front cover of Diabetes among the Pima
Diabetes among the Pima
Stories of Survival
Carolyn Smith-Morris
University of Arizona Press, 2006
For the past forty years, the Pima Indians living in the Gila River Indian Community have been among the most consistently studied diabetic populations in the world. But despite many medical advances, the epidemic is continuing and prevalence rates are increasing. Diabetes among the Pima is the first in-depth ethnographic volume to delve into the entire spectrum of causes, perspectives, and conditions that underlie the occurrence of diabetes in this community. Drawing on the narratives of pregnant Pima women and nearly ten years’ work in this community, this book reveals the Pimas’ perceptions and understanding of type 2 and gestational diabetes, and their experience as they live in the midst of a health crisis. Arguing that the prenatal period could offer the best hope for curbing this epidemic, Smith-Morris investigates many core values informing the Pimas’ experience of diabetes: motherhood, foodways, ethnic identity, exercise, attitude toward health care, and a willingness to seek care. Smith-Morris contrasts gripping first-person narratives with analyses of several political, economic, and biomedical factors that influence diabetes among the Pimas. She also integrates major theoretical explanations for the disease and illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of intervention strategies and treatment. An important contribution to the ongoing struggle to understand and prevent diabetes, this volume will be of special interest to experts in the fields of epidemiology, genetics, public health, and anthropology.

Click here for a Facilitator’s Guide to Diabetes among the Pima
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front cover of Long Time, No See
Long Time, No See
Beth Finke
University of Illinois Press, 2003
Long Time, No See is certainly an inspiring story, but Beth Finke does not aim to inspire. Eschewing reassuring platitudes and sensational pleas for sympathy, she charts her struggles with juvenile diabetes, blindness, and a host of other hardships, sharing her feelings of despair and frustration as well as her hard-won triumphs. Rejecting the label “courageous,” she prefers to describe herself using the phrase her mother invoked in times of difficulty: “She did what she had to do.”
With unflinching candor and acerbic wit, Finke chronicles the progress of the juvenile diabetes that left her blind at the age of twenty-six as well as the seemingly endless spiral of adversity that followed. First she was forced out of her professional job. Then she bore a multiply handicapped son. But she kept moving forward, confronting marital and financial problems and persevering through a rocky training period with a seeing-eye dog.
Finke’s life story and her commanding knowledge of her situation give readers a clear understanding of diabetes, blindness, and the issues faced by parents of children with significant disabilities. Because she has taken care to include accurate medical information as well as personal memoir, Long Time, No See serves as an excellent resource for others in similar situations and for professionals who deal with disabled adults or children.
 
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front cover of Naturally Healthy Mexican Cooking
Naturally Healthy Mexican Cooking
Authentic Recipes for Dieters, Diabetics, and All Food Lovers
By Jim Peyton
University of Texas Press, 2014

Just about everyone loves Mexican food, but should you eat it if you want to manage your weight or diabetes? Yes, absolutely! There are literally hundreds of authentic Mexican dishes that are naturally healthy—moderate in calories, fat, and sugar—and completely delectable. In Naturally Healthy Mexican Cooking, Jim Peyton presents some two hundred recipes that have exceptional nutrition profiles, are easy to prepare, and, most important of all, taste delicious.

Peyton starts from the premise that for any diet to work, you have to enjoy the food you’re eating. Substitutions that alter the taste and pleasure of food, such as nonfat yogurt for mayonnaise, have no place here. Instead, you’ll find tasty, highly nutritious, low-calorie dishes from the various schools of Mexican and Mexican American cooking in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. From traditional meat, seafood, and vegetarian entrees and antojitos mexicanos, including tacos, enchiladas, and tamales, to upscale alta cocina mexicana such as shrimp ceviche and mango salsa, these recipes are authentic, simple for home cooks to prepare with supermarket ingredients, flavorful, and fully satisfying in moderate portions. Every recipe includes nutritional analysis—calories, protein, carbs, fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar, and sodium. In addition to the recipes, Peyton offers helpful information on diet and healthy eating, Mexican cooking and nutrition, ingredients, cooking techniques, and cooking equipment.

Try the recipes in Naturally Healthy Mexican Cooking, and you’ll discover that comfort food can be both delicious and good for you. ¡Buen provecho!

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