CHAPTER 3

The Eat & Beat Diabetes Pyramid

You’re about to start climbing the pyramid, one rung at a time, one chapter per rung. For each rung, the chapter will talk about the foods the rung represents and the relative role those foods should play in your overall eating plan if you are to get the most benefit in terms of weight loss and fighting diabetes. Put it all together and eat the way the Pyramid guides you, and you will automatically be doing your utmost to lose weight and fight diabetes.

Let’s be clear about one thing: the Pyramid is not a diet. It is not an instruction manual lecturing you on how to put together a meal, how to cook it, how much of it to prepare or when to eat it. Rather, it’s the visual embodiment of a healthy way of eating that can keep you slender and free of the effects of diabetes for life.

That means first of all that no food is forbidden. Don’t look at the Pyramid and assume that if you follow its guidelines, you have eaten your last serving of hot Italian sausage, your last piece of chocolate cake or your last bag of potato chips. There are moments in life when only potato chips will do, dinners that cry out for chocolate cake at the end, cookouts where the aroma of grilled sausage is just about more than you can bear. Give in. The occasional self-indulgent treat is good for the soul, and what’s good for the soul is good for your health.

Second, it means that you don’t have to think about including something from every rung of the Pyramid at every meal, or even every day. These rungs don’t constitute mathematical proportions to be adhered to with rigorous precision; again, they represent relations among food groups, and the bottom line is indeed that it’s all relative, not carved in stone.

Should you count calories? No, although it is absolutely true that calories count. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you’ve become accustomed to; to maintain a healthy weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you expend in energy. But if you follow the guidelines of the Beat Diabetes Pyramid, you’re already doing that automatically, so you don’t need to count calories.

Ditto for portion size. If you’re filling up on the Pyramid way of eating—which means plenty of low-calorie foods that contain nutrients and keep you feeling full—portion control is simply not an issue. You’ll feel satisfied, even sated, thanks to all the fiber, protein and good taste you’ll be enjoying. We promise.

In other words, by following the guidelines represented in the Pyramid, as we explain those guidelines in the chapters that follow, you’ll be eating healthier foods, will be decreasing the number of calories you take in and will feel fuller longer without even trying. In other words, you’ll be on a really good diet, but it won’t feel like one.

Bottom line? Eat when hungry, stop when satisfied. So long as you’re eating the Pyramid way, you’ll lose weight and fight diabetes successfully with every meal, snack or banquet.

Now, to get you in the mood for climbing the Beat Diabetes Pyramid, we’ve prepared a quiz to test your Beat Diabetes savvy. You’ll find the answers following the quiz. Give yourself one point for every right answer. If you score between 5 and 10, you’re pretty savvy, and some of what you read in the next five chapters will be familiar to you. Any score below 5 means you’re embarking on a journey of discovery as you turn the pages.

Whatever your score here, you become a real winner when you follow the Pyramid guidelines to weight loss and the prevention and management of this killer disease.

 

1. Which is higher in calories—the mozzarella stick or the ten olives?

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2. Which is a better choice for beating diabetes—the grapes or the Melba toast?

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3. Which is higher in fiber—the light white bread or the cornflakes?

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4. Which contains more saturated fat—the avocado or this portion of feta cheese?

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5. Which snack has more calories—this granola bar or the dried apricot halves?

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6. Which of these two is more effective in beating diabetes—the ear of corn or the cup of steamed rice?

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7. Which snack is higher in refined carbohydrates—pretzel nuggets or jelly beans?

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8. Which is higher in saturated fat—the pistachios or the Muenster cheese?

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9. Which food should you choose if you’re trying to beat diabetes—the sugar-free cookies or the banana?

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10. Which dessert is lower in calories—Weight Watchers Chocolate Fudge Bar or Tofutti Chocolate Fudge Treats?

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ANSWERS:

• 1. The mozzarella stick, with 90 calories, is almost twice as caloric as the assorted olives, which together have only 50 calories. What’s more, the calories in the olives come from “good” or monounsaturated fat—and contain no cholesterol.
• 2. Both the cup of grapes and the four slices of Melba toast contain 60 calories. But that’s just part of the story. The grapes are a good source of phytonutrients and fiber, two of the Four Phenoms, while the Melba toast offers only refined carbohydrates from flour. Go for the grapes.
• 3. All light breads are good fiber sources, with some 2 to 3 grams of fiber per slice, and that’s the situation here: the two slices of light white bread beat the cup of cornflakes for fiber content. The cornflakes, a refined grain product, contain less than a single gram of fiber. Have the bread.
• 4. With 8½ grams of saturated fat, the feta contains much more than the avocado, which contains only 2 grams of saturated fat. And while the cheese also contains some 50 mg of cholesterol, the avocado has no cholesterol, has “good” fat, 2½ grams of fiber and heart-healthy phytonutrients.
• 5. The granola bar, small as it is, contains 130 calories and about 20 grams of carbohydrates, mainly from added sugar. The apricots, by contrast, contain a mere 80 calories and are a great source of fiber and phytonutrients.
• 6. The corn is a better choice. With 4 grams of fiber and 100 calories, it’s a healthier bet than the rice, with less than 1 gram of fiber and 200 calories.
• 7. It’s a draw! Both the pretzel nuggets and the jelly beans have the same amount of refined carbohydrates and the same number of calories—200.
• 8. The Muenster’s 11 grams of saturated fat beat the pistachios’ 3 grams easily. In addition, the pistachios contain monounsaturated fat, a good fat, as well as 7 grams of fiber—and no cholesterol!
• 9. Choose the banana. While the cookies have refined carbohydrates and saturated fat, the banana has 3 grams of fiber, no saturated fat, no cholesterol and only 100 calories.
• 8. Choose the banana. While the cookies have refined carbohydrates and saturated fat, the banana has 3 grams of fiber, no saturated fat, no cholesterol and only 100 calories.
• 10. The two Tofutti Chocolate Fudge Treats together cost a mere 60 calories. The single Weight Watchers Chocolate Fudge Bar comes in at 110 calories—and those calories come mostly from added sugar. The Tofutti Treats have zero added sugar.