Wednesday, June 28, 2006

 

Whole Foods on the Road



If anyone needs this book, its a diabetic parent. Goofy cover aside, its widely available, and can help you out of many bad eating situations while you are on the road. Its hard to count the carbs in batter-fried mozzarella! Try stopping into a local Whole Foods or Healthy Diner instead! An interesting article from Nutrition Action discusses why deciding on carbs (and their spooky glycemic indices) can be hard for the average American. Ask yourself these questions.

"If whole grains are so healthy, why do an estimated 80 percent of us eat them less than once a day? It doesn't help that many people don't even know what whole grains are.

1. Which breads are usually all or mostly whole grain? (a) whole wheat, (b) multi-grain, (c) rye, (d) pumpernickel
2. Which grains are whole? (a) bulgur, (b) quinoa, (c) couscous, (d) oatmeal
3. Which cereals are whole grain? (a) Total, (b) Product 19, (c) Special K, (d) corn flakes, (e)shredded wheat, (f) cream of wheat

The answers:

1. a. In theory, multi-grain, rye, and pumpernickel breads can be all or mostly whole grain. In most of the U.S. and Canada, however, only whole wheat bread is (see "The Bread & Cracker Box").
2. b, d. Quinoa and oatmeal are whole grains. Bulgur and couscous sometimes are and sometimes aren't.
3. a, e. Total, Product 19, and Special K have healthy reputations. Of the three, only Total is whole grain "

Comments:
Thanks, KSC, I'm going to pick this book up. Do you have any other recommendations for a person contemplating going all-grain?
 
Yes! I could recommend a whole library. Right now I'm particularly interested in resources for when I leave my "home base" of health food stores and restaurants. I would recommend books that focus on raw or whole foods, and I happen to also be a vegetarian, so most of what I've read it in the vein. The Carb Conscious Vegetarian (Robin Robertson) and 1000 Vegetarian Recipes from around the World (Parragon Pub.) have been great. Older vegetarian books use a lot of butter/white pasta/etc. Newer ones focus on whole foods. Good luck!
 
This was published in 2005, but I haven't read it; Diabetic Travel Tales and Tips: Adventures from Around the World (Paperback)
by Marilyn L. Garcia. Looks good! There used to be a newsletter distributed by JDRF, but I'm pretty sure its out of print, or discontinued, or whatever the appropriate 'zine word is...
 
On my food blog (www.theperfectpantry.com), I share recipes for each of the items in my pantry. Readers have started adding their own recipes as comments, which is great. I hope Siwgrstorm readers will share some diabetic-friendly recipes for those of us who have Type 1s and their families come to visit. I'm always looking to expand my repertoire.
 
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