For families dinner is the central meal of the day. It’s the meal you are most often to partake together. Sharing not only the meal, but also the events of the day. Sharing the things that went well, as well as those that didn’t.

Making a diabetic dinner that everybody in the family wants to eat does not need to be a trial. If you follow some easy guidelines then you are most of the way there.

A dinner for diabetics does not need to be made out of any out of the ordinary ingredients or have anything other than the ingredients that are easily available at your local supermarket.

There is no need to prepare a different meal for the diabetic at the dinner table. In fact regardless of how many diabetics you may have in your family if everyone in the family eats using the strategy for a healthy diabetic dinner then everyone in the family is moving towards better health.

The basic guidelines for a diabetic dinner are also the guidelines for a healthy meal.

A diabetic dinner needs to be:

 high in fiber

 low in fat, sugar and salt

 half full of vegetables

There may be some specific requirements for the diabetics in your family, taking into account what is required to balance their blood sugars that day. But in following these easy guidelines you are 80% of the way there.

Here are two swift, delicious meal ideas that everybody in the entire family will enjoy. They are both so easy that nearly anyone in the family can prepare them. They are suitable for all ages and are high in fiber, low in fat, sugar and salt and are half full of vegetables.

Ten Minute Tortillas

Take a tortilla (the better quality and more wholemeal the better) and line it with lettuce and sliced tomato, fill with a mix of heated canned beans and salsa, top with low-fat cheese and roll up. Serve with a salad (include as many different colored vegetables as you can) and brown rice.

Super Quick and Easy Chilli Beans

Brown 400g lean ground mince and pour off any excess fat, add 1 cup each of chopped or grated onion, celery, carrot, capsicum, 1 1/2 cans of low salt canned tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, 1 t chilli powder, 1 t cumin, 1 t oregano (or have fun experimenting with some different spices) and cook until flavour has developed. Serve with some steamed broccoli and brown rice on the side.