Sol, I've found through Dad's doctor that anything can be a diabetic friendly food if it's factored into their daily allowance of sugars and carbs and if portion sizes are kept realistic. That said, a jar of homemade salsa and some homemade wheat or corn tortillas, baked, is much healthier as a snack than a sweet. Dad, however, loves his sugared up, highly sweetened and super-refined food and he's not going to give it up, no matter the health ramifications. So I make things like pecan halves, tossed with a beaten egg white, then sprinkled with a mix of a teaspoonful of cinnamon and artificial sweetener to equal half a cup. I think I used about 3 cups of pecan halves, last time. A handful is a relatively healthy snack, given some other choices. He also likes carrot cake, so I make carrot cake muffins with whole wheat flour and keep the raisins to a reasonable level, no frosting. Zucchini muffins or bread are another possibility because the zucchini and spices "hide" the whole wheat a bit and the sugar can be reduced without noticing it a lot. Now, if I could get him to eat those things without a bunch of butter.... anyway, here are a couple of recipes: CHIPPETY DO DAH! 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 6 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 2 1/2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp. brown sugar, not packed 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/8 tsp. salt Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips (flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt). Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together all wet ingredients (applesauce, pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract). Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until completely blended. Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray, and spoon batter into 8 evenly spaced circles. Place pan in the oven for about 10 minutes (until cookies appear done and feel firm). Remove pan from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly. For best results, enjoy while the cookies are still warm and the chips are still melty! MAKES 8 SERVINGS Serving Size: 1 medium-sized cookie (about 1.5 oz.) Calories: 88 Fat: 1.5g Sodium: 93mg Carbs: 17g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 6g Protein: 3g Succulent Zucchini Bread (makes 2 loaves, 10 servings each) butter-flavored cooking spray 3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute 1/3 cup canola oil 7 packets DiabetiSweet 1 tablespoon natural vanilla 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, packed in natural juice, well drained 2 cups grated zucchini 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt (optional) 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat two 8-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs; add the oil, DiabetiSweet, vanilla, pineapple, and zucchini. 3. In a second large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (if using). If using, add the walnuts and toss. 4. Mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Spoon into the prepared loaf pans. 5. Bake for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire racks. Note: This fantastic loaf freezes well. You can top it with frozen fat-free, sugar-free vanilla yogurt, if desired. Per serving (bread only): 118 calories (35% calories from fat), 3 g protein, 5 g total fat (0.6 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 32 mg cholesterol,149 mg sodium Diabetic exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch), 1 fat Hmmm, where is RobinKate? We can all say whatever we want, but she LIVES with it. I'll bet she has some good recipes. Annie

Jessy, I used fresh garbanzos (and/or fresh fava beans) for making falafel. Let me know if you want that recipe. Here's my hummus recipe, which I make quite often - you can cut it in half for a smaller batch, but it freezes well, if you think it is too much. Lars' Hummus I like Hummus with a strong garlic flavor, and so you may want to use a bit less than I do, but I think it improves the flavor. Ingredients 1/2 pound (1-1/3 c) dried garbanzo beans, (about 3 to 3-1/2 cups cooked) 1/3 cup lemon juice 3 large cloves of garlic (6 if small) 1/3 cup olive oil (or more, to taste) 1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil 1/2 cup tahini (toasted, if available) 2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp cayenne 1-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste) 1-2 tbsp water, if needed Directions Cook beans according to package instructions. I generally boil them for two minutes in a large pan, with triple height of water. Then I turn off the heat and soak for 1 hour covered and then wash them. Garbanzos may require about 2 hours to cook, after being soaked, but adding 1/2 tsp baking soda to the cooking water will lessen the time. After cooking, I rinse them twice with cold water. Put the drained beans in a large food processor with the peeled garlic cloves (coarsely chopped) and the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth. If it is too thick, thin with water, a tablespoon at a time. It is difficult to find tahini made from toasted sesame seeds, and this is why I add the toasted sesame seed oil. Tahini is easy to find at Middle Eastern markets, and toasted sesame oil is less expensive at Japanese markets. Sometimes I add kalamata olives, and if so, I reduce the amount of salt. If you always add cumin, you can try adding that last to decide whether you like it better with or without. It's easy to add it later, and for me it ruins it. I have Chana Dal, but I've never made hummus with it. Lars

Here's one from the low Glycemic Index Recipe Book: GRANOLA BARS - Makes 16 bars 1 1/3 cups wholewheat flour sweetener - equivalent to 1/3 cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup wheat bran 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp salt (optional) 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 1 cup apricots - finely chopped 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup apple juice 3 low-cholesterol (omega 3) eggs 2 tsp vegetable oil 1. Line a shallow 8 x 12 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. Mix the flour, sweetener, baking powder, bran and spices in a large bowl. Stir in the oats, apricots and sunflower seeds. 3. Mix the applesauce, apple juice, eggs and oil, and add to the flour mixture. 4. Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly. 5. Bake at 400F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into bars. Source: The Glycemic Index Diet - The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss. Rick Gallop 2002 My Comments: I haven't yet made these but will be doing so in the next weeks. I use granulated white fructose in place of white sugar as it is rated as low GI. I have made several of Rick Gallop's recipes and find them to be very good, helping me lose 25 lbs in 3 months. ********************************* Here's his recipe for Granola Cereal: GI GRANOLA 1 1/2 cups (7 oz) jumbo porridge oats 1 x 40 oz pack of dried apple rings, chopped OR 2/3 cup (3 oz) dried cranberries or 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) unsalted sunflower seeds 1/3 cup (2 oz) sesame seeds 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz) chopped almonds 1/4 cup (2 oz) ground flaxseeds or linseeds 1 TBS ground cinnamon 2 teasp grated orange zest 1/2 teasp sea salt 1 large egg white 1 TBS vegetable oil 1 TBS clear honey 2 teasp frozen orange juice concentrate 1 teasp vanilla essence 1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Mix together in a large bowl the oats, apple, sunflower seeds,sesame seeds, almonds, flaxseeds or linseeds,cinnamon, orange zest and salt. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white, oil, honey, orange juice concentrate and vanilla essence. Pour this into the oat mixture and toss until thoroughly coated. Turn out onto a shallow baking tray lined with nonstick parchment and spread evenly. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, turning the mixture once with a spatula halfway through baking time, or until mixture is golden brown. Store in an airtight container for 2 days at room temperature or freeze for up to one month. Source: Adapted from Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook My Comments: I still haven't made this yet as we don't see dried cranberries or frozen orange juice concentrate here but I hope to make substitutes. My friend Lynne made this with dried cranberries she brought back from England. She says it's delicious! *PS January 2007 .....I just found some dried cranberries in a supermarket so will be trying this soon with fresh orange juice. SharonCb

I have brought this up at least once before, but here it is again. I'm sure that all of the advise or recipes will be useful particularly if this relative is a Type A personality. But most of us would prefer to be a little more relaxed and not over-react and then burn out from minor or major failure to maintain a stiff diet. I am certainly not an expert, but I spent many years with the group that is currently known for study and naming of Syndrome X, a set of conditions that often lead to type 2 diabetes. In addition, my supervisor was a type 1 diabetic. I am sure that current ideas for good diets for diabetics, most specifically low glycemic index foods, is the best approach. But that doesn't mean that one is required to eat those foods all the time. Moderation In All Things! Low glycemic foods are those that are low in sugar and slower to turn any starch into its sugars. The point is to keep blood sugars from rocketing up from a quick sugar dose. Therefore, cake and ice cream are mostly Out. Even there, moderation is the point. My supervisor's wife was the best baker of cakes. I guess he would have a very small slice and leave the rest for some family and bring it to the lab the next day for the rest of us to finish off. Occasionally, he would forget to bring lunch. He would then put a regular Coke in an ice bath to keep it cold for hours as he consumed it over several hours. I note pillogs mention of chili without beans. I doubt that the beans would be a serious problem. A slightly greater issue might be the brown sugar. Even there, the real issue is not over eating of that chili. One can eat cake too, if it were consumed like the slow Coke. Everything in moderation; a little more activity; a little less food (unless underweight); snacking ok if total is the same.