Healthy Exchanges offers helpful food tips to help control diabetes
By TAMMY R. LAWSON, TIMES-REPUBLICANArticle Photos
In observance of November being National Diabetes Awareness Month, the Marshalltown Diabetic Support Group was given useful information Wednesday from the nationally known organization Healthy Exchanges.
Owner Gina Griep showed 40 guests at the McFarland Clinic proper ways to count calories and read labels, along with food preparation and portion control for living with diabetes.
Based in DeWitt, Healthy Exchanges was founded in October 1991 by JoAnna M. Lund. After she passed away in 2006, longtime employee Gina Griep and her husband Brian became the new owners in 2007.
Healthy Exchanges produces the only national food newsletter for heart and cholesterol concerns, healthy weight loss and diabetes patients. The company has also published many cookbooks that have been sold on QVC, and also featured on PBS.
Griep said the organization stands by four simple rules:
Don't bother with a recipe if it takes longer to cook it than eat it;
Every ingredient must be easy to find;
A recipe has to be low in fat, calories, and cholesterol; and
It must be tasty, no matter how good it is for you.
During a cooking demonstration, Griep exampled a misconception when reading the back of food labels.
If a person wants to bake a batch of brownies, a single serving may state a low calorie count, but in order to divide the servings into recommended portions, you might end up with a smaller-than-expected morsel.
"And who wants to eat just a one-inch square of a brownie and stop there," she asked.
Griep added the best way to balance portion control is to do away with serving bowls at the dinner table. This eliminates the temptation of filling up your plate for a second time.
Registered Dietitian Nancy Schive said group members enjoy the visits from Healthy Exchanges because they inform people on ways to cook and eat real food while working it all into a healthy eating plan.
For more information and tips on proper nutrition, visit www.healthyexchanges.com.
