The Complete Diabetes Cookbook: The Healthy Way to Eat the Foods You Love: 400 Re-Engineered Recipes

by America's Test Kitchen (Editor), Dariush Mozaffarian M.D. (Foreword)

Take control of managing diabetes with 400-plus healthy and creative diabetes-friendly recipes. Meticulously tested recipes limit unhealthy carbs and fats, sodium, and added sugars and maximize nutrition and flavor. Every recipe lists complete nutritional information for easy reference.

Cooking and eating healthfully plays a big role in managing diabetes. America's Test Kitchen's mission is to encourage home cooks to get into the kitchen with 400-plus meticulously developed and tested diabetes-friendly recipes. This mission is urgent given that more than 30 million Americans suffer from diabetes. Those with diabetes or those cooking for someone with diabetes know the hurdles that come with this diet. This comprehensive collection of recipes all adhere to strict nutritional guidelines that limit unhealthy carbs and fat, sodium, and added sugars as they maximize nutrition and flavor. There are fresh and creative recipes for every meal: satisfying breakfasts, weeknight-friendly dinners, holiday celebrations, and even snacks and the occasional sweet treat.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Health, Food, Reference, Diets

408 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2018

About the author

America's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.

Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I greatly dislike "diabetic" cookbooks because they're no different than any other cookbook, they just take the fun stuff like fat and salt out of it for the Type 2 diabetics. This does the same but I read it because I do like America's Test Kitchen.

What I am finding most frustrating is that some recipes will give you carb counts for "1/2 cup serving" (or whatever measured amount) for only some recipes, while relying on "per 1 serving out of 6" for most of the recipes. Bitch, I am not going to divide my food into equal 6ths in order to get the right amount, just give me the cup measurement of the serving. Your carb info is pointless otherwise.

Is there a good cookbook focused on Type 1s? Cuz I'm tired of the Type 2 monopoly.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am updating my original review at the bottom.

I should put a disclaimer on this review. I only read the "Special Treats" section, looking to serve a dessert at a family function. Two extended family members have just been diagnosed as diabetic, and have different approaches to how they want to handle their conditions. In addition, I'd like to avoid artificial sweeteners for my own family, especially my kiddos, and there are extensive lists of food allergens to avoid among them, as well.

I did like that this cookbook had a section on the pros and cons of using artificial sweeteners. The vast majority of diabetic cookbooks that I found at the library only had recipes with artificial sweeteners, not more natural solutions. An online search for recipes revealed the same problem. So these authors are to be commended on their completeness and the approach that they took.

I did find one dessert recipe in this book that fit all our criterion. That, however, is mostly our "fault" since we are also dealing with apple allergies, and many recipes that don't sweeten with sugar or artificial sweeteners tend to sweeten with applesauce. That one recipe that will "work" is "Carrot Snack Cake." And for that, this book gets my blessing.

I am not giving this book a 5-star rating because I don't intend to read it again, or read it more fully. But one never knows. I could end up looking for this library book again. That's partly why I wanted to do a review. So I could find it again, if necessary.
- - -
Update: I am lowering the review I gave this cookbook by one star from my original rating, since the only diabetic recipe we could try from it - Carrot Snack Cake - ended up tasting slightly bitter. I had another recipe from Weight Watchers, Pumpkin Oat Bread, that had been bitter from too much baking soda, and when I lowered the amount in a second try, it tasted better, although, of course it didn't rise as much. I would be willing to try Carrot Snack Cake again and play with the amount of baking soda in it, but I might try to go with an entirely different recipe instead.

[Rama Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eating right with diabetes

Eating right is one of the themes of controlling blood sugar to combat diabetes. This is one of the several books available in book stores; then what makes this different from other books? A critical review reveals that all these books follow the same general principle; make good choices for your nutritional needs and follow a plan that fits your needs.

You will find delicious recipes such as: Whole wheat blueberry muffins, berry smoothies, curried chicken skewers with yogurt dipping sauce, spinach salad with carrots, oranges and sesame; peanut noodle salad, chicken enchiladas, Vegan black bean burgers, grilled marinated shrimp skewers, Greek-style garlic-lemon potatoes, banana ice cream and much more. This book is helpful and but does not stand out as unique from other books in this area.

[Chinchilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read many other America's Test Kitchen's cookbooks, I simply didn't find this one to be that outstanding. The book is all about making healthier versions of everyday home-cook meals by elimination and/or substitution. The practice seems to take away the essence of those familiar dishes, making this book a bit... "unflavourful" (to read). I'm sure someone actually with diabetes would feel differently than I do. After all, they are the real audience of this cookbook.

Nevertheless, it is a very comprehensive cookbook. It covers salads, soups, appetizers, entrees (of different meats and vegetarian options), and desserts. Though it's not a book I would add to my collection, there are recipes here that seem interesting enough for me to try:

Tofu Scramble with Bell Pepper, Shallot, and Herbs
Fried Eggs with Garlicky Swiss Chard and Bell Pepper
Fried Eggs with Sweet Potatoes and Turkey Sausage
Breakfast Tacos
Avocado and Bean Toast
Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage
Chia Pudding with Fresh Fruit and Coconut
Orange-Fennel Spiced Almonds
Curried Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Smoke Salmon Rolls
Garden Minestrone
Hearty Ten Vegetable Stew
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Spinach Salad with Carrots, Oranges, and Sesame
Warm Cabbage Salad with Chicken
Toasted Corn Salsa
Tofu Salad with Vegetables
Baked Brown Rice with Shiitakes and Edamame
Turkey Cutlets with Barley and Broccoli
Pan-Seared Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado
Sauteed Zucchini Ribbons
Almond Biscotti
Dark Chocolate-Avocado Pudding

Overall, it's a 3-star book for me.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never would have picked up this book if I had noticed it was from America's Test Kitchen. While their recipes are good, they're usually *way* too complicated and time-consuming for me. However, these recipes seemed much more reasonable than those I've seen in the past.

I especially appreciated the chapters on "Vegetarian Mains" and "Vegetable Sides"--which is what prompted me to pick up this cookbook in the first place. I'm always looking for more ways to get vegetables into my diet. And I found a number of recipes from those sections that look promising.

As ever, the tips on choosing/buying, storing and preparing various ingredients was potentially useful.

[Kuster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lowering simple starches & sugars, increasing fibre and balancing sodium while maintaining flavour are always concerns in my kitchen. This cookbook has quite a few interesting recipes and I always love how America's Test Kitchen explains what they are attempting achieve with the ingredients and details the appropriate techniques.

Recipes to Try:
- Warm farro with mushrooms and thyme
- Dal / Spiced red lentils
- Orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage
- Rigatoni with turkey ragu (decent recipe but a tad bland - was pretty good with added hot sauce!)
- Asian chicken lettuce wraps
- Spaghetti squash with garlic and parmesan
- Carrot snack cake (might try as muffins!)

[Emma Refvem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this from the library to get ideas for what to eat for dinner with my gestational diabetes. I loved the three dishes I cooked and found that the nutritional information and use of “carb choices” (the unit used in diet plans by dietitians and the American Diabetes Association) to be very helpful. I have weirder rules about when I can have sweets, so some of the breakfast choices would be off limits to me but I think I’ll still use this in the future to hopefully stave off a possible later type 2 diagnosis!!

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just skimmed through the book and it became apparent this cookbook was not for me. The recipes didn't seem tasty. For example, I don't like kale yet it was an ingredient. It had ingredients I have never heard of like Ferro. It had rare ingredients I'm not likely to use again, like saffron. And what is Beef en Cocotte? No thanks. It did have more common recipes like one for Stuffed Green Peppers and Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy, but even the Meatloaf recipe had thyme which I don't use as well as Dijon mustard and soy sauce. The cookbook was not my cup of tea.

[Josianne Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots and lots of beautiful recipes. Unfortunately, I cannot eat nightshades so about 1/3 of the recipes are out for me. In the end, I chose only 4 recipes that both appealed and were allergen-friendly to me.

I did appreciate the nutritional information for each recipe and the "Why this recipe works" section at the top of each recipe.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the better diabetic cookbooks. This book uses regular ingredients in a healthy way. I appreciate not having to buy some off-beat ingredients. It also focuses on low sodium recipes and products. Like most ATK books, it demonstrates techniques which is always helpful. Nice pictures.

[Wdmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but aimed more at the diabetic familiar with what they can and can't eat. Not a good book for people just trying to understand their situation.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the tidbits of advice...I didn't know about scoring the skin of salmon, to prevent buckling when cooking.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book. I'm so very happy with it. This is definitely one I want on my bookshelf for frequent use!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good recipes, although many of the entrees, while lower in carbohydrates than average, are still over the limit for many diabetic diets.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough and detailed, full of tips on how to make the foods you eat taste so good, made 2 soups from this book, delicious.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always looking for new ideas that don't break the nutritional bank of sodium, carbs, and fat. All good things, but so overused. This book has some good looking ideas.

[Snickerdoodle]

Information about food choices, meal planning ... and recipes.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely helpful!Some really delicious looking recipes. I can't wait to try some of them.

[Sandybear76]

lots of kale and various beans