Cooking for Diabetics

The Maynards ( The American Country Inn and Bread & Breakfast Cookbook ), registered nurses and owners of a bakery specializing in food for diabetics, and Duncan ( Living with Diabetes ), associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, don't always practice what they preach. Though they advance sensible advice about the hazards, for diabetics, of eating restaurant fare and the importance of reading food labels, and though they offer diabetic food exchange lists and nutritional analyses, many of these 315 recipes are unappealing or unrealistic. ``Classic sugar-free fruitcake'' calls for rum, when many diabetics are not permitted alcohol. The authors recommend the sugar substitute aspartame, though it is harmful to people with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) and frequently causes headaches in others. Some recipes have high sodium counts (a problem due in part to the authors' reliance on prepared foods); others employ reasonable amounts. And while some require low-fat versions of foods, others do not--an inconsistency at odds with the needs of overweight diabetics. Illustrations. (Mar.)