Diabetes Forecast March 2005

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FOR TYPE 1/TYPE 2

Healthy Eating

All Italian
A Recipe For Good Health
By Robyn Webb, MS, LN

Recipe of the Month: Seared Bass with Basil
Product of the Month: Uncle Sam Cereal Bars

For Italians, eating truly is a pleasure.

But a true Italian diet is about more than oversized meatballs and creamy cannolis. It includes a range of vegetables, fragrant herbs, and savory beans.

Here are some simple steps you can take to incorporate the best of an Italian diet into your busy American life:

• Eat salad as often as you can. Italians have the "five vegetables a day" concept down pat. You'd be unlikely to catch an Italian serving iceberg lettuce, so you shouldn't either. Stick with dark greens such as spinach, escarole, arugula, and romaine. Drizzle them with a hint of olive oil and vinegar, which should enhance the salad's flavor, not overpower it.
• Think beans and grains. When many of us think "Italian food," we think of steaming bowls of pasta and crusty loaves of bread. But beans and whole grains are very much a part of the cuisine as well, and they have much more fiber than pasta and bread. Try adding lentils, chickpeas, cannellini beans, and red kidney beans to your diet. Try cooking with wheat kernels, or "faro" as they are called in Italian. Many specialty stores carry these kernels, and they are easy to prepare.
• Enjoy your seafood. Traditional Italian cuisine, particularly along the coasts, is loaded with fresh tuna, hearty shellfish stews, and other such dishes. We know seafood is low in saturated fats and that the fatty fishes are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which protect against heart disease. Buy your seafood like the Italians do: the day you plan on serving it. That will ensure that you get the best-tasting and freshest fish. And serve it simply: Grill it and serve with a vitamin C–rich tomato sauce.
• Toss in those herbs. Italians know how to infuse flavor using herbs. Experiment with your foods by adding fresh sprigs of rosemary or oregano. Use basil leaves whole, and toss them into your salads. Even if you don't plan on using herbs all the time, grow them and let the aromas fill your windowsill or garden. Now that's truly Italian!
• Think fruit for dessert. While those decadent cannolis certainly are served, rich desserts tend to be eaten on special occasions. In Italy, most everyday meals end with sweet, ripe fruit. During my time in Italy, I so enjoyed lingering over slices of fresh apricots or plucking grapes one by one off the vine.
• Sing, laugh, and have fun. At mealtime in Italy, the focus is on the food and fellowship, even during everyday meals. If you are by yourself, shut off the television and put on some soothing music. Italian music, perhaps?

I recently completed another cookbook that is scheduled to be published by the American Diabetes Association, Italian Meals In 30 Minutes Or Less. When I shared this title with one of my Italian friends, he smiled and said the best-tasting food should indeed take no more than 30 minutes to prepare.

See the Recipe of the Month for a sneak preview of one of the new recipes from the book. Eat and enjoy, or as the Italians would say, "Mangia!"

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The latest cookbook by Robyn Webb, MS, LN, and Hope S. Warshaw, MMSC, RD, CDE, The Diabetes Food And Nutrition Bible, is published by the American Diabetes Association. This, as well as other books by Robyn, can be ordered from the Association's online bookstore at http://store.diabetes.org or by calling 1-800-ADA-ORDER.