Diabetic-Diet Books

I have just been diagnosed with type II diabetes and this book gives me just what I need for those nights when I want something to nosh on.

Author Jackie Mills, MS, RD, starts off with a number of tips regarding the baking and eating of diabetic desserts. These range from the effect that some substitutions will have on diabetic desserts (baked goods made with Splenda don't retain moisture as well as those made with sugar, for example) to ways to cheat your taste buds (brushing a bit of a sweetener overtop of a muffin or similar dessert is a great way to make it taste sweeter while using less sugar than if you added it directly). Not all of these are obvious details or tricks, and they're very handy ideas to have on hand.

Mills uses a handful of methods to make these desserts healthier than normal. Some recipes are just plain less sweet than their usual counterparts. Some recipes substitute Splenda (artificial sweetener) for part of the sugar content. Some recipes use fruit as a sweetener---sliced, pureed, or diced. Recipes also try to include whole grains instead of processed grains where appropriate. All of these methods decrease the rate at which your blood sugar rises (or how much sugar you take in).

These are delicious recipes. A recipe of berry-bran muffins turned out surprisingly well, and a rice pudding was quite delicious. Since we didn't want to totally ignore the recipes made with Splenda yet I couldn't actually bring myself to try something with the artificial sweetener in it, we made a coconut cream pie from the book, making it exactly as instructed but using only real sugar (thus allowing us to see how the author's ideas for making a flavorful, low-fat cream pie would work out). Let me tell you, I was bowled over. Pie crusts can be a real sticking point in terms of fat and carb content, and Mills neatly sidestepped this by creating a stunning, quick, delicious crust out of phyllo dough and cooking spray. The coconut filling is ultra-smooth, creamy, flavorful, and delicious despite being low in fat. I have no doubt that if I didn't dislike Splenda, the low-sugar version of this pie would have me dancing in the aisles at my good fortune.

The recipes are neatly laid out with reasonably large type and easy to read. Direction steps are neatly numbered and separated. Each recipe includes exchange counts as well as full nutrition information.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking to make healthier desserts.

What more could one ask than for an "easy to digest" compilation of cleverly created recipes? Ms. Mills' book provides a new venue for those who are diabetic yet long for the sweet stuff. The book itself is a great value that enriches the palate with decadent desserts. The recipes are simple to follow, and the explanations from Ms. Mills make one feel as though she is guiding each step of the baking process. For value, ease of instruction, and variety of dessert choices, this book is a wonderful buy.

If you need receipes and info, this book will do it for you. It is really a big help if you just found out you have diabetes or you have had it for a while.

These meals are so easy and have great taste that even those who are not diabetic will enjoy.

Before i had this book, i didn't know whether to trust brands like,weight watchers, for my Diabetec diet.I was confused on what to eat, and what not to eat.I consulted a dietition, but i still had questions stuck in my mind as soon as i got home from his place.Since i got this book(A miracle!), it helped me,clear my doubts,and relax about eating,not worrying whether this is right to eat or not.It even includes recipes,and alternate tips for sugar, i think,this is a book,i guess....from heaven,Order it NOW!

This book is great in the sense it gives great detail on the nutrition for each recipe even including the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. Something I wish all recipes came with. All recipes should include detailed information but especially recipes for the diabetic person.

Some recipes use the option of white rice which is not good for anyone but especially the diabetic person. When possible use brown instead for much better nutrition.

The "Garlic Turkey Burgers" on page 67 DOES NOT include garlic in the ingredients list or in the instruction so one has to guess as to how much was meant to be included or if the title is an error. One can always use what is favored in each persons household. I would, however, like to be able to talk to the authors and find out the correct amount since this is a great sounding recipe. Also, the ingredients lists "1/4 cup sliced" but does not say of what. When reading the instructions one finds it must mean for the green onions.

All in all a really great recipe book which begins with good information about nutrition one needs to know in order to eat healthy. I would recommend this book to all... even with the discovered error.

Great service!! The condition of the book was just like they described. Thank you very much!

Very straight forward. Beale explained the mystery of the glycemic index of different carbs. Easy recipes and full color recipes makes this book a winner.

Very cute cookbook, a bit over my child's head and ability, but he's young. There are plenty of fun recipes to choose from, but be forewarned, plenty of artificial sweeteners and processed food. Fun, but not whole food, if that is what you're used to.

In "Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes" the authors dedicate the first two chapters to providing a basic understanding of diabetes. The first chapter discusses diabetes with a slant toward helping a child understand it. The second one is from the perspective of what the adult parent needs to know.

The book contains simple recipes rated on a one, two, or three hand system with one being the easiest and three being the hardest. Each recipe provides information on serving size, exchanges, calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. Some are just easy recipes that a child can do; others have been adapted to make it more fun for children. For example, an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich becomes a toasted cheese person.

"Cooking Up Fun for Kids with Diabetes" is a fun book of recipes and food related crafts for any child and a recommended read.

I was delighted to read about this cookbook in my local newspaper and ran out to buy a copy right away. My eleven year old daughter was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so this book about nutrition/healthy cooking is an answer to my prayers. In addition to the fun and great-tasting recipes with complete nutrition information, there are clear explanations about the type 1 and type 2 diabetes conditions and even some fun "non-food" projects. My daughter and I spent a weekend afternoon in the kitchen making Fruit Filled Quesadillas- messy, but fun!

I bought this cookbook for my mother to use (father is diabetic and had heart bypass surgery). It has so many great recipes and lets you know what to do in order to make it have less sodium, etc. It has red meat recipes (he can't eat that) but we just substitute fish, chicken, or turkey. It uses ingredients she actually had in the kitchen and would use again (not just for one recipe). I made the "No fat fried chicken" (a baked recipe to taste like fried) and my dad said it was the best chicken he has ever had. These recipes will dress up the same few meats so that one doesn't get tired of the same thing and give up on a new way of life. The recipes are so, so, easy. My mother hates to cook and loves this book.

I have tried two recipes from this book and will be trying more soon. What I really love is that these recipes are not too flashy-they don't have a million ingredients and are pretty quick to put together. For a July 4th party, I made the "Kitchen Quarterback Salsa and Bean Dip" and the "Diet Mountain Dew Salad" simultaneously while my six month old was screaming at me. I think that says a LOT about the simplicity/ease of preparation that these recipes entail.

The best part is that some of my guests were the type to gripe about low-fat/diet food and they RAVED about these dishes and asked me for the book info. That says a lot about the taste factor.

I would highly recommend this book for people that want quick diet food that actually TASTES good.

A great source of everyday recipes for the diabetic. Recipes are easy to follow, simple to prepare, and surprisingly good. Each recipe includes exchange and nutritional information. I've tried three diabetic cookbooks and I find this is the only one I actually use. The rest of my family even enjoys it.

Make your own croutons, enjoy a tropical slushy, or serve cinnamon-honey eggnog. Each recipe includes the cost per serving, the diabetic exchange information and the preparation time.
It's not easy eating right for diabetes, but this book can be a big help.

I heard about this book on a local radio show. It sounded good, so I ordered it and have been very pleased. I used the shopping tips in the book and saved $15 on my first trip to the grocery store! There are also 100 wonderful recipes and a week's worth of menus. The recipes are easy and taste great. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to eat right without spending lots of $$$.

This new book has many great shopping and meal planning tips as well as wonderful recipes from meats to sweets.

This book provides an excellent resource for Type II diabetics. The first section clearly explains essential information needed to manage diabetes and especially nutritional and dietary approaches.The author makes good arguments for balancing carbohydrates with fat and fiber, the advantages of mono-unsaturated fats, and especially that sugar alone is not the enemy. The role of the glycemic index is stressed and how foods that have lower indices are also likely to make you feel less hungry longer. The nutritional goals and strategies are easy to read and absorb. The book however falls short of its potential in the sections which describe how to implement all this advice. Quantitative information on nutritional content and glycemic index are presented inside the text in 3 long tables of every food known to man which are repetitive and disturb the flow of reading the text. These should have been combined into a single table highlighting foods high in fiber and low in index; as it stands one must flip back and forth to figure out which foods provide what. There is a lot of good information here - especially useful is a list of best tasting foods that are "light" - one can look for substitute brands for foods in one's own present diet, which are thus likely to be used. There is some information presented on how to balance some meals e.g. adding cram cheese to a bagel actualy helps! However, one is left to figure out meal plans and menus, where the book could have really helped with suggestions for a week of menus for several of the stategies suggested. All in all, this was a very helpful book, but it could have been MUCH better with a little more organization and detail.

During the time of denial, anger, depression and total rejection of my diagnosis as Diabetic, I purchased several books to research and find out what to do. The Good News Eating Plan For Type II Diabetes by Elaine Magee gave me the immediate help and information I needed as if I were speaking with the author. Clear, to the point, encouraging, and full of information for the newly diagnosed. I have returned to it repeatedly for assistance. Thank you, Elaine.

I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes two and a half years ago. My first response was to research diet, nutrition and exercise as means of controlling my blood sugar. I've gone through dozens of books since then, and this is the first one I've found that actually pulls the information together in a practical way that works for me.

There are hundreds of diabetic cookbooks and meal planners on the market. The problem is that different people will have different responses to certain combinations of carbs, fat, and protein in their diets. This book takes the time to explain why some diabetics may need to have as little as 30% of their daily calories coming from carbohydrates, while others may need to have as much as 60% of their daily calories from carbs. The author also talks about the effect fiber has on glucose levels, and her system for balancing a diabetic diet relies on counting carbohydrates, calories, and fiber rather than exchanges.

Many other books provide menus and specific meal plans. The big problem with that approach, from my point of view, is that it can be very difficult to apply those meal plans to a family situation. This book focuses on strategies rather than specific menus, which allows me to control my diet more effectively even when I am in unexpected situations.

Proper meal planning is more than a just good nutritional practice for a healthy lifestyle. For diabetics, proper eating is a vital element and mandatory aspect for the care and control of their medical condition. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, the American Diabetes Association's Magic Menus For People With Diabetes continues to be a complete and authoritative reference and resource for complete meal planning offering diabetes appropriate menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Clear and concise directions are provided for adjusting calorie levels to individual needs. Also provided are carb totals for each meal and snack because keeping carb totals consistent affects keeping blood glucose levels in check. From Easy Spud Breakfast; Veggie Pizza; and Chicken-Fried Steak with Pan Gravy; to Light and Creamy Yogurt Pie; Bean Burgers; and Macedonia Fruit Cup, Magic Menus For People With Diabetes will prove to be a popular addition to any diabetic's cookbook collection.

This book is as advertised (actually, has more variety and more actually usable recipes without a lot of specialty ingredients or weird things the kids in the family will refuse than I expected).

75 Dinners, 50 Lunches, 50 Breakfasts and 30 Snacks.

Not a good book for Type 2 diabetics lmiting carbs (each meal is 50 grams of carbohydrates or more)--and definitely not for low carb dieters limiting themselves to 20 carbs a day.

The intent of the book is to take some of the guess work out of meal planning. It fails to get 5 stars from me because I would prefer nutrition counts for each recipe instead of for each menu, probably unfair of me given book title but my family needs count exact carbohydrates and does not use the exchange system.

ESTE ES UN LIBRO QUE AYUDA A LAS PERSONAS DIABETICAS A TENER UNA IDEA MAS CLARA Y SIN PROBLEMAS DE COMO FORMAR MENUS ADECUADOS A SUS NECESIDADES. TAMBIEN DE IDEAS DE DIFERENTES RECETAS QUE SON RICAS A PESAR DE SER PARA PERSONAS ENFERMAS COMO MI ESPOSO, DIABETICO A CONSECUENCIA DE OPERACION DEL PANCREAS, Y UNA PERSONA QUE LE GUSTA MUCHO LOS POSTRES Y DULCES.

I haven't had a flop yet...and I'm a guy who had not cooked much. Easy to follow recipees with easy to find ingredients..

This book was full of helpful recipes for my aunt who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. She has always been a huge fan of pasta and chicken so this book helped her out showing her how she can have the food she wants. Having diabetes strips your freedom to eat what you want and cook books like this give diabetics a choice of recipes rather than a bag of rabbit food.

I rated this one five stars based on what I look for in diabetic/low-carb cookbooks (1) has to have complete nutritional information (I don't like just "exchanges" or just a carbohydrate range or just sugarfree...); (2) recipes I will make (a favorite is the Guiltless Brownies with cocoa and bananas) that my family won't bypass or that require too many shopping trips to specialty stores; and (3) variety (I don't need another book telling me a crustless pie with sugarfree pudding or tying to just substitute a sweetener for sugar) -- this one has a variety of menus, lots of different dishes, real food ingredients and a wide range of carbohydrate counts instead of assuming all diabetics are using certain ranges or exchanges or avoiding the same foods. Realistic menus.

I was very excited to get this book but quickly realized that I would have been better off purchasing a gluten free cook book and substituting xylitol for the sugar. The recipes look amazing but I can't make 80% of them. However, I'm anxious to try the ice cream and there are several fillings and frostings which I can use. Also the recipe for condensed milk is a valuable find.

This book contains wondeful recepies that are not just "sugar free", but also take in consideration that white flour is bad for us also. So many claim to be healthy, but then use white flour as an ingredient! Xylitol is a healthy sweetener, used a lot in other countires, even actually GOOD for us! Put your foot down and say no to sugar consumption, especially for our children. Xylitol is also great for our teeth and resporatory
system. Learn about it.
Check out xlear.com Thanks for listening.

I am really enjoying and benefiting from Karen Edward's cookbook. I have been cooking and baking with Xylitol for over a year, trying to adapt favorite recipes for my father who is diabetic. Karen's cookbook has now enabled me to bake healthy deserts that my father really enjoys. Karen has tried and proven all her recipes on family and friends, so I can use her recipes with confidence. She is such a professional baker, but her recipes are easy to follow. Everything I have made is very delicious. If you like lemony things, you will flip over her Lemon Pecan Cookies. I love to eat them warm right out of the oven. I linger over every bite to savor the lemon zest as it melts in my mouth. If that makes your mouth water, then I encourage you to buy her second edition of "Sweeten Your Life The Xylitol Way."