The NEW Carbs and Cals: World Food Book

As you might have seen on my social media, I'm really excited about the launch of the NEW Carbs and Cals World Foods book. I'm excited for its arrival for a number of reasons, the first being that Carbs and Cals, the original diabetes version (the book is part of a series, but also stands alone) played a central role in my learning to carbohydrate count almost a decade ago. The app version is also still something I keep with me on my home screen on my phone, that I frequently use at home and abroad to help me count my carbohydrates and help me manage my diabetes. Having that quick, visual representation of what's on your plate and discretely using it in the process of helping calculate the carbs is so helpful and it's empowering to feel like I have control of what foods I choose to enjoy in my diet.

But what's different about this book in the series is that it has a particular focus on world foods, including some of the well loved dishes, snacks and drinks from African, Arabic, Caribbean, South Asian cultures in addition to generic foods too. Many people will already be aware that diabetes is a particularly prevalent condition amongst BAME (black, asian and minority ethnic) communities, particularly type 2 diabetes. People from South-Asian and, Caribbean and those of Black-African heritage are 4-6 times more likely to be diagnosed with this form of the condition (Mehar, et al. 2019). Being of British-Caribbean heritage myself and with a lot of diabetes in my family, this a fact that I am very aware of, I also know that enjoying food together is an important part of the social side of the culture too.

It was a pleasure to have a small role in providing feedback on the book as it was being made, where I was able to share my experience and thoughts. One of the new concepts that I really liked about the World Foods book is the way that it not only displays the portion sizes of the foods, snacks and drinks to enable comparison. But it also shows what the impact of those on blood glucose levels is, which is an essential element to know, when someone is aiming to increase awareness of the relationship between food and blood glucose levels/ diabetes. I think the book will also be particularly helpful for people who might be in the stage of 'pre-diabetes', where full diagnosis has not occurred and perhaps for some, diet is an influential factor.

Some of the other useful elements that the book contains are healthy swaps for world foods, illustrated in the signature stunning photos I've come to expect from the series. There's a chapter that takes you back to the fundamentals of the important elements of the diet such as carbohydrates and how to use them in conjunction with other food groups to make a 'healthy meal' or 'healthy snacks'. If weight loss is a consideration for an individual, the book shows readers how to calculate body mass index (BMI), displaying the lower targets aimed at reducing type 2 diabetes risk factors. Each food picture is featured alongside the weight (g) of the item- with carbs, cals, fat, fibre and effect on blood glucose, allowing people to make comparisons and informed decisions on nutrition choices.

The new book launched to positive feedback on March 4th at the Diabetes Professionals Conference in Liverpool and World Foods retails at £12.99. The other books in the series include Gestational Diabetes, Soups, Smoothies, Salads, The 5:2 diet and a Very Low Calorie Recipes depending on what information someone is looking for.

This is not a sponsored post, however I'm grateful to Carbs and Cals for gifting me a copy of the book to enjoy!