The Low Blood Sugar Cookbook: Sugarless Cooking for Everyone - Softcover

Krimmel, Patricia; Krimmel, Edward

3.38

29 ratings by Goodreads

9780916503017: The Low Blood Sugar Cookbook: Sugarless Cooking for Everyone

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0916503011 ISBN 13: 9780916503017

Publisher: Franklin Publishers, 1993

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Over 200 mouth-watering recipes from the personal collection and kitchen of Patricia and Edward Krimmel, authors of "The Low Blood Sugar Handbook." Not only are these recipes nutritious but appetizing and tantalizing as well. Just what a body chemistry needs to be stable and healthy.

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From the Author:

The traditional functional reactive hypoglycemic diet has been high protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese) and low carbohydrate foods. Medical science has shown that too much protein and fat are detrimental to one's overall health. Therefore you should be following a moderate protein, moderate complex carbohydrate and low fat food ethic. Some studies have found that even though simple carbohydrates (sugar, white flour, fruit, etc) usually cannot be tolerated by hypoglycemics, many hypoglycemics can tolerate and enjoy complex carbohydrates (whole grains, legumes, vegetables, etc).

Some complex carbohydrates can be combined to form complete proteins, thereby reducing the needed amount of what is normally thought of as the "only" protein foods. Therefore we have included many whole grains and legumes in our recipes. The high fiber in these and other foods also helps starches be absorbed slowly into the blood stream thereby giving a gradual blood sugar rise rather than causing it to rise rapidly.

Since each person's body chemistry is different, especially hypoglycemics, foods that may be beneficial for one person may not be for another. Keeping this in mind we have endeavored to offer a variety of recipes to complement the needs of a variety of individuals.

Why did we write The Low Blood Sugar Cookbook? Because most recipes use white flour, sugar and other refined carbohydrates that are detrimental to a low blood sugar sufferer, our recipes avoid these substances. In addition we have not used artificial sweeteners, food additives or artificial colorings and flavorings in any of the recipes.

Why are refined carbohydrates detrimental? One theory is that low blood sugar sufferers secrete too much insulin from their pancreas when they eat refined carbohydrates, thus lowering their blood sugar (glucose) too rapidly, which produces an array of unpleasant symptoms (mood swings, fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, irritability, etc.)

Why do these symptoms appear when the blood sugar is too low? The cells of the body use glucose for energy. If the level of glucose is too low there is not enough energy for the cells to function efficiently. When cells don't function efficiently, symptoms appear telling us something is wrong. Most cells of the body can utilize fat and protein, in the absence of glucose, for energy. However the cells of the brain and the retina of the eye can use only glucose for energy and need a constant and sufficient supply to function efficiently. When the cells of the brain and eyes aren't receiving enough energy, is it any wonder that symptoms appear!

God bless, and we love you too. Pat & Ed Krimmel

GENERAL INFORMATION An important and simple aspect of getting your blood sugar stabilized is eating what is best for your blood sugar. Removing refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugars and processed foods) from your diet is an important step and then gradually adding more complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds), is what we are trying to help you do in this cookbook.

When first beginning to stabilize your blood sugar, you shouldn't eat any type of flour products. Gradually you will begin adding whole grains and whole grain products. (see our book, THE LOW BLOOD SUGAR HANDBOOK for a specific understanding of the low blood sugar food program). One of the best grains for a hypoglycemic is oats. Unlike the wheat which is made into white flour, oats go through the milling process retaining most of its nutrients. Only the hull is removed leaving most of the bran, endosperm and germ. This leaves the oats rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Oats not only have the highest protein content of the grains but also have the highest quality protein. This is the reason we have tried to use oats and oat flour rather than just whole wheat flour in as many baked goods as possible. Also the incidence of oat allergy is much lower than wheat allergy.

Oat flour can be bought in a health food store or very easily made at home as needed by grinding rolled oats or oat flakes in a blender. I have found that some commercial oat flour must be shifted where as what you make doesn't need to be. Besides using in baked goods, oat flour can be used to thicken gravies if you must thicken them. Try other whole grain flours such as rye, buck wheat, Ezekiel (combination of whole grains, beans and lentils).

For sweeteners we have used unsweetened fruit juices, frozen fruit juice concentrates and liquid fruit concentrates. You can try different juices if you desire. We have stayed away from artificial sweeteners because of possible unknown side effects and the false sense of security they give.

Soybean and its products have an excellent combination of protein and carbohydrate which make them very helpful to hypoglycemics. Tofu, soybean curd, provides protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and some B and E vitamins. It is ideal to use in place of meat in dishes where it will absorb flavors of the foods with which it is cooked. A small amount of soy flour can be added to baked goods to increase their nutritional value. Chocolate and cocoa are no no's for hypoglycemics, however for those who think they can't live without them there is a food somewhat similar. Carob has the same general appearance as chocolate and has its own light, slightly milk-chocolatey flavor but it does not contain caffeine. Because of its own natural sweetness you can buy it without sugar having been added. As a bonus it provides some nutrition in the form of A and B vitamins and some calcium, potassium, iron and pectin. It is available in powder and chips, just be sure to read the label for added sugar. Even if sugar has not been added, don't over indulge, remember, too much natural sugar can also cause problems.

When eating, it is best to think about what foods will make the cells in our body function best rather than what foods taste best. It's a question of, are you going to control your body's chemistry or is the tip of your tongue going to control your body's chemistry and subsequently your personal well-being? Well??? Here's a tidbit of information for those who say they have poor self control regarding sweets or whatever they crave to eat. When the blood sugar level falls, the first area of the brain to be affected is the neocortex. And guess what the neocortex controls! It controls the self control center. However, if the blood sugar is kept at a stable level then there can be much better control of what we eat and how often. Talk about a handshaking relationship in a darkened room!

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