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Healthy Swaps-No Sufferin' Succotash

A word made famous by Sylvester the Cat, succotash is a traditional, American side dish made of lima beans and corn kernels. Sweet, buttery, and easy on the mouth, it's a high-fiber comfort food, but can be made more diabetes friendly with some substitutions.

Lima beans have a relatively low glycemic index value (32, and under 55 is considered low), and a half-cup (of frozen baby limas) contains 18 grams of carbohydrate, 5 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein. A perfect stand-in for limas, however, is the green soybean known as edamame. Generally available frozen, shelled or in the pod, these beans are very similar to lima beans, but a half-cup contain 10 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 11 grams of protein, and are an excellent supply of vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Green soybeans also contain all the amino acids needed to make a complete protein, and all of this means they are a very decent substitute for meat.

Instead of corn in your succotash, use diced, sauted summer squash and yellow pepper. You'll end up with a delicious side dish that looks just like succotash, with the same sweet and buttery flavors and textures, but a lot less impact on your sugar.







Reviewed by Susan Weiner, R.D., M.S., C.D.E., C.D.N. 3/08