Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking)) (Paperback)

by Alan L. Rubin MD (Author), Chef Denise Sharf (Author), Alison G. Acerra RD (Contributor) "A few months after the first edition of Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies came out, we received an e-mail from someone who told us that she..." (more)
Key Phrases: lowfat milk exchange, cucumber linguine, tapenade salsa, United States, Heather Dismore, Diabetes For Dummies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you or a family member has diabetes, food preparation may seem like a chore or a deprivation. What can you cook that tastes good and fits the diabetes guidelines? The authors of Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies, diabetes expert Alan Rubin (who also wrote Diabetes for Dummies) and registered dietician Fran Stach, have come up with dishes that will please not just the person with diabetes but the whole family. The diabetes diet is healthy for all of us, and if we can make it taste good, we all benefit.

That's where this book shines. The 112 recipes are as creative and tasty as they are healthy, yet most take a half hour or less of preparation (plus cooking time). Recipes include Soy Waffles, Crispy Corn French Toast, Portobello Paté, Carrot Soup with Leek and Blood Orange, Mango Tortilla Salad, Oriental Beef and Noodle Salad, and Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Basil, plus a variety of fish, meat, and poultry entrées. Some of the recipes were created by chef Denise Sharf; others were contributed by gourmet restaurants. All recipes include nutritional information: calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, sodium, and exchanges.

Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies is more than a compilation of recipes. The book also gives guidelines for "what, when, and how much" to eat, including tips for visualizing portions (an ounce of meat is the size of a matchbox; an ounce of cheese is the size of a domino; a medium potato is the size of a computer mouse). You'll get shopping and cooking tips and illustrated food-preparation steps to help novice cooks.

Like the whole For Dummies line, the style is simple, friendly, clever, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, such as, "Don't go to a paint store and expect to get thinner there." -- Joan Price --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
These recipes transform the typical diabetic diet from bland and blah to “Mmmmmm!” and “Ahhhhh!” Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies, 2^nd Edition is extensively updated with more than 100 new recipes from great restaurants and great chefs. You’ll discover taste-tempting dishes like Blueberry Almond Pancakes, BBQ Chicken Potato Hash, Beer Braised Pork, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and Chocolate Almond Biscotti. There’s loads of new information about diabetes and the role of diet in managing it, plus:

• Tips on how to fare well with restaurant or fast food fare
• Coverage of ethnic foods, including African-American, Chinese, Italian, French, Indian, Thai, and Mexican
• Info on popular diets, including South Beach, Atkins, Ornish, and others
• Nutrition information and diabetic exchanges for each recipe
• A “visual” guide to portion sizes with comparisons you’ll remember, such as a medium potato is the size of a computer mouse
• The scoop on new artificial sweeteners, including Splenda
• Tips for food shopping, including how to decipher confusing food labels and calculate exchanges
• A Restaurant Travel Guide for 14 cities, including New York, Boston, Chocago, Dallas, Denver, and Nashville

Alan Rubin, M.D. is one of the nation’s leading authorities on diabetes. He wrote the bestselling Diabetes For Dummies, 1^st and 2^nd editions, and the 1^st edition of Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies. While the cooking tips and great recipes will make you think he’s a food guru, the doctor in him comes through. The book includes:

• Updated recommendations for elderly diabetics
• Info especially for pregnant or postmenopausal diabetics
• Ways to promote healthy eating in children
• Exercise advice—just 30 minutes a day protects against the complications of diabetes

With all this information and these recipes, you’ll manage to eat very well while you manage your diabetes!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (August 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764584502
• ISBN-13: 978-0764584503
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #14 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Diabetic & Sugar-Free
  #29 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging > Diabetes > Diabetes Diet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turns a burden into a steppingstone, October 1, 2000

By	PJ Corkery (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies (Paperback)

When diabetics think of diet, the word that comes to mind is restriction. As you read and work with this volume, which is much more than a cookbook, you'll lose the negativity that governs so many diabetics' thinking, and feeling, about food. It's a liberating volume.

Plus the recipes are easy, interesting, and exciting. For the recipes that I've tried, I found all the ingredients readily available in any supermarket. Preparation methods and times are keyed to busy lifestyles. Most take a half-hour or less.

But more importantly, the information about food and meals is presented in such an engaging way that I found myself excited about working on my diet. Believe me, until I read this book, about the last thing I wanted to do was read a diabetic cookbook. To me the very idea of a diabetic cookbook previously had been one of rules, restrictions, no-nos, and dullness.

From the very first page -- on which Dr Rubin and Ms Stach help you figure out exactly and specifically what your daily food intake ought to be, given your own individual condition, -- the authors are intent on making eating fun, and a positive, integral element in controlling your diabetes.

Dr. Rubin clearly presents information on such recent developments as the glycemic index and on how to time medications around meal times. His insights on how to deal with medications when eating out are enormously helpful.

This a modern book, keyed not only to science and nutrition, but also to our lifestyles. The authors don't utter instructions - they walk you through typical experiences. I travel a lot and learned a lot from the "road trips" in the book where in the authors actually sit you down in restaurants as varied as McDonald's, Denny's, and even the Ritz Carlton.

"Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies" is full of real-life insight, and is written in a friendly, companionable fashion.

As a diabetic, thinking about diet used to just give me a headache. Now, as a result of having read and absorbed so much of the information in Dr. Rubin's "Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies", diet is no longer a pitfall and a burden, but fun, and a powerful tool in controlling my diabetes.

This is the one food book a diabetic needs. It's the food book every diabetic should have.

Really terrific.

102 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing for this dummie, August 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies (Paperback)

I found the first part of this book very informative. Being a person with type 2 diabetes, education is very important to me.However, the receipes fall far short of what I felt I needed. Who takes the time to serve Portobello Pate?Crab and artichoke dip. What in the world is yuca? These are not what the average house wife has on hand or even wants to shop for.These are not items I have in my pantry. Having a busy life style they just don't fit in. How often do I serve lamb to my family or veal? Poached pears in red wine, feta bruschetta, yogurt rice. No way.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Information and Recipes, May 27, 2001

By	Jennifer F. Johnston (Parkersburg, WV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies (Paperback)

Hey, I like to cook. I don't like to cook normal stuff, either. At first I thought diabetes would hamper my love of entertaining, but after finding this book, I realize I was wrong. This is an easy read. The first half has great information on diabetes and diet. The second half has great recipes culled from restaurants all over the country. It certainly satisfies my enjoyment of cooking less "normal" recipes. And I can make my friends eat healthier without them really knowing it! The only thing that would make it better? More color photographs. Check out Diabetes for Dummies, too!