Low Calory Diabetic Recipes for Dinner

What is GI?

Glycemic index or GI, is a measurement carried out on carbohydrate foods that may have an effect on our blood sugar. This relatively new way of analysing food, is especially important to people suffering from diabetes. GI measurements fall into 3 categories – low, medium, and high.

To help control blood sugar levels, diabetic folk need to opt for foods which have a low GI content to stay as healthy as possible.

Fortunately, there is a large variety of low GI foods to choose from, and as these are also low in calories, it serves a double purpose of helping to keep weight down.

Enjoy your meals, but remember to keep portions at a reasonable size, because overeating anything, even the healthiest of foods, may lead to weight hassles.

Here are some easy-to-make tasty recipes you can try.

Fresh vegetable soup. 1 to 1½ cups per person.

Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots
• 1 small baby marrow
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 cup broccoli
• 3 stalks asparagus (or tinned)
• 1 small onion
• 1 litre water
• 4 teaspoons yeast-free vegetable broth
• 1 tsp fresh basil
• 2 tsp salt to taste

The ingredients can be proportionately increased to feed more.

Method.

• Put the water into a pot, add vegetable broth and chopped onion, and bring to boil. Finely chop baby marrow and asparagus, and shred carrot and celery in food processor. Once water has boiled add the vegetables and leave in boiled water until tender. Allow to cool, then add ingredients to a blender and mix until it is a thick, smooth consistency.

Carrots, onions – medium GI.Baby marrow, asparagus, celery – low GI.

Grilled chicken breasts in sage vinaigrette. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chopped sage
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Method

• Preheat grill. Whisk together, vinegar, oil and sage. Brush over chicken breasts and marinate for 15 minutes. Cook until chicken is cooked through, turning and basting occasionally with the marinade.
• Serve with salad or vegetables.

Olive oil, sage – low GI. Balsamic vinegar – medium GI.

Vegetables, or pasta, with tomato-pepper sauce. Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500gm vegetables of your choice, or 500gm spelt pasta
• 300gm fresh tomatoes
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 baby marrow
• 1 onion,
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chilli
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste.

Method

• Cook vegetables, or pasta. Cut fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, and baby marrow into cubes, finely chop onion, garlic and chilli. Heat olive oil in a pan, adding onion, pepper, chilli and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, and cook on low heat for approximately 7 minutes. Lastly add the basil, with pepper and salt to taste.
• Put pasta or vegetables on a plate, top with the sauce and garnish if desired.

Mixed veggies, tomatoes, peppers – low GI. Garlic, spelt pasta – medium GI.

Sea dream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped lettuce
• 2 carrots
• ½ sweet potato
• ½ cup peas
• 5 spears asparagus
• 1 hake fillet +- 200gm
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100gm couscous cooked with snipped chives.

Method

• Put chopped lettuce in a bowl. Dice carrots and sweet potatoes and steam with the peas, then add to lettuce bowl.
• Season hake with salt and lemon pepper, sprinkle asparagus with a little olive oil, and place around hake on an oven baking tray. Cook until done.
• Allow to cool, then break asparagus and hake into pieces and add to bowl with lettuce and vegetables. Add garlic to tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle over. Serve on a bed of couscous.

The ingredients can be proportionately increased to serve more than one.

Hake, lettuce, peas, olive oil, asparagus, couscous – low GI. Carrots, garlic – medium GI. Sweet potato – high GI.

Veggie burgers

Ingredients:

• 225gm sunflower seeds
• 1 medium size carrot
• 1 stem celery
• 3 onions medium
• 1 red pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ tsp chilli powder, salt, pepper and tobasco to season.

Method

• Pre-soak sunflower seeds in water for at least 4 hours, then pour off water. Cut carrots, celery, onions and pepper in to small pieces, and with sunflower seeds, blend well in blender. Add parsley, spices and seasoning, and blend until the burgers can be easily formed with your hands. Bake patties in preheated oven at 200 C for 25 minutes until brown on outside.

Sunflower seeds, carrots, onion – medium GI. Celery, parsley, peppers – low GI.

All your meals can be a combination of low, medium and high GI, with the emphasis on low GI.