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The New Thanksgiving For Diabetics

By HERWriter
 
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Healthy Eating related image Photo: Getty Images

There are new doin's in the diabetic camp these days. As more research on sugar, fats and carbohydrates is surfacing, more and more diabetic people are turning towards low carb foods to successfully manage their diabetes by stabilizing their blood sugar levels.

This is great news in many respects but it does not begin to touch the question: What to do about Thanksgiving?

In the old days, you were supposed to be able to eat your stuffing and your potatoes with gravy. Just monitor your blood sugar. Try to eat them in moderation.

Yeah, right.

Now maybe I'm doing you a disservice, maybe you aren't like some of the other people I know whose self-control flies right out the window when they see the Thanksgiving spread, and smell the pumpkin pie in the oven. And if you're not like those people, then you may have no problem.

But if you are ...

Time to trash some old traditions, tweak a few, and add some new ones. The turkey, you may be relieved to know, is safe for you. Just check the list of ingredients because some of them may be carb-y. But it is possible to find an carbless bird, so take heart and look sharp.

Stuffing ... well, it may be time to say good-by to this treacherous old friend. It'll spike your blood sugar if you let it.

Potatoes and gravy .... well, they may look awfully good but, knowing what you know now about their effects on your glucose meter, do they really look as tempting as they did? (I know, maybe they do, but work on the healthy brain-washing with me here.)

Broccoli, cauliflower, squash and some say sweet potatoes are pretty low on the glycemic index -- your new bible. And the pumpkin in the pie, being a type of squash, is also on your clean list.

Mind you, there are other ingredients that are suspect. Like the pie shell. It'll have to go.

But you might consider a nice pumpkin pudding with most of the same ingredients you're familiar with. If you want use artificial sweetener, and if you substitute cream. And yes, cream has more fat than milk, believe it or not that's one of the reasons it's better.

New traditions are good too. Think about strawberries or blueberries with cream for dessert. And there are countless sugarless, low carb desserts on the net and in diabetic cookbooks.

Resources:

The ADA's Diabetes Thanksgiving Disaster
http://myhealingkitchen.com/featured-articles/your-thanksgiving-diabetes-gift/

Diabetic Diet: How to Manage Your Diabetes on Thanksgiving Day
http://www.thebeehive.org/health/health-matters-coach/manage-your-diabetes/live-well-take-action/diabetic-s-healthy-holiday-p/diabetic-diet-how-ma

Glycemic Foods, Not Obesity, Behind US Diabetes Epidemic, Says Medical Author
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/news/Glycemic-Foods-Not-Obesity-Behind-US-Diabetes-Epidemic-Says-Medical-Author.html

Opinion: ADA: Low Carb Diet Helps Diabetics, but Still Not Recommended
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/news/a/adalowcarbdiabe.htm

Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger

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Jody Smith
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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