Restaurateur Creates Mexican Menu For Diabetics

Last March, Seattle restaurant owner Ramiro Rubio came to a realization: Diabetes was likely in his future.

He was overweight, and several family members had the disease. In addition, his Latin American heritage meant he was 1 ½ times more likely than whites to be diagnosed with the disease.

"It's a big crisis right now with the Latino community," he said.

Rubio wanted to do something about it, and not just for himself. He eventually decided to create a diabetes-friendly menu for his Capitol Hill restaurant, Galerias Gourmet.

But what exactly was better for diabetics? He had no idea. And how do you make Mexican food healthful? Most Mexican restaurants offer free bowls of fried tortilla chips; they often drench entrees in cheese or deep-fry them; and virtually everything comes with a hefty side of carbohydrate-heavy beans and rice. Customers come to expect that sort of thing, Rubio said.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Seattle Times.

Photo by Mark Harrison, The Seattle Times