Diabetes Diet: An Easy, Satisfying, Nutritious 5 Ingredient Soup

Collecting many appealing, easy to prepare recipes makes home-cooking doable, even after a busy workday.

Home-cooking gives us control over what goes into our food, helping us avoid or reduce the intake of added sugars, and unhealthy fats. That’s good for our blood glucose level, waistline, and our family’s overall health.

A 5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup recipe, found at the website Making Thyme For Health, might make an excellent addition to your appealing-and-easy recipe collection. Prep time is generally 15 to 20 minutes, but even if you’re the slowest cook on the planet it should take no more than 30 minutes.

Black Beans and Diabetes

The recipe’s main ingredient contains a considerable amount of starch. However, most of the starch in black beans is “resistant starch,” which is similar to fiber. Resistant starch passes through the small intestine without being broken down into the simple sugars that quickly elevate glucose levels.


Once resistant starch reaches the large intestine, it’s processed by our gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids. The fatty acids are either absorbed into the body for fuel or become an energy source for our beneficial digestive bacteria.

Researchers have also associated bean and legume consumption with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, better glucose tolerance, and increased insulin sensitivity. Studies involving black beans showed improvements in metabolic syndrome factors, including blood fat profiles, and blood sugar levels.

5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup

The recipe makes four servings of satisfying soup that provides a vitamin A and C, iron, and calcium boost, plus 9 grams of digestion-friendly fiber.

You will need:

  • 2 cans black beans (15 oz each), rinsed and drained
  • 1 jar salsa (16 oz), preferably without added sugars or preservatives; choose mild, medium, or hot salsa - whichever you prefer.
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

Preparation:


  1. Combine one can of beans, salsa, vegetable broth, cumin, and chili powder in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.
  2. Using an immersion (stick) blender, or a regular blender, blend the soup until thickened.
  3. Add the remaining can of beans, and cook 5 more minutes. If desired, add salt (or garlic salt) to taste. Those who enjoy a smokey tang can stir in a teaspoon of chipotle powder.

For added flair and flavor, top each serving with cilantro, a sprinkle of grated cheese, or diced avocado.

There’s approximately 36 total carb grams per serving (9g fiber, 4g sugars), 11 grams protein, 2 grams total fat, and 210 calories. Using organic ingredients is recommended for optimal nutritional value.

Source: Making Thyme for Health/Recipe; World’s Healthiest Foods; Precision Nutrition
Photo credit: Making Thyme for Health



More Articles

With its slightly nutty flavor, chewy texture, and nutritional punch farro is an ancient whole grain worth a place in our pantry.

Farro...

Having diabetes is cause for concern, however it doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate all of your favorite foods from your diet completely....

With diabetes becoming more of an epidemic each and every day, being knowledgeable about the disease, its effects on the body as well as ways to...

If you’re a diabetic or live with one, it can be tough trying to figure out the best foods to eat because your priority is to control your blood...

In this post, I will show you the 10 best ice creams for diabetics.

When you think of sweetened foods that a diabetic shouldn’t consume,...

More Articles

If you’re living with diabetes, snacking is a necessity because going for more than 3-4 hours without eating can be detrimental to your health....

For diabetics, choosing healthy snacks can be a daunting task.

A good rule of thumb is to pick out snacks that are rich in protein, fiber,...

According to information available through the National Institutes of Health, there’s an estimated 462 million people in the world who are...

Eleven Clinical Studies

After eleven clinical studies and 300,000 participants, researcher Vasanti Malik and her team of researchers...

Diabetic women often have a harder time losing weight than non-diabetic women. A study funded by Jenny Craig proved that diabetic women have an...

Many recent studies have proved that magnesium levels are lower in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetics. This magnesium...

Fluid retention, also known as edema, is a problem that affects many diabetics, especially those with type 2 diabetes...

Some of us might be thrilled if we could manage our blood sugar by sitting in a hot tub or sauna, instead of working up a sweat biking, or using...

Cooking and baking with the ancient cereal grain sorghum has health benefits for people with diabetes, and those with weight control issues....

When it comes to certain foods, there are always questions as to whether or not a diabetic can have them without...

Matcha tea is a rich, creamy, full-bodied beverage with amazing nutritional properties that address several diabetes health concerns.

The...

Salads are good example of foods that type 2 diabetics can enjoy with relatively low guilt. With the right greens and other elements added, salad...

Remaining gainfully employed is important to many people. Those who live with any form of diabetes may find that some lines of work are more...

Learning that you have diabetes does mean making some lifestyle changes. One of the areas that needs attention is your diet. Most people find that...

One of the more challenging aspects of life as a type 2 diabetic is managing your diet. There’s often the temptation to avoid certain foods...