According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 79 million people are considered prediabetic. With those staggering numbers, it's no wonder many cooks are in search of healthy meal ideas for those living with diabetes. Registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Angela Ginn gave us some tips for satisfying, diabetic-friendly meals, as well as her recipe for tasty tri-color lentil soup.
Tips for Cooking Diabetic-Friendly Meals
• Choose whole grains: "Whole grains may contribute to maintaining healthy blood glucose levels," Angela says, so stock your pantry with healthy carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, rolled oats, barley, bulgur and whole wheat bread crumbs.
• Include beans several times a week: Dried beans, lentils and dried peas are a good source of protein, and are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Enjoy a variety of vegetables: Angela recommends aiming for half a plate of non-starchy vegetables for lunch and dinner. Try adding vegetables to smoothies, or tucking them into sandwiches. When eating starchy vegetables, good choices include winter squash (such as butternut or acorn), green peas, corn, potato and parsnip.
• Other good choices: reduced-fat dairy, lean proteins and heart-healthy oils.
Here's Angela's recipe for lentil soup, a good way to get some fiber-filled, protein-packed beans into your weekly menu.
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Heat to boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until lentils and vegetables are tender.
Stir in tomatoes. Cook for another 15 minutes and remove bay leaf before serving.
More Healthy Bean Recipes on The Kitchn
• Crispy Pan-Fried Beans with Wilted Greens
• Lentil Soup with Lemon Yogurt Cream
• White Bean and Roasted Squash Soup with Pistou
• White Bean and Roasted Vegetable Salad
• Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili
What Can I Eat from the American Diabetes Association
Do you cook for someone with diabetes or prediabetes? Any tips or favorite recipes?
It's Reader Request Week at The Kitchn! This post was requested by SYZYGY.
Related: Diabetic-Friendly Dishes for a Celebration Brunch?
(Image: v.s.anandhakrishna/Shutterstock)
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Above all, pay attention to what your doctor has asked you to do to maintain your blood sugar levels. My husband (a type II) is currently restricted from eating most pasta, rice, beans, oats, etc even if they are whole wheat, because they don't leave enough room in the meal for the other carbs (don't forget that vegetables and fruit often have carbs!).
Make sure you test to see if those "healthy" whole grains spike your blood sugar readings first before you stock up on them. As a T2 diabetic, I have to avoid all grains, most beans and starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas and corn (and foods made from them) because they do raise my blood glucose levels too much. Better to load up on healthier carbs from leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.
Diabetic-friendly food is just called food. Diabetics can eat anything we darn well please, we just need to adjust our insulin dosage dependent on the nutritional makeup of the food. Perhaps this article would better be described as Cooking Healthy Meals for Type II, non-insulin dependent diabetics.
@Jenrica - It's actually not healthy to use insulin to compensate for truly unhealthy foods, but I think I get what you're saying. In other words, if you darn well please to eat a piece of cake once every few months, fair enough. But eating anything you damn well please while using insulin to adjust for that isn't well-controlled blood sugar.
@Laffin - The ADA has some truly horrific advice for newly diagnosed T2s. It tells them to eat MORE carbs, can you imagine? I'm in agreement with you. The occasional grain or starch shouldn't make a huge impact for most people with really well controlled numbers, but occasional means every month or so, not every day, which is sadly what most people are told they is okay and then they wonder why they are still sick or on meds.
@fromage - yup, but moderation for good health isn't specific to diabetics - it's best practice for everyone!