The Other Diabetes: Living And Eating Well With Type 2 Diabetes [Paperback]

Elizabeth N. Hiser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2002

Our national epidemic of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease is the price we pay for a diet that is too rich for our modern lifestyle. To fight back, we have focused on eating low-fat foods and quick-fix diets that just don't seem to work. The Other Diabetes, a consumer guide to type 2 diabetes, can help you change all that with the optimal eating plan. The Good Fat Diet offers a collection of eighty healthy and wholesome recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When most people think about diabetes, they often think of type one, where the pancreas doesn't create insulin at all. But here in the U.S., nine times out of 10, the diagnosis is that of the much more insidious type-two variety, when the pancreas creates plenty of insulin but the body doesn't use it properly. Genetic factors and too much body fat set the stage for this type of diabetes. There's nothing sufferers can do about the first; but by losing weight and exercising, type-two sufferers can reduce the risk of potentially serious side effects, such as heart disease. Hiser, a registered dietitian and longtime nutrition editor at Eating Well, nudges readers into taking control of their health. She explains everything from what the disease is to the basics of good nutrition and why an exercise plan is essentialAand she does it with plenty of pep talks. She includes a chart that calculates weight-loss potential for one year of added activity: for example, with only one hour of food preparation a day, shopping, putting away groceries, chopping and cooking, dieters could lose 12 pounds. Once she's helped readers set up an exercise plan, Hiser tackles eating with a six-week meal plan, complete with recipes inspired by the Mediterranean diet. It's pretty familiar stuff: poultry replaces higher-fat meats in some dishes, and vegetables, of course, play a starring role. What is most appealing, though, is Hiser's philosophy that it doesn't take long for even small changes to make a big differenceAa positive note in which newly diagnosed diabetics and their families will take comfort.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Type 2 diabetes affects over 16 million Americans, making it one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. Hiser, a dietician and the nutrition editor of Eating Well magazine, rightfully credits diet as a major tool in the control of the disease and the prevention of disabling complications. Explanations of diabetes and why diet plays a critical role for the diabetic are clear and coherent. Exercise is emphasized in ways that all readers can adapt to their current lifestyles. Hiser advocates a Mediterranean diet that, while relatively high in monounsaturated fat, is primarily plant-based (i.e., grains, fruits, and vegetables), with a low emphasis on meat and dairy products. Concrete information and advice on "good" foods, supplements, and meal plans are covered, and recipes and a resource list of associations are included. A good addition to all health collections.AJanet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp., Tampa, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1st edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060088133
• ISBN-13: 978-0060088132
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of all the diabetes books, get this one!, June 19, 2002

By 

amrdmr "amrdmr" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Other Diabetes: Living And Eating Well With Type 2 Diabetes (Paperback)

I usually don't write a review for books that have been well-reviewed by others. But there are so many different diabetes advice books available, and, like one of the previous reviewers, I have wasted money on several of them. So I wanted to add my voice in praise of this book. Backing her information with clearly explained scientific evidence, Ms. Hiser debunks many of the myths about type II (the "other", i.e. not juvenile) diabetes, particularly about food. Ms. Hiser's book has the clearest information about the insulin resistance, which is, in fact, what most early type II diabetics or pre, or borderline diabetics have. In other words, we make the insulin, but our cells do not respond to it as efficiently as they should. The key thing to know here is that if you, the patient, do not take control NOW to reduce that insulin resistance, eventually, you will burn out the cells in your pancreas that make insulin and then there really is no turning back. This is why it has been so emphasized that in its early stages, the outcome of type II diabetes is virtually completely in the hands of the patient, not the medical profession. Ms. Hiser puts together all the best scientific data specific to type II diabetes (which is quite different from type I, and therefore leads to considerable confusion), principally the "Mediterranean diet". She explains that counting carbohydrate and fat grams per se is not effective; it is the TYPE of fat and carbohydrate you eat that affects all the factors type II diabetics need to control (LDL, HDL and triglycerides). In fact, if you eat a lowfat diet consisting of refined (fiber-depleted) carbohydrates and hydrogenated (artificially saturated) fats, you are doing yourself more harm than good. Hydrogenated fats, aside from being "bad"/saturated fats, also contain trans fats, which are the absolute worst fats you could be putting into your body, in terms of diabetes, heart disease and cancer risks. So the diabetic diet advice books I have read whose menus consist of processed, fast and junk foods are not only worthless, they are dangerous.

Another positive about Ms. Hiser's book is that she emphasizes that her menu plans and recipes are only a starting off point. If the patient does not adapt the eating style to suit their preferences, then the "diet" is useless because the diet is meant to be a way of life from this point onward, not something you struggle to stick to for a few weeks and then go back to your old way of eating. Ms. Hiser also tackles a subject that most books gloss over or give outright misinformation about - including moderate alcohol in your diet. Contrary to other books that have the patient count a serving of alcohol as a fat exchange, Ms. Hiser presents the studies that show that one or two glasses or wine per day may actually reduce insulin resistance. Of course, more alcohol has the opposite effect, raising blood pressure, triglycerides and worsening the cholesterol profile. Exercise plays a role as important as diet in controlling type II diabetes, which Ms. Hiser emphasizes, but since that should go without saying, I won't address that in this review. So much media attention has been given to the "Mediterranean diet", I won't go into much detail, only to say, as Ms. Hiser does, the bottom line is to eat the "right" fats (monounsaturated) like olive and canola oils, to increase fiber and to control calories (by controlling portion sizes), especially if you need to lose weight, as most type II diabetics need to do. With this in mind, it is easy to adapt MANY of your favorite recipes (as I have done) very successfully, substituting canola oil and flaxseed meal for butter, and lowfat buttermilk or fat-free yogurt for milk and cream, for instance. The biggest challenge to those who, due to time constraints, currently eat mostly fast and processed food is the commitment to preparing your own food and snacks (her sample menus include three meals and two snacks a day). Ms. Hiser makes this as easy as possible by suggesting canned or frozen vegetables and fruits as substitutes for preparing absolutely everything from scratch. One of the key factors I personally have found in keeping eating satisfaction high is to use flavor boosters such as garlic, herbs or chilies in the recipes. And one bit of information I have not seen anywhere else is that one-quarter teaspoon of cinnamon has been reported as increasing insulin sensitivity! Such a painless experiment to try on your coffee or in your cereal! (Much easier for me than adapting to flaxseed....although I have, with the help of ground flaxseed meal). I have been on Ms. Hiser's plan for two weeks and have lost several pounds without suffering. I especially enjoy the herbed yogurt cheese and yogurt cream recipes with dinner or dessert (cinnamon baked apple with vanilla yogurt cream - yum!) . More importantly, the peripheral neuropathy pains in my hands and feet have much lessened. I await the results of my blood tests in four more weeks, but I feel sure that my glycosylated hemoglobin and cholesterol profile will be improved. Bravo and many thanks, Ms. Hiser for helping me more than any other source since I found out that I was borderline or pre-diabetic.

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an absolute bible to anyone with Type II diabetes, June 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Other Diabetes, The: Living And Eating Well With Type 2 Diabetes (Hardcover)

As a nurse practitioner student, I will use this as recommended reading to all my Type II diabetics and to anyone genetically predisposed. My husband, who has a strong family history of diabetes, and my whole family have recently begun to follow the diet guidelines in this book. The recipes are wonderful and delicious. The added bonus to this book is that it is a must for those with heart disease. If the American public ate in the manner shown in this book, the incidence of heart disease and Type II diabetes would marketly decrease

Ellen

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand, very informative and fun to read., October 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Other Diabetes, The: Living And Eating Well With Type 2 Diabetes (Hardcover)

Ms. Hiser is a gifted writer because she can write about very complecated scientific topics in a way that is not only easy for the average reader to understand, it is fun and entertaining, as well as extremely informative.

I would recommend this all-in-one book to anyone suffering from or at risk for Type II Diabetes, and at Hiser's suggestion, the Mediterranean Diet to anyone who wants to live a long, healthy life!