500 calories
20 grams fat
0 grams fiber
1-ounce butter (2 tablespoons)
220 calories
25 grams fat
0 grams fiber
TOTAL
720 calories
45 grams fat
0 grams fiber
45 grams bad fat = 8 pats butter
vs.
0 grams bad fat
4 slices light bread
160 calories
0 grams fat
8 grams fiber
4 tablespoons sugar-free jam
40 calories
0 grams fat
0 grams fiber
TOTAL
200 calories
0 grams fat
8 grams fiber
SABOTAGE IN THE MORNING
Ah, granola! So natural! So filled with fiber! So good for you! Well…look again.
Granola is a classic saboteur food. For the 8 grams of fiber this natural breakfast food provides, you pay a high price in the sugar and calories that can add weight and play havoc with your blood sugar levels. How about tripling the fiber content of your breakfast with no sugar at all? That’s what the cereal breakfast below provides.
1 cup granola
520 calories, 8 grams fiber,
28 grams sugar
vs.
1 cup All-Bran Extra Fiber or Fiber One
100 calories, 28 grams fiber,
0 grams sugar
KEEPING UP TRADITION
The sausage biscuit is an all-American tradition. But it’s a tradition that comes with enough saturated fat and refined carbohydrates to kick metabolic syndrome into high gear. So is there a diabetes-fighting way to get the traditional taste? You’re looking at it below.
4-ounce biscuit
400 calories
20 grams fat
0 grams fiber
1 40-gram sausage patty
135 calories
12 grams fat
0 grams fiber
TOTAL
535 calories
32 grams fat
0 grams fiber
32 grams bad fat = 6 ½ pats butter
vs.
3 grams good fat = ½ teaspoon oil
Light English muffin
100 calories
0 grams fat
6 grams fiber
1 40-gram veggie sausage patty
80 calories
3 grams fat
<
br /> 3 grams fiber
TOTAL
180 calories
3 grams fat
9 grams fiber
CONVENIENCE FACTOR
There it is: the lone buttered bagel, the quick and easy breakfast for folks on the move. But in this particular case, convenience costs you—in a ridiculously high number of calories and fat grams. Just as convenient would be a slice of light wheat toast with peanut butter. It contains one-fourth of the bagel’s calories and fat. Plus, it’s full of diabetes- and weight-fighting fiber. And it would take a tower of these bread slices to equal that poor lone bagel.
5-ounce bagel
400 calories
0 grams fat
2 tablespoons butter
220 calories
24 grams fat
TOTAL
620 calories
24 grams fat
24 grams bad fat = 5 pats butter
vs.
16 grams good fat = 3 teaspoons oil
2 slices light wheat toast
80 calories
0 grams fat
2 tablespoons peanut butter
190 calories
16 grams fat
TOTAL
270 calories
16 grams fat
MONARCH’S MEAL
Take a quick look at these two breakfasts—the bagel with cream cheese and the regal meal of pancakes with syrup, sausage and melon—and you’d probably figure that the better choice for weight loss and health would be the bagel. But you’d be wrong. For starters, look at the calorie difference. But don’t stop there. While calories and fat are all the bagel offers—too much of both—the royal feast is filled with diabetes fighters such as fiber and even soy protein. So do as royalty does and choose this breakfast fit for a king.
Eat & Beat Diabetes with Picture Perfect Weight Loss Page 11