Thickener for use in Diabetic meals?

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Cinder

Assistant Cook
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
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6
If I make something like stew or Beef Stroganoff, is there a better thickener to use than flour, for diabetic eaters?

Thanks! Cinder
 
I hate to advocate for another website, but I will, anyway! :)

Low Carb Friends has a recipe section--try that. I am recently diagnosed with 'prediabetes' (kinda like being 'a little bit pregnant', I think) and am working hard at reducing carbs in my diet.

Lowcarb Friends has lots of good info, but be careful--there are some fanatics on there advocating things that don't have a lot of science behind them.
 
I just made my beanless chili yesterday and used some quinoa to thicken it.Yummy and a nice texture.

I use flax alot for thickening or just to add some fibre and added nutrition.
 
Thanks, I'll look into that site.
A great friend of mine was diagnosed with Diabetes last Summer and has lost an awful lot of weight. I'm trying to get a handle on what to cook for him so that he'll have some meals in the freezer.
What he really needs is a woman to take care of him,:LOL:, but until then, I'm going to try to feed him up a bit.

Cinder
 
Perhaps my first question should have been...Does it matter that much to the carbs etc, which thickener you use?
I see some recipes with flour and bread crumbs in them, but I certainly got the impression that white flour and bread was a huge no-no.

As you can see, I'm a real newbie at this.

I wonder if there is an "exchange" or substitution list anywhere from regular recipes to diabetic-friendly recipes?

Cinder
 
My dad is a diabetic and my mom is an excellent cook who always thickened sauces or gravies with flour or corn starch. The amount you get per serving is minimal. My dad has an insulin pump now and has to program in his carbs after eating and doesn't count those because they are so small in the overall meal.
 
I agree with JMediger and Zhizara - cornstarch is a pretty good standard thickening agent. I have always used it in meals for my father (he's a diabetic on insulin).
14g (about a tablespoon) of cornstarch is typically the most you'd need to thicken sauces/gravies, and that has a total of approximately 49 calories and 12g carbs - the nutritional value gets distributed through the servings, as to how much it does impact the overall nutritional value depends on the amount of serves VS amount used (and as JM pointed out, it's usually minimal even at using that amount).

Depending on the meal being thickened, pureed beans (borlotti or cannellini for example) could be used, or you could strain the sauce to reduce it further on its own.
 
Back to thickening... How about arrowroot or cornstarch?

Just an update here. Cornstarch as a thickener can "break" if cooked too long, as I was reminded by another post. If, as posted by others the flour can be used, then use flour instead of cornstarch.

Cornstarch works well in stir fries because you usually take the pan off the heat right after adding it.
 
Just an update here. Cornstarch as a thickener can "break" if cooked too long, as I was reminded by another post. If, as posted by others the flour can be used, then use flour instead of cornstarch.

Cornstarch works well in stir fries because you usually take the pan off the heat right after adding it.

Could be why a lot of cornstarch puddings seem to 'break' after they have cooled rather than keeping a consistent form :LOL: that makes sense.
 
Could be why a lot of cornstarch puddings seem to 'break' after they have cooled rather than keeping a consistent form :LOL: that makes sense.

Cornstarches are just little water ballons...they suck up as much as they can and when they overfill...sploosh! :huh:
 
I hate to advocate for another website, but I will, anyway! :)

Low Carb Friends has a recipe section--try that. I am recently diagnosed with 'prediabetes' (kinda like being 'a little bit pregnant', I think) and am working hard at reducing carbs in my diet.

Lowcarb Friends has lots of good info, but be careful--there are some fanatics on there advocating things that don't have a lot of science behind them.

:ROFLMAO: This post me laugh so much I nearly peed my pants! I'm also a little bit pregnant :ohmy: I needed that!
 
Hey there, Came here looking for some more scientific comparisons for bleached bromated AP flour compared to cornstarch for the sake of my diabetic step father, as i am a professional (but disabled) chef and nutritionist, but there is not a lot of chatter in that community about it, to be honest.

However, i have to step in here to talk about cornstarch. Yes, it breaks if you overheat it, it will break if you reheat too many times, but if you are simply using it as a thickening agent and cook it properly (bring to boil, stir constantly for 1 minute to cook off the starches flavors and clarify the liquid again, remove from heat.) It should not break on you. Even leaving it in a pan, unless its something that holds heat incredibly well, the temperature drops below boiling so quick that it would not be responsible for your liquid breaking. Flour on the other hand is not as efficient a thickener and requires a much longer cook time to get rid of the raw flour taste, while leaving a permanent flavor behind, sometimes good, sometimes bad, depending on the dish.
 
If I make something like stew or Beef Stroganoff, is there a better thickener to use than flour, for diabetic eaters?

Thanks! Cinder

Peanut or almond flour. Peanut flour can have a strong peanut flavor. You want the lower fat content versions (usually 12%) for a more neutral flavor. Byrd Mill has it and there is also always Amazon.

Almond flour is way easier to find - they have both at my local Winco (aka Cub Foods) but the peanut flour is labeled "Peanut Butter Powder" and it has added sugar.
 
If I make something like stew or Beef Stroganoff, is there a better thickener to use than flour, for diabetic eaters?

Thanks! Cinder

Peanut or almond flour. Peanut flour can have a strong peanut flavor. You want the lower fat content versions (usually 12%) for a more neutral flavor. Byrd Mill has it and there is also always Amazon.

Almond flour is way easier to find - they have both at my local Winco (aka Cub Foods) but the peanut flour is labeled "Peanut Butter Powder" and it has added sugar.

The problem with nut flours is high calorie content. A cup of almond flour is something like 530 calories - granted you'll only use a couple T most likely but that's still 65 or 70 extra calories in the recipe. Not sure of the calorie count for peanut flour.

Oat flour is about half the carbs of AP flour - AP flour runs 90 to 100 g of carbs per cup, oat flour comes in at about 48g per cup. You can always beat flaked oatmeal (like Quaker) to death in a blender to make small amounts of your own if you can't find it in bulk bins at a local grocers.

Other possibilities include wheat or oat bran, wheat or oat germ, spelt, potato starch/flour (again you can make your own by whizzing up instant potato flakes), tapioca starch/flour (not the same as the tapioca you make pudding from), sago, and sweet potato starch/flour.

Arrowroot is stable in acidic foods (such as lemon pudding) but gives an odd shiny appearance when used in savory sauces. Cornstarch is not acid stable. Sago is heat stable but requires a long cook time. I've never had potato starch break, I usually use it for soups. I read in the link I'm about to post that it shouldn't be boiled but I can't remember ever having a problem with it - my potato soup always thickens up just fine. Possibly I don't actually boil it, I guess I never paid much attention (though potato soup is OFF THE TABLE for me now that I'm diabetic).

Here's a link talking about different thickeners:

Starches & Thickeners

You can get most of these in any Asian grocery. Corn starch is often labeled "flour" in such places, but you probably don't need to go there for that one, LOL!

I didn't look up the carb counts, too many! Check them out if you're interested.
 
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