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Recipes

   
All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook 145 x 145

Afternoon Delight Tuna Salad Sandwich

Get your omega-3s with this delightful sandwich. Also find out why omega-3s are so good for you.

Jackie Newgent

Jackie Newgent

"This tuna salad sandwich is a fresh, fragrant, and flavorful pleaser for the whole family. The memorable combination of tangy lemon juice, creamy mayonnaise, and spicy mustard creates the 'delight.'"

 

Why Are Omega-3s So Good for You?

 

 

Serves 4; Serving Size: 1 Sandwich

1 (7-oz) can water-packed solid tuna, drained and separated into chunks
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced celery (slice on diagonal)
8 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely diced Vidalia, Maui, or other sweet onion
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp spicy Dijon mustard
8 (1-oz) slices whole grain bread

Preparation

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, celery, tomatoes, onion, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and mustard.
  2. Spread the mixture on top of 4 slices of bread. Top with remaining bread slices and cut in half diagonally.

Fresh Fact
Italian, or flat-leaf, parsley is often confused with cilantro, so don’t be fooled. The leaf tips of flat-leaf parsley are somewhat pointed, while cilantro’s are more rounded and delicate. When in doubt, rub a leaf of each in your fingers and take a whiff. The cilantro will be more pungent.

Food Flair
Use this recipe as a simple starting point for your own ideas, then change ingredients to suit yourself. Like it spicier? Add more mustard. Like more Mexican than Italian flavors? Increase the cilantro and decrease the parsley.

Nutritional Information
Exchanges/Choices:
2 starch
1 lean meat
1 fat

Calories:  260
  Calories from Fat: 73
Total Fat:  8 g
  Saturated Fat:  1 g
Cholesterol:  5 mg
Sodium: 520 mg
Total Carbohydrate:  30 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Sugars: 8 g
Protein: 16 g

The Benefits of Omega-3s

Fish with omega-3 fatty acids, including albacore tuna, salmon, mackerel, halibut and herring, are important for your health. Other foods that contain omega-3s include flaxseeds, English walnuts and vegetable oils such as canola, soybean flaxseed and walnut. More research is needed but some studies suggest that omega-3 benefits may include:

  • Preventing cardiovascular disease
  • Improving memory
  • Aiding fetal development during pregnancy
  • Protecting against Parkinson’s disease
  • Preventing respiratory diseases like asthma
  • Reducing the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Author Bio
Jackie Newgent, RD, is an eco-cuisine expert and culinary nutritionist. She’s a recreational culinary instructor with the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City for more than a decade. She studied Allied Health Professions from The Ohio State University and holds a Certificate in Professional Cooking from Kendall College.

 

 

Not all recipes presented here are necessarily appropriate for all people with diabetes, nor will all recipes fit into every meal plan. No two meal plans are alike. Work with your health care provider, diabetes educator or dietitian to design a meal plan that's right for you, and includes the foods you love. A key message for people with diabetes is "Carbs Count." Foods high in carbs (carbohydrates) -- bread, tortillas, rice, crackers, cereal, fruit, juice, milk, yogurt, potatoes, corn, peas, sweets -- raise your blood glucose levels the most.

For many people, having 3 or 4 servings of a carb choice at each meal and 1 or 2 servings at snacks is about right. Keep an eye on your total number of servings. For example, if you choose to have dessert, cut back on potatoes.

Round out your meals with a serving of:

  • Meat (such as fish or chicken) or meat substitute (such as beans, eggs, cheese, and tofu) about the size of a deck of cards and
  • Non-starchy vegetables (such as broccoli or lettuce). If you have three (3) or more servings of non-starchy vegetables, count them as a carbohydrate choice. Three (3) servings is equal to 1 1/2 cups of cooked vegetables, or three (3) cups of raw vegetables.

Check your blood glucose to see how your food choices or these recipes affect your blood glucose. If your meal plan isn't working for you, talk to your dietitian about making a new one.

Along with exercise and medications (insulin or oral diabetes pills), nutrition is important for good diabetes management. By eating well-balanced meals in the correct amounts, you can keep your blood glucose level as close to normal (non-diabetes level) as possible.

The recipes on this page are only a part of what is offered in recipe books from the American Diabetes Association. Many also include information on meal planning, portion control, food buying and seasoning, as well as general cooking hints and tips for people with diabetes.

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This mom says better control is just part of a CGM's value.

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