[Education by participating in a diabetic food contest]

In order to investigate new methods to use to educate the general public and to foster changes in diet, a cooking course was organized by the "Las Fuentes Norte" Health Center in Zaragoza open to the entire population. 42.1% of the menus selected were prepared by diabetics. In these, their average composition was: 488.3 +/- 114 calories containing 30.7% proteins, 38.8% lipids, and 32.5% carbohydrates. 42.1% of the menus selected were prepared by people in families having no diabetics. In these, their average composition was: 332.8 +/- 114.4 calories containing 25% proteins, 29.9% lipids, and 50.1% carbohydrates. The remaining 15.8% of the menus selected were prepared by relatives of diabetics. In these, their average composition was: 528.1 +/- 237.9 calories containing 40.6% proteins, 45.3% lipids, and 14.1% carbohydrates. There was no finding bearing statistical importance among these groups which prepared these dishes. Analysis of the 1998 contest discovered that calories increased in the menus prepared by diabetics or their relatives; calories increased 101.1 and 330.7 respectively, and this bears statistical importance. In these same groups, lipids increased 11.2 and 25% respectively while carbohydrates dropped 11.2 and 29.6% respectively. In those menus prepared by persons having no diabetics in their families, lipids decreased 4.3% while carbohydrates increased 15.9%. The average number of calories in the 19 menus prepared was 1758.8 +/- 20.7. These menus contained an average of 20.8% proteins, 25.5% lipids, and 53.7% carbohydrates.