Healthy Diabetic Recipes

Diabetics ought to help control their blood sugars by eating the right sort of foods, here are a few ideas on what to cook for diabetics. Always keep "low carb, low fat, no refined" as your diabetic cooking mantra.

Living with diabetes can be a very frustrating task, but it also could open windows for new, healthy, tasty foods to be tested. There are so many different vegetables and options at the supermarkets, that you are spoilt for choice nowadays.

Easy Healthy Diabetic Recipe Ideas

Simple healthy diabetic recipes could be as quick as roasting sweet potato chunks, sausages and tomatoes, and boiling some runner beans to go with it. Or you could put beans, peas, pearl barley, chicken (pan-fried), stock and cabbage in a slow cooker for a few hours. The most important thing when trying to create simple recipes for those with diabetes, is to think about using low GI (Glycaemic Index) carbohdrates, such as barley, rye or buckwheat.

Diabetic Christmas baking recipes are notoriously difficult to find, as sugar and white flour are the staples at Christmas time, especially in cookies, desserts and candy. The best advice to give is to recommend that you find a recipe that you enjoy, and replace half the flour with a wholegrain alternative and replace half the sugar with honey or agave nectar.

All diabetics should be counting the carbohydrates in their meals, both Type 1 and Type 2. This will enable both to accurately monitor how much insulin or exercise they need to do to combat it. Carbohydrates are a very important part of any diet, but lowering your carb intake can help you manage your diabetes smoother.

Opt for low GI carbohydrates, and eat only a portion of about 30g at any one meal. Try different grains, for which there are now plenty of recipes online and in cookbooks, seek out buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice and sweet potato. Pulses can also form a great part of your diet too - as they have a good amount of carbs, but will enter into your bloodstream over a long period of time.

♥ Sausage and Bean Casserole

A simple recipe. Its easy to do in the oven or a slow cooker, whichever you have at home.

- Fry 6 -8 sausages in a frying pan until brown.
- In a pan/slow cooker, add 1 carton of passata, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, a teaspoon of mixed herbs, salt, pepper, butternut squash (peeled and diced), sweet potato (peeled and diced) and a tin of beans (whatever you prefer, butter beans are a real favorite).
- Sprinkle in some bouillon, and place in the sausages.
- Heat for a whole day or overnight (6 hours+).
- Serve with a side of green vegetables.

You ought to be able to change this recipe by doing many different things; use different healthy vegetables, or simply add in more. Mushrooms, celery, potatoes, carrots, swede, parsnips - anything that you have in your fridge.

Try to make it extra flavourful by frying the diced vegetables before adding them to the casserole. And edit the texture of the final dish by chopping your vegetables differently - sticks and large chunks make it feel more homely and warming.

Add a few other flavourings; honey is delicious, Worcestershire sauce gives it a kick, chili powder will spice it up and condensed mushroom soup will make it more creamy.

♥ Delicious Diabetic Lasagne

Its never been easier to make a tasty diabetic lasagne! Just make sure you have wholewheat lasagne sheets in your store cupboard, or why not try swapping the pasta for strips of aubergine (eggplant) or courgette (zucchini).

- Start by making the tomato sauce. Fry up a packet of lamb mince with an onion and some garlic. Once cooked transfer to a big saucepan.
- Fry up 2 diced carrots, 2 diced parsnips and then transfer these to the saucepan.
- Heat up the saucepan, and pour in some boiling water and sprinkle on a tbsp of bouillon.
- Add a glass of wine, a glass of milk, and a tin of tomatoes. Add flavourings. Peanut butter is a secret favorite of many delicious pasta sauces. Don't forget a bay leaf, salt, pepper and 1 dsp oregano.
- Leave to simmer for an hour.
- Whilst it is simmering, make a bechamel sauce. Melt 55g butter, and then mix in 55g flour. Once it comes into a thick paste, add 500ml milk and a sprinkle of cheese. Stir continuously, until the sauce thickens, and is even.
- Start layering your dish, pasta, tomato, bechamel, pasta, tomato, bechamel. Keep going until your last bechamel layer. Add some sliced tomatoes, and an extra sprinkle of cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 35-45 mins or until golden.
- Serve with a green salad.

If you want garlic bread that's suitable for diabetics, simply keep your eye open for wholemeal varieties in store, or bake your own. Make a pat of garlic butter, and spread it on homemade wholewheat rolls, and bake in the oven until warm.

For more ideas on living with diabetes and some fantastic recipes, check out the Juvenile Diabetes blog, where you can ask any questions you like and find out practical information.