CHAPTER 9

Look and Lose

See for yourself.

Everything we’ve been telling you in the past eight chapters—all the science and all the background detail on the various kinds of food—goes into action in the pages that follow. Here you’ll find the kind of Picture Perfect demonstrations that have long been the signature trademark of Dr. Shapiro’s bestselling books.

What are Picture Perfect demonstrations? They’re vivid comparisons of related food options and the health and weight-management consequences of each option. One look and you get the picture—perfectly. And once that picture is in your brain, you never forget it.

Some of it will surprise you. Maybe for years you’ve been depriving yourself of pancakes slathered in syrup—way too fattening, you assumed. Have a look at the Monarch’s Meal demo and think again. Or maybe you’ve been careful to satisfy your coffee craving with a no-fat, no-cream version that still gratifies your sweet tooth. Is it Place Your Order? Check out the demo by that name to see the truth.

In the gallery of demonstrations that follow, you’ll see the truth for yourself in comparisons of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, appetizers, dinners, desserts and saboteur foods. No one is telling you what to eat. But it’s been proven time and again that once you see what each option really represents—and what the consequences can be to your waistline and your health—you’ll know which choice is right for you.

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL

You’ll pay a big price in calories and heart health for this small breakfast of a muffin and chai. Filled with sugar and fat, it’s a diabetes grenade waiting for the pin to be pulled. The exact opposite is true for the breakfast on the right—waffles smothered in sugar-free syrup, plus blueberries, plus coffee laced with milk. With a fraction of the calories, fat and sugar of the small breakfast, and with more than ten times as much fiber, this big breakfast is definitely beautiful.

23 teaspoons sugar

5-ounce blueberry muffin		550 calories		10 grams fat		1 gram fiber		52 grams sugar
Medium chai latte		290 calories		7 grams fat		0 grams fiber		39 grams sugar
TOTAL		840 calories		17 grams fat		1 gram fiber		91 grams sugar

vs.

2 Van’s waffles		150 calories		3½ grams fat		8 grams fiber		3 grams sugar
2 tablespoons sugar-free syrup		10 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber		0 grams sugar
1/3 cup blueberries		25 calories		0 grams fat		3 grams fiber		0 grams sugar
Coffee with low-cal sweetener, 2 tablespoons milk		20 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber		0 grams sugar
TOTAL		205 calories		3½ grams fat		11 grams fiber		3 grams sugar

¾ teaspoon sugar

SWEET TOOTH AT BREAKFAST

If you’re someone who likes to start the day with a sweet taste in your mouth, you don’t have to do it at peril to your waistline and your health. Check out the calorie difference between the single cranberry scone and four—count ’em!—pieces of light bread slathered with sugar-free jam. Get your fiber, avoid the fat and satisfy your sweet tooth four times over with this choice of breakfast.

5-ounce cranberry scone		500 calories		20 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1-ounce butter (2 tablespoons)		220 calories		25 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		720 calories		45 grams fat		0 grams fiber

45 grams bad fat = 8 pats butter

vs.

0 grams bad fat

4 slices light bread		160 calories		0 grams fat		8 grams fiber
4 tablespoons sugar-free jam		40 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		200 calories		0 grams fat		8 grams fiber

SABOTAGE IN THE MORNING

Ah, granola! So natural! So filled with fiber! So good for you! Well…look again.

Granola is a classic saboteur food. For the 8 grams of fiber this natural breakfast food provides, you pay a high price in the sugar and calories that can add weight and play havoc with your blood sugar levels. How about tripling the fiber content of your breakfast with no sugar at all? That’s what the cereal breakfast below provides.

1 cup granola

520 calories, 8 grams fiber,

28 grams sugar

vs.

1 cup All-Bran Extra Fiber or Fiber One

100 calories, 28 grams fiber,

0 grams sugar

KEEPING UP TRADITION

The sausage biscuit is an all-American tradition. But it’s a tradition that comes with enough saturated fat and refined carbohydrates to kick metabolic syndrome into high gear. So is there a diabetes-fighting way to get the traditional taste? You’re looking at it below.

4-ounce biscuit		400 calories		20 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 40-gram sausage patty		135 calories		12 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		535 calories		32 grams fat		0 grams fiber

32 grams bad fat = 6 ½ pats butter

vs.

3 grams good fat = ½ teaspoon oil

Light English muffin		100 calories		0 grams fat		6 grams fiber
1 40-gram veggie sausage patty		80 calories		3 grams fat		3 grams fiber
TOTAL		180 calories		3 grams fat		9 grams fiber

CONVENIENCE FACTOR

There it is: the lone buttered bagel, the quick and easy breakfast for folks on the move. But in this particular case, convenience costs you—in a ridiculously high number of calories and fat grams. Just as convenient would be a slice of light wheat toast with peanut butter. It contains one-fourth of the bagel’s calories and fat. Plus, it’s full of diabetes- and weight-fighting fiber. And it would take a tower of these bread slices to equal that poor lone bagel.

5-ounce bagel		400 calories		0 grams fat
2 tablespoons butter		220 calories		24 grams fat
TOTAL		620 calories		24 grams fat

24 grams bad fat = 5 pats butter

vs.

16 grams good fat = 3 teaspoons oil

2 slices light wheat toast		80 calories		0 grams fat
2 tablespoons peanut butter		190 calories		16 grams fat
TOTAL		270 calories		16 grams fat

MONARCH’S MEAL

Take a quick look at these two breakfasts—the bagel with cream cheese and the regal meal of pancakes with syrup, sausage and melon—and you’d probably figure that the better choice for weight loss and health would be the bagel. But you’d be wrong. For starters, look at the calorie difference. But don’t stop there. While calories and fat are all the bagel offers—too much of both—the royal feast is filled with diabetes fighters such as fiber and even soy protein. So do as royalty does and choose this breakfast fit for a king.

5-ounce bagel		400 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
2-ounce cream cheese		200 calories		20 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		600 calories		20 grams fat		0 grams fiber

20 grams bad fat = 4 pats butter

vs.

6 grams good fat = 1 teaspoon oil

2 whole-grain pancakes		150 calories		3 grams fat		5 grams fiber
2 tablespoons sugar-free syrup		10 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
3 veggie sausage links		90 calories		3 grams fat		3 grams fiber
1 cup melon		60 calories		0 grams fat		3 grams fiber
TOTAL		310 calories		6 grams fat		11 grams fiber

VARIATIONS ON A CLASSIC

The sandwich is perhaps the classic lunch—its variations limited only by the imagination. It’s also a perfect opportunity for the imagination to choose variations that can help you lose weight and prevent, fight or manage diabetes. Take a look.

Get a load of the off-the-charts calorie count on this ham and cheese on a croissant and the simple egg salad on a bagel on the next page. Moreover, these calories come mostly in the form of refined carbohydrates, saturated fat and cholesterol—bad choices if you’re health-conscious, and especially if you want to manage your weight and fight diabetes.

With roast beef on a roll and turkey on rye, you can manage to lower the calorie count because these sandwiches are somewhat lower in saturated fat and carbohydrates. But not that much—certainly not enough for weight management and fighting diabetes.

We’ve slashed the calorie count with these two sandwiches—tuna salad (made with light mayo) on whole-wheat bread and veggie deli on light bread, both with lettuce and tomato, both delicious. But that’s not all. Both of these sandwiches are also made with ingredients found on the Beat Diabetes Pyramid and offer virtually no saturated fat and lots of fiber. The tuna salad gives you omega-3 fatty acids with your protein, while the veggie deli sandwich provides the extra added attraction of soy protein, which is just about the most powerful weapon you can find for heart health and against diabetes.

For your weight and your health, these two Pyramid sandwiches are as good as it gets. They deserve the name “classics.”

6 sandwiches—worst to best

Ham and cheese on a croissant

3½-ounce croissant		390 calories
3 ounces ham		195 calories
3 ounces American cheese		300 calories
TOTAL		885 calories

Egg salad on a bagel

4-ounce bagel		320 calories
1 cup egg salad		440 calories
TOTAL		760 calories

Roast beef on a roll

2½-ounce kaiser roll		200 calories
6 ounces roast beef		390 calories
1 tablespoon catsup		15 calories
TOTAL		605 calories

Turkey on rye

2 slices rye bread		160 calories
6 ounces white-meat turkey		300 calories
1 tablespoon mayo		100 calories
TOTAL		560 calories

Light tuna salad on whole wheat
with lettuce and tomato

2 slices whole-wheat bread		140 calories
6 ounces tuna salad made with light mayo		250 calories
Lettuce and tomato		5 calories
TOTAL		395 calories

Veggie deli on light bread
with lettuce and tomato

2 slices light wheat bread		80 calories
6 ounces veggie deli		180 calories
Lettuce and tomato		5 calories
1 tablespoon mustard		10 calories
TOTAL		275 calories

BARGAIN SHOPPING

With their endless possibilities for adding yet one more ingredient or condiment, soups are a real bargain—a great way to fill up deliciously on lots of healthy foods that are good sources of fiber and phytonutrients. But here, too, the choices you make are significant. Check out the four soups on the next page. All fill you with calories—mostly from refined carbohydrates and/or saturated fat—and all provide less than a single gram of fiber per serving. The soups on the bottom, however, are all Pyramid soups; they contain legumes and vegetables straight from the Beat Diabetes Pyramid, are low in refined carbohydrates and saturated fat, are virtually cholesterol-free and provide anywhere from 6 to 9 grams of fiber per serving.

Bottom line: if you’re going for a bargain, shop carefully.

New England clam chowder

Cream of mushroom soup

Seafood bisque

Ramen noodle soup

French onion soup

Chicken rice soup

Calories from refined carbs and/or saturated fat Less than 1 gram of fiber per serving

Lentil soup

Split pea soup

Split pea soup

Carrot-ginger soup

Black bean soup

Manhattan clam chowder

Low in refined carbs and saturated fat 6–9 grams fiber per serving

TUNA TODAY

It’s the great lunch standby: a tuna salad sandwich. But if you choose wisely, you can turn the standby into the gold standard of diabetes-fighting lunches. Tuna salad on a baguette? High in calories, 1 gram of fiber, not that filling a lunch. Light-mayo tuna salad on whole wheat with sliced tomato? Just about half the calories, plus 10 grams of fiber, plus phytonutrients—a triple punch against weight gain and diabetes. Add a bowl of chunky vegetable soup for more fiber, and you still won’t come close to the calorie hit of the tuna on a baguette.

Tuna on a baguette

¾ cup tuna salad		330 calories
5-ounce baguette		400 calories
TOTAL		730 calories

vs.

Tuna salad on whole wheat

¾ cup tuna salad (with light mayo)		225 calories
2 slices whole-wheat bread		140 calories
2 slices tomato		5 calories
Bowl of chunky vegetable soup		100 calories
TOTAL		470 calories

HOT DOG!

Grab a quick hot dog and what do you get? Calories and fat—and you’re still hungry. Here’s an alternative.

A veggie frank on a light bun has the same taste and same condiments—at a third of the calories, no fat, with 3 grams of fiber. Still hungry? How about a baked potato with bean chili? Your total calorie count now equals the one quick hot dog, but you’re losing the fat and gaining plenty of fiber.

Frankfurter		180 calories		17 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Bun		120 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Mustard and relish		10 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		310 calories		2 grams fat		0 grams fiber

=

Veggie frank		40 calories		0 grams fat		1 gram fiber
Light bun		80 calories		0 grams fat		2 grams fiber
Mustard and relish		10 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Baked potato		120 calories		0 grams fat		2 ½ grams fiber
¼ cup bean chili		60 calories		1 gram fat		3 grams fiber
TOTAL		310 calories		1 gram fat		8½ grams fiber

SALAD FOR LUNCH

Eleven and a half pats of butter: that’s what you’ll be burdening your waistline and your heart with when this small portion of chicken salad and Muenster cheese is your lunch. The 58 grams of fat in this calorie-heavy meal are mainly saturated fat, the kind that can raise your total and LDL cholesterol levels and burden your insulin receptors, thus raising the risk of diabetes.

Here’s another salad—bigger than the high-fat one, more colorful, much more healthful and wonderfully tasty. Rich in protein from the seafood and in phytonutrients from the vegetables, it brings you the diabetes-fighting benefits of fiber at a low, low calorie count. And compare its single teaspoon of unsaturated fat with those eleven and a half pats of butter!

¾ cup chicken salad		360 calories		24 grams fat		½ gram fiber
2 ounces Muenster cheese		210 calories		17 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Lettuce		5 calories		0 grams fat		½ gram fiber
2 tablespoons ranch dressing		160 calories		17 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		735 calories		58 grams fat		1 gram fiber

vs.

¾ cup bean salad		170 calories		3 grams fat		10 grams fiber
2 ounces seafood		60 calories		1 gram fat		0 grams fiber
1/3 cup sliced beets		10 calories		0 grams fat		1½ grams fiber
Lettuce		5 calories		0 grams fat		½ gram fiber
2 tablespoons light creamy dressing		20 calories		2 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		265 calories		6 grams fat		12 grams fiber

BEATING CAESAR

Edamame, the fresh green soybean, is among the hottest of the trendy new “designer foods,” yet it has been cultivated across Asia as both food and medicine for some five thousand years. The current vogue for edamame seems to have been launched in Japan, where it gained popularity as a bar snack, typically served boiled and salted. Today, it’s available in American supermarkets and gourmet shops in both fresh and frozen versions, and its pungent taste and crisp texture have made edamame a welcome ingredient in a range of dishes. This colorful recipe features edamame but blends a variety of tastes and textures, and it’s a nutritionist’s dream as well. The soy is an excellent source of protein, fiber and disease-fighting phytochemicals; the other vegetables—bell pepper, cucumber, scallion—add more nutrients; and the dressing, featuring both canola and sesame oil, offers just 7 grams of the best kind of fat. Caesar salad made with 3 ounces of chicken seems old hat by comparison, while its calorie count and fat content show it is not as benign as it looks.

1 pound edamame (frozen blanched shelled soybeans)

3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 scallions, sliced diagonally

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

Lettuce leaves

EDAMAME SALAD

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil. Add the edamame and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Add the drained soybeans, scallions, cucumber and bell pepper. Toss to coat. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Yield: 6 servings

1 serving chicken

Caesar salad

450 calories

24 grams fat

vs.

1 serving

Edamame Salad

106 calories

7 grams fat

SLOPPY BUT SLENDER

You can’t see a difference between these two sloppy joes. Can’t taste a difference, either. But if you’re weight-conscious and health-conscious, you can measure the difference. The one on the left, made with veggie crumbles and on a light bun, has about half the calories of the one on the right and one-fifth of the fat. It also provides nine times the fiber content of the one on the right. Both joes may be sloppy, but the one on the left is managing his weight and fighting diabetes at the same time.

Bun		110 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Sloppy joe mix with 6 ounces ground beef		480 calories		36 grams fat		0 grams fiber
½ cup sauce		70 calories		0 grams fat		1 gram fiber
TOTAL		660 calories		36 grams fat		1 gram fiber

36 grams bad fat = 7 pats butter

vs.

Light bun		80 calories		0 grams fat		2 grams fiber
Sloppy joe mix with 6 ounces veggie crumbles		240 calories		7 grams fat		6 grams fiber
½ cup sauce		70 calories		0 grams fat		1 gram fiber
TOTAL		390 calories		7 grams fat		9 grams fiber

7 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

MINDLESS SNACKS

They’re the kinds of foods we tend to eat mindlessly. We just grab a handful of whatever snack is there—virtually without thinking. But with a little thought we can help maintain a healthy weight and fight diabetes at the same time. Take a look: one mindless snack, the tiny piece of cheese, is loaded with the kind of saturated fat that raises your risk of diabetes. But if you grab a handful of pistachios instead, you’ll be taking in monounsaturated fat, which can actually help you prevent diabetes. So it doesn’t take a lot of thought to get and stay healthy and diabetes-free.

3 ounces brie

342 calories, 27 grams fat

27 grams bad fat = 5 ½ pats butter

2 ounces pistachios in shell

324 calories, 27 grams fat

27 grams good fat = 5 ½ teaspoons oil

WHICH WEDGE?

Even with two crackers, this slender wedge of white cheddar doesn’t offer as much to eat as a single wedge of the pizza. And since it brings with it a huge calorie count, a high content of saturated fats and the dubious health effects of a dairy food, consider the pizza instead. You could have four wedges for the same cost in calories—and enjoy a range of tastes into the bargain.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND ROASTED RED PEPPER PIZZA

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt

1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5 whole-wheat pitas or flatbreads (8 inches each)

¹/₃ cup (1 ½ ounces) freshly shaved Parmesan cheese or dairy-free alternative

¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until very tender and golden brown. Stir in the peppers and vinegar.

2. Place the pitas or flatbreads on a baking sheet. Evenly divide the onion mixture among the pitas and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pitas are crisp. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle with the basil. To serve, cut each pizza into quarters.

Yield: 20 wedges

Per wedge: 80 calories, 2 grams fat

1 wedge (3 ounces)

white cheddar cheese

320 calories 28 grams fat

=

4 servings

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

320 calories 8 grams fat

PEPPERONI PROMISE

Like pepperoni? Even a modest portion of small slices can be a high-calorie, high-fat snack. Or you can enjoy the taste you crave the low-calorie, no-fat way with veggie pepperoni that also offers you the diabetes-fighting benefits of soy protein. Add in some protein-filled shrimp, and you’re still nowhere near the calorie cost of the meat pepperoni on its own.

2 ounces pepperoni

260 calories, 24 grams fat

vs.

2 ounces veggie pepperoni		80 calories		0 grams fat
2 ounces shrimp		60 calories		1 gram fat
TOTAL		140 calories		1 gram fat

THE DISH ON DIPS

This may look like a choice between different kinds of dips, but it’s also a choice between different kinds of fat. On the top are two dips with the kind of fat that can raise your cholesterol and your risk of diabetes—trans fat in the ranch dip and saturated fat in the blue cheese dip. On the bottom are two dips that can actually help prevent diabetes; both the hummus and the guacamole contain monounsaturated fat, one of the good fats. But that’s not all. The ingredients in all the dips on the bottom are from the Beat Diabetes Pyramid—chickpeas and sesame tahini in the hummus and avocado in the guacamole—so you’re actually fighting diabetes when you dip into them.

Blue cheese dip (2 tablespoons)		160 calories		14 grams fat
Ranch dip (2 tablespoons)		172 calories		9 grams fat
TOTAL		332 calories		23 grams fat

23 grams bad fat = 4 ½ pats butter

vs.

8 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

Hummus (2 tablespoons)		52 calories		3 grams fat
Guacamole (2 tablespoons)		55 calories		5 grams fat
TOTAL		107 calories		8 grams fat

IT’S YOUR PARTY!

Party mixes are hard to resist. Fail to resist the Chex Mix on the left, and you’re taking in 242 calories and nearly 10 grams of fat. Yield to the soy crisps on the right, however, and you minimize your calorie and fat cost and give yourself the diabetes-fighting power of soy protein.

1 ¹/₃ cups Chex Mix (2 ounces)

242 calories, 10 grams fat

vs.

1.3-ounce bag Glenny’s Soy Crisps

140 calories, 3 grams fat, 9 grams soy protein

EASY FIX

Crackers and cheese are an easy snack to prepare but very tough on your waistline and your health. Just check out the cost in fat grams and calories—mostly from refined carbohydrates—of these half dozen crackers with Swiss. The peanuts and olives snack is even easier to prepare, costs you about half the calories, contains healthy monounsaturated fat and adds the proactive power of fiber to your fight for weight loss and against diabetes.

6 Ritz crackers		105 calories		6 grams fat		0 grams fiber
3 ounces Swiss cheese		320 calories		24 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		425 calories		30 grams fat		0 grams fiber

30 grams bad fat = 6 pats butter

vs.

4 grams good fat = 4 teaspoons oil

1-ounce peanuts in shell		160 calories		14 grams fat		2 grams fiber
15 large olives		70 calories		7 grams fat		2 grams fiber
TOTAL		230 calories		21 grams fat		4 grams fiber

EAT YOUR CALORIES, DON’T DRINK THEM

That’s always a good idea: get your calories in filling foods rather than in beverages that are an accompaniment to additional meal items. And as this demonstration dramatically shows, it would take four oranges to equal the calorie count of this one glass of orange juice. So clearly, you’re better off getting your orange taste by eating an orange rather than drinking its juice. But if you want your fruit taste in liquid form, try a tall, cool glass of a fruit-taste diet beverage—or any other diet beverage, for that matter.

16 fluid ounces orange juice

220 calories

=

16 fluid ounces Crystal Light		5 calories
4 oranges		215 calories
TOTAL		220 calories

PLACE YOUR ORDER

Even that nonfat venti-sized iced vanilla latte will cost you 240 calories, mostly in milk and sugar. Here’s a weight-loss and diabetes-fighting tip: instead order a venti iced coffee with sugar-free vanilla syrup, then add a small amount of milk. Total calorie count? A mere 20 calories—for the same taste sensation.

Nonfat venti iced vanilla latte
240 calories

vs.

Venti iced coffee with sugar-free vanilla syrup and 2 tablespoons whole milk
20 calories

SHAKE IT UP!

Get your healthy, natural yogurt or whey protein shake here! Naturally sweetened with natural honey! Well, all that natural so-called goodness will cost you 350 calories and a truckload of sugar. And the dairy you take in is no friend to your efforts to fight diabetes. Instead, make your shake with a soy protein powder, sweeten it with a low-calorie sweetener, and know that you have saved yourself 200 calories and are battling diabetes with soy, just about the strongest weapon there is against this killer disease.

Yogurt or whey protein shake sweetened with honey

350 calories, 69 grams sugar

17 teaspoons sugar

vs.

Soy protein shake with Splenda and ½ cup of strawberries

150 calories, 0 grams sugar

SIZE MATTERS

These three mini quiches stuffed with ham and cheese barely take the edge off your appetite. Yet for the same number of calories, you can enjoy this feast of crabmeat-filled tomatoes. The striking difference in the amount of food becomes even more striking when you see how much you’re saving in fat intake—and how much fiber and phytonutrients you’re gaining with the tomato-and-crabmeat appetizers.

3 ham-and-cheese mini quiches (3 ounces)

215 calories, 20 grams fat

20 grams bad fat = 4 pats butter

=

2 grams good fat = ½ teaspoon oil

10 plum tomatoes filled with 6 ounces crabmeat

215 calories, 2 grams fat

CREAMY GOLDEN SOUP

When what you crave is a creamy, golden-yellow soup, go for the one with the nutrition benefits and the calorie savings. This curried yellow split pea soup hits the spot when you’re in the mood for something smooth and rich, and it brings you the rewards of phytonutrients as well—without the high calorie count and saturated fat content of the cheese soup.

1 cup 4-cheese soup

470 calories, 45 grams fat

45 grams bad fat = 9 pats butter

vs.

2 grams good fat = ½ teaspoon oil

1 cup curried yellow split pea soup

150 calories, 2 grams fat, 4 grams fiber

A CROWDED PLATTER OF TASTE AND NUTRITION

Those lonely-looking cubes of cheese and pâté contain a whopping 375 calories and represent a pile of fat. Check out instead the crowded platter of elegant smoked salmon with cucumbers—at far fewer calories and less than a third of the fat. What’s more, the salmon offers a crowd of omega-3 benefits, and the cukes offer a few grams of fiber.

1½-ounce cube havarti cheese		170 calories		14 grams fat
1½-ounce cube liver pâté		205 calories		19 grams fat
TOTAL		375 calories		33 grams fat

33 grams bad fat = 6 ½ pats butter

vs.

8 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

4 ounces smoked salmon on 16 cucumber slices

180 calories, 8 grams fat

OOH LA LA!

The French have a word for it, of course. And that single cup of genuine French onion soup looks pretty petit next to those mountainous bowls of moules meunières—mussels steamed with herbs, shallots and wine. At about a quarter of the calories and less than half the fat, the three bowls of mussels are a much better deal than the onion soup—just as delicious and far better for you. Formidable!

1 cup French onion soup

450 calories, 34 grams fat

34 grams bad fat = 7 pats butter

vs.

9 grams good fat = 2 teaspoons oil

1 pound mussels cooked with wine, herbs and garlic

150 calories, 3 grams fat (x 3 = 450 calories, 9 grams fat)

A GREAT RECIPE FOR A HEALTHY SOUP

Here’s a recipe for a wonderful soup that is truly healthy and oh so satisfying.

COLD TOMATO AND AVOCADO SOUP

2 pounds ripe tomatoes

1 medium European or Kirby cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded

1 large garlic clove

¾ cup chilled tomato juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ ripe avocado, cut into

¼ -inch chunks

1½ tablespoons slivered fresh mint leaves

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Place a tomato in the pan and boil for 30 seconds to loosen the skin. Cool under cold running water and slip off the skin. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.

2. Core the tomatoes and cut into quarters. With your fingers, scrape out the tomato seeds and discard.

3. In a food processor or blender, working in batches if necessary, process the tomatoes, cucumber and garlic until very smooth. Place in a bowl and stir in the tomato juice, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve.

4. In a small bowl, gently combine the avocado and mint.

5. Ladle the soup into four serving bowls. Evenly divide the avocado mixture among the bowls.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving: 140 calories, 8 grams fat

1 cup vichyssoise

320 calories, 29 grams fat

vs.

Cold Tomato and Avocado Soup

140 calories, 8 grams fat

SHRIMP FOR DINNER

Hungry for shrimp? Have a small cup of shrimp fried rice and take in 26 grams of the bad kind of fat. Or down two bowls of this soup with shrimp. The latter is a satisfying main course that gives you the added nutritional power of varied vegetables, the good kind of fat and exceptional Creole-style taste.

CREOLE-STYLE RED BEAN SOUP WITH SHRIMP

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

1 15½-ounce can red kidney beans

1 14-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, chopped

½ teaspoon marjoram, crushed

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the scallions, bell pepper and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, adding some of the broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the pan gets dry.

2. Stir in the beans with their liquid, tomatoes with their juice, marjoram, black pepper and the remaining broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the flavors have blended.

3. Add the shrimp and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving: 210 calories, 5 grams fat

1 cup shrimp fried rice

420 calories, 26 grams fat

=

2 servings Creole-Style Red Bean Soup with Shrimp

420 calories

10 grams fat

MATCH POINT

Here comes the waiter with a tray of standard cocktail party pastry treats. And over there are three other cocktail party choices: shrimp with cocktail sauce, mouth-watering asparagus wrapped in veggie ham and grilled mushrooms in a black bean sauce. The food on all three groaning-board platters matches the calorie count of that modest tray of pastry hors d’oeuvres. But the savings in fat and the gain in nutrition from these seafood and vegetable delights are matchless.

2 ounces pastry-type hors d’oeuvres (pigs-in-blankets, cheese straws, spanikopita, etc.)

270 calories, 18 grams fat

18 grams bad fat = 3 ½ pats butter

=

4 ounces shrimp with cocktail sauce		140 calories		2 grams fat
9 stalks marinated asparagus wrapped in 3 slices veggie ham		80 calories		1 gram fat
6 grilled mushrooms with 2 tablespoons black bean sauce		50 calories		1 gram fat
TOTAL		270 calories		4 grams fat

4 grams good fat = 1 teaspoon oil

ITALIAN FEAST

If you love the taste of Italian sausage and peppers, take a look at these two virtually identical platters. Same amount of food, same delicious taste. But now note the difference in calories and fat content. That’s where the resemblance ends.

4 ounces Italian sausage		382 calories		31 grams fat
1½ cups sautéed peppers		85 calories		3 grams fat
TOTAL		467 calories		34 grams fat

34 grams bad fat = 7 pats butter

vs.

4 ounces veggie Italian sausage		186 calories		9 grams fat
1½ cups sautéed peppers		85 calories		3 grams fat
TOTAL		271 calories		12 grams fat

12 grams good fat = 2 ½ teaspoons oil

DO THE MATH

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but even a Picture Perfect demo may not speak as eloquently as the numbers in this food comparison. On your left is a fairly uninteresting, only mildly appetizing meal of braised beef and plain white rice. On your right, a multicolored, multitaste, multitextured meal of foods right off the Beat Diabetes Pyramid: fish, fresh vegetables and yummy sautéed portobello mushrooms. Just check out the numbers: that small, dull dinner comes in at nearly three times the calorie count of the Pyramid meal and with nearly five times the fat.

34 grams bad fat = 7 pats butter

2 4-ounce slices braised beef brisket		600 calories		34 grams fat
2 cups plain white rice		440 calories		0 grams fat
TOTAL		1,040 calories		34 grams fat

vs.

7 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

6 ounces grilled fish (any white fish)		180 calories		2 grams fat
1 cup beans, peas and corn		160 calories		0 grams fat
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms, sautéed		60 calories		5 grams fat
TOTAL		400 calories		7 grams fat

CHINESE CHOICES

Each of these three typical Chinese meals offers an appetizer from Column A and a main dish from Column B, but just look at the differences among them in calories and fat. Just about anyone interested in weight loss and diabetes prevention would eschew the first meal with its fried egg roll and high-fat meat choice. True, the middle choice saves you considerable calories and fat while adding some fiber and nutrition, but it’s still fairly high in refined carbohydrates. The final choice is all Pyramid. With vegetable wonton soup, full-flavored seafood and mixed veggies in ginger sauce and healthful brown rice, it’s a complete and very tasty arsenal of weight-loss and diabetes-fighting weapons.

Egg roll		405 calories		19 grams fat		2 grams fiber
6 ounces orange beef		460 calories		24 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 cup pork fried rice		440 calories		20 grams fat		1 gram fiber
TOTAL		1,305 calories		63 grams fat		3 grams fiber

63 grams bad fat = 12 ½ pats butter

vs.

4 steamed vegetable dumplings		240 calories		1 gram fat		2 grams fiber
6 ounces chicken, 2 cups Chinese vegetables in ginger sauce		400 calories		14 grams fat		10 grams fiber
1 cup steamed white rice		220 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		860 calories		15 grams fat		12 grams fiber

15 grams bad fat = 3 pats butter

or

8 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

1 ½ cups vegetable wonton soup		80 calories		1 gram fat		4 grams fiber
6 ounces assorted seafood, 2 cups Chinese vegetables in ginger sauce		290 calories		7 grams fat		10 grams fiber
½ cup brown rice		110 calories		0 grams fat		2 grams fiber
TOTAL		480 calories		8 grams fat		16 grams fiber

BARBECUE

Summertime means barbecue to many, but how will you do it this summer? Here’s a meager barbecue on the left: a single sausage, a single burger and a single piece of buttered garlic bread—and just look at the tally of calories and fat! Contrast it with this groaning board of barbecued items—veggie sausage and burger; shrimp and peppers grilled on a skewer; corn, mushrooms and onion. Not to mention a healthy slice of watermelon for dessert. All of it comes in at way less than half the calories of that meager choice on the left, with one tenth the fat, and it has the added plus of fiber to help you keep the weight off and fight diabetes. In fact, with every bite, you’re eating the Pyramid way and gaining health.

1 sausage, 3 ½ ounces		350 calories		30 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 burger, 3 ½ ounces		290 calories		21 grams fat		0 grams fiber
3 ounces garlic bread		240 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1-ounce butter		220 calories		24 grams fat		0 grams fiber
Garlic		0 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		1,100 calories		75 grams fat		0 grams fiber

75 grams bad fat = 15 pats butter

vs.

1 veggie sausage, 3 ½ ounces		150 calories		5 grams fat		2 grams fiber
1 veggie burger, 2 ½ ounces		70 calories		½ gram fat		4 grams fiber
4 large shrimp and ½ pepper		40 calories		½ gram fat		1 gram fiber
1 ear corn		120 calories		0 grams fat		2 grams fiber
2 portobello mushrooms		30 calories		0 grams fat		2 ½ grams fiber
2 slices red onion		30 calories		0 grams fat		1 ½ grams fiber
1 slice watermelon (1 pound)		50 calories		0 grams fat		1 gram fiber
TOTAL		490 calories		6 grams fat		14 grams fiber

6 grams good fat = 1 ½ teaspoons oil

LESS PASTA, JUST AS MUCH TASTE

You love pasta, but as this bowl of pasta in cream sauce on the left seems to confirm, you’re sure your waistline and your health would be better off if you stopped eating it. You don’t have to. Here’s a way of getting your hit of pasta taste by eating just half the amount of pasta but the same amount of food. And check out the savings in calories in fat—plus the added fiber this choice provides.

Pasta with cream sauce

4 ounces pasta		420 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 cup cream sauce (e.g., Alfredo, vodka)		590 calories		54 grams fat		0 grams fiber
TOTAL		1,010 calories		54 grams fat		0 grams fiber

54 grams bad fat = 11 pats butter

vs.

Pasta e fagiole

2 ounces pasta		210 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 cup broth		20 calories		1 gram fat		0 grams fiber
1 cup beans		230 calories		0 grams fat		15 grams fiber
TOTAL		460 calories		1 gram fat		15 grams fiber

1 gram good fat = 0 teaspoons oil

LESS PASTA, EVEN MORE TASTE

Don’t want to give up the taste of pasta in meat sauce? We don’t blame you—and here’s a way to enjoy not just that taste but a whole Pyramid of tastes. In addition to the pasta-in-meat-sauce taste that you love, you’ll also get delicious zucchini in tomato sauce, a superb soup of white beans and spinach, and the meaty taste of marinated mushrooms on greens. Even with all that food, your tally is fewer calories and half the fat of the pasta in meat sauce alone, plus 17 grams of fiber for nutrition.

 

Pasta with meat sauce

12 grams bad fat = 2 ½ pats butter

4 ounces pasta		420 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
1 cup meat sauce		280 calories		12 grams fat		1 gram fiber
TOTAL		700 calories		12 grams fat		1 gram fiber

vs.

6 grams good fat = 1 teaspoon oil

2 ounces pasta		210 calories		0 grams fat		0 grams fiber
½ cup veggie sauce		70 calories		2 grams fat		2 grams fiber
1 cup zucchini in tomato sauce		50 calories		1 gram fat		3 grams fiber
1 ½ cups white bean and spinach soup		180 calories		2 grams fat		10 grams fiber
1 cup marinated mushrooms on greens		20 calories		1 gram fat		2 grams fiber
TOTAL		530 calories		6 grams fat		17 grams fiber

HOW MANY SKEWERS?

How many skewers of kebabs can you eat? One? Two? More? This single skewer of lamb kebab costs as many calories—and has four times as much fat!—as all four of these scallop-and-mushroom kebabs. Eat one, two, three or more of these tasty and healthful skewers and fight diabetes in the bargain.

Lamb kabob (8 oz.)

560 calories

32 grams fat

32 grams bad fat = 6 ½ pats butter

=

4 scallop-and-mushroom kabobs (each with 4 oz. scallops, 4 oz. mushrooms and teriyaki sauce)

560 calories, 4 grams fat

4 grams good fat = 1 teaspoon oil

GOOD FOR YOU

The raspberry tart looks small and insignificant, and it has fruit, so it must be good for you, right? Well, take a look at the amount of calories, fat and sugar it contains. There’s a better way to enjoy the sweetness of raspberries, as shown in this generous serving—and you add the benefits of phytonutrients as well.

15 grams bad fat = 3 pats butter

7 teaspoons sugar

Raspberry tart

320 calories, 15 grams fat

vs.

1 ½ cups red and black raspberries with a small amount of whipped topping

80 calories

9 grams fiber

DESSERT CHOICES

It isn’t just the high calorie count and fat content of the rugelach that make them a tough choice if you’re trying to lose weight and fight diabetes. It’s also the added sugar! Neither the dried fruit nor the fresh fruit has any added sugar, nor any fat, of course. So if your choice is a platter of pastry or the generous serving of dried fruit shown here, go for the dried fruit. Or fix yourself a mountain of fresh fruit to save even more calories.

4 rugelach

480 calories, 24 grams fat

24 grams bad fat = 5 pats butter

8 teaspoons sugar

vs.

5 dried apricots		100 calories
3 prunes		70 calories
2 dried pear halves		60 calories
TOTAL		230 calories

0 added sugar

0 pats butter

or

½ pound grapes		110 calories
1 small pear		40 calories
TOTAL		150 calories

0 added sugar

0 pats butter

SUGAR ADDED

Not all dried fruit products are equal. In some cases, the manufacturers add sugar, as in this cup of mixed berries, pineapple and papaya. Be sure to check the package to see if you might be taking in more sugar than needed. You’ll see the calorie difference between the sweetened dried fruit and the unsweetened as well.

5 teaspoons added sugar

1 cup sweetened, mixed dried fruit
(berries, pineapple and papaya)

360 calories

vs.

3 dried peach halves		60 calories
5 black mission figs		100 calories
3 dried apricot halves		30 calories
TOTAL		190 calories

0 added sugar

CHOCOLATE BIG OR SMALL

How will you take your chocolate? In small bits that cost you big-time in calories and fat? Or in large mouthfuls that minimize the calories, have no fat at all and actually add the benefits of phytonutrients?

Chef Franklin suggests you try making your own chocolate dip for fruit by melting no-sugar-added chocolate bars.

2 truffles, ½ ounce each		140 calories		9 grams fat
3 pieces chocolate-covered creams, nougats, etc. (1½ ounces total)		195 calories		10 grams fat
TOTAL		335 calories		19 grams fat

vs.

5 large chocolate-covered strawberries

150 calories, 2 grams fat

LONG-LASTING SWEETNESS

It’s true: all candies have pretty much the same amount of sugar per ounce, and this Tootsie Pop is pure sugar. But it is only 60 calories of sugar, equivalent to the amount of sugar in half an apple. What’s more, while we tend to consume these mini chocolate chips almost mindlessly—by the handful, barely savoring the taste while taking in lots of calories and fat—a Tootsie Pop is a treat we can enjoy for a while. And once it’s done, we don’t need to reach for another and another and another…

1 ½ ounces mini chocolate chips

200 calories, 12 grams fat

vs.

Chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop

60 calories, 1 gram fat

ICE CREAM BY THE NUMBERS

How much do you love the taste of ice cream? And how much ice cream do you want? The numbers here tell the story: this single scoop will cost you dearly in calories, fat and sugar. Or you could have seventeen of these no-sugar-added fudge pops and frozen fruit bars.

1 scoop (½ cup) rich ice cream

380 calories, 26 grams fat 25 grams sugar

=

17 no-added-sugar fudge pops and frozen fruit bars

380 calories

SABOTEURS

Saboteur foods come in many forms and are found everywhere. Where weight loss and diabetes prevention are issues, it’s important to look beyond the packaging.

WHAT’S IN A MUFFIN?

This Fiber One muffin contains just about everything the health-conscious muffin lover looks for. Just read the package: Whole grains! Wild blueberries and oats! A whopping 28 percent of the Daily Value of fiber! All at one-fourth fewer calories than the leading muffin! So what could possibly be bad about making this muffin the core of your breakfast or an afternoon snack?

4 teaspoons sugar

How about the 16 grams of sugar in every single muffin? That’s 4 teaspoons of sugar—just what you want to avoid if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight and fight diabetes. Especially if you eat two or three.

SUGAR-FREE?

“Sugar-free” is the way these oatmeal cookies are described, and sugar-free is what they are. Okay, but each serving—and a serving is just three cookies—contains 14 grams of starch from flour. And since starch is metabolically equivalent to sugar, there’s no difference where your waistline and your health are concerned. That’s why you’re seeing 4 teaspoons of starch.

What’s more, the fat contained in sugar-free cookies is very often the saturated fat that can seriously undermine your attempts to maintain a healthy weight and fight diabetes. This serving, for example, contains 7 grams of fat. That’s why sugar-free cookies tend to be saboteur foods: because they’re free of sugar, we allow ourselves to eat more of them—and end up taking in starch and fat!

WATCH OUT FOR LOW-FAT PRODUCTS!

Weight Watchers is as reputable a program as there is, and its products are equally reputable. But as this demonstration makes clear, even with Weight Watchers, you can sometimes rationalize the situation and sabotage your own weight-loss effort.

This Weight Watchers Giant Fudge Bar rates only a single point on the Weight Watchers program, so it sounds like a food that’s appropriate for anyone interested in weight loss—until you note that it contains 16 grams of sugar, represented here by the 4 brimming teaspoons of sugar on the plate.

Here’s a better idea: when you crave a lush dessert, go for the many choices available on the Beat Diabetes Pyramid. They have no sugar at all. That makes them not just low-fat but downright good for your waistline, good for the fight against diabetes and still good-tasting.

4 teaspoons sugar