It’s not a secret that a balanced diet is important for everyone’s wellbeing. For people with diabetes, whose condition often leads to multiple serious complications, proper nutrition plays a vital role. For example, incorporating fish and seafood in your diet may reduce risk for developing such common diabetes complications as heart diseases.

Fish and seafood are a great natural source of omega-3 and fatty acids that can reduce insulin resistance and inflammation in your body as well as the risk of heart attack and stroke. Fish and seafood are naturally low in saturated fats and trans fats, which are the types of fat that clogs up arteries, blocking blood flow to the brain and heart.

Besides, fish and seafood are a great source of proteins that can be used for energy and also help your body grow new tissue. At the same time, fish and seafood practically don’t contain any carbs, so you can enjoy some carbs in other dishes.

So, what are the best fish and seafood choices for diabetics? If you add some or all of the items on the list below to your menu, you will have all the right checkboxes checked – rich source of omega-3, fatty acids, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid); high on proteins, calcium, and Vitamin B6, B12, C, D, and E; and low on carbohydrates and saturated fats:

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Cod
• Tilapia
• Mackerel
• Herring
• Trout
• Sardines
• Shrimp
• Lobster
• Crab
• Shellfish

Here are some of the fish and seafood recipes that we like:

Baked Salmon with Mustard and Lemon

This diabetic-friendly dish is ideal for people who don’t have much time to cook, but want to eat healthy, restaurant-worthy food in the comfort of their homes.

Tuna Steak in Soy Sauce

The simple marinade made of soy sauce, olive oil, and lemon juice gives this diabetic-friendly fish a wonderful taste and aroma.

Cod in Tomato and Olive Sauce

Tender cod in tomato and olive sauce is diabetic-friendly, very low on carbs and has a gourmet taste, which makes this dish an excellent choice even for a special occasion or for a holiday dinner.

Almond Crusted Tilapia with Buttermilk and Cheese

Tilapia fillet is great in combination with buttermilk, Parmesan cheese, and almonds. A very interesting and diabetic-friendly dish with a tender and creamy taste!

Baked Stuffed Mackerel

Mackerel stuffed with vegetables and baked in aluminum foil turns out to be very tender and juicy. A truly great diabetic-friendly meal for the whole family.

Baked Trout with Vegetables

Diabetic-friendly trout with zucchini, tomatoes, lemon and pepper is a true delicacy. Make this dish once and you will be willing to make it again shortly after you introduce yourself to this awesome dish.

Seafood Tomato Soup

This hearty, flavorful, and very delicious diabetic-friendly seafood soup is perfect for any occasion and day of the week.

Shrimp Cocktail with Celery

Shrimp cocktail is a very common appetizer. Nevertheless, more often than not, shrimp cocktails are made of ingredients that people with diabetes should rather avoid. The recipe you see here is not only tasty, but diabetic-friendly as well.

Crab Cakes

This is a recipe for a delicious dish that everybody knows and most people love. And besides being popular and tasty, it’s diabetic-friendly as well.

Seafood and Beetroot Soup

A very light and healthy soup, yet very flavorful and filling. The benefits beetroot provides makes this soup very diabetic-friendly. We use shrimp and calamari in this recipe, but other kinds of seafood are welcome as well.