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Some people may find it helpful to lower their intake of total carbs and sugar – for example, if they are trying to manage type 2 diabetes through their diet. So we've put together some lower-carb and lower-sugar recipes. Each contains less than 30% total carbs and less than 10% total sugars. The sugars are almost exclusively from natural sources such as fruits, vegetables and milk sugars too.
Ham, spinach and mushroom omelette
Serves 1 - 401 kcals per serving
Kcals |
401 |
Fat |
28g |
Sat fat |
7g |
Carbs |
1.7g |
Sugar |
0.8g |
Fibre |
1.1g |
Protein |
35.6g |
Salt |
1.7g |
Ingredients
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 80g mushrooms, sliced
- Handful fresh spinach
- 25g slice lean ham
- 3 medium eggs
- 30g reduced fat cheddar
Method
- Place a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the mushroom and cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the spinach and keep stirring everything until the spinach has wilted.
- Meanwhile, chop the ham into small pieces. Add the ham to the pan, and stir everything together until the ham has warmed through.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat together. Add the egg mix to the pan to coat the vegetables and ham.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes until starting to cook through.
- Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium and grate the cheddar.
- Once the omelette is nearly ready, scatter the cheddar over it and pop it under the grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted, and the omelette is cooked through.
Salmon fishcakes and Asian salad
Serves 1 - 454 kcals per serving
Kcals |
454 |
Fat |
33.6g |
Sat fat |
5.6g |
Carbs |
9.1g |
Sugar |
7.2g |
Fibre |
3.7g |
Protein |
29.1g |
Salt |
1.7g |
Ingredients
- 30g carrot, grated
- 50g cucumber, cut into small pieces
- 40g Chinese leaf lettuce, chopped
- 50g sugar snap peas
- 10ml light soy sauce
- 15ml toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ tsp lemongrass puree
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 125g skinless salmon fillet
Method
- Prepare your salad by mixing the carrot, cucumber, Chinese leaf and sugarsnap peas in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice, and set aside.
- Next, add the ginger, garlic, chilli, lemongrass puree, coriander, and 1 tsp of sesame oil to a bowl and mix well.
- Chop the salmon fillet up into little pieces, so it’s almost paste like.
- Add the salmon to the bowl and using your hands mix everything together until well combined.
- Using your hands, form two small patties with the salmon mix, around 2cm thick. Give your hands a good clean.
- Place a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a tsp of sesame oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the fishcakes and cook for 2 minutes on each side until cooked through (the salmon should be pale pink).
- Drizzle the dressing over your salad and serve alongside the fishcakes.
Paprika chicken salad
Serves 1 - 409 kcals per serving
Kcals |
409 |
Fat |
13.4g |
Sat fat |
3g |
Carbs |
29.4g |
Sugar |
7.9g |
Fibre |
8.7g |
Protein |
42.4g |
Salt |
0.3g |
Ingredients
- 140g chicken breast
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Handful spinach
- ¼ yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 25g tinned kidney beans, drained
- 25g tinned sweetcorn, drained
- 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 50g avocado flesh, cut into chunks
- 1 slice red onion, finely sliced
- 50g ready to eat quinoa
- ½ fresh lime
Method
- Place the chicken breast on a chopping board and bash with a rolling pin to thin it a little – aim for around 1-1.5cm thickness.
- Season the chicken breast with the smoked paprika.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through (no longer pink inside).
- Meanwhile, scatter the spinach into a bowl, then top with the pepper, kidney beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, avocado and red onion.
- Warm through the quinoa according to the packet instructions and add to the bowl.
- Once the chicken is cooked, cut into thin slices and add to the bowl.
- Squeeze over some fresh lime juice and serve.
Tofu ramen
Serves 2 - 222 kcals per serving
Vegan
Kcals |
401 |
Fat |
28g |
Sat fat |
7g |
Carbs |
1.7g |
Sugar |
0.8g |
Fibre |
1.1g |
Protein |
35.6g |
Salt |
1.7g |
Ingredients
- 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Small onion, finely sliced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
- 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
- 200g firm tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pak choi
- 250g Barenaked noodles, cooked
Method
- Place a pan over a medium heat and 3 tsp of sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the ginger, garlic and half the chilli, and cook for a further minute. Then add the Chinese 5 spice and cook for a further minute.
- Next add the stock cube with 800ml of boiling water. Give everything a good stir and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the tofu up into bite-sized cubes, then pat with kitchen roll to try and remove as much moisture as possible.
- In a bowl mix the soy sauce with the remaining sesame oil. Add the tofu and mix well to coat.
- Place a frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat and add the remaining sesame oil.
- Add the tofu to the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning regularly, until the tofu starts to brown all over.
- Once the broth is done, strain it into a clean pan so you have a smooth liquid.
- Put the pan over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Slice the pak choi in half lengthways, add each half to the broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it starts to wilt.
- Remove the pak choi from the pan and add the noodles. Heat through for 1-2 minutes until the noodles are piping hot.
- Meanwhile, add the mushrooms to the tofu and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms start to soften.
- Pour the noodle broth into two large bowls, then top each with the pak choi, tofu and mushrooms and sprinkle over the remaining fresh red chillies.
Mushroom, egg & bacon cups
Serves 1 - 250 kcals per serving
Kcals |
250 |
Fat |
13.4g |
Sat fat |
3.9g |
Carbs |
1.5g |
Sugar |
0.6g |
Fibre |
2.8g |
Protein |
29.5g |
Salt |
1.8g |
Ingredients
- 2 large Portobello mushrooms
- Low-calorie cooking spray
- 2 reduced-fat bacon medallions, grilled
- Few sprigs of parsley, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 2 medium eggs
- Salt and black pepper to season
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas mark 6.
- Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms and the stalks on a baking tray and lightly spray with low-cal cooking spray.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, drain off any liquid and hollow out the middle of the mushrooms if extra depth is needed to hold the egg.
- Chop the mushroom stalks and bacon into small pieces. Divide the bacon, chopped mushroom stalks and parsley between the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper.
- Crack an egg into each mushroom and return to the oven. Cook for 10 minutes. If an egg runs off, don't worry – just let it cook on the tray and place on top of the mushroom before serving.
- Serve immediately, garnished with a little chopped parsley.
Nutritionist Beth Furness (ANutr), holding a BSc in Nutrition and Health, is deeply dedicated to applying evidence-based knowledge to all aspects of nutrition. Her passion lies in fostering healthy relationships with food, ensuring that everyone maintains a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition.