Southern Home Cooking Lightens Up

Now that Paula Deen's been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it's time for her followers to rethink adding all that butter, cream, and sugar to food to make it taste good.

It's certainly possible to switch out high-fat, high-cholesterol ingredients for more healthful ones, nutrition experts say. With a little culinary sleight of hand, you can be feasting on some of Deen's signature specialties without putting yourself at risk for diseases such as diabetes. Joan Salge Black, RD, nutrition professor at Boston University, Marcelle Pick, RNC, MSN, OB/GYN NP, author of Are You Tired and Wired?, Jessica Bartfield, MD, nutrition specialist at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Illinois, Diane Henderiks, RD, a personal chef, and and Susan Ofria, RD, of Loyola University Medical Center,  explain how to do it.

The dish: Chicken and Dumplings
Why it's a no-no:
Deen's recipe calls for condensed cream of celery soup, and cut-up chicken with the skin left on.
Make it better:
For starters, use boneless chicken breast, which has less fat than a whole chicken. Be sure to use reduced fat cream of celery soup, and sub out some of those dumplings in favor of more fresh vegetables, Blake suggests.

The dish: Chili in a Biscuit Bowl
Why it's a no-no:
Biscuits made with whole milk and a baking mix are filled with a meaty chili prepared with ground chuck, then topped with sharp cheddar, sour cream, and corn chips. It's loaded with everything from salt to fat.
Make it better:
Use lean ground turkey in place of chuck, lose the biscuit bowl, and use reduced fat cheddar and sour cream. You can also try using veggie crumbles in place of meat. Or serve it in a green hollowed out pepper instead of a biscuit bowl.

The dish: Chicken Pot Pie
Why it's a no-no:
From the top (a crust made with four sheets of frozen puff pastry) to the bottom (a sauce made with one third cup of butter and a quart of heavy cream), this dish is anything but healthy.
How to make it better:
Use a whole grain pastry crust, keep to just one crust, and add more vegetables to the recipe, Blake says. "Also, take down the cream in the dish by substituting lowfat milk and some Greek yogurt."

The dish: Skillet Fried Apple Pie
Why it's a no-no:
It's fried, it's got apple pie filling rather than fresh apples, and it's got a fattening crust.
Make it better:
Use fresh apples instead of apple pie filling, says Henderiks. Keep the added sugar to a minimum, and use plenty of spices (like cinnamon) with the apples. Use a naturally sweet apple so you won't need as much sugar. And don't fry the biscuits-bake them instead.

The dish: Wilmington Island Marsh Mud Cake
Why it's a no-no:
How about the two sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar, for starters?
How to make it better:
Substitute one cup of puréed prunes or puréed white beans for half the butter, or use ¾ cup of yogurt and ¼ cup of butter in place of a full cup of butter, Pick says. Also, cut the amount of granulated sugar by 1/3. Serve smaller slices, and accompany it with fresh fruit.

The dish: Sweet Tea
Why it's a no-no:
Way too much sugar.
How to make it better:
It's easy to cut calories in sweet tea while maintaining taste. For starters, cut the sugar in half, says Ofria. "You could add some fresh mint for flavor, or put in just a little juice such as orange or cranberry juice," she says. Or try floating slices of lemon or lime in the tea, making it pretty as well as flavorful and refreshing.

 

Sources:

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10201265-5-diabetes-friendly-swaps-paula-deen-should-try
"5 Diabetes-Friendly swaps Paula Deen should try." 22 January 2012. Prevention.