Low Calorie Diabetic Recipes

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

If you are diabetic, is a low calorie diet the healthiest option for weight loss?

When preparing recipes and meals for diabetics the following may help cut calories without cutting taste:

Low Calorie Peach Milkshake

peach milkshake recipeThe Recipe Ingredients

1/2 cup of frozen peaches
1 cup of low fat or skim milk
Splenda or your favorite sugar substitute

How to Prepare This Recipe

Simply blend until smooth. Add sugar free topping if you wish.

Low Calorie Warmed Cinnamon Peach Recipe for Diabetics

- Opt for fruit based desserts prepared with Splenda which is one sugar substitute that holds up well when heat is involved. One of our favorite recipes which is diabetic friendly revolves around several healthy pieces of fruit. The pear, peach and apple all word really well for this recipe.

The Recipe Ingredients

1 fresh seeded peach with the skin left on (or a cored pear or apple)
ground cinnamon
Splenda or your favorite sugar substitute

How to Prepare This Recipe

To prepare, place the fruit into a microwave safe bowl. Heat until the fruit is juicy, tender and hot.

peach recipeRemove and sprinkle with the cinnamon and the Splenda. Now isn't that simple? And so delicious - and healthy as well.

You can even add a small spoon of reduced fat margarine to the fruit for a buttery flavor. And, you can even add a dash of your favorite flavored sugar free creamer to the fruit for a creamy-good taste.

This recipe reminds me so much of a cobbler - only without the crust. And being diabetic, one can certainly live without the crust and all those calories and fat grams.

When we eat healthier, we feel so much better. It takes so little time to waddle down food and afterwards, so many times we end-up being receiving unwanted rewards such as weight gain, or simply not feeling our best - or at our healthiest state.

You can also add this recipe to your meal plate. The fruit adds a sweet bite - to each bite of food.

 

Low Calorie Tips for Diabetics

Let's continue with our tips that can assist in shaving calories at meal times as well as throughout our busy days.

Enjoy soups that contain a broth-base rather than a cream base. The soups with the cream bases tend to be higher in caloric content - but in moderation, they can certainly fit into a healthy diet plan.

Speaking of soups, adding a serving before the main course may assist in eating less at meal time as you might not eat as much of the higher calorie foods. If soup isn't on the menu, a nice side salad served with light reduced fat dressing always makes a fantastic pre-main-course dish.

You should also remove visible skin and fat from meats. In addition, avoid animal proteins which have a marbled appearance to them as this is indicative of a fatty piece of meat.

I have to smile at myself when I mention this tip because it brings back memories of my father, particularly during the holidays. He enjoyed eating so much - that yes, he ate too much. And he was diabetic and on insulin for many years of his adult life.

Whenever a turkey was the star of a holiday meal - whether it was Easter, Christmas or Thanksgiving, he was determined to eat the cooked chicken butt. When I was there to assist with the cooking, I would tell him, 'NO! It's too fatty and you don't need that," but he would always win the argument because after all, he was the dad.

Well, all in all a chicken tail contains about 30 calories and 2.3 total fat grams. A turkey tail contains about 55 calories and 4 total fat grams - so the joy that my father got out of eating that part of the bird probably counteracted any negative effects.

Back to our diabetic tips. Although difficult, make every effort to skip those second helpings and while you're at it, limit snacks.

ABOVE ALL, avoid blood sugar lows which can inflict permanent heart damage. My father's doctors informed him on more than one occasion that low blood sugar was more serious than high. Of course, both can be life-threatening situations - so be very mindful of your blood sugar levels and plan your diet around that issue so that they remain steady. Eating just isn't worth the pain it can cause when it comes to diabetic side-effects from over-eating.

So many times we are guilty of ignoring the most simple things that can make a big difference in our lives.

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