Diabetes Recipes
A Sweet Taste of Nostalgia
By Marilyn Helton
When I think of comfort food, I don’t think of chicken soup or macaroni and cheese or even mashed potatoes and gravy. I think of sweets with a capital “S.”
I remember the wonderful aroma from my mother’s tiny kitchen, wending its way through a small home in Casa Grande, Arizona -- An aromatic promise of the delectable desserts that were sure to follow each evening meal. My mother was a wonderful cook, much of her culinary expertise gleaned from many years of waiting tables in various family dinner houses.
I remember Saturday mornings, when Petry’s Bakery truck would come down our street. Mama and her neighbor, Alice, would gorge themselves on sweet delights over steaming mugs of coffee, which barely left their lips long enough to indulge in the latest neighborhood gossip.
Growing up with such an orientation to sweet anticipation did not make life easy for a pudgy teen. Now that I’ve marched straight into my “golden years,” I’m much more aware of the value of good nutrition for better health. I also know that balance in all things offers the greatest satisfaction in life.
One of the wonderful things about being human is that we have the opportunity to make choices, and if we want an occasional sweet treat, then we should be able to feel OK about choosing to have one. Too often we set impossibly high expectations for ourselves and when we don't measure up, we feel guilty. Guilt is unproductive and a waste of time. With the help of a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian to develop an individual meal plan to accommodate your diabetes and medical history, you can have your treats in moderation without feeling guilty. Once we learn to accept ourselves and our illnesses as they are, it will become easier to keep everything balanced.
From Mother’s Day to Memorial Day, we’ll be celebrating many occasions where food will be an important part of each event. With the help of some simple guidelines from the Eating Well Test Kitchen, I learned long ago how to modify my mother’s delicious baked goods that I so loved in my childhood. I've included those guidelines below so you, too, can become adept at turning your own favorite recipes into sweet tastes of nostalgia.
Until next month, eat well and stay healthy,