LAWRENCE — Leopoldo Guggenheim knows what it's like not to be able to have candy for a snack, enjoy a juicy steak while dining out, or eat a piece of toast for breakfast.
Guggenheim, 83, chairman of the board of Joseph's Middle East Bakery, is a diabetic. So he's especially excited at the Lawrence company's new development — a pita bread for people with Type 2 diabetes.
"Since the company makes all kinds of bread, we want to make one as healthy as possible," he said.
Joseph Boghos, Guggenheim's business partner and the company's director of technical services, agreed.
"People with diabetes are very health conscious and need a diet with low glucose," said Boghos, 74, who developed the new recipe.
After perfecting the recipe using ingredients like whole wheat flour, oat fiber, oat bran, whey protein yeast and baking soda, the company sent some samples to the Glycemic Research Institute of Washington, D.C.
The institute did a taste test on 10 people with diabetes and monitored their sugar levels.
On March 16, the institute awarded Joseph's its seal of approval when it certified the High Fiber Plus Pita Bread good for consumption for diabetics. The products hit the market on June 1.
Guggenheim said the secret is the small amount of flour used in the baking process, which makes the bread diabetic friendly while still providing 38 percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber.
He said a diet high in fiber will promote healthy digestion, while eating the bread helps reduce the sugar level that increases after eating foods with high levels of sugar and carbohydrates. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level is the key to avoiding diabetic complications.
Butcher Boy Market is one of 400 stores where the High Fiber Plus Pita is already available. The bread has only been on the shelves at the North Andover store for less than a week, and nine packages have been sold, said Donna Yameen, one of the store managers.
"I think it's because its diabetic friendly," she said. "We're absolutely glad we carry it."
In addition to pita bread, Joseph's makes garlic and herb Lavash roll-ups; pita bread with only oat bran, whole wheat and plant sterols; muffins; pizza dough; pancakes; and tomato red pepper, sun-dried tomato, spinach, basil and flax, oatmeal, and whole wheat tortillas.
All of their bread products are produced at their bakery, located at 30 International Way in Lawrence. The company employs 100 people who work three different shifts.
Joseph's Middle East Bakery was founded in Lowell in 1972 by Boghos. It later moved to Riverside Drive in Methuen, and six years ago relocated to South Lawrence.
