The holiday season is a wonderful time to spend with friends and family. The focus on food can make living with diabetes stressful. You can enjoy your holiday favorite foods by focusing on balanced meals and checking blood sugars regularly. Let’s talk about six healthy tips for individuals living with diabetes!
- Have Veggie Fun! Vegetables have many great nutrients, such as fiber, which are very beneficial for those living with diabetes. To maintain bowel health, women need 25 grams of fiber daily and men need 38 grams of fiber daily. Fiber is very important to help stabilize blood sugar and lower total cholesterol levels. Some vegetable ideas include make a colorful veggie appetizer tray or fresh garden salad. Offer to bring a side dish of steamed or roasted vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, or spinach) seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices, and aim for non-starchy vegetables which are low in carbohydrates, calories, and added fiber. Remember to continue to fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables when possible.
- Go For Mini Sweets! Always be mindful when eating desserts because they’re high in carbohydrates and added sugars. Be aware of portion size while enjoying desserts! Being mindful of your portions can help you better manage your blood sugar. Remember to include fruit as your dessert to add fiber. Some dessert ideas include flavored sugar-free frozen yogurt, strawberry and sugar-free chocolate chip Greek yogurt bark, flourless chocolate chip cookies, and a fresh fruit tray with sugar-free fruit dip. Eating healthier, delicious desserts is possible!
- Modify Recipes! Most recipes around the holidays are cooked with saturated fats and added sugars. Instead of using butter in recipes, try olive oil as your replacement. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat and contains antioxidants. For baking, replace butter with non-fat Greek yogurt for a higher protein snack or dessert. Try reducing the amount of sugar in a recipe. Keep in mind that sugar substitutes are sweeter than cane sugar, so the amount used in a recipe should be less. Also, watch out for other sneaky names for sugar, such as honey, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates. All of these may sound healthier, but they will still raise your blood sugar.
- Embrace Seasonal Produce & Herbs! Instead of using salt to flavor foods, try different herbs and spices such as garlic, turmeric, rosemary, cinnamon, or ginger to enhance flavor. Herbs provide many health benefits including lowering blood sugar levels. Seasonal produce is cheaper to buy because there is an abundance compared to produce not in season. Be creative with your flavors.
- Move Around After Eating! Since food is the center of the holidays, don’t forget to get your body moving! Perhaps you can help clear the table after eating or take a short walk afterwards to not feel as full. If your blood sugar is high, drinking a glass or two of water and taking a walk will help lower it.
- Don’t Skip Breakfast! Although we look forward to eating delicious holiday food, it’s dangerous for an individual living with diabetes to skip meals. Remember to treat holidays like regular days and eat balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. While eating regularly on holidays, you’re unlikely to overeat and spike blood sugar levels higher than normal. Fueling your body with at least three meals a day is beneficial in diabetes and weight management.
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All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.