Both Type I and Type II Diabetes are becoming ever more common due to our increasingly sedentary and indulgent lifestyle. Nutritionist, Jess Keane, gives some advice and recipes that help to address the problem – and taste delicious!
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate sugar metabolism. In Diabetes Mellitus (Type I) the pancreas produces little or no insulin, so patients are wholly insulin dependent; with the more common Type II Diabetes, there’s plenty of insulin but the body’s cells become resistant to its function. All diabetes patients (Types I and II) need to worry about the possibility of additional health complications like heart disease or nerve damage.When your diet is full of sugar (alcohol, fizzy drinks, cordial, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweet-tasting cereals), your cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. They need more insulin to manage the same amount of sugar. To manage your insulin levels, the solution is simple: fresh food that you have to cook. This way of eating may influence the right genes and promote a healthy metabolism. Limit ready-made food that comes from boxes, jars or cans.
So what should you eat?Vegetables (broccoli, green beans, spinach, cabbage, brussel sprouts, peppers, aubergines, leeks, onions) nuts, seeds, whole grains (oats, wholemeal bread wholemeal pasta, brown rice), olive oil, good sources of protein (chicken, turkey, salmon, mackerel, chickpeas, lentils, organic free-range eggs). Many of these foods contain the vitamins and minerals necessary for insulin control and blood sugar balance, such as magnesium and chromium.
Daily tips for improving blood sugar control:
1. Eat protein with each meal and snack. Try a boiled egg or 1 tbsp of almonds with breakfast, 1 tbsp of hummous with a rye cracker as a snack.
2. Eat something every 3-4 hours to keep your insulin and glucose levels normal.
3. Avoid foods containing white flour and sugar, such as white breads, white pasta, white rice, sweet-tasting cereals flour, bagels, biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks.
4. Eat whole grains (oats, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice) chickpeas, lentils, vegetables and ground flaxseed. Foods rich in fibre are important. Fibre slows the absorption of sugar from our digestive tract into the bloodstream. Aim to eat up to 30g of fibre daily.
5. Get moving. Excercise is critical to improving sugar metabolism. Walking for 30 mins after dinner is a powerful way to reduce blood sugar.
Vanilla Pannacotta
Serves 6 to 8
Gluten-free and Wheat-free
The natural sweetness of cream and the flavour of the vanilla are sufficient to make this taste like it contains sugar. This is a basic pannacotta recipe but you can experiment with different flavours; swap the vanilla for 8 leaves of lemon verbena or mint, the zest of 2 lemons or 1 tbsp of lavender buds.
500 ml cream
150ml milk
3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
6 tablespoons cold water
Leaves of gelatine (leaves of gelatine vary in size so follow instructions on back of packet to set 650ml of liquid)
First, soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl with cold water. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk and vanilla beans (cut the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla seeds, add both to the mixture).
Bring just to the boil, remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Using a fine mesh sieve strain the mixture into a medium-sized bowl.
Squeeze out the gelatine leaves gently (throw away the water) and add them with to the cream. Return to a gentle heat and stir slowly until dissolved.
Let it cool slightly in the saucepan, until the gelatine begins to harden. Give it a stir and pour into dariole moulds, small ramekins or glasses. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
When ready to serve briefly lower the moulds into a pan of hot water and turn out on to the serving plate. Garnish with berries, fruit coulis or a mint leaf.
Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummous
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
Gluten-free (use Tamari sauce), Wheat-free and Dairy-free
This variation on traditional hummous is a wonderful vibrant colour. It makes a great snack with triangles of warm wholemeal pitta bread, oatcakes or raw vegetables for dipping.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1/2 tsp of turmeric
875ml water
290g red lentils
1 tbsp soya or tamari sauce (available from health food store)
60ml lemon juice
Chopped fresh coriander
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occa-sionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add garlic, sweet potato, cumin, paprika and turmeric and cook for 1 to 2 mins more. Stir in water and lentils and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until lentils and sweet potatoes are soft. Strain and transfer contents of pot to a large bowl to cool.
Transfer lentil mixture to a food processor along with soya or tamari sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and purée until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and garnish with coriander and a drizzle with a little oil.
Banana and Oat Cookies
24 cookies
Wheat-free, Dairy-free and Low GI
These cookies contain no added sugar or sweeteners. Instead bananas sweeten and bind the mixture. On average these cookies contain about 8.5g of sugars per 100g. Oats, coconut, almonds and walnuts slow the absorption of sugar and are considered low GI. Some research suggests that although fructose and many sweeteners may not affect blood glucose levels, they may alter blood fat levels, so it is important to keep all forms of sugar to a minimum. Always eat sweeter foods alongside protein and some ‘good’ fats to reduce their affect on your blood sugar levels.
The dough is quite loose, so for a more uniform-sized cookie I have also made these cookies in mini-muffin trays.
3-4 (300g) large bananas, well mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
60ml coconut oil, barely warm so it isn’t solid (or use olive oil)
190g porridge oats
50g ground almonds
25g unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 pinches of salt
1 tsp baking powder
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C. In a bowl whisk together the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. In another bowl mix together the oats, almond meal, walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Drop dollops of the dough, each about 1 dsp in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 14 minutes in the top third of the oven, until lightly browned.
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