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The Prediabetes Nutritionist

spicy prawn and broccolini spaghetti - the prediabetes nutritionist

Spicy Prawn & Broccolini Spaghetti (Blood Sugar-Friendly)


This low-sodium spaghetti with broccolini and king prawns is a no-brainer if flavour is paramount and time is short. It’s carefully balanced to energise and satisfy you without spiking your blood sugar.

Have high cholesterol and are worried about eating prawns?

Fear not; you eat this recipe even if your cholesterol is high. We once believed that cholesterol in food significantly contributed to heart disease risk, but this is no longer clear-cut (Soliman, 2018).

Foods rich in cholesterol are also high in saturated fats, which increases heart disease risk (Soliman, 2018; Briggs et al., 2017). However, eggs and prawns (shrimp) are an exception, so you can put them back on your menu (Soliman, 2018). Offal, including kidney, liver, heart, tripe and sweetbreads, are high in cholesterol, but because they are low in saturated fat, they are also OK to eat in moderation.

However, fatty cuts of meat, butter, ghee, sausages, and full-fat dairy are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so it is wise to limit your intake.

This prawn and broccolini recipe is carefully balanced with carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fibre to give you steady energy without spiking your blood sugars.

Blood-sugar tips: Cook your spaghetti al-dente (to the bite) to minimise blood sugar spikes. If it gets too soft, your blood sugars will rise more. You can also add more vegetables to this recipe to boost the fibre content; fibre also minimises blood sugar spikes.

Before I share the recipe, let’s explore its

Nutritional Highlights

This meal has an estimated glycaemic index of 45 and is thus considered a low glycaemic meal (Nutritics, 2019). It is rich in many essential nutrients, including,

Calcium: Your body needs calcium to build and maintain strong bones and teeth and for proper muscle and nerve function. Notably, calcium plays a role in insulin function (Pittas et al., 2007). This meal is an excellent calcium source, providing 193mg per serving or 24% of the daily recommended nutrient intake (RNI).   

Magnesium: acts as a co-helper for many chemical reactions in the body. It maintains the electrical charge of cells, particularly in muscles and nerves, and plays a role in energy production, blood glucose control and blood pressure regulation (Alawi et al., 2018). Recent studies associate higher magnesium intake with lower risks of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (Kieboom et al., 2017; Zhao et al., 2020). This meal is an excellent source of magnesium, providing 117mg or 31% of the daily RNI per serving.

Iron: You need iron to make haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Premenopausal women are often iron deficient and experience symptoms such as tiredness and brain fog. Excess iron intake (usually from supplements) is linked to a higher risk of diabetes (Simcox & McClain, 2013). This meal is an excellent iron source, providing 4.8mg of iron per serving or 34% of the daily RNI.

Zinc: A component of more than 200 proteins in your body, it plays a crucial role in immunity, cell growth, glucose regulation, skin health and sexual function (Roohani et al., 2013; Ranasinghe et al., 2015). Zinc also maintains vision, taste, and smell. This meal is an excellent zinc source, providing 4mg of zinc per serving or 40% of the daily RNI.

Folate is a B vitamin your body needs to make DNA and other genetic material. Although more evidence is needed, current studies show that folate regulates blood sugar and reduces insulin resistance (Lind et al., 2019).  This meal is an excellent folate source, providing 231mcg or 57.5%% of the daily RNI.  

How to Cook Spicy Prawn & Broccolini Spaghetti

Serves 1 | Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 60g spaghetti
  • 200g broccolini
  • 150g raw king prawns
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp dried flakes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Pinch of salt
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Add boiling water to a large saucepan and add spaghetti. Three minutes into cooking, add the broccolini and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes until spaghetti is al dente and the broccolini is tender but firm. Drain.
  2. In the meantime, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, stir fry for 10 seconds, then add prawns and chilli flakes, Fry until they turn pink.
  3. Add spaghetti and broccolini. Stir thoroughly to combine, then add parsley—season with a pinch of salt and turn (or more) of black pepper.
  4. Serve
Print
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Spicy Prawn & Broccolini Spaghetti (Blood Sugar-Friendly)

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  • Author: Somi Igbene PhD ANutr
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 1
  • Category: Lunch/Dinner

Description

This low-sodium spaghetti with broccolini and king prawns is a no-brainer if flavour is paramount and time is short. It’s carefully balanced to energise and satisfy you without spiking your blood sugar.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 60g spaghetti
  • 200g broccolini
  • 150g raw king prawns
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp dried flakes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Pinch of salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  1. Add boiling water to a large saucepan and add spaghetti. Three minutes into cooking, add the broccolini and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes until spaghetti is al dente and broccolini is tender but firm. Drain.
  2. In the meantime, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, stir fry for 10 seconds, then add prawns and chilli flakes, Fry until they turn pink.
  3. Add spaghetti and broccolini. Stir thoroughly to combine, then add parsley—season with a pinch of salt and turn (or more) of black pepper.
  4. Serve

Notes

Blood-sugar tips: Cook your spaghetti al-dente (to the bite) to minimise blood sugar spikes. If it gets too soft, your blood sugars will rise more. You can also add more vegetables to this recipe to boost the fibre content; fibre also minimises blood sugar spikes


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Per serving
  • Calories: 429
  • Sugar: 5.2g
  • Sodium: 344mg
  • Fat: 7.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5.0g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 48g
  • Fiber: 10.6g
  • Protein: 42g
  • Cholesterol: 225mg

REFERENCES

  1. Soliman, G.A. (2018) Dietary cholesterol and the lack of evidence in cardiovascular disease. Nutrients, 10(6): 780.
  • Briggs, M.A., Petersen, K.S., & Kris-Etherton, P.M. (2017) Saturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: replacements for saturated fat to reduced cardiovascular risk. Healthcare (Basel), 5(2); 29.
  • Nutritics. (2019). Research Edition (v5.09*) [Computer software]. Dublin. Retrieved from www.nutritics.com.
  • Pittas, A.G., Lau, J., Hu, F., & Dawson-Hughes, B. (2007) The role of vitamin D and calcium in type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 92(6): 2017-2029.
  • Simcox, J.A & McClain, D.A. (2013) Iron and diabetes risk. Cell Metabolism, 17(3): 329-341.
  • Alawi, A.M., Majoni, S.W., & Falhammar, H. (2018) Magnesium and human health: perspectives and research directions. International Journal of Endocrinology, doi: 10.1155/2018/9041694.
  • Zhao, B., Zeng, L., Zhao, J., Wu, Q., Dong, Y., Zou, F., Gan, Li., Wei, Y., Zhang, W. (2020) Association of magnesium intake with type 2 diabetes and total stroke: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition and Metabolism, 10(3):e032240.
  • 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(5): 843-853.
  • Ranasinghe, P., Pigera, S., Galappatthy, P., Katulanda, P., & Constantine, G.R. (2015) Zinc and diabetes mellitus: understanding molecular mechanisms and clinical implications. Daru, 23(1): 44.
  1. Roohani, N., Hurrell, R., Kelishadki, R., & Schulin, R. (2013) Zinc and its importance for human health: an integrative review. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 18(2):144-157

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The Comments

  • Jejeola Talabi
    October 24, 2022

    Yes, thank you.