Wayne Goodwin

About the Author,

Wayne Goodwin

In 1956, at the age of 10, Wayne’s adolescent, small town New Hampshire eating habits took a dramatic turn. His then 1 year old brother was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. The family’s new dietary regimen included toast with peanut butter, tuna salad sandwiches and pan sautéed proteins with no sauce. Now desserts were only for special occasions. This regimen continued for the next 12 years.

Working his way through college, Wayne earned a B. S. in Chemical Engineering and started his working career as a marketing trainee in New York City. While living in New York, Wayne immediately found a new and wonderful world of food! Italian restaurants, Japanese Steak Houses, the Fulton Fish Market and so much more. His love affair with food and wine had begun.

Following the short stint in New York City, Wayne was transferred to Glens Falls, NY where he met the other love of his life, Mary Turano. Mary learned from her mother how to cook traditional Italian foods and also traveled to France where she studied French cuisine.

Wayne and Mary married in 1971 and moved back to New Hampshire. Shortly thereafter it happened. Wayne was diagnosed with what we now call Type 1 diabetes. With the fear of not being able to eat all of the recently found food he had so quickly become fond of, Wayne put on his engineering hat, bought the book Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, and set about calculating the food values of everything he wanted to eat.

With no formal dietary or food preparation training, Wayne began creating wonderfully diverse menus. Both he and his wife greatly enjoyed these magnificent meals and when their children were old enough to eat grown-up foods, they were exposed to these dishes as well.

At a meeting of the American Diabetes Association chapter in Dallas, which Wayne hosted at his home, the attendees remarked how his meal plans should be put in a book so that others could benefit. Neither Wayne nor Mary knew how to go about writing a book. But that did not stop them. With Mary as consultant, tester and critic they embarked on their ambitious project. It started out small, with a few menus published in newsletter format, but soon grew to include two four-week basic meal plans, a book of eclectic recipes and menus, a four week Low-Sodium, Low Cholesterol plan and 2 volumes of diabetic cooking for one or two! Not only were Wayne and Mary busy raising their family, but they also worked together daily for the next 12 years.

When the kids were in high school, Mary went back to work as a French teacher and Wayne went back to work in a technical marketing position.

Fast forward 22 years. Mary was still teaching at the local high school and still consulting and testing. Wayne had just retired. He continued to share the kitchen with Mary and even enrolled in classes taught by Mike Bulkowski, who was a sous chef for both Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck before branching out and opening his own restaurant. As a result of these classes, Wayne earned an AAC certificate (Accomplished Amateur Chef).

The first two or three months of Wayne’s retirement were a relief from all of the travel and corporate “stuff”, but not very satisfying. At his daughter’s house for a Christmas party in December of 2009, she asked if he could write out suggested meal plans for her diabetic, expectant patients. (She is an OB, MFM specialist). The spark was immediately reignited!

This time around, however, there was the internet, email and eBooks, so there would be no hard copy cookbook. Everything could be done electronically.

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The rules and guidelines for meal plans had also evolved. “Carb counting” was now in vogue.

The Glycemic Index was being used and Exchanges were not being used as much as they were in the past.

One thing , however, that had not changed was Wayne’s abilities on the computer and, after many years of trials and errors, he was definitely stronger in the kitchen. Wayne wrote an entirely new piece of software to calculate the food values of recipes and individual meals. He found a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator to review all of his design criteria, subsequent recipes and meal plans.

Wayne had a goal to make it as easy to obtain his work, as it is to download a thrilling novel to a Kindle.

I think he accomplished his goal. Enjoy his work!

— A lifelong friend who wishes to remain anonymous