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DSI Newsletters, Issue 21:
Thanksgiving Tips for Diabetics, Hyperlipidemia and Hypertension Patients



THE TURKEY

Garlic Rosemary Turkey
1 whole turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
6 to 8 garlic cloves
2 large lemons, halved
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
  1. Cut six to eight small slits in turkey skin, insert garlic between the skin and meat. Squeeze remaining lemon over outside of turkey.
  2. Spray the turkey with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with rosemary and sage.
  3. Place on a rack in a roasting pan.
  4. Bake, uncover, at 325° F for one hour.
  5. Cover and bake about three hours longer or until a meat thermometer reads 185° F.
Yield: 8-10 servings.
Diabetic Exchanges: One serving (4 ounces of white meat without skin) equals 4 very lean meat; also, 144 calories, 57 mgm sodium, 88 mgm cholesterol, trace carbohydrate, 31 gm protein, 1 gm fat.



Herb Roasted Turkey with Natural Gravy
1 whole turkey (14 pound) with giblets
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons crushed dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon crushed dried
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil, salt & freshly ground pepper
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs with leaves, coarsely chopped
3 cups fat-free low-sodium canned chicken broth
3 sprigs fresh parsley
1 small bay leaf
¼ cup dry red wine or dry sherry
  1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Position the oven rack in the bottom of the oven. Set a wire rack in a large roasting pan.
  2. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity, discarding the liver. Remove and discard any fat from the turkey.
  3. Rinse the turkey well with cold water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Rinse turkey giblets and neck, discarding the neck skin. Remove and discard any visible fat from the giblets and neck.
  4. Place one of the quartered onions in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings akimbo (behind the back).
  5. In a small bowl, combine chopped parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.
  6. Using your fingers, rub the herb mixture over the turkey, covering the breast area, legs, thighs, and wings.
  7. Place the turkey, breast side up, in the prepared roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes, then tent the turkey with a loose sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for two hours.
  8. Meanwhile, place turkey neck, giblets, remaining quartered onion, carrot, celery, broth, parsley sprigs, and bay leaf in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Discard the parsley and bay leaf. Strain the giblet stock and vegetables through a fine sieve, forcing as much of the vegetables as possible into the strained stock. You should get about 2.5 cups. Chill strained stock until ready to use.
  9. Remove the foil from the turkey after two hours, cut the strings connecting the turkey legs to help the thighs cook, and continue roasting and basting from time to time with white wine. Turkey is done when an instant-reading meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180° F, about one hour longer. Transfer turkey to a large platter and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
  10. Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan through a fine sieve into a small freezer-proof bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes to solidify the fat. Stir the red wine and two tablespoons of the reserved giblet stock into the roasting pan and cook on top of the stove over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan. Skim off all fat which has formed at the top of the pan drippings. Add the de-fatted drippings to the saucepan along with the remaining reserved giblet stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the gravy mixture has thickened slightly. Taste, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer gravy to a gravy boat.
  11. Carve the turkey, discarding the skin. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and pass the natural gravy separately.
Yield: 12 servings with leftovers.
Each 4 ounces of turkey contains: 198 calories (27% calories from fat), 34 gm protein, 6 gm total fat (1.9 gm sat. fat), 1 gm carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 86 mgm cholesterol, 89 mgm sodium.
Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat

THE FIXINGS

Medley Basmati and Wild Rice
1 cup uncooked basmati or other long-grain rice
½ cup uncooked rice
butter-flavored cooking spray
1 tablespoon reduced-fat margarine
1 cup frozen baby onions, defrosted under running cold water and drained
1 cup chopped celery with some leaves
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ tablespoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed dried thyme
  1. Cook rice according to package directions; drain, set aside, and keep warm.
  2. Lightly spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
  3. Add margarine and melt over medium heat.
  4. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper.
  5. Sauté, stirring often, until hot.
  6. Transfer mixture to a large serving bowl. Serve at once.
Each ½ cup serving provides: 102 calories (8% calories from fat), 3 gm protein, 1 gm total fat (0.2 gm sat. fat), 21 gm carbohydrate, 1 gm dietary fiber, 0 mgm cholesterol, 17 mgm sodium.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch), 1 vegetable.

DESSERT

Thanksgiving Cheesecake
1 three oz box sugar free gelatin
8 oz light cream cheese
1 pk D-Zerta topping, whipped as pack directions
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
22 pack Sweet 'n Low
7 tablespoons margarine, from sticks
  1. Dissolve gelatin in one cup warm water. Set aside to cool.
  2. Mix together six packs Sweet 'n Low and graham cracker crumbs. Add melted margarine. Press two cups of crumb mixture firmly into 9 x 13 pan. Reserve rest for top.
  3. Cream 16 packs sweet n’low with cream cheese. Stir in prepared whipped topping. Pour mixture over crust and sprinkle with remaining cracker crumbs.
  4. Chill four hours. Also freezes well.
Yield: 36 squares.
Each square contains 37 calories.

THE DIET SECRET
 The proper diet for a patient with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or high sugar is one that is lower in total calories. This can not be overstated enough. Patients often inquire if a certain food is "good or bad" for their diet. Well, the truth is there are no good nor bad foods. More important is the total nutritional balance at the end of the day.
 The three main constituents of food are: Fat, Protein and Carbohydrate. Fat contains nine calories per gram whereas protein and carbohydrate only contain four. That is, if we had three tablespoons in front of us, one containing fat, one with protein and the other with carbohydrate, the tablespoon containing the fat would contain over twice the caloric energy as the other two.
 Cutting down on fat calories makes it easier to loose weight because calories from fat are denser. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Diabetics often wonder why their sugar goes up in the face of they're not consuming any sugar. Others avoid carbohydrates and sugar like the plague. Well, simple sugars do raise the serum glucose quickly, but they also fall quickly and have less calories per unit weight than fat. Complex carbohydrates like whole grain rice and breads cause the sugar to go up slowly and for a longer time than simple sugars and are therefore healthier since they promote a more even blood sugar.
 Fats with more calories to them ounce for ounce do the most damage since they promote weight gain and make diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension worse. Diabetes is first diagnosed with a fasting glucose level over 126. But as glucose levels begin to rise from 100 to 125 as in impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance occurs. The higher serum insulin levels promote atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in a method similar to cigarettes injuring the inside of the arteries and promoting vascular disease. Maintaining a health weight and consuming less calories can help avoid major vascular diseases like: heart attack, stroke and intermittent claudication.
 In conclusion, everybody should feel free to enjoy their holiday meal. It is an important part of our culture. The real holiday struggle for patients, as well as everyone else, is moderation. When a person goes to the Thanksgiving dinner table, he/she should try taking smaller helpings. In the movie Analyze This, one of the gangsters requested a dietetic sandwich. He was asked what kind of a sandwich is dietetic. The response by the mobster was, "half a sandwich!"