THE BEST SUPPER

When the server came back to our table after the evening meal here at Carrington, I told her it was the best meal I had ever eaten and had a notion to send a message to the chefs to that effect. The baked slices of sweet potatoes were so tasty and not covered with salty fats like the white potatoes sometimes are in many fast food places. Sweet potatoes are more nourishing as well with a low glycemic index and safer for diabetics who must be cautious about using too many carbohydrates. In tropical countries sweet potatoes are called yams. Sometimes it’s hard to give up what we are accustomed to and so it was for a friend who hated to give up the ordinary Irish white potato. When she became a diabetic she began to understand the advantages of using the sweet potato and now prefers them. It helps hold the blood glucose reading under 6 millimoles per litre (mmol/L.) measured after fasting for eight hours (Canadian readings.) Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are elevated above normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes which is diagnosed when the blood glucose levels hit seven mmol/L or higher, after fasting.

Years of rushed living – an unhealthy diet and not getting enough physical activity – can set a downward spiral in motion. If it turns out that one does have diabetes, it’s possible to reverse the course of the disease and bring blood glucose numbers back into the normal range. Several large studies including an impressive Finnish Diabetes Study followed more than 500 middle-aged and overweight people for three years has shown aggressive lifestyle intervention, and even at the pre-diabetes stage is effective.

Dr. Bernard Zinman, director of Diabetes at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto says the results of their research is straightforward - if a person loses five or six percent of body weight to reach the proper BMI (body mass index) and does 30 minutes of physical activity daily - such as walking – five times a week, he or she can reduce the risk of moving from pre-diabetes by 50 per cent based on blood glucose levels and risk factors that may require amputations or other complications. Thanks to the chefs here for their creative ideas that lead to improved health and greater enjoyment.