Customer Reviews

American Diabetes Association Diabetes Cookbook

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this book thinking that this was the updated cookbook classic published by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), in conjunction with the American Dietetic Association. It is not. This cookbook does not contain ANY Exchange information about the recipes. As a newly diagnosed diabetic, I was very disappointed in this book. It does have 92 pages of recipes with beautiful photographs of food. In the beginning of the book, there are tips for reducing fat and sugar in general food preparation. However, these tips would not help me to overcome the problem with many of the recipes in this book. That is, many of the receipes in this book contain way too much fat. Given the information in this book, I could not modify the recipes to fit into my ADA exchange diet.

The American Diabetes Association DIABETES COOKBOOK is a thin volume with a few tasty recipes and many more that don't particularly appeal to me as I seldom eat pasta, rice, or polenta. Unlike some other "recipe" books I've encountered recently, every page of the ADA cookbook is printed in bright colors and on glossy paper. You can salivate to your heart's content over the photographs of the prepared dishes on every other page. Whether you can duplicate the look of these prepared dishes depends on your cooking skills. Whether you will like them depends on your taste. The recipes include an assortment of ways to combine spices and vegetables, so if your vegetable menu is growing stale you might find a goodie or two here.

I found a few good recipes including one for "Spicy Lentil Soup' that includes grated fresh ginger and canned coconut milk. However, a serving contains 6 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fat, so I use powdered milk to reduce the carbohydrate count and up the protein count. Of course it tastes a bit different, but since I never put milk of any sort in my lentils before I still found an interesting way to make a change. I love eggplant and the recipe for "Eggplant Parmigiana" using eggplant, tomatoes and fresh herbs is quite good--and a good Italian dish without pasta and thus low in carbohydrates.

Why scale back the carbohydrates? Well, I am using THE INSULIN-RESISTANCE DIET by Hart and Grossman, and these authors recommend consuming fewer carbohydrates (not eliminating them, just reducing them). Since I am feeling better and actually beginning to drop a few pounds, it seems the lower carbohydrate approach works for me. Books on diabetes and insulin resistance differ, so in the end you will probably have to experiment to see what works for you.

I was disappointed to find that many of the recipes use an ingredient I cannot access ( low fat creme fraiche). There are no substitutions suggested. Also, the calorie content is too high for most of the entrees. When you are on a low calorie diet, 500 calories is 1/2 your daily allowance. The hints and guidelines are slightly helpful but can be misleading. I would not buy this book had I reviewed it first. Lovely pictures though!

Nothing new here. Same old, same old cookie cutter advice for diabetics.

Recipes are intricate, difficult and call for ingredients that are not "on hand" for the average person, especially a working family.

I was diagnosed with type two diabetes about a month ago. My sister-in-law got this book for me, and I have to say that it has been the most helpful cookbook I've seen. I went to the local bookstore and pulled out all the various diabetic cookbooks, but none of them can compare to this one. The recipes range from simple to more advanced, but none of them are too difficult. The most helpful features are the nutritional information it gives with each recipe, the sample menus for different caloric intakes, and the very helpful introduction that explains the importance of carb counting and watching things like glycemic index. This is a must for any diabetic who wants a good and delicious cookbook to help them through this challenging diagnosis. Some of the recipes have become daily staples for me (such as the rainbow muesli - my new breakfast!)

I didn't like this cookbook because it had odd ingredients. A gourmet cook or someone dying of boredom from regular cooking might enjoy it though.

I have been a diabetic for several years and purchased this book simply to see what it contained. I have found several ideas for myself and a great many items that would be very usefull for a recently diagnosed diabetic who wants to get started cookin good food without haveing to worry about the fact that it ordinary food and not what the usual types of food that the doctors and Neutritionists recommend.
DiabeticAries

Being a fairly NEW diabetic I was looking for simple recipes to follow and this book has it all!

This particular Diabetes Recipe book is loaded with many easy to prepare recipes. Of additional ease the recipses in this book use products that are generally a part of the everyday kitchen. The recipes in this book are very eye and palate appealing and don't take much time to prepare. And these recipes are healthy and can easily be enjoyed by the whole family. I especially recommend this book to anyone recently diagnosed, as I am, to help to more easily and more flavorully transition to a more workable diet. This is a GREAT recipe book for anyone striving for a healthier way of eating.