Simple pleasures

BY JAN BILTON

Being diabetic doesn't mean the end of great-tasting food. Take inspiration from these wholesome - and flavour-packed - recipes.

`Well, I guess that's it as far as the pleasures of food are concerned," complained a friend of mine recently. An avid foodie, she had just been diagnosed with diabetes and imagined she was faced with a heavily restricted, deadly dull diabetic diet for the rest of her life.

I assured her this was not the case. She simply needed to follow the same healthy eating guidelines recommended for everyone.

That would mean a diet high in fibre and low in processed fats, encompassing at least five servings of fruit and vegetables and a day, with no excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and salt. This helps to control weight, glucose levels, blood fats and blood pressure.

A major aid in assessing a healthy diabetic diet is the glycemic index (GI), which was developed to rank foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose.

The glycemic index of pure glucose is set at 100, and every other food is ranked on a scale of 0 to 100 according to its effects on blood glucose.

We now know the blood glucose levels created by hundreds of different foods, and numerous supermarket products are labelled as low GI. In essence, a low GI rating is below 55; a medium GI rating 56-59; and a high GI rating is over 70.

A member of my family jokes that being diabetic has the advantage of obliging him to eat tasty, healthy food. It's an obligation he really enjoys.

DIABETIC MUESLI

There are few commercial mueslis suitable for diabetics on supermarket shelves. Remember to keep to the recommended serving size.

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup each: desiccated coconut, sultanas, craisins (dried cranberries)

1 cup flaked almonds

2 cups each: rye wholegrain flakes, bran flakes

1 1/2 cups wheatgerm

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container. Makes just over 10 cups. A third of a cup equals one serving.

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE

3 cups blueberries

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange

Topping

1 1/3 cups Diabetic Muesli

1 Tbsp canola oil

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Combine the berries with the cinnamon, orange rind and juice. Place in four small ramekins.

Combine the muesli with the oil and sprinkle over the berries. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serves 4.

WHOLESOME BERRY MUFFINS

Limit snacks such as these to one a day.

1 cup wholemeal flour

2/3 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup wheatgerm

1/2 cup each: low-fat plain yoghurt, low-fat milk

2 Tbsp each: runny honey, canola oil

1 egg

1 1/4 cups frozen berries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.

Combine the flours, baking powder and wheatgerm in a bowl. Mix well.

Combine the liquid ingredients in another bowl. Add to the flour mixture, combining until just moistened. Gently fold in the berries.

Spoon into cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Makes 12.

BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY DESSERT

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

4 cups quartered strawberries

freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the sugar and vinegar in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the strawberries and toss to coat evenly. Stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring twice.

Spoon into dessert bowls and sprinkle a little pepper on top. Serves 4.

APPLESAUCE LOAF

1 cup bran flakes

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

4 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp yoghurt

1/2 cup dry sugar substitute, eg Equal

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 cup each: unsweetened applesauce, plain flour

1 tsp each: baking soda, ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup each: chopped walnuts, raisins

Place the bran flakes, egg, canola oil, water, yoghurt, sugar substitute, brown sugar and applesauce in a large bowl. Mix lightly. Stand for 30 minutes to let the bran flakes soften.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly oil a 21cm x 10cm x 6cm loaf pan. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into the bran mixture and mix well. Add the walnuts and raisins.

Spoon evenly into the loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn on to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Makes 14 (3cm) slices. One slice equals 1 serving.

Copyright Jan Bilton

- The Marlborough Express