On many occasions, such as school or family functions, fetes or social clubs, we are asked to bring some food along. It seems that people often choose to bring rich foods such as pates, quiches, rich dips, cheeses or cakes, and by the end of the get-together many people will have consumed lots of unnecessary kilojoules (calories).
Good breads, vegetable soups, raw vegetables with low-fat yoghurt dips (and ones containing dried beans or chick peas), lean cold meats, cold fish, salads and seasonal fresh fruits will always be a most welcome addition to a table laid with richer dishes. For seasoning, yoghurt dressings are excellent, and a dip can be made from grated cucumber and a yoghurt dressing. Try serving grated carrots mixed with raisins in scooped-out tomato halves or on celery sticks. And steamed, cooked beans or asparagus seasoned with lemon and pepper are superb. You’ll gain inspiration from visiting your greengrocer.

Bread and Biscuit Recipe

Croissant Recipe

Restaurant and take-away food should be ordered thoughtfully because you have no control over what you are served. Try to avoid the oversalted foods most take-away outlets specialise in and stick to low-fat dishes by avoiding margarine or butter on bread, fried foods, pastry, cream and rich desserts. Remember that an average three-course restaurant meal is usually more than most people need. The idea of a balanced meal is to feel good afterwards.
Avoid sweet drinks rich in worthless kilojoules (calories) and keep your consumption of alcohol to a low level (see the section on beverages). Water, fresh fruit juices and milk (for children) are preferable.

Adequate and well-balanced diet for diabetics

Sodium point list

We all have differing lifestyles, but for many of us dinner is particularly important because it is the only home-cooked meal of the day. It is usually consumed at home and we are able to control the quality and quantity of the food we eat and also take our time over the meal.
Parents can help their children to develop good eating habits by creating a pleasant environment where everyone sits comfortably at the family table, free of noisy distractions, such as a television set blaring in another room. Being able to devote proper attention to our food increases our enjoyment of it: we can appreciate that the food smells good, looks good and tastes good. Such an attitude to food develops with practice and by no means precludes animated conversation. By cultivating a good eating environment, we gradually learn such things as eating at a leisurely pace, chewing our food well, discarding meat fat, avoiding fish bones, and generally listening to our bodies so that we eat just what we need. And raisins in scooped-out tomato halves or on celery sticks. And steamed, cooked beans or asparagus seasoned with lemon and pepper are superb. You’ll gain inspiration from visiting your greengrocer.

Basted Poultry On-A-Spit Recipe

Tuna A-la King Recipe

A healthy sandwich is made from wholesome, fresh bread, e.g. wholemeal or wholegrain, and has a very low fat content or none at all. Watch your consumption of margarine, ‘butter, cheese, fatty cold meats and rich sauces such as mayonnaise. Raw vegetables, such as tomato, cucumber, radish, lettuce, grated carrot, celeriac, alfalfa and other sprouts, make excellent sandwich fillings. Lean cold meats and cold fish are also delicious in sandwiches, and freshness is all-important. An egg sandwich every now and then makes a nice change, as long as you are not eating more than three eggs a week and your general fat intake is reasonable.
Cheese is rich in calcium and therefore a useful food for growing children, but remember that it does contain fat unless you use the low-fat cottage varieties. Cold baked beans (preferably home-cooked), lentils and peanut butter also make healthy, tasty sandwiches. After eating a nutritious sandwich, it is pleasant to finish off your lunch with seasonal fruits.

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Party Ham Sandwiches Recipe

Lunches, like breakfasts, vary according to lifestyle and appetite. For good nutrition, our meals should complement one another, so that each day we eat a balanced diet. If you eat meat, fish or eggs for lunch, then it would be best to eat vegetables and cereal or grains for dinner. For some, lunch is the main meal of the day (it was for me for twenty years).

Baked Haddock With Sweet Corn Mustard Sauce Recipe

How To Steam Vegetable?

Breakfast sets one’s mood for the morning. If I have a  light breakfast, I will need a mid-morning snack, say a salad sandwich or a piece of fruit. A good breakfast is defined more by the quality than the quantity of
food eaten. It is the important fiber found in grains (wheat, oats, corn, rye, barley etc.) that makes cereal an excellent breakfast food. But read labels when purchasing your cereals and select those with little or no added salt, sugar or fat. And adults who suspect their fat consumption to be a little high might try skim milk with their cereal.
An egg can be part of an excellent breakfast, but remember the recommendation of three eggs per week per person. A breakfast of fried eggs and bacon and/or sausages with buttered toast carries a very high level of fat and cholesterol and is to be avoided. Boiled or poached eggs are preferable and, if you must have bacon, trim the fat off it and grill it. A good breakfast complements the rest of the day’s diet, and morning is a good time to eat high-fiber foods (cereals, wholegrain bread etc.). If you are among those who cannot face breakfast, eat lightly, but plan for a nourishing mid-morning snack.

Here are some breakfast recipes:

Cheese and Herb Omelet Recipe

Oat and Wheat Muesli Recipe

Our body must have a great variety of foods to function at its peak and to obtain all the nutrients -it needs; the greater the variety, the more likely we are to get what we need. Avoid eating too much at any one time, even if you know that the next meal is a long way off. It is preferable to eat smaller, more frequent meals or to snack on fruit and nuts between meals. I try to plan my meals in relation to the previous one. After a large dinner I usually feel like a light breakfast the next morning, followed by an average-size lunch. And if I eat a big lunch, I have a light dinner and a substantial breakfast the next day. After an average-size lunch that includes meat, I try avoid eating meat for dinner and have instead a dish of vegetables with pasta, noodles or rice.

Healthy Low Carb Diabetic Recipe- Cooking Tips

Diabetic Problem

Rather than using a traditional roux of butter or margarine mixed with flour to thicken a sauce, try one or two spoonfuls of pureed vegetable added to a little cooking liquid (or stock). It will thicken your sauces very nicely. If it is more convenient, the liquid and vegetables can be pureed together. Herbs and spices may be added just before serving.

Sweet Turnip Puree Recipe
Healthy Low Carb Diabetic Diet

Boiling vegetables is a satisfactory method of cooking only if both liquid and vegetables are consumed, so this technique is to be reserved for cooking soups, stocks and broths. To keep as much flavor as possible, add the vegetables to a boiling liquid in preference to a cold liquid, so that the vegetables will be quickly sealed by the heat, lose less flavor in the liquid, and cook more quickly.

Five Vegetable Primavera Recipe

Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage with Apples and Walnuts Recipe

Microwaving
Vegetables cooked in a microwave oven are wonderful. Place sliced vegetables in a non-metallic dish, cover with plastic wrap, place in the microwave and set the correct cooking time. I have given a little more information on microwave ovens in Chapter 2, but I would suggest to those intending to buy a microwave that they seek further information by joining an introductory microwave cooking class.

Potluck Vegetable Casserole Recipe

Chinese Spinach Recipe