Kidney Helper recipes focus on Mediterranean
Cape Gazette, Lewes, DE Sept. 16, 1999When you're a lover of good food and it's necessary to follow the most debilitating diet the world - -the renal diet, what do you do?
You might choose to do what Bob Lutfy did and ruthlessly take apart the renal diet, experiment and experiment some more until substitutes are found to flavor favorite dishes and still be within the confines of the diet.
More than two years in the making, the Kidney Helper Cookbook - Middle Eastern, achieves the nearly impossible task of combining high flavors in a low potassium, loss phosphorus, low salt healthy cookbook.
The recipes are based on his family favorites, but Lutfy stresses that it's not necessary to be Middle Eastern to love them.
There are hamburgers, chicken, lamb and egg recipes; salads, appetizers, vegetables and desserts.
Each recipe is full of helpful tips and complete food values and has been composed under the strict supervision of a renal dietitian, Mary Pinto, a member of the ADA and CRN.
The cookbook can be approached at many levels. There are utterly simple recipes for the basic cook as well as for the more adventurous. For example, there is an entire section on Phyllo, the paper-thin strudel-like dough that can transform the dullest meal into a feast.From more than 30 years of experience, Lutfy and his wife, Nathalie, show readers all the tricks they have developed over the years to make this procedure simple and virtually effortless.
In addition to the recipes, there is page after page or resources, including product sources, online help, organizations and reference matter, even a list of renal magazines. To order the cookbook, send $24.95 plus $3 shipping and handling fees to Consumer MedHelp, Inc., 2437 Bay Area Blvd., , Suite 104, Wakefield MA 01880-1906. For telephone orders, call 800-556-7117.
When Bob Lutfy was diagnosed with kidney disease years ago, he searched for resources to guide him. What could he expect? What were the ups and downs of dialysis? What life style changes would this mean to him? He fund information only with great difficulty. He determined that he would make efforts to ease the way for his fellow ESRD patients.
The result of this has been the formation of Consumer MedHelp, a family business dedicated to the health and well being of those with chronic disease through education and self-involvement. (You may already to familiar with their flagship products--the unique color-coded, laminated Kidney HELPER Potassium and Phosphorus Guides , plus the full-color companion Wall Posters.)
The latest product of these efforts is an unusual cookbook and reference manual, the "Kidney HELPER Cookbook -- Middle Eastern." Bob stresses that the recipes are not just for Middle Easterners. Anyone who likes good food, high flavor and easy recipes will love this book. Produced under the guidance of a renal dietitian, Mary Pinto (member of the CRN and the ADA), the recipes are written clearly, in easy-to-read type, with abundant tips and complete food values.
However, more than just a cookbook, it contains product sources, on-line locations, even a list of renal magazines, to promote the welfare of the renal community.
Hard cover with spiral binding. 230 pages. Only $24.95 plus $3.00 S&H. Order from:
Consumer MedHelp Inc.
94 New Salem St., Suite 104
Wakefield, MA 01880-1906
Tel: 800-556-7117
Fax: 781-246-3086
Most people enjoy sitting down to a flavorful dinner and indulge in eating....But what if you learned you could no longer eat your favorite foods and many ingredients that revved up the taste...had to be eliminated from your diet altogether?
Bob Lutfy of Benecia, CA knows all about diet modification.... His experiences with kidney failure and kidney dialysis led him to create a business which helps people like himself learn to eat healthy, but follow certain guidelines for restricted diets.
BOB LUTFY, with his wife Nathalie, her brother Roland Cassavant and sister-in-law Sharron Greer, a few years ago formed their family business, Consumer MedHelp. The company creates Kidney HELPER potassium and phosphorus charts, and most recently, a cookbook, The Kidney HELPER Cookbook: Middle Eastern for pre-dialysis and dialysis patients.
IN THE EARLY 1980s, Bob Lutfy learned he had kidney problems and was introduced to a diet designed specifically for patients with kidney problems. According to Nathalie Lutfy an excess amount of phosphorus can damage bones while an excess amount of potassium can lead to heart problems. The Lutfys wanted to create a business that would provide useful information to other dialysis patients and help them toward a healthy diet and lifestyle.
THE FIRST PRODUCTS designed by Consumer MedHelp were Kidney HELPER charts....These laminated charts include breakdowns of foods and beverages which contain low, higher and highest levels of phosphorus or potassium. Over 170 foods are listed on the handy, color-coded reference guides. The guides also offer informative tips, such as how to reduce potassium content through cooking methods and information about potassium and phosphorus levels in instant foods. The Lutfys worked with dietitians and nutritionists to determine the proper levels of phosphorus or potassium. Mary Pinto, a registered dietitian, is chief dietary adviser to Consumer MedHelp projects. Consumer MedHelp also developed poster-sized charts which are used in hospitals and dialysis centers nationwide.
THE LUTFYS' most recent project, a cookbook which was published in April, borrows from Bob Lutfy's health experiences and his heritage. Growing up in a Lebanese family, he remembers his maternal grandmother making delicious meals out of wholesome, natural foods.
Bob Lutfy said "I wondered if there was a way to transform these traditional Middle Eastern recipes into foods that could be eaten by kidney patients on restricted diets. Often, the renal diet is very plain and patients lose interest in food which results in drop in their energy levels." His goal...was to make palatable foods a reality for others like himself. Lutfy altered recipes that have been in his family for years. He transformed their home into a veritable test-kitchen and changed the proportions but kept the spices to create substitutions which were close to the original recipe. The flavorful recipes are designed to meet the needs of dialysis patients but not overstep their limitations. Most of the recipes use ingredients that can be found in any grocery store.
THE COOKBOOK offers more than recipes; it's also a resource book....it includes detailed information about the recipes including cooking tips, definitions of middle Eastern foods, measurements, a unit on phyllo dough and tips on how to grow certain foods. The book also includes product and organization resources and on-line help as well as information about End Stage Renal Disease networks
The cookbook is not limited to those on a regimented diet; it is also for other members of the family who are interested in the great tastes from the Middle East. "The cookbook has been very well-received by not only patients, but also by their families. The nice thing is you can use it for the entire family," Lutfy said.
The Lutfys are now expanding their scope of products to include charts and books for heart patients as well as Reader's Choice cookbooks which contain renal-friendly and cardiac -friendly recipes submitted by readers. Nathalie Lutfy stressed that the products are to be used as a complement to the advice given by an individual's doctor.
Bob Lutfy dedicated the cookbook to his kidney donor and her family, thanking them for the extraordinary gift he has been given.
|
Quick Search |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Ideas |
|
|
|
|
Fax: 281-486-9260
