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RedLentils

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owensmum

Well-Known Member
Hi all!

As I have to cut down on carbs, I've been trying alternative stuff... I had a baked sweet potato last night and it was delicious! Now I can't have sweet potato every night as it's expensive so I thought I'd give red lentils a go. Does anyone have any ideas on using them as an everyday side dish? Nothing spicy as I have GORD!

Thanks in advance!

PS I have no idea if lentils are going to do my BS any good but I thought "what the hell!"
 
Not sure why you regard sweet potatoes as too expensive to eat every day - shops like Lidl stock them and they are good and cheap there.
Having said that, they are still carbs so take it carefully!

Red (or green, yellow) lentils are very easy to cook - generally they can be used as a Dahl (Indian) or the yellow ones as pease porridge.

Simple recipe:
Fry a chopped/diced onion in olive oil until soft.
Wash a small sieve full of lentils - just put the lentils in the sieve and run under the tap - and add to the pan.
Fry for a while, stirring regularly - this seems to improve flavour and cooking time.
Red lentils will turn yellow as they cook.
Add liquid - this can be water, stock, or tinned tomatoes for example.
[I sometimes add curry sauces but you are avoiding spicy.]
Simmer gently - about 30 minutes for red lentils, about 45 minutes for yellow/green.
Add water as required to keep the lentils moist - they are absorbing water as they cook.
Check them from time to time, and finish cooking when they are either slighly 'al dente' or soft.
Season to taste.

You can then use this Dahl as a main or side dish.
I like to eat a Dahl with some cubes of cheese in as a main meal.

This is still carbs, but they should absorb much more slowly than processed grains as found in bread, pasta etc.

Which reminds me - I really should test after a Dahl to check that it isn't doing bad things to me :-)

I find red lentils help to keep me 'regular' which is quite important when you are doing Low Carb High Fat which seems to involve a lot of protein :D

Cheers

LGC
 
Unfortunately I'll never know what foods do to my BS as my doctor won't supply a monitor or strips and they're too expensive to buy.
I'll try that dhal recipe tonight! Thanks!
 
There was a discussion about lentils here.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27516&p=254032#p254032

It's like everything else, if you cannot test then you will never know the effect on you personally.
Could you afford the cheaper meter that is mentioned in posts here? How about asking for one as a present if you have a birthday coming up? If memory serves me right the test strips were about £6.99 for 50, a considerable saving on the others.
 
catherinecherub said:
There was a discussion about lentils here.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27516&p=254032#p254032

It's like everything else, if you cannot test then you will never know the effect on you personally.
Could you afford the cheaper meter that is mentioned in posts here? How about asking for one as a present if you have a birthday coming up? If memory serves me right the test strips were about £6.99 for 50, a considerable saving on the others.
Click to expand...

The general consensus is that you should test roughly twice for every meal. So that's six strips a day 7 days a week. 42 strips a week at say £7 that's £28 a month on strips. I just don't have money to waste like that sadly. The doctors want you to self manage so they don't have to see you so often but won't give you the tools to do it. Bloody ridiculous.
 
I make dhal every week love it, but I add tsp ground coriander, tsp ground cumin, tsp ground turmeric and a bit of salt. Its not spicy just full of flavour. Taste tho maybe start with half a tsp of spices. I serve mine with fried onions ans a boiled egg.
Plain boiled lentils are well just plain boiled lentils.
 
owensmum said:
<snip>

The general consensus is that you should test roughly twice for every meal. So that's six strips a day 7 days a week. 42 strips a week at say £7 that's £28 a month on strips. I just don't have money to waste like that sadly. The doctors want you to self manage so they don't have to see you so often but won't give you the tools to do it. Bloody ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I don't follow that testing regime.
[Not that I am a particularly good example :twisted: ]

I do short testing campaigns - test 3 or 4 times a day for 3 or 4 days - to check how I am doing and also to check out reactions to diet changes or exercise changes.

There isn't an 'all or nothing' requirement for testing.
You can test for short periods even if you can't (or don't want to) test all the time.

£6.99 for 50 tests can keep you going for an awfully long time, and certainly isn't a waste of money.

Is there some reason that you don't want to test?
Yes, it is scary to prick your finger but you soon get used to it.
Yes, it is scary to get bad results but not testing because yopu don't want to know the results is not a good long term strategy.
A few tests are far better than no tests and you really do need to know how your diet is affecting your BG levels.

Go on - the meter (which you might be able to blag free from the manufacturer) plus £6.99 for four testing campaigns (once a month for four months) isn't too bad.
£28 a year or just over £2 a month on strips isn't that bad either.

Cheers

LGC
 
I self tested when I had gestational diabetes so the thought of it doesn't bother me, it's the cost. I've been told I need metformin. I'm assuming that's free or even that may be a case of making them last as long as possible.
 
Once you're prescribed diabetes medication, you automatically get your prescriptions free - that's ALL prescriptions, for everything, not just the diabetes medication. You just have to fill out a form at your surgery, they send it off and you get an exemption card sent to you. You will most likely have to pay for whatever prescriptions you will need prior to your exemption card arriving, but can claim back the cost.....ask your dispensary for a refund form.
 
sooliz said:
Once you're prescribed diabetes medication, you automatically get your prescriptions free - that's ALL prescriptions, for everything, not just the diabetes medication. You just have to fill out a form at your surgery, they send it off and you get an exemption card sent to you. You will most likely have to pay for whatever prescriptions you will need prior to your exemption card arriving, but can claim back the cost.....ask your dispensary for a refund form.
Click to expand...

Excellent! Thank you sooliz!
 
dawnmc said:
I make dhal every week love it, but I add tsp ground coriander, tsp ground cumin, tsp ground turmeric and a bit of salt. Its not spicy just full of flavour./quote]


Sounds delicious..... although I would also add a clove or two of garlic :)
Click to expand...
 
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