Recipes for Diabetics, the Weight Conscious, and Everybody Else
Dr. Marcantel’s recommended recipes for diabetics aren’t just for diabetics. Healthy eating is for everyone, so whether you’re watching your blood sugars, watching your weight, or just want to do your body a favor, here are some great ideas for eating.
Soups and Salads
Cream of Vegetable Soup Broccoli contains beta carotene, an antioxidant that attacks free radicals responsible for diseases in the body (like cancer). Broccoli and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables found to be protective against colon cancer. (Nutrition and Cancer, 1987)
Kale and Butternut Soup Kale and butternut squash soup is packed with protein and vitamins and contains anti-inflammatory properties. A delicious way to do your body a favor!
Crunchy Tomato Soup A quick and easy recipe that contains the antioxidant lycopene in the tomatoes, protein in the soy milk and chicken, and anti-microbials in the garlic and onions. It also tastes good!
West African Peanut Soup This recipe appeared in the East Valley Tribune and we had to try it. This “cook’s note” appeared with it: This simple, rich soup is adapted from a dish popular in Cameroon. For extra flavor, try it with a savory peanut butter, such as Peanut Better’s hickory smoked or onion parsley peanut butters. It’s interesting and different-tasting.
Seafood and Okra Gumbo Here’s a nice Louisiana gumbo recipe that’s great for the cool weather. As we Cajuns would say, “Talk about good!”
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Gluten-free and packed with protein!
Simple Summer Salad Here’s a quick-and-easy cold salad that’s healthful and yummy.
Arugula and Quinoa Salad This delicious salad is a great source of iron, fiber, and protein.
Appetizers and Snacks
Blood sugar balancing tip:
Eating a protein along with fruit helps keep the blood sugars balanced. When blood sugars spike and then drop it signals the body that it’s hungry, so try to avoid those high sugar levels!
3 Ingredient Breakfast Bars This is a simple and easy recipe that stores well in the freezer or refrigerator. These bars can be eaten as a complete breakfast meal or as an in-between meals snack. They contain protein (walnuts), fruit (bananas), and healthy high fiber grain (oatmeal). If you want more protein you can add peanut powder to the mixture.
Smoothies Smoothies are a great breakfast drink to start your day and a perfect energy snack between meals. They’re a fast and easy way to get a good amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients in one delicious drink! It’s fun to make up your own recipes, and the variety of flavors you can have is as unlimited as your imagination.
Apple Protein Snack This is a yummy, high-energy snack that provides protein and fiber.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies Great as a party dessert!
Quick and Easy Shrimp Party Appetizer Bring these to your holiday party.
Smoked Salmon Appetizer Here’s a different and tasty appetizer that’s great for holiday parties!
Jackie’s Muffin Creations 1 Another dessert that’s both good and good for you. Flax has lots of Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber.
Jackie’s Muffin Creations 2 A different recipe for flax muffins. Try them both and see which you prefer.
Cheesy Delight with Soy Crisp Dippers
Coconut Crunch Trail Mix Is hiking or biking part of your regular exercise regimen? Bring along this trail mix with a coconut twist that you can make yourself! It’s also great just to keep in the fridge as a between-meals snack. Enjoy!
Black Bean Brownies These brownies not only pack a protein punch, they also have zero refined sugar, are grain-free, AND delicious—healthy enough for breakfast!
Cornflake Cookies Tasty, easy to make, and low-sugar/gluten free!
Pico de Gallo I’m a proud Cajun from south Louisiana and have made this seasoning for many years to complement my Cajun dishes. Try it. It’s delicious!
Apple Jello Delight Here’s a quick, easy, cool summer snack that contains apples for vitamins and fiber along with a protein (cottage cheese) and a healthy fat (walnuts) to help prevent a spike in blood sugars.
Tomato Basil Hummus The beans and flaxseed make this dish packed with fiber. Hummus makes a great, very convenient snack food that you can dip with cucumber slices or multigrain chips. The flaxseed in this recipe is an added health bonus!
Main Dishes
Lentil Tomato Sauce Over Spaghetti Squash A vegetable feast!
Zucchini Patties This recipe is packed with low fat protein from the egg whites. Zucchini is high in fiber and contains many minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and plenty of potassium (potassium is good for relief of muscle cramps). It also contains vitamins A, C, K, and folic acid, along with antioxidants that assist in preventing diseases.
Chicken or Seafood Alfredo This is a rich Italian dish, but lower in fat and processed carbohydrates than some similar recipes.
Tarragon Chicken One source tells us that during the Middle Ages “there was a wide-spread belief that the herb tarragon could not only ward off serpents and dragons, but could also heal snake bites.” We don’t recommend this meal to get rid of rattlers, but a variety of vegetables combined with the wonderful flavor of tarragon makes this main dish both healthy and tasty.
Low-Carb Enchiladas The whole wheat tortillas used in this recipe contain 8 grams of fiber each.
Turkey Fried Rice This dish is complete with protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy oil, and vegetables.
Chicken with Curry Lots of great fiber, protein, and antioxidants in this yummy-tasting entree!
Creamy Shrimp Pesto Rotini The whole wheat rotini helps prevent blood sugar spikes that you might experience from refined (white) pasta, the garlic contains antibiotic properties, and the basil in the pesto can help relieve gas. What more could you ask from a delicious Italian recipe?
High Protein Stir Fry A half cup of edamame (soybeans) provides 12 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. One pound of shrimp provides 19 grams of protein.
Rita’s Naked Burrito It might sound naughty, but here’s a little Mexican dish you can feel good about! By substituting spinach leaves for a tortilla, we’ve eliminated extra calories and added lots of good vitamins and minerals you need like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, magnesium, potassium, and more. Spinach is also a very good source of dietary fiber and protein. (No wonder Popeye loved this stuff!)
Mediterranean Pesto Pizza A pesto variation on our Ezekiel’s Pizza recipe. The Ezekiel tortilla is flourless and high in protein, tomatoes add lycopene, the spinach has plenty of iron, vitamin A, and calcium, and the pesto is packed with omega-3s from the olive oil and walnuts.
Portabella Sandwich Do you like a meaty sandwich but you’re trying to cut back on those cholesterol-filled burgers? Here’s a good substitute.