Diabetes recipes: Sometimes you just don’t feel like eating…
Low appetite eating is about eating smarter, when every bite counts and every meal matters.
By Azmina Govindji, RD FBDA award-winning Registered Dietitian and Fellow of the British Dietetic Association, best-selling author of Vegan Savvy, and member of the DRWF Editorial Advisory Board. Azmina’s quarterly column showcases recipes that are appropriate for people living with diabetes.
Whether you are taking GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, or finding it harder to eat due to illness, stress or simply ageing, eating well with a low appetite requires a different approach.
Traditional ideas about three square meals a day, with full plates doesn’t always fit.
Rice noodle and chicken broth with lemongrass and Thai basil
Serves 2
Ingredients
80g dry rice noodles
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
500ml fresh chicken stock
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
1 tsp white miso paste
1 tsp light soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
120g cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 small head of pak choi, shredded
1 small carrot, ribboned
2 tbsp frozen edamame beans, defrosted
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Handful of Thai basil or coriander
Method
1. Cook the rice noodles in boiling water, according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
2. Heat the oils in a non-stick saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and lemongrass, then simmer gently for 10 minutes to infuse, before removing the lemongrass.
4. Stir in the miso paste, soy sauce, lime juice and chicken and simmer for 2–3 minutes until warmed through, then add the pak choi, carrot and edamame beans and simmer for 1–2 minutes until the pak choi is just wilted.
5. Divide the noodles between 2 small bowls, ladle over the broth and vegetables and top with spring onion and Thai basil or coriander.
Why I like this recipe:
1. This gently spiced broth, with its mix of lean chicken, miso, fresh herbs and citrus, is full of Thai-inspired flavour but still feels clean and light.
2. The veg and rice noodles make it more substantial and you get 27g protein in just one serving. Protein is important if you are recovering from illness or trying to maintain muscle mass as you get older.
3. You get a portion of vegetables per serving, helping you towards your five-a-day. The carrots, edamame beans and pak choi add a variety of nutrients and they bring valuable fibre, helping to lower the glycaemic impact of your meal.
Reader competition
We have two copies of the book generously donated by the publisher to give away to two lucky readers. To enter, simply email newsletter@drwf.org.uk with the message heading ‘The Low Appetite Cookbook competition’ and include your name and address. Winners will be selected at random.
The Low Appetite Cookbook: Over 100 nutrient-dense meals to make every bite count by Rob Hobson published by Thorsons is available now from all good bookshops.
About the authors
Azmina Govindji is a registered dietitian, consultant nutritionist, broadcaster and best-selling author. Azmina is director of Azmina Nutrition www.azminanutrition.com and shares daily dietary tips at: www.instagram.com/azminanutrition.
Azmina’s latest book, Vegan Savvy: The Expert’s Guide to Nutrition on a Plant-based Diet, recently published by Pavilion Books, is available now from: azminanutrition.com/project/vegan-savvy .
Recipe analysis and food values by Registered Nutritionist Susan Church
www.susanchurchnutrition.co.uk
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2026 edition of Diabetes Wellness News. To subscribe visit here
