Simple Noodle Salad (with ginger style dressing)

During the festive Christmas and New Year season, when glucose levels were understandably a bit off, I dove into some diabetes cookbooks we picked up upon diagnosis back in 2020. Wow, the recipes were quite intricate and fancy! While that's fantastic for those who enjoy gourmet cooking, for me—juggling shift work and cooking for a family of six—it's just not my style!

Making things easy so my family and any unsuspecting guests can enjoy it is totally my jam! Discovering Konjac style low carb 'pasta' has been a game changer for the creation of different things from full on meals to side salads.

I absolutely love the concept of 'fine dining', but it's just not our style—my family and I are all about practicality! As I browsed through the recipes, I discovered some fantastic ideas, though they would need a bit of tweaking to fit our everyday cooking needs. Keeping a focus on diabetes-friendly options and making those small but impactful changes is totally my thing!

During the holiday break, I had the exhilarating experience of diving into a book called 'Trust Your Vibes' by Sonia Choquette. It resonated with me on such a deep level, perfectly aligning with everything I believe in! When my husband was diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes, it was a monumental shock for us. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was our new reality. As I've mentioned before, taking care of patients with diabetes and being married to someone with diabetes are two entirely different experiences!

After the initial "Wait, what just happened?" phase, we jumped straight to, "How can we level up for ourselves and our family?" We knew exercise was important, but the real plot twist was all about food, glorious food! We're not saying we're perfect—far from it—but we've definitely given our eating habits a makeover. These days, after a takeout binge, we feel like we've been run over by a truck! Sure, we still love it because it's delicious and a guilty pleasure every now and then. But wow, do we feel the aftermath in our bodies and even our moods. Even when friends bring over dishes to share, we notice the difference, thanks to all those sneaky sauces and additives. But hey, that's not a bad thing—it's actually great to savor these treats every now and then!

Discovering all the tips and tricks for living well and managing blood glucose levels has been truly enlightening! I'm thrilled to share our journey with the hope of inspiring others to pay attention, care, and really notice what they're putting into their bodies and how it impacts everything! The choices we make about what we eat and how we live our daily lives directly influence blood glucose levels for those with diabetes. As Dr. Peh, our amazing physician, put it, "Everyone should be on a diabetic diet." What I've realized is that this "diet" isn't really a diet at all—it's about being MINDFUL and AWARE of what we're eating, how we're eating it, and the effects it has on us. Let's embrace this mindful approach together!

Ingredients

1 x pack Konjac Noodles

1 x tablespoon ginger (minced or grated)

2 x garlic cloves (minced or grated)

1 x can 4 bean mix

1 x can chickpeas

1 x small cucumber (chopped)

1 x punnet cherry tomatoes (chopped)

1 x cup cabbage (shredded) (optional!)

2 x tablespoons sesame oil

2 x tablespoons soy sauce

2 x tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Rinse noodles under cold water as to eliminate fishy smell

2. Add noodles to a pot of boiling water and boil for no more than 3 minutes in order to avoid the rubbery texture. Remove and set aside

3. Add add all vegetables to a bowl

4. To make the dressing, add ginger garlic oil soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to a bowl and mix well ( the smells are amazing!!!)

5. Mix all together and serve up with whatever you like!

Conclusion

What I absolutely adore about this dish, like many others I've crafted, is its incredible simplicity without sacrificing flavor! Sure, the kids weren't exactly thrilled, but that's nothing new. Overall, it's a definite hit! The cabbage option is delicious, although it might not be everyone's favorite. The more you shred it, the easier it is to enjoy. It's a fantastic choice for diabetes-friendly meals, thanks to its low glycemic index and high fibre content! We don't have it often, but with its amazing nutritional benefits, it might just become a regular on our menu! If we can sneak it into meals, the kids might even start liking it without realizing! Let's see how it goes...

Check out this amazing real-life snapshot of overnight glucose levels after enjoying this salad! Sure, there were other delicious foods in the meal (and I'll admit, a sneaky scoop of ice cream afterward!), but as you can see, the glucose levels stayed impressively stable and within range overnight. There's SO much to consider with diabetes, and as I've mentioned in previous blogs, studies show that people living with diabetes need to make several hundred more decisions daily to manage the condition. Observing glucose trends is crucial for effective management, just like keeping an eye on time in range—another vital aspect to always consider. Below, you'll find a 3-day view of Time in Range—an exciting new tool that studies have shown to be a fantastic measure for advancing diabetes management! After New Year's, we have a 64% TIR. Not bad, right? It could be better, but it could also be worse. Paying attention and staying mindful of these numbers is super important and something we can absolutely do! While diabetes management is complex, making better meal choices doesn't have to be!

This past week in my role as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department was exceptionally engaging. I had the opportunity to care for several patients with glucose levels exceeding 20 mmol/L. Managing these cases is always a complex and multifaceted challenge, particularly in a dynamic hospital environment. However, this complexity is what makes the work so rewarding. Our primary objective in diabetes management is to maintain blood glucose levels between 4 and 10 mmol/L. I am pleased to report that none of these patients were experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis with critically high ketone levels—a situation we diligently strive to prevent.

Diabetes is like that persistent uncle who won't leave the party, but we can definitely manage him! Let's address our food choices from a practical standpoint—because, as much as we'd like, we can't survive on cake alone! Let's kick off 2026 with healthier habits! We don't need a 'new year' to make better choices, but it's certainly a great starting point!