Easy Chicken Coconut Curry

Wow, it's been a while—5 months to be exact! So much has happened, as life tends to do, and unfortunately, documenting our diabetes journey and food adventures took a back seat. But guess what? We’re still rocking a diabetes-friendly diet and lifestyle every day! Living and enjoying life is a must, but health remains our top priority, always, always, always!

In the past five months, I have observed two cases of newly diagnosed adult-onset diabetes in individuals aged 30 to 40. I've encountered numerous diabetes-related foot ulcers and frequently seen blood sugar levels exceeding 20 mmol/L. Amid these challenges, I vividly remember one of my younger patients proudly showing me her CGM, displaying exceptionally well-controlled blood sugar levels, even though her visit to the Emergency Department was for non-diabetes-related reasons. This reaffirmed my belief that some people are truly committed to managing their diabetes effectively.

Despite the hardships we all face in life, it's perfectly acceptable and understandable to indulge and enjoy life as we wish. However, striving to maintain better daily habits is essential and crucial for keeping consistent blood sugar levels in check!

Lately, during my night shifts, I've been inspired to explore more chicken recipes because of the protein factor. It's always a bit of a challenge to find meals that make the whole family happy and keep everyone healthy. This dish usually hits the mark for us, and it's pretty easy to whip up. It's tasty, delicious, and healthy, with ingredients that are diabetes-friendly!

Ingredients

500 g chicken breast

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

2 tablespoons of oil ( feel free to use coconut oil !)

1 brown onion (chopped)

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 tablespoons Morrocan Spice

1 tea spoon salt

1 can coconut cream

1 and 1/2 cups tomato paste

1 can chickpeas

greek yoghurt to serve

1 cup of cooked rice/quinoa/pasta ( as a base)

Method

1. Place oil in the pan on medium heat and saute the onion for a few minutes.

2. Add garlic and other spices. Stir for another few minutes

3. Add chicken and stir frequnetly till slighty browned

4. Add stock and boil for 5 - 10 minutes

5. Add coconut cream and boil for another 10 minutes

6. Turn of heat and let stand for 5 minutes to allow for sauce to thicken

7. Serve up with either some rice or pasta ( I actually used rice and quinoa on this particular occasion) and a blob of greek yoghurt for extra taste!

Conclusion

This dish is pretty easy to whip up, absolutely delicious and super satisfying! By piling your plate with a variety of other scrumptious goodies, you can cut down on the rice or pasta base and still feel completely full and content.

Now lets talk about the benefits of cocunut products! a 2021 study which looked at glycemic issues in diabetic rats concluded that coconut oils milk and water were capable of significantly lowering serum glucose levels! From other elements of this study it appears as though dietary consumption of coconut products seem to impart beneficial health effects - yay! https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8324991/.

How good is this to know for future diabties learning and food consumption? We dont have to eat is every days but these things are super handy to know!

More exciting news relating another ingridient in this recipe... a 2023 study related to chickpeas revealed consumption could improve insulin iAUC - AKA incremental area under curve. SO many positive with these foods! https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/21/4556

So there you go folks, we can eat whatever we like of course but trying to add in the good things MAY just increase the likelihood of ending up in the ED (visiting me!) to help deal with a potential foot ulcer or gangrenous tow in the future. Everything is relative of course but we have to start somewhere right?

Here's how the blood glucose levels looked the day after this meal. Wow, there was a spike—not ideal, but maybe it was just a bit too much rice or quinoa? The best part is they came down and didn't stay high—yay! Waking up to blood glucose under 10 mmol/L is a fantastic ending to this story!

We're all about those small, consistent changes! The new insights and discoveries in diabetes management are constantly evolving, and it's so exciting!