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Dealing with diabetes can't be easy. Patients have to be careful about everything they eat and drink to keep their blood sugar under control.
A Bakery has come up with a way to help people with diabetes indulge, without putting their health at risk. Dr. Mulvihill has the details.
A bakery in San Francisco's Mission District filled with tasty pastries may seem like a disastrous place for a diabetic. But "La Victoria" is no ordinary bakery.
It's run by Jaime Maldonado and Sabin Speiser. Both men's parents are diabetics, so when they complained about not being able to eat their favorite treats, Jaime and Sabin decided to create something they could eat. The end result was "Thorobread Muffins.
Jaime says, "It has 20 to 25 grams of protein, six grams of fiber, there's no added sugar. It's a really good muffin. There is no polyunsaturated, no trans fats at all."
The muffins are made with soy flour and sweetened with fruit. That means compared to other muffins on the market they have less sugar and less carbohydrates. That's important for anyone trying to keep their diabetes under control.
Holly Wysong is a Certified Diabetes Educator at California Pacific Medical Center. She says, "Diet is the cornerstone of diabetes therapy."
Also, she says diabetics need to focus on the total number of carbohydrates in a food.
"Most people think of sugar as the enemy, whereas in fact all the things that turn to sugar are important... the starches, the fruits, milk... all of these things are part of the total carbohydrate content of food and they all turn to blood sugar," she explains.
Jaime and Sabin say their parents love the muffins,and they are not the only ones.
"We've run it by a few health professionals," Jaime says, "And a few doctors, and they all seem to really enjoy it. And for some reason they keep asking for more samples. I can't quite figure that one out yet."
Another important thing people with diabetes need to pay attention to is portion size. Too often, people think because they're eating low fat, they can eat more. Ultimately it's total carbohydrates and total calories that count.
