Diabetes-Friendly Cooking Guide

Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem in the UK, as it’s a major risk factor associated with obesity. At the same time, people can be born with or diagnosed in later life with type 1 diabetes, which requires careful lifelong management.

Overall, figures from Diabetes UK show that more than four million people in the UK are currently living with one of these forms of diabetes. Type 2 can be avoided, and type 1 can be effectively managed – both through a low-carb and low-sugar diet that’s designed to keep blood sugars balanced.

If you’re worried that you might be diabetic, you need to speak to your GP, but once you have your diagnosis, these cooking tips and recipes could help you to enjoy your fave treats, but in a way that won’t harm your health.

Finding out you’re diabetic doesn’t mean you’re on a diet of salads for the rest of your life; you can still enjoy things like pizzas, curries and even cheesecake – you just need to know the secrets of how. Allow us to enlighten you…

• Do switch to low-fat alternatives for ingredients like yoghurt and cream cheese, but always check the label to make sure there isn’t loads of added sugar in there.
• Don’t consume fat unnecessarily. Take the time to trim excess fat off red meat and bacon, for example.
• Do switch to brown or whole grain bread, rice and pasta where possible. These varieties tend to be less sugary than their white versions, making them more diabetic-friendly.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different herbs and spices. You shouldn’t be adding extra sugar to your recipes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring in extra sweetness from something like cinnamon or nutmeg.
• Do always double check with a medical expert if you have any concerns over whether or not you can eat something. It’s always best to be on the safe side!

So, onto the recipes! A classic spag bol featuring a bit pile of pasta simply isn’t going to do your blood sugar any good, we’re afraid. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the comforting joy of a homemade bolognese altogether, oh no.

The ‘bol’ part can easily be made pretty healthy – you just need to use lean mince and lots of fresh veg in chopped tomatoes or passata with fresh herbs to make a tasty, low-fat sauce.

And then for the ‘spag’ bit, you need to get a bit more creative, and use a pasta alternative like courgetti (yep, courgette that’s been shaped to look like spaghetti).

Not convinced? Well, it’s much lighter and fresher-tasting than a traditional spag bol, and you’ll be doing yourself good – remember, your health is the most important thing. Follow this recipe from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary for a yummy courgetti bol – cour bol?

Pizza is another meal you probably wouldn’t have thought diabetics can eat, but there are plenty of low-carb pizza base options out there these days, from cauliflower pizza to chicken pizza (yep, that’s a butterflied chicken breast topped with pizza sauce and your favourite toppings).

But this low-carb option that combines ground almonds with egg, mozzarella and herbs from Actually Mummy is ideal if you want an authentic appearance and texture for your pizza base. Once the dough is sorted, top it with whatever you like and ta dah!, you’ve got a diabetic-friendly pizza.

Your fave takeaway curry is probably something you’ll have to wave goodbye to for good after being diagnosed with diabetes, but there’s no reason to start avoiding spicy food altogether.

Making your own curry is a great way to help you know exactly what’s in there, meaning you can enjoy a ‘fakeaway’ that won’t do any harm to your health. Check out The Low Carb Diabetic’s super-tasty coconut prawn curry recipe to get you started. Mix up the spices or mix up the meat and fish, and you’ll soon have a tonne of curry recipes under your belt.

Oil is something diabetics need to be extremely wary of when they’re cooking, meaning the Tefal ActiFry is the perfect gadget for anyone who’s living with the condition. The ActiFry health fryer is a great way for people to still enjoy treats like chips but by using just one spoonful of oil at a time.

Make chips in it, cook up some roast potatoes, experiment with different types of batter and breadcrumbs for delicacies (well, what would you call them?) like chicken nuggets – the possibilities are pretty much endless. And ever so tasty.

Surely for people who have to constantly watch their fat and sugar intake, chocolate cake is a huge no-no, right? Wrong! Well, obviously it all depends on which recipe you use, and this one from Living Sweet Moments is pretty excellent.

This cake is perfect for birthdays – but why should you need an excuse, frankly? – and consists of a homemade sugar-free vanilla-flavoured sponge, topped with a sugar-free chocolate frosting and filling.

Of course, you don’t even need to be diabetic or cooking for someone with diabetes to tuck into this cake – it’s great if you’re simply trying to watch your sugar intake.

Yet again, who would have thought people with diabetes could eat cheesecake, hey? Look, we all need to get over this – diabetics can eat pretty much anything everybody else can, just with a few clever tweaks, so let’s try to get over the constant surprise.

Anxious Silence has a lovely little recipe for a low-sugar cheesecake that would be suitable for diabetics, thanks to its oat, flaxseed, cinnamon and unsalted butter base, and lemon, mascarpone cheese and fruit topping.

The finished result has a gorgeous natural sweetness and it makes a right nice change to have an oaty cheesecake base rather than the usual digestives – let’s be honest, they’re no one’s favourite biscuit, are they?

Last up, and as hard as we tried, we have to admit we’re more than impressed that there are multiple diabetic-friendly fudge recipes out there, including this one from My Sweet Life, which just so happens to be suitable for vegans too.

It’s made from coconut oil, cacao powder, nuts, berries, honey and vanilla among other stuff, all of which combine to make it naturally sticky and sweet and super-scrumptious. Follow the recipe and you won’t fudge it up. See what we did there?