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No More Blood Sugar Blues
A "MUST Read"
by Alice Osborne
 I was chatting with a nurse who teaches at the college where I teach and we were talking about diabetes and what can be done to protect ourselves from this insidious disease. In the conversation she mentioned what she considered to be a “MUST Read,” The Insulin Resistance Diet, by Cheryle R. Hart, M.D. and Mary Kay Grossman, R.D. The subtitle is “How to Turn Off Your Body’s Fat-Making Machine.” I knew I needed to get this book.
In a nutshell, the authors say that keeping our insulin “calmed down” all day with the powerful Link-and-Balance Eating Method is our weight-loss secret and THE key to maintaining our weight and good health. They say this approach is new, simple and based on the most recent medical and nutritional knowledge about insulin resistance (sometimes called Syndrome X). Here is a sample page from the book:
The authors’ research on how insulin surges, or spikes, in the blood and leads to fat storage is the basis for their diet plan. Their program provides an approximate daily ratio of 45% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 25% fat. They explain that “linking” is the simple method of including a food with protein every time we eat, whether or not we also have a food with fat or carbohydrates. It’s eating a protein every time we eat. The “Balance” part of the program answers the question “How much protein do I need to link?” and “How much carbohydrate can I have?”
Proteins make up the cornerstone of the lining method, because (as research shows), protein foods do not cause insulin to spike and therefore are ideal foods to eat when managing weight problems. Linking works because mixing a protein with other foods counteracts and lowers insulin’s reaction to those other foods. Other benefits to eating enough protein have to do with fullness and maintaining muscle.
Hart and Grossman say that linking works best if protein is eaten by itself, before carbohydrates. If this isn’t possible, we should east some protein as soon after eating carbs as we can. Here are a few examples of linking carbs with protein:
Potatoes with lean meat
Crackers with low-fat deli meat or low-fat cheese
Bread with no-sugar-added nut butter (almond is my preference)
Simple enough — I can do this! To help us get started, the authors provide sample menus and recipes. For instance, Meal 7 with the needed recipe:
Very Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo
2 oz or more cooked shrimp, scallops, clams, skinless chicken breast strips
Steamed broccoli
Mixed greens with nonfat or low-fat dressing
Very Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo
Serves 5
 5 oz whole-grain fettuccine (uncooked)
2 tsp minced garlic
¼ C minced fresh onion
¼ C dry white wine
1 ½ Tbsp flour
1 C evaporated skim milk
½ tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
Butter-flavored granules (Butter Buds is a good product)
Salt
Black pepper
3/4 C grated fat-free Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside. Saute garlic and onion in wine until onion is clear. In separate bowl, stir together flour and milk until smooth. Add milk mixture to onion mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. Add basil, parsley, and butter flavoring, salt, and black pepper to taste. Toss with pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
Protein: 8 grams, carbohydrates: 31grams, fat: 1 gram. Calories: 174.
 Download this recipe.
(To determine your risk for insulin resistance and the health problems it causes, go to www.irdiet.com to do an online “Insulin Resistance Self-Test.)
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