Blood sugar diet recipes

Following our Q&A with Dr Michael Mosley, pioneer of the 5:2 Diet and author of the bestselling The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet, we present five down-to-earth, easy-to-make recipes that include the wholesome ingredients you'd usually find on your weekly shopping list. Whether you suffer from type 2 diabetes (and long to reverse it) or whether you simply want to lower your blood sugar to make sure you don't go down the diabetes path, then these carefully-crafted, low-calorie recipes from Dr Clare Bailey and Dr Sarah Schenker's book The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet Recipe Book may be just what you need.

Full English breakfast

...just without the toast. This can be easily expanded for lots of people, and makes a
great weekend treat.

Serves: 2
Calories: 330
Protein: 19g
Fat: 24g
Fibre: 2g
Carbs: 9g

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 rashers of free-range back bacon
• 2 high-meat sausages
• 200g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large slices or 4 small slices of black pudding
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, halved
• 2 eggs
• 100g spinach

Method

1. Turn on the oven to 100°C to keep things warm as you cook them. Place a large frying pan over a moderate to high heat, add 1 tsp of olive oil and fry the bacon and sausages. Put them in an ovenproof dish in the oven.

2. In the same oil, fry the mushrooms, and transfer them to the dish in the oven. Next fry the tomatoes for 2-3 minutes on each side and put them in the oven too.

3. Now, add the other tsp of oil, fry the black pudding, and finally the eggs (or scramble these in a small non-stick pan if preferred).

4. While assembling the food on 2 plates, wilt the spinach in the pan.

Spicy stuffed red pepper

This recipe was contributed by Drs Rajsingh and Rai who specialise in healthy Indian food. The dahl stuffing has an exotic nutty flavour, spicy but not hot, and works well eaten hot or cold.

Serves: 2
Calories: 240
Protein: 6g 
Fat: 13g 
Fibre: 8g 
Carbs: 28g

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 250g pack microwaveable Puy lentils (or 400g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, diced (or 2 tsp garlic paste)
• 4cm root ginger, diced (or 1 tsp ginger paste)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp ground cumin or seeds
• 1 chilli, diced, or 1 tsp chilli flakes (to taste)
• Handful of coriander, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 large red peppers, halved lengthwise and deseeded

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, put the lentils, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms, cumin and chilli in a medium-sized bowl and mix them together. Season with salt and pepper.

3. When the onions are ready, add the lentil mixture and simmer on a low heat for 8-10 minutes, before stirring in the coriander and lime juice. Then fill the pepper halves with the mixture and place them on a greased baking tray with the open side facing up.

4. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over them, cover them with foil and bake them for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake them for a further 10 minutes.

Tips: with the flat of a knife, gently crush the cardamom pod to release the flavour. If you prefer, you can prepare the green lentils from scratch, using 80g dried lentils.

Lemon prawn kebabs

Serves: 1
Calories: 360
Protein: 21g 
Fat: 28g 
Fibre: 3g 
Carbs: 7g

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 12 king prawns, fresh or frozen (defrosted)
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 3 asparagus spears, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 wooden skewers, soaked in water

Method

1. Place the oil in a bowl, mix in the lemon juice and season well with salt and plenty of black pepper.

2. Then add the prawns, tomatoes and asparagus and toss everything so it gets a good coating.

3. Thread the prawns and veg onto the skewers and place them under a hot grill for 10 minutes, turning frequently. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt (add 30 calories).

Lamb tagine

This is one of the easiest stews to make, despite the long list of ingredients. It really is a case of chuck it in and let it cook. It is full of North African flavours, the sweetness of the apricots melding deliciously with the spices and the tang of lemon.

Serves: 4
Calories: 420
Protein: 32g
Fat: 27g
Fibre: 3g
Carbs: 16g

Ingredients

• 400g stewing lamb, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 3cm root ginger, diced
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, fresh chilli or paste
• 50g dried apricots, chopped
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 200g butternut squash pieces (you can buy them ready prepared)
• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Put all the ingredients, except the lemon juice and butternut squash, in a casserole.

2. Cover and cook it in the oven for 2 hours, checking it occasionally and topping up the stock if necessary. Add the lemon juice and butternut squash and cook for a further 1-2 hours. Again, add extra water if it looks dry.

3. Before serving, add another squeeze of lemon and some salt and black pepper. Serve with quinoa and a green vegetable such as steamed courgettes.

Pear and Brazil nut chocolate brownies

The pear and Brazil nuts give these brownies a lovely subtle flavour. And what's more, Brazil nuts are an excellent source of minerals, particularly selenium (important for thyroid function and for the immune system). Cut the brownies into small squares and freeze any leftovers. They make a great after-dinner treat.

Makes: 16
Calories: 155 (per brownie)
Protein: 3g
Fat: 12g
Fibre: 1g
Carbs: 10g

Ingredients

• 60g pitted dates, finely chopped
• 60g coconut oil (or unsalted butter, softened), plus extra to grease
• 3 eggs
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 pear, quartered and cored, skin on
• 140g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 25g Brazil nuts, chopped
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20cm square cake tin. Put the dates in a small saucepan with a splash of water. Cover and gently simmer for 3-5 minutes or until they soften.

2. Allow them to cool, then blend them with the coconut oil in a food processor or with a hand blender. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the eggs, then the ground almonds, and beat until everything is incorporated.

3. Dice the pear into .cm squares and stir it into the mixture too. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of steaming water (or microwave it on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes).

4. Allow it to cool a bit before stirring it into the brownie mixture. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Delicious with a dollop of crème fraîche (adds 90 calories).

The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet Recipe Book by Dr Clare Bailey and Dr Sarah Schenker (with a foreword by Dr Michael Mosley) is published by Short books and is available online and from all good booksellers.

Other things you might like:

How to avoid diabetes

Signs of dementia

Images: Shutterstock