DENNIS ODA /DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Louie Ruvane, above left, Michelle Ruvane, David Yapo and Jill Lyday sample a lunch that was to be served at the Taking Control of Your Diabetes conference.

Moderation,
not deprivation

Control diabetes with
a consistent diet that
leaves room for flavor

---

By Betty Shimabukuro
betty@starbulletin.com

The newly diagnosed diabetic tends to see the future as flavorless.

"They think the world is over," said Dr. Stephen Edelman, founder of the national organization, Taking Control of Your Diabetes. "Basically, they think they can't eat anything good for the rest of their lives."

But Edelman -- professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego and himself a diabetic -- doesn't believe in a "diabetic diet." Eat consistently, two or three well-balanced meals every day. Don't banish fats and sugars from your life, but learn to moderate them.

DENNIS ODA /DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM The entrée of chicken and greens.

For example: You can have a loco moco, and often, he said, if you cut the rice from two scoops to one, have a lean meat patty and low-fat gravy. But you can keep the two eggs.

Edelman's organization, which held a conference at the Hawaii International Convention Center May 17, attempts to provide the tools of education and motivation to people living with diabetes.

Wayne Komamura, executive chef at the convention center, was given the charge of showing by doing -- he had to prepare lunch for 1,000 at the conference.

Komamura was given specific calorie, sugar and fat restrictions, which meant he couldn't rely on his usual bag of tricks -- "It's easy to use a lot of fats and sugars. That's our trick to making things taste good."

So he came up with new tricks: lots of fruits and vegetables to provide volume and color; using a water/starch blend in place of fat "to give it that mouthfeel"; relying on marinating to boost taste and broiling or grilling to add a smoky flavor.

"At first it seems like it's very restrictive," Komamura said. "But when you start looking, it seems like there's still a lot of things you can do."

DENNIS ODA /DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Michelle Ruvane tested her blood-sugar level before and after eating to be sure the meal was suitable for diabetics. Her level returned to normal two hours after eating.

Ethnic cuisines that make good use of spices are a good model, he said. His entrée ended up being a Thai-style chicken curry. The meat had to be kept to 3 ounces, so he bulked up the plate with vegetables and fanned out the slices of chicken to make it look like more.

By incorporating the restrictions, the dish does lose some richness, Komamura said, "but sometimes if you take it away you have some very good results, because the dish is lighter."

Here are some of the dishes from his menu, which with salad, entrée, vegetable side dishes and dessert came to just 610 calories.

Thai Yellow Curry Grilled Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (7 ounces each, fat trimmed)
>> Marinade:
2 teaspoons yellow curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons EACH peeled, puréed garlic and peeled, puréed ginger
1 stalk crushed lemongrass
4 crushed kaffir lime leaves
3 tablespoons EACH canola oil and lime juice
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (leaves and stems)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt

To make marinade: Gradually whisk fish sauce into curry paste until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Coat chicken with marinade and refrigerate 2 hours.

Grill chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side or until completely cooked through. Chill.

Serve sliced in thin strips. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 207 calories, 8 g fat, 28 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate.

Seasonal Fruit Almond Float

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 packets Equal
3 ounces EACH 2 percent milk and water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
8 balls EACH honeydew melon and cantaloupe (scooped with melon baller)
16 segments canned mandarin oranges
8 peeled fresh lychee
16 blueberries
>> Aspartame Syrup:
1/4 cup water
3 packets Equal
1/4 teaspoon potato starch

Stir gelatin and water together; let stand 15 minutes.

Heat milk to just below a simmer. Turn off heat. Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve. Add Equal and almond extract; stir until dissolved. Strain into a shallow salad bowl. Refrigerate until set.

To make syrup: Boil water; remove from heat and stir in Equal to dissolve. Slowly mix 1/2 the liquid with potato starch until well-combined, then add remaining liquid. Bring back to a boil, then chill. Add more water if syrup is too thick.

Cut gelatin into 1/2-inch cubes and serve with fruit. Top with Aspartame Syrup. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 52 calories, 1 g fat, 1 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate.

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