Recipe Collection

October 4 is National Taco Day, and after more than two decades managing Crohn's disease, I've learned that celebrations involving food require a little more planning than they used to. Tacos are one of those foods I genuinely enjoy — and one of the places where paying attention to glycemic load has actually made a difference in how I feel afterward. So today I'm sharing the Cajun Fish Tacos I made this week and walking through the glycemic load math: what the number is, where it comes from, and why the tortilla is doing almost all the work.

The short version: this recipe comes in at a glycemic load of 14.90 — solidly in the lower-mid range, which sits well below the threshold most dietitians flag as high (a GL of 20 or above per meal). For someone managing blood sugar alongside gut disease, or just trying to keep energy stable through a flare, that number matters.

Why Fish Tacos Tend to Land Lower Than Beef

Glycemic load measures how much a given amount of food raises blood glucose — it combines the glycemic index of the carbohydrate source with the actual grams of carbohydrate in the portion. Protein and fat don't carry a glycemic load on their own; they slow gastric emptying and blunt the glucose spike from whatever carbohydrates are in the meal.

Fish is lean protein with essentially zero carbohydrate. Ground beef, by contrast, often gets seasoned with fillers or sauces that carry hidden carbs, and the fat profile is different — more saturated fat, which affects the overall metabolic picture even if it doesn't directly change GL. When I build a taco around white fish — in this case, a firm flaky fillet seasoned Cajun-style — the protein load is high, the carb contribution from the filling itself is near zero, and the glycemic work is done almost entirely by the tortilla and whatever toppings I add.

That's the structural reason fish tacos tend to land lower. The seasoning does the flavor work without adding meaningful carbohydrate, which is why I lean on spice blends rather than sweet sauces or glazes.

The Tortilla Choice and What It Does to the Number

The tortilla is the single biggest glycemic lever in a taco. Here's what the math looks like across common options, based on a standard one-tortilla serving:

• Large flour tortilla (10-inch): roughly 35–40g net carbs, GI around 50–55 — GL contribution of approximately 18–22 on its own
• Small corn tortilla (6-inch): roughly 12–14g net carbs, GI around 52 — GL contribution of approximately 6–7
• Small flour tortilla (6-inch): roughly 18–20g net carbs, GI around 50 — GL contribution of approximately 9–10
• Lettuce wrap: negligible carbs, GL contribution near zero

For this recipe, I used small corn tortillas — two per serving. That's the primary reason the overall GL stays manageable. Corn tortillas have a lower carb count per piece than flour, and the portion size is naturally controlled. Switching to a large flour tortilla would push the meal GL above 20 before I'd added a single topping.

I've also found, after years of paying attention to how my gut responds, that corn tortillas tend to sit better for me during anything approaching a mild flare. That's not universal — individual tolerance varies — but it's part of why I reach for them by default.

The Full GL Math for Cajun Fish Tacos (One Serving)

Here's how the 14.90 figure breaks down. GL is calculated as: (Glycemic Index × Net Carbohydrates in grams) ÷ 100.

• Two small corn tortillas: ~26g net carbs, GI 52 → GL 13.52
• Cajun-seasoned white fish fillet (~150g): ~1g net carbs (from spice blend), GI negligible → GL ~0.50
• Shredded cabbage slaw (~40g): ~2g net carbs, GI 10 → GL 0.20
• Lime crema (~1 tbsp, sour cream base): ~0.5g net carbs → GL ~0.05
• Fresh salsa/pico (~2 tbsp): ~1.5g net carbs, GI ~30 → GL ~0.45
• Avocado (~30g): ~0.5g net carbs → GL ~0.18

Total: approximately 14.90

The tortillas are doing nearly all the glycemic work — about 91% of the total GL. Everything else is rounding. That tells me exactly where to pull if I ever need to bring this lower: smaller tortillas, or one instead of two, or a lettuce wrap. The fish, the slaw, the avocado, the crema — essentially free from a glycemic standpoint.

Where 14.90 Sits on the Scale

For context, glycemic load is generally categorized as:

• Low: 10 or below
• Medium: 11–19
• High: 20 or above

A GL of 14.90 puts this meal in the medium range — toward the lower end of medium. For someone managing diabetes or insulin resistance alongside IBD, most dietitians working in that space treat anything under 15–16 per meal as acceptable, and under 20 as workable. I'm not diabetic, but I track GL because blood sugar stability affects my energy levels and, in my experience, correlates with how settled my gut feels on a given day. Spikes and crashes don't help.

This isn't a low-GL meal in the strictest sense — it's not a salad. But it's a real taco, with real tortillas, that lands in a range where most people managing blood sugar can work with it without heroic portion restriction.

The Recipe

Cajun Fish Tacos (serves 2)

For the fish:

• 300g firm white fish (tilapia, cod, or mahi-mahi work well)
• 1.5 tsp Cajun seasoning blend
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

For the slaw:

• 80g shredded green or purple cabbage
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: fresh cilantro

For the crema:

• 2 tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Pinch of Cajun seasoning

To serve:

• 4 small corn tortillas (warmed in a dry pan)
• Fresh pico de gallo or salsa
• ½ avocado, sliced
• Lime wedges

Method: Pat the fish dry, coat with olive oil and seasoning. Cook in a hot skillet 3–4 minutes per side until cooked through and slightly charred at the edges. Break into large flakes. Toss the slaw with lime juice and salt. Mix the crema ingredients. Warm the tortillas. Build: fish, slaw, crema, pico, avocado, squeeze of lime.

What This Means for Me Right Now

Having lived with Crohn's since 2002, I've had a complicated relationship with food celebrations. For a long time I avoided them, or participated and paid for it. What I've found — slowly, over years — is that the answer isn't avoidance, it's architecture. Understanding what's actually in a meal, where the glycemic load is coming from, and which variables I can adjust without wrecking the thing I actually wanted to eat.

These tacos are genuinely good. The Cajun seasoning does real work. The fish stays moist if I don't overcook it. The GL of 14.90 is a number I can live with on a day I want to eat tacos without spending the next few hours regretting it. That's the whole point.

National Taco Day: accounted for.