Diabetic Recipes

Portion Control: A Guide to Maintaining Health

American waistlines are ever growing due to inactivity and increased food consumption which is leading to a number of health issues, such as Type 2 Diabetes. Part of this increasing problem is "portion distortion" -- many Americans don’t know what a standard serving size is.

Yolanda Gonzalez, RN, CDE, a nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator with the Diabetes Education Center at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen, says eating healthy isn’t enough … taking control of the portions of food you consume is key in managing a healthy lifestyle and keeping diabetes under control.

When cooking, it is important to measure your food but often there are times we do not have access to a scale or measuring utensils. Gonzalez says there are a number of tips to “recognize” normal serving sizes, such as a serving of poultry, meat or fish is 3 ounces or about the size of a small deck of cards or the palm of your hand … whereas, a serving of leafy-green vegetables like spinach is 1 cup or about the size of a tennis ball.

Diabetic Cooking, a cookbook designed for those with diabetes, offers a number of easy-to-serve recipes that will allow you to stay on track and maintain a healthy life.

Greek Lemon Chicken
Yields: 4 servings (1 breast per serving)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 ounces each)
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon, cut in wedges
Baby spinach leaves

Place chicken breasts in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag and add all ingredients except lemon wedges and spinach. Seal bag and shake to coat chicken completely. Refrigerate chicken at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 7 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Remove from heat and serve with lemon wedges and spinach.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories: 132
Total Fat: 2 grams (g)
Calories from Fat: 11%
Saturated Fat: >1 g
Carbohydrate: 3 g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 27 g
Cholesterol: 66 milligrams (mg)
Sodium: 74 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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