Let me try sending it again.  I'll keep it exceedingly brief, avoid
any trigger words, and try again.

The subject line I used was: To Quentin

If this does not arrive, let me know and I'll try from a different
domain. However, I sent it from an ISP account so it shouldn't be a
tagged domain.

If this is a poll - the latter. If they manage to attract my attention in
the first place. Content over icing, every time...

Nicky.

Hi Quentin,

I do understand your dilemma.  My mother and I began working on
cookbook geared toward healthy eating--started before I became aware of
my sugar problems, but basically diabetic friendly nonetheless.  While
she handles the cooking part of the book, with my background as a lab
tech we decided it would be helpful to add simple healthy eating blurbs
throughout, addressing issues such as cholesterol, glycemic index, etc.
No matter what I write, I'm afraid I'm talking over people's heads.
I've learned that so much of the knowledge I take for granted seems to
be rather specialized.  I know very intelligent people who have no
concept that they have some control over their personal health.  So I
keep rewriting, trying to bring it down so that anyone can understand
it, but there's only so much you can do.  Then I remember that anyone
who is interested in healthy eating has already made a committment
toward better health and may be a little more willing to learn than the
general populace.  I don't want to do these people a disservice by
being too simple.  It is a balancing act.  Anyway, I would hope that
anyone who would be interested in your book is looking to expand
his/her understanding at least a bit.

Btw, I wasn't saying you should do a column "instead" of your book.
;-)  Actually, if you can complete your book it would be a good
reference for any column job, even if you didn't get it published right
away.  It shows dedication to the subject.

And the botoxed beauties do NOT inspire me.  I don't have a grudge
against the young and beautiful, but I do have a problem with fake.
I'm 42 years old, starting to get some gray in my reddish hair, and
damn proud of it.  I want to look good for my age, but I certainly
don't pine to be 18 and stupid again.

Michelle

I find them to be, in many cases, detrimental to the product. Anytime
I see an add that does not focus on the product, or has things that
distract from the product, my first thought is always "What are they
trying to pull"?  After all, IMHO, the only real reason to distract
from the product is if it's a lousy product, and the more "window
dressing", the more likely that seems.

Yes, it seems to be.
I tended to blame this on the shop run by the official diabetic assoc,
rather than blaming you Kiwis.  I sometimes doubt their business
sense because they once stocked a range of sugar free jellies that
the supermarkets stocked, but the diabetic shop stocked a smaller
range at a higher price.

Maybe not enough people are buying them.

Aren't they just?

However, low sugar jams are one item the supermarkets still stock well
here.  The diabetic shop once had a strawberry jam that had a low 1%
sugar, but 59% carb.

Some time back I went to the manager of one chain store and complained
when they had stopped stocking a low cholesterol milk, and was told that
other people had complained.  The manager told me it was a head office
decision and he was trying to get it changed back again. He did get that
low cholesterol milk restored to the shelves, however, not long after that I
changed to skim milk because that was lower in sugar and carbs, and
maybe fat.

That store manager has been replaced by a younger one whom I went to
the other day and asked why the opposition had a much better variety of
sugar free soft drinks.  He told me would ask the soft drink rep why, but
the basic reason is that his store is not allocating enough shelf space to
carry a better variety.  It is interesting to note that the best selling
sugar
free drink, which they run out of each day, in the other store is one that
the first store does not appear to stock at all on their limited allocated
shelf space.

Years ago there was a Swiss Miss chocolate drink powder on the
shelves and I used to buy the low sugar and low carb variety until
Swiss Miss disappeared of the supermarket shelves.  Swiss Miss
has recently appeared on the shelves again, but naturally the low
sugar, low carb variety hasn't come back again.

Until recently we used to have our own nationally produced low
sugar, low carb chocolate powder drink on the supermarket
shelves, but the manufacturer has now replaced it with a high
sugar, high carb one.  I guess not enough people bought a low sugar,
low carb product. So I cannot blame the supermarkets for this one.

A fair few years ago I went into a health food shop and saw carob
blocks labelled "sugar free" so I went home and rang the health
dept, and the person who answered the phone told me he was a
diabetic and he would go and see the health shop people. I visited
the health shop a few days later and saw the "sugar free" on the
tags crossed out and replaced by "no added sugar".  The claim
had been made by the health shop people, not by the manufacturers.

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, the endo recommended
a brand of tomato sauce, marked "low joule" which I think was
lower in sugar and carbs.  This eventually disappeared off the super
market shelves, but eventually came back on.

Thanks for all the info you search for and post.

Nev.

Thanks Alan, I actually did know that because I follow the food threads
pretty closely
;-)      But actually, I was thinking that a bit of American "pumpkin"
puree might actually be tasty in the fish cakes, although probably
better with salmon than mackerel.  Not sure how it measures up on the
carb/glycemic scale however.  Certainly, califlower is an inspired
idea.  BTW, do you eat American "pumpkin" in the Antipodes?  

ricaVito

Ahhhh! Thanks for the clarification! I did not know that...

OK, so, is this all part of the Antipodean conspiracy? :-)

Well, yes that dilemma is one's world conscience wrestling with one's
survival pragmatism :-)

But in mentioning your kindness, I was talking about your interactions
and expressions of appreciation for others.  It is a pleasure to
converse with someone such as yourself who seems always to find the joy
in life.

Well, I'm working on the recipe--in my own way.  Usually, I "try out"
recipes by suggesting them to my husband since he is the cook in the
family. So I've planted the seed :-)

This post not CC'd by email
On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:25:30 -0000, "Nicky"
<ukc802466929@btconnect.com> wrote:

G'day G'day Nicky,

Wild rice might work for another reason ... its dear.
We have therefore learnt to associate it with elegance and small
portions.  Oh, there is another reason.  Somewhere I read of the
benefits of red and black rice.  Most anthocyanins come from fruit but
there are blue potatoes and black rice.

Best wishes,

Have you approached any editors with the idea? You can get exactly the right
names and know which newspaper or magazine are most likely to buy it by
looking up your local version of the Writers and Artists Handbook in the
library.

Nicky.