Diabetics can have their ‘pie,’ and eat it too
By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Margaret Saldeen and her husband Bill both love decadent desserts like chocolate-laden French Silk pie. Thanks to the culinary staff at Henry Ford Village, the couple can still enjoy such treats despite the fact that they are both diabetics.
“I have low blood sugar, a form of diabetes,” Margaret Saldeen says, who moved to the Dearborn community from Englewood, Fla. Like his wife, Bill Saldeen is also on a strict, sugar-free diet.
Sugar-free delights
“We do very well here,” Margaret Saldeen adds. “It used to be that whenever anyone ordered something like the French Silk pie, we just ate an orange.” Not so anymore. Now, there are many sugar-free items, including a sugar-free version of the pie, offered throughout the community’s eateries, including the Windows Café, and both the St. Clair and Great Lakes restaurants.
“Now, when they’re eating the pie, we can have it too,” Margaret Saldeen says, who particularly enjoys the homemade sugar-free blueberry, apple, and peach pies on the menu.
Shawn Trudgeon, assistant director of dining services at the community, describes the variety of options available for diabetics.
“We offer many choices on our menus for diabetics,” Trudgeon says. “The new thinking in diabetic diets is not to eliminate sweets, but to know how to count them in your diet. Most diabetics can have three to four carbohydrate choices at each meal.
“We offer sugar-free ice cream and ‘Smart Sweets’ for dessert. They allow for flexibility,” he adds.
Diabetic support group here to help
Kathryn Scudder, who moved from Trenton, heads up a diabetic support group which meets monthly on campus. “We have over 100 people on our mailing list,” she says.