Eating in class is allowed - even required

Last night Zirpu and I went to Kaiser for the first session of the "Living Well With Diabetes" class. There were about a dozen people in the class, ranging in age from mid-30s to about 70. One person besides myself was along as a non-diabetic "supportive spouse" and the others were, with the exception of Zirpu, diagnosed between six years and two months ago. I learned a lot about what diabetes actually is, what is going on in the body in Type 1 and in Type 2. The dietitian teaching the class said over and over, "This is YOUR diabetes and YOU can manage it and avoid these problems." I think that she says this in her lectures to get people to understand that they are the only ones who can manage their blood sugar, and the only ones who can track it.

One of the things the dietitian said is that it's important to eat several hours before going to bed. No one at the class had eaten; the class runs from 530 to 8pm, right through dinnertime (in fact, we had come directly from the BART station). I had brought egg-less salad sandwiches, but we didn't eat them until afterwards. It didn't seem to right to break out food when we didn't stop for a break and no one else had any. Next time, the dietitian said, bring something to eat during class. I've already planned to bring sandwiches again next week.

Here's the egg-less salad I made last night:

one block firm tofu, drained and squeezed
low-fat mayonnaise
yellow mustard
turmeric (for color more than anything else)
pepper
sweet pickle relish (more than you think is enough)

Combine all to the consistency you like your egg salad. Allow to rest for at least two hours before eating so flavors can meld.

You can also add the stuff you might usually add to egg salad, like celery, or onions, or curry powder, or whatever herbs and seasonings you like. It won't be exactly like egg salad, but it will be more like egg salad than a Gardenburger is like a hamburger. If you're trying to stay away from cholesterol, or you don't like eggs, or you're trying to think of something to serve Kosher friends, this is the way to go.



A short note: Rest in peace, Molly Ivins. Or rather, give 'em hell!