Diabetic Recipes

Tasty Foods Make Diabetes Control Bearable

Yes, you can have it both ways -- you can eat some tasty foods which are also healthy. This is good news especially for the many patients in the Valley who have diabetes.

Maria D. Gonzales, RN, BSN, CDE, a nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator with the Diabetes Education Center at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen, says good nutrition goes hand-in-hand with exercise when it comes to staying healthy with diabetes.

For salad lovers -- or even those who may not be crazy about salads, but are willing to give them a try for the sake of their health and their loved ones -- Gonzales has plenty of recipes which have been given the thumbs up by the Diabetes Health Monitor. “The following recipe for chickpea salad should help you feel better about managing your diabetes -- and also help with your weight-control goals,” Gonzales says.

Chickpea Salad
Yield: 6 servings (3 cups)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup diced cucumber
3 green onions chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Combine chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, onions, and parsley in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil and pour over the bean mixture. Toss well. Chill. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per 1/2-cup serving):
Starch Exchange 1
Monounsaturated fat exchange 1

Calories 132
Carbohydrate 14 grams (g)
Fiber 3 g
Protein 5 g
Total fat 7 g
Cholesterol 4 milligrams (mg)
Sodium 120 mg

For more information on diabetes -- including information on diabetes self-management, nutrition education, medication management, free blood sugar and blood pressure screenings, and free support groups -- call the Diabetes Education Center at Valley Baptist-Harlingen, (956) 389-1119 or Valley Baptist-Brownsville (956) 698-5512.

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