A new recipe book with a fresh take on healthy, tasty meals will make life much easier for those living with diabetes.
Eat Well, Live Well is launching today at celebrity chef Simon Gault’s restaurant, Giraffe, as part of Diabetes Action Month.
“As a chef, and having battled with type 2 diabetes myself, I’m all too familiar with how smart and inventive you may have to be to put healthy food on the table,” says Gault. “This recipe book will be most welcome in Kiwi homes.”
Dame Valerie Adams, DMNZ, who wrote the foreword for Eat Well, Live Well, will be the special guest at the launch.
The new recipe book will help everyone to eat well, but in particular those with type 1 or gestational diabetes and the increasing number of people who develop type 2 diabetes.
“Time-poor lifestyles, take-away meals and microwave dinners all contribute to an unhealthy diet, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes,” says Heather Verry, CEO of Diabetes New Zealand.
“To help people enjoy more healthy home-cooked meals, we created a new recipe book with delicious, nutritionally balanced recipes. Each dish uses readily available and affordable ingredients, with easy recipes that are quick to prepare and family-friendly.”
Eat Well, Live Well is a compilation of recipes contributed by notables such as MasterChef winner Brett McGregor, Simon & Alison Holst, Robert Oliver, Jax Hamilton of MasterChef fame and Registered Nutritionist Claire Turnbull, among others.
The book launch forms part of Diabetes Action Month, which this year has the theme Act Now to Live Well. Eating well is just one part of what everyone can do to live well – both in terms of improving the health of those living with any type of diabetes and reducing the risk of others developing type 2 diabetes.
“This is just one way we can support New Zealanders living with diabetes to take action to help manage their condition,” says Verry.
Eat Well, Live Well contains more than 50 diabetes-friendly recipes every family will love, for everyday meals, snacks, desserts or for entertaining friends. It features a great variety of dishes from a range of cuisines, and many of the recipes were inspired by traditional Maori, Pacific and south Asian dishes. They include a modern version of a traditional Māori boil-up, Pacific classics such as Sapasui (Chop Suey) and a selection of Indian, Sri Lankan and Thai dishes.
Every recipe was approved by dietitian Helen Gibbs and all of the recipes have reduced levels of salt and saturated fats, using healthier alternatives to ensure that the food tastes great.
In addition to recipes, the book also contains general guidelines for healthy eating for people with diabetes, as well as tips on how to make sense of food labels. Parents of children with type 1 diabetes, in particular, will be delighted by the lunch box ideas in the book.
Eat Well, Live Well will be on sale from booksellers for $34.99. It is also available directly from the Diabetes NZ website.
The proceeds from all sales will go towards Diabetes New Zealand’s education programmes.