Dietary requirements remain the mainstay of this year’s campaign on diabetes.
In conjunction with the recent World Diabetes Day, pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Malaysia and the Malaysian Diabetes Association aims to educate the public on diabetes and how to prevent it.
This year’s campaign, “Living Well with Diabetes”, was designed to reach out to a wider audience through a workshop focusing on dietary requirements and healthier meal preparations, and an exhibition on diabetes.
“Diabetes is a progressive and chronic disease that affects a person’s quality of life if not detected early. What many do not realise is that the cost of unmanaged diabetes is higher than the cost of managing the disease at an early stage,” said Ewe Kheng Huat, managing director of MSD Malaysia, during the launch of the campaign.
“Last year’s campaign took into consideration Malaysians’ love affair with food and focused on the popular teh tarik.
“This year, Malaysians and their affinity with food is still our focus but this campaign will also highlight dietary requirements,” said Ewe.
Healthy meals can be easily prepared using simple ingredients, said food and beverage consultant, Nicholas Pillai, who together with dietician, Datin Farah Diba Khan, conducted the “Living Well with Diabetes” Healthy Cooking Media Workshop.
“You only need to use better ingredients and adopt healthy cooking styles to turn your favourite dishes into delicious, healthy servings.”
Here, Nicholas shares four simple and healthy recipes. All recipes make four servings.
Recipe 1: Asian-style brown rice salad (similar to nasi ulam but more diabetically-friendly)
Calorie count per serving: 134 calories, 19.8g of carbohydrate
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice (cooked with salt to taste)
250g chicken fillet
3 stalks lemon grass
A handful of polygonum leaves
2 or 3 tumeric leaves
2 or 3 kaffir lime leaves (julienned)
6 strands long beans (sliced finely)
1 stalk bunga kantan (torch ginger)
1 onion (minced)
1 carrot (julienned)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Marinate the chicken fillets with salt, pepper, a little curry powder and saute or steam it in a microwave oven.
2. Allow to cool and slice chicken fillets.
3. Cut kaffir lime leaves and carrots into long thin strips (julienne).
4. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Recipe 2: Braised lotus root with mushrooms and cashew nuts
Calorie count (per serving) 101 calories: 11.1g carbohydrate
Ingredients
2kg lotus root (cleaned and sliced thinly)
10-15 Chinese mushrooms (soaked and boiled, with stems removed)
15 pieces mein kan
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
100g toasted cashew nuts
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2-3 tsp black vinegar
2 tsp black pepper
1-2 tsp sugar
2-3 tsp soy sauce
2-3 cups chicken stock
salt to taste
Method
1. Heat stock, add in the garlic and leave to boil for a few minutes. Add the lotus root and mushrooms.
2. Add in the sauce ingredients and, if the mixture is too dry, add in more stock. Lastly, add in the mein kan.
3. Finally, when mixture is a bit dry, add in the cashew nuts and serve immediately.
Recipe 3: Healthy pineapple fried rice
Calorie count per serving: 123 calories, 24g carbohydrate
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 piece pineapple (cubed)
3 stalks lemon grass
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
3-4 green chilies (remove seeds, sliced)
1 large capsicum (cubed)
½ cup mint leaves
2-3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
pepper (to taste)
fish sauce (to taste)
spray oil
Method
1. Heat pan, spray oil onto surface of pan and saute the garlic.
2. Add in the lemon grass, green chilies and stock.
3. Saute over low flame for a few minutes. Add in the other ingredients and stir.
4. Finally, add in the rice and mix thoroughly. Season again, if necessary.
Recipe 4: Spicy citrus marinade prawn
Calorie count (per serving): 65.8 calories, 12.6g carbohydrate
Ingredients
30 medium to large prawns
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 tsp grated lime rind
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp honey
1 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
3-4 chilies (chopped)
Method
1. Marinate the prawns in all the ingredients.
2. Heat a non-stick grill, spray oil and then toss prawns onto grill.
3. This will be a quick process so cover grill to ensure even cooking.
4. Serve hot.
In conjunction with the recent World Diabetes Day, pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Malaysia and the Malaysian Diabetes Association aims to educate the public on diabetes and how to prevent it.
This year’s campaign, “Living Well with Diabetes”, was designed to reach out to a wider audience through a workshop focusing on dietary requirements and healthier meal preparations, and an exhibition on diabetes.
“Diabetes is a progressive and chronic disease that affects a person’s quality of life if not detected early. What many do not realise is that the cost of unmanaged diabetes is higher than the cost of managing the disease at an early stage,” said Ewe Kheng Huat, managing director of MSD Malaysia, during the launch of the campaign.
“Last year’s campaign took into consideration Malaysians’ love affair with food and focused on the popular teh tarik.
“This year, Malaysians and their affinity with food is still our focus but this campaign will also highlight dietary requirements,” said Ewe.
Healthy meals can be easily prepared using simple ingredients, said food and beverage consultant, Nicholas Pillai, who together with dietician, Datin Farah Diba Khan, conducted the “Living Well with Diabetes” Healthy Cooking Media Workshop.
“You only need to use better ingredients and adopt healthy cooking styles to turn your favourite dishes into delicious, healthy servings.”
Here, Nicholas shares four simple and healthy recipes. All recipes make four servings.
Recipe 1: Asian-style brown rice salad (similar to nasi ulam but more diabetically-friendly)
Calorie count per serving: 134 calories, 19.8g of carbohydrate
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice (cooked with salt to taste)
250g chicken fillet
3 stalks lemon grass
A handful of polygonum leaves
2 or 3 tumeric leaves
2 or 3 kaffir lime leaves (julienned)
6 strands long beans (sliced finely)
1 stalk bunga kantan (torch ginger)
1 onion (minced)
1 carrot (julienned)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Marinate the chicken fillets with salt, pepper, a little curry powder and saute or steam it in a microwave oven.
2. Allow to cool and slice chicken fillets.
3. Cut kaffir lime leaves and carrots into long thin strips (julienne).
4. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Recipe 2: Braised lotus root with mushrooms and cashew nuts
Calorie count (per serving) 101 calories: 11.1g carbohydrate
Ingredients
2kg lotus root (cleaned and sliced thinly)
10-15 Chinese mushrooms (soaked and boiled, with stems removed)
15 pieces mein kan
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
100g toasted cashew nuts
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2-3 tsp black vinegar
2 tsp black pepper
1-2 tsp sugar
2-3 tsp soy sauce
2-3 cups chicken stock
salt to taste
Method
1. Heat stock, add in the garlic and leave to boil for a few minutes. Add the lotus root and mushrooms.
2. Add in the sauce ingredients and, if the mixture is too dry, add in more stock. Lastly, add in the mein kan.
3. Finally, when mixture is a bit dry, add in the cashew nuts and serve immediately.
Recipe 3: Healthy pineapple fried rice
Calorie count per serving: 123 calories, 24g carbohydrate
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 piece pineapple (cubed)
3 stalks lemon grass
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
3-4 green chilies (remove seeds, sliced)
1 large capsicum (cubed)
½ cup mint leaves
2-3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
pepper (to taste)
fish sauce (to taste)
spray oil
Method
1. Heat pan, spray oil onto surface of pan and saute the garlic.
2. Add in the lemon grass, green chilies and stock.
3. Saute over low flame for a few minutes. Add in the other ingredients and stir.
4. Finally, add in the rice and mix thoroughly. Season again, if necessary.
Recipe 4: Spicy citrus marinade prawn
Calorie count (per serving): 65.8 calories, 12.6g carbohydrate
Ingredients
30 medium to large prawns
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 tsp grated lime rind
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp honey
1 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
3-4 chilies (chopped)
Method
1. Marinate the prawns in all the ingredients.
2. Heat a non-stick grill, spray oil and then toss prawns onto grill.
3. This will be a quick process so cover grill to ensure even cooking.
4. Serve hot.
