THE INTERNATIONAL DIABETIC COOKBOOK

Claiming that ""most cookbooks for diabetics offer unimaginative, bland food ideas,"" Chantiles (Nutrition/N.Y.C.) has raided the global pantry--or, more accurately, tapped doctors and dieticians throughout the world--and come up with a refreshing range of unusual, even esoteric dishes. The more familiar Chinese, French, and Italian repertoires take a back seat here to Indonesian, Afghan, Turkish, Thai, and Panamanian dishes, to mention just a few adjacent offerings. Instead of Mexican chiles rellenos, for example, Chantiles offers Uruguay's version, ajies rellenos con came. All the recipes are annotated for calories and exchange values and are selected with an eye for diets high in fiber and low in sugar, fat, and salt--a regimen currently recommended for most Americans, not just diabetics. Without all the explanatory background provided in the American Diabetes Association cookbooks, this is not an introductory how-to on diabetic diets; but it offers welcome variety for those who are feeling the restrictions.