My gastronomical quest has been to move my diet away from carbohydrate dependency -- away from grains, potatoes, most fruits and legumes (sigh...) -- to a menu that is low carb. I pitch for around 100-120 grams of carbohydrate per day in order to keep my blood sugar levels down.
It works: my blood sugar levels have fallen and have tended to stabilise while my I'm losing weight at the average rate of 1 kgm per week.
The adjustments required present a lot of culinary challenges. I miss noodles, for instance....(another sigh)
Nonetheless it is always a pleasure to come upon a recipe that is low carb and works on its own merits: Chicken and Pumpkin Stir-fry.
There are a few variations of this recipe on line but it essentially takes the Thai standard of chicken stir fried with basil and fish sauce, and adds thinly sliced pumpkin strips as the vegetable fill.
2 tablespoons oil2 onions, sliced (or 2 -3 cloves of garlic or garlic plus onions)2 small red chillies, seeds removed and chopped½ teaspoon cracked black pepper4 chicken breast./thigh meat fillets, sliced600g pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced3 tablespoons fish sauce¼ cup basil leaves
You can add a lot of other stuff. Capsicum or Broccoli for colour and contrast. Nuts like cashews or Macadamias.
Very filling., sweet and tasty dish. You don't need rice or noodles to go with it.
The joy of pumpkin
Since I've been on this culinary trajectory I've learnt to appreciate pumpkins [6.5gm/carbohydrate/100grams].
There are many varieties to choose from -- maybe over 150 -- each with a different taste either variying in nuttiness or sweetness; texture or colour.
My pumpkin journey of discovery , however, has only really just begun.
Since I've been on this culinary trajectory I've learnt to appreciate pumpkins [6.5gm/carbohydrate/100grams].
There are many varieties to choose from -- maybe over 150 -- each with a different taste either variying in nuttiness or sweetness; texture or colour.
My pumpkin journey of discovery , however, has only really just begun.
East China Normal University research on type-1 diabetic rats, published in July 2007, suggests that chemical compounds found in pumpkin promote regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells, resulting in increased bloodstream insulin levels. According to the research team leader, pumpkin extract may be "a very good product for pre-diabetic people, as well as those who already have diabetes," possibly reducing or eliminating the need for insulin injections for some type-1 diabetics. It is unknown whether pumpkin extract has any effect on diabetes mellitus type 2, as it was not the subject of the study.[23]
