Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 6 Serving Size: 1/2 cup 
Exchanges: 1 Skim Milk (1 Carbohydrate Choice)
Analysis per serving: 87 Calories, 15 g Carbohydrate, 6 g Protein, 0 g Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 86 mg Sodium, 1 g Fiber

1/4 cup cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp maple extract
2 Tbs sugar
8 ice cubes (1 1/2 cups)

In a food processor without a blade, sprinkle gelatin over cold water. Let rest 3 minutes to soften. Put in blade, add boiling water and process 30 seconds; scrape sides.

Add pumpkin, dry milk powder, pumpkin spice, maple extract and sugar; process until smooth; scrape sides. With machine running, drop in ice cubes, one at a time, and process until cubes are incorporated and mixture is smooth, scraping sides occasionally.

Pour into 6 dessert dishes. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Reprinted with permission from
The Diabetic Goodie Book
by Kathy Kochan; © 2000.
Published by Appletree Press,
available by calling (800) 322-5679

For those of you who have ever had questions about your insurance coverage, you have probably spoken with Roberta. She is our Claims Administrator and has been with ADS for four years.

Roberta, who is also goes by Bert, is originally from Long Island, New York but has lived in Florida for 16 years. She is married and has four grown children and nine grandchildren. Bert and her husband enjoy motorcycle rides, NASCAR, and going to

musicals at local theatres. Bert’s favorite thing about working for ADS is talking to and helping our customers.

Increasing Your Metabolism

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for pills and potions that promise us a quick and easy way to rev up our metabolism, therefore allowing us to burn more calories. Save your money, these products don’t work.

Does anything really work to boost our metabolism? There are some things that do increase metabolism. Fevers when we are sick and stress to the body, such as burns or surgery, will increase how much energy we burn but these are not something we want happening to us.

Your metabolic rate is determined by three things:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – this is the amount of energy your body needs to keep your heart pumping and brain and organs working while you are at rest. All muscle tissue requires energy so the more muscle you have the more energy you will burn at rest.

Exercise requires energy so get up and move more.

Food requires energy to be digested. We call this the thermogenic effect of food.

So what do you need to do to increase that sluggish metabolism of yours? Start exercising to build muscle tissue. Get help. Use a trainer for a few sessions until you have learned what to do to get the maximum effect from the exercise. Start with light weights and go slow. Use a count of 5 for the up motion and 5 for the down motion. Slow, controlled movements are best for building muscle. When you can do 12 repetitions, easily, then you increase the weight. Set a specific time each day to exercise. Do upper body one day and lower body the next day. This way you give the muscle group a day to rest between workouts.

Tap into the thermogenic effect of food. Eat your larger meals earlier in the day. As the day progresses, our metabolism slows down. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper. Eat complex carbs, whole grains, non-starchy vegetables – they are harder to digest and the fiber in them will also add more work to the process of digestion. Have small, frequent meals. Every time you eat you boost the metabolism a little. Eating more often helps keep blood sugar more stable and you don’t get that hungry feeling. Think of food as fuel to keep the machinery running; you need a small steady flow to keep things running smoothly. Make an appointment to see a dietitian. They are the food experts! Medicare and some insurance companies now pay for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT).

Here are my 5 steps to healthier eating.

1. Eat breakfast

Take a banana, granola bar, box of raisins, peanut butter sandwich with you. Put it in the car the night before. People who skip breakfast eat more later.

2. Portion control

Aim for ¾ of your normal serving. Start this reduction by not taking seconds; then work your way down – take 10% less, then ¼ - ½ less. Use smaller plates, bowls, cups and glasses for your meals.

3. Balance

40 – 50 % carbohydrate - choose complex

15 – 20 % protein - choose more vegetable protein than animal protein

20 – 40 % fat - choose monounsaturated fats, cut saturated and eliminate trans fat

4. Awareness

Be aware of what you eat. Think – “Are the calories worth the enjoyment?” If they are, eat it and feel good about it. Remember we eat for pleasure as well as hunger.

5. Drink

Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

Choose one of the above strategies and do it for 3 weeks then add another one and another one until you have mastered the ones you feel are going to be helpful to you. If you adopt 2 of the 5 strategies, you will see and feel the results.

See you next issue.

Deborah Kimble, LD, CDE, MSPH, CPT

“Your Favorite Diabetes & Nutrition Educator”