By Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’s Kitchen

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time when the American Diabetes Association and other groups are joining together in a campaign to raise awareness about a disease that impacts 24 million children and adults in the United States. The ADA defines diabetes as “a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.”

When your body is not processing sugars and starches properly, controlling them in your diet becomes critical. People with diabetes should pay attention to their carbohydrate choices, limit refined sugar, and concentrate on eating plenty of non-starchy vegetables and other foods which are low on the Glycemic Index, a measure of how quickly food turns to glucose in the body. To help, the American Diabetes Association has identified the Top Ten List of Diabetes Superfoods, so I thought it might be fun to see what food bloggers are cooking from each category of foods on their list.

1. Dried or Canned Beans

Beans are high in fiber and full of complex carbohydrates which digest slowly, and they’re an amazingly versatile for recipes. Lisa at Homesick Texan makes Basic Black Beans, which remind her of Austin, where they’re a side-dish staple, while Katie at Eat This combines black beans with spinach, another superfood, for her Black Bean and Spinach Soup. At Kitchen Parade, Alanna makes black bean soup many times, until she settles on her perfect At Last ! Black Bean Soup (pictured). There are many types of dried beans, and the Thirteen Bean Soup at Use Real Butter sounds good, or for a type of bean soup that’s a bit unusual, how about the Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup from Lisa’s Kitchen?

2. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Not only are dark green leafy vegetables low on the glycemic index, but they’re loaded with nutrients, and you could hardly find a more diabetes-friendly dish than the Kale and Roasted Vegetable soup at Simply Recipes (pictured.) Another leafy green is chard, which I used recently on my own blog in Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin, and Amy from Cooking with Amy also uses it in Syrian Lentil Chard Soup. Collards are another type of healthy greens, and the Slow Cooked Vegan Collard Greens from Wasabimon look like a good choice.

3. Citrus Fruit

You may be surprised to see fruit on a list of foods for diabetics, but citrus fruits are loaded with fiber and vitamin C, and they’re perfect to eat as a snack. If you want to use them in a recipe, might I suggest Fennel, Olive, and Pink Grapefruit Salad from Anne’s food or Mixed Greens Salad with Grapefruit and Warm Shrimp from Bewitching Kitchen.

4. Sweet Potatoes

It wasn’t until I started food blogging that I realized there were lots of options for sweet potatoes besides the sweetened marshmallow-topped type, but now Spicy Sweet Potato Fries are on of my favorite side dishes. Sweet potatoes are a great low-glycemic option to regular potatoes, and there are some creative ways to use them, such as the Baked Sweet Potato Falafel from 101 Cookbooks or Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale from Susan at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

5. Berries

Berries are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, and there are plenty of ways to eat them besides sugary desserts. For example, Kristen makes Blueberry Salsa at Serious Eats, and Vanessa at What Geeks Eat has an outstanding looking Blueberry Chicken Salad. Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar from Chaos in the kitchen also looks like a great low-sugar way to use berries.

6. Tomatoes

When tomatoes are fresh from the garden, all you need to do is slice them, drizzle on a bit of olive oil, add some sea salt, and enjoy. The good news is that cooked tomatoes also are loaded with vitamin C, iron, and vitamin E, so eat them up in dishes like Restaurant Quality Crockpot Tomato Soup from A Year of Slow Cooking or Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup from What’s For Lunch Honey. You could also get your tomato vitamins from something like Meat-Filled Zucchini in Tomato Sauce from Lucullian Delights (pictured.)

7. Salmon or Other Fish High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

As long as you stay away from the breaded-and-fried versions, all fish is a healthy menu option for diabetics, but salmon and other fish that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids have even more health benefits. Even if it’s not grilling weather, things like Chipotle Lime Salmon from Elana’s Pantry or Miso-Marinated Grilled Salmon from Andrea Meyers (pictured) can be cooked on a stove-top grill pan. I also love the sound of Pan-Seared Salmon on Spinach with Tarragon Sauce from Closet Cooking or Poached Sockeye Salmon from Stephen Cooks.

8. Whole Grains

I learned from my friend Susan at Food Blogga that there are 19 types of whole grains, and any one of the grains on her list is a healthful choice, but I’d like to put a word in for quinoa, which is also high on protein and low on the glycemic index. It’s probably one of the lesser known whole grains, but I’m sure the Quinoa Salad with Lime and Fresh Mint from Karina’s Kitchen (pictured) would be a hit with most people. Another quinoa dish that really made me do a double-take when I saw it was the Japanese-Inspired Quinoa from Chocolate and Zucchini. If you’re new to this uber-healthful grain you might want to check out Five Ways to Eat Quinoa at The Kitchn.

9. Nuts

Nuts not only provide healthy fat, but they also have magnesium and fiber, and they’re one of the best foods to snack on for hunger control. There are many types of nuts, but Lydia uses cashews in the Muhammara (Pomegranate, Pepper, and Nut Spread) at The Perfect Pantry (pictured). I’m also intrigued by the Miso, Tahini, and Walnut Paste at Just Bento, which is used as a topping for broiled or baked vegetables, and the Quick Pecan Salad at The Well-Seasoned Cook.

10. Fat Free Milk and Yogurt

I’m a huge fan of fat-free Greek yogurt, and my favorite low-sugar dessert is Greek Yogurt with Agave Nectar and Pecans (pictured), which would be good option for someone with diabetes. Two Fat Als have Greek Yogurt Parfait, another healthy dessert option with fat-free Greek yogurt, mangos, and a touch of honey. If you can’t find Greek yogurt where you shop, Over the Hill and On a Roll can show you How to Make Greek Yogurt, and they have a nifty idea of using it as a spread instead of cream cheese as well.

Whew! There are a lot of new recipe ideas for anyone who’s following a diabetes-friendly or low-glycemic eating plan. Of course you can always find even more recipe options by entering any one of these Diabetes Superfoods into the recipe search engine at FoodieView.

Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn’s Kitchen, where nearly all the recipes will be diabetes-friendly, since she’s focused on creating low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.