Want a quick, low-carb lunch that won’t spike your blood sugar? This baked salmon with cannellini bean salad is just what you’re looking for! It requires little preparation time and is ready in 20 minutes or less.

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Not everyone tolerates them, but beans are one of the best carbohydrates to include in your diet if you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Their high protein and fibre content makes your body digest them slowly, so they release glucose (sugar) slowly into your bloodstream without causing spikes (Mullins & Arjmandi, 2021).

Besides containing the highest amount of protein in the bean family, Cannellini, or white kidney bean, is unique because it has a compound called phaseolin that further slows carbohydrate digestion (Ganesan & Xu, 2017, Wang et al., 2020). Purified phaseolin reduces post-meal blood sugar spikes, insulin levels, and appetite (Spadafranca et al., 2013). It also aids in weight loss in people with obesity (Wang et al., 2020).

Portion control is crucial because large amounts can cause severe bloating and, depending on how sensitive you are, blood sugar spikes. That said, beans are a great source of iron, which many women of childbearing age often lack.

Tip: Always eat plant-based sources of iron with vitamin C-rich food such as broccoli, oranges, or bell peppers to absorb as much iron as possible.

Even though beans digest slowly, it is vital to pair all starchy carbohydrates with protein, vegetables, and fat to prevent or minimize blood sugar spikes after meals. Accordingly, I’ve chosen salmon as the primary protein source, olive oil (and salmon) as the fat source and green beans and salad greens as the vegetables.

Before I share the recipe, let’s explore its

Nutritional Highlights

With an estimated glycaemic index (GI) of 29.2, this meal is considered a low GI meal (Nutritics, 2019). It is also an excellent source of several minerals and vitamins, including:

Magnesium plays a vital role in insulin action. People with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure tend to have low magnesium levels (Alswat, 2021, Kieboom et al., 2017). Although not all studies show similar results, adequate magnesium intake may reduce insulin resistance and improve blood sugar control (ELDerawi et al., 2019). This meal provides 109 mg of magnesium per serving, or 29% of the daily recommended nutrient intake (RNI) (Nutritics, 2019).

Vitamin D: Low vitamin D levels are linked to decreased insulin release, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes ((Moreira-Lucas et al., 2017). Increasing vitamin D intake may be beneficial as it lowers blood sugar levels in women with a history of gestational diabetes and low vitamin D (Yeow et al., 2015). This meal provides 5.2 mcg of vitamin D per serving, or 50% of the daily RNI

Folates: Although more evidence is needed, current studies show that folate regulates blood sugar and reduces insulin resistance (Lind et al., 2019). This meal provides 128 mg of folates per serving, or 64% of the daily RNI for women.

Omega-3 fats: People with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes often have raised triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ‘bad’ cholesterol with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ‘good’ cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fats reduce triglycerides and improve HDL cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease (Yanai et al., 2018). We recommend eating at least portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily fish like salmon, mackerel or trout.

How to Cook Baked Salmon with Cannellini Bean Salad

Ingredients

100g baby plum tomatoes

200g green beans, trimmed

400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

100g baby leaf salad

2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the salmon

2 x 100g skinless salmon fillets

½ hot chilli powder

1½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon thyme

Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine spices in a small bowl, then rub over salmon fillets. Place salmon fillets on the baking tray and cook for 15-18 minutes. Keep warm.
3. While the salmon cooks put the green beans in a large, lidded saucepan with a small splash of water. Season with a pinch of salt, then place the lid on the saucepan and cook on the lowest heat for 5-6 minutes or until firm but tender.
4. Allow the green beans to cool slightly, then combine with cannellini beans, plum tomatoes, and baby leaf salad in a large bowl. Mix vinegar and oil in a small bowl, drizzle over veggies and toss gently.
5. Divide salad between two plates, then top each with a salmon fillet.

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REFERENCES

1. Mullins, A.P., & Arjmandi, B.H. (2021) Health benefits of plant-based nutrition: focus on beans in cardiometabolic diseases. Nutrients, 13(2): 519.
2. Nutritics. (2019) Research edition (v5.09) [Computer software]. Dublin. Retrieved from: www.nutritics.com
3. Alswat, K. (2021) Type 2 diabetes control and complications and their relation to serum magnesium level. Archives of Medical Sciences, 18(2): 307-313.
4. Kieboom, B.C.T., Ligthart, S., Dehghan, A., Kurstjens, S., de Baaij, J.H.F., Franco, O.H., Hofman, A., Zietse, R., Stricker, B.H., & Hoorn, E.J. (2017). Serum magnesium and the risk of prediabetes: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia, 60: 843-853.
5. Moreira-Lucas, T.S., Duncan, A.M., Rabasa-Lhoret, R., Vieth, R., Gibbs, A., Badawi, A., & Wolever, T.M.S. (2017) Effect of vitamin D supplementation on oral glucose tolerance in individuals with low vitamin D status and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes (EVIDENCE): A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 19(1): 133-141.
6. ElDerawi, W.A., Naser, I.A., Taleb, M.H., & Abutair, A.S. (2019). The effects of oral magnesium supplementation on glycaemic response among type 2 diabetes patients. Nutrients, 11(1): 44.
7. Yeow, T.P., Lim, S.L., Hor, C.P., Khir, A.S., Wan Mohamud, W.N., & Pacini, G. (2015). Impact of vitamin D replacement on markers of glucose metabolism and cardio-metabolic risk in women with former gestational diabetes – a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. PLoS One, 10(6): e0129017.
8. Lind, M.V., Lauritzen, L., Kristensen, M., Ross, A.B., & Eriksen, J.N. (2019) Effect of folate supplementation on insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 109(1): 29-42.
9. Wang, S., Chen, L., Yan, H., Gu, J., Wang, J., & Ren, F. (2020) Regular intake of white kidney beans extract (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) induces weight loss compared to placebo in obese human subjects. Food Science & Nutrition, 8(3): 1315-1324.
10. Spadafranca, A., Rinelli, S., Riva, A., Morazzoni, P., Magni, P., Bertoli, S., & Battezzati, A. (2013). Phaseolus vulgaris extract affects glycometabolic and appetite control in healthy human subjects. British Journal of Nutrition, 109(10): 1789-1795.
11. Ganesan, K., & Xu, B. (2017) Polyphenol-rich dry common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and their health benefits. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(11): 2331.
12. Yani, H., Masui, Y., Katsuyama, H., Adachi, H., Kawaguchi, A., Hakoshima, M., Waragai, Y., Harigae, T., & Sako, A. (2018) An improvement of cardiovascular risk factors by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Journal of Clinical Medicine Research, 10(4): 281-289.