Enjoy Food On Holidays, Just Don’t Overdo

The holiday season can be particularly challenging if you’ve got diabetes. But Spokane’s Jim Joireman has his strategy all planned.

“I like to nibble a bit but not indulge,” says Joireman, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1992.

He takes an oral medication daily to help keep his blood glucose levels at normal levels, and has to watch his diet carefully.

“I don’t bake as much as I used to,” says Joireman, who is known for bringing in kitchen creations for co-workers to enjoy. “I sample a little but I’m real, real cautious - if I go to a party I might have a bite.”

Joireman, who turns 61 on Monday, is probably well-known to many who attended Glover Middle School. A teacher for more than 30 years, Joireman taught English, history and journalism until 1990.

Then he joined the staff at the Manito branch of the Spokane Public Library (now the South Hill branch on South Perry) as a library clerk assistant. He’s one of the most cordial, easygoing people you’ll ever meet.

With family history a factor - both his mother and grandmother had diabetes - Joireman made changes in his lifestyle through exercise and diet.

Joireman is careful with carbohydrates in his diet: starches, such as pasta and cereals, and sugars. It’s important to eat the same amount of carbohydrate at the same meal, day after day.

How does he resist temptation with all the holiday foods available?

“The word I would use more than anything else is moderation,” Joireman says. “People don’t have to deprive themselves - you can have most anything.”

In practice, this means bites of ice cream, not a quart; a sliver of pie and not a whole slice; a dab of jam for flavor instead of tablespoons.

Here’s a holiday scallop dish that’s a healthy addition to any eating plan. And as Joireman says, a little bit goes a long way.

Seared Sea Scallops With Wine Sauce

From Robyn Webb’s “Memorable Menus Made Easy” (American Diabetes Association, 1997).

1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1-1/2 pounds sea scallops

2 cups dry white wine

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Fresh ground pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. When the oil is very hot, quickly add the scallops to the pan and sear for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the wine, lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the seared scallops from the pan.

Add the remaining wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture is reduced by half. Add the butter, capers and parsley. Season with pepper.

Place the cooked scallops on a plate, surround with the wine sauce and serve.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 162 calories, 5 grams fat (28 percent fat calories), 3 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams protein, 37 milligrams cholesterol, 305 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen