Diabetes

A Thanksgiving Meal Plan For Diabetics

“A Thanksgiving Meal Plan For Diabetics” from diabetes.org:

We all know that food tends to be front and center on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, the majority of people eat well over 2,000 calories during their Thanksgiving meal. Think about it… between the appetizers, rich side dishes, and desserts – the calories can add up quickly, and so can the carbohydrates!

If you have diabetes or are trying to manage your weight, don’t let food stress you out this year. You can still enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and even some dessert (since it’s a special occasion). It just requires a little extra planning and self control on your part. Read on for more tips about how to create a healthy plate this Thanksgiving. We’ll also give you some examples of how to fit in a serving of your favorite holiday treat!

Create a Healthy Plate

One of the biggest problems that people have on Thanksgiving Day is portion control. Not only do we overload our plates with everything on the table, but we often go back for second and third helpings.

Remember that Thanksgiving is all about choices. Think about which dishes you can’t live without and which ones you don’t mind passing on. Then adjust portions to keep your carbohydrate and calorie count similar to what you usually eat at dinnertime.

When filling your plate, you can use the diabetes plate method as a guide to keep portions under control. From the start, you should only plan to fill your plate once instead of going back for more.

Navigating the Feast

Turkey is usually the central part of the Thanksgiving feast.

  • It is a high-protein food and has no carbohydrates. A portion is about 3-4 ounces, which is about the size of your palm.
  • Remove the skin on your turkey before eating it and choose white breast meat which is the leanest part of the bird.
  • Roast your turkey instead of deep-frying it. Roasting is a cooking method that requires little-to-no added fat. Just make sure you add some seasonings. Looking for a good turkey recipe? Try our Herb-Roasted Turkey this year!

The main ingredient in most stuffing recipes is bread, so it is high in carbohydrates and will need to be counted in your meal plan.

  • ½ cup of stuffing usually has about 15-30 grams of carbohydrate. Because it can vary, be sure to check the nutrition facts for your recipe.
  • Add extra non-starchy veggies like onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to your stuffing and use whole grain or 100% whole wheat bread.

Potatoes are another staple food on Thanksgiving Day. From buttery mashed potatoes to sweet potato casserole – these dishes can really pack in the carbohydrates, saturated fat, and calories.

  • Keep portions small, especially if there is a lot of added cheese, butter, or cream. One-half cup of mashed potatoes usually has about 15 grams of carbohydrate.
  • At the table, there’s no need to add a lot of extra sour cream or butter to your potatoes. Simply season them with a bit of freshly ground pepper or some trans-free margarine. Instead of sour cream, try non-fat Greek yogurt which is a much healthier alternative.
  • Sweet potatoes are especially flavorful on their own – there’s no need for alot of extra sugar or butter!
  • If you’re in charge of the potatoes this year, choose a “made-over” potato recipe that uses healthier ingredients. You can find some recipes right here on Recipes for Healthy Living like Sweet Potato Fries, Potato Casserole, or Herb and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes.

Green Bean Casserole is also a very popular Thanksgiving side dish. You might be thinking this is a great option since green beans are a non-starchy vegetable. However, as with all casseroles, it can be packed with unhealthy fats and calories from ingredients like creamy soup, butter, and fried onions. Here are some tips when it comes to vegetable side dishes:

  • Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Choose vegetable side dishes that include roasted or cooked vegetables without creamy sauces.
  • Offer to bring a delicious green salad for the occasion and serve the dressing on the side. A recipe you could try is our Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette.
  • Season veggie side dishes with fresh herbs or onions and garlic. You can also put out some trans-free margarine for your guests to use if they want extra flavor.
  • Some other non-starchy vegetable side dishes that go great with a Thanksgiving meal are cooked carrots, steamed green beans, Sautéed Garlicky Spinach, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli Almondine, or our Creamy Cheesy Cauliflower.

Cranberry sauce usually has a lot of added sugar and is dense in carbohydrates.

  • Just two tablespoons has almost 15 grams of carbohydrate.
  • If you absolutely cannot live without it, make sure you use just a tablespoon or two on top of your turkey. A little bit will go a long way!

Wondering how dessert fits into it all? Read our article on Fitting in Dessert.

Diabetic-Friendly Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and we have been featuring weekly recipes for DigItFarms’ CSA program, I thought it would be a good fit to feature some diabetic-friendly Thanksgiving Side Dish recipes. Below are some of the best looking recipes from diabeticlivingonline.com’s list. This is just a sample of the four recipes I thought looked the best, so check out the full article for a total of 22 ideas.

This Thanksgiving, show your loved ones how much you care by cooking up a nutritious holiday celebration. Choose from our collection of scrumptious diabetic side dishes to create an indulgent feast while keeping your eating plan on track. After all, Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most delicious meals we enjoy all year!

 

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 medium round red potato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 8 ounces low-fat, reduced-sodium cooked boneless ham, cut into thin strips
  • Paprika

Click HERE for cooking directions.

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon dry ranch salad dressing mix
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 cup soft whole wheat or white bread crumbs (1-1/3 slices bread)

Click HERE for cooking directions.

Rosemary Chive Parker House Rolls

Ingredients

  • 3 -3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh rosemary
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute* equivalent to 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Click HERE for cooking directions.

Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute* equivalent to 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon lower-fat stick margarine, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

Click HERE for cooking directions.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

World Diabetes Day is November 14!

From the International Diabetes Federation:

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated annually on November 14. Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.

Activities and materials in 2015 will focus on healthy eating as a key factor in the fight against diabetes and a cornerstone of health and sustainable development.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKrCeiUuwDE

From diabetes.co.uk, “the theme of World Diabetes Day, from 2014 to 2016 will be healthy living and diabetes and this year, there’s a focus on starting each day right by having a healthy breakfast.” Here are the key messages that the International Diabetes Federation focused on during 2014:

1. ‘Investing’ in a healthy breakfast will reduce the global burden of diabetes, and save billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs.

2. Ensuring access to an affordable and healthy breakfast is essential to reducing the global burden of diabetes.

To supplement our usual CSA Recipe feature and keep in theme with the goal of this health holiday, here are a few diabetes-friendly breakfast recipes for you to try this month.

The Durham Diabetes Coalition

During Diabetes Awareness Month, we are featuring topics and resources that can help our patients diagnose, treat, and manage their diabetes.

The Durham Diabetes Coalition is “a partnership of Durham County health and community organizations, faith-based groups, local government and universities, and community members.” They have helpful resources for managing your diabetes and host webinars to educate the community about diabetes online.

To help raise awareness for their good cause, we have listed a few of their upcoming webinars below, including two that are scheduled for this afternoon, if you’re interested in checking them out.

Tips for Traveling with Diabetes – Thursday, November 12, 2015; 2PM-2:30PM; Click HERE!

If you have any difficulties registering for the webinars using the links in this document, please contact Willa Robinson Allen at 919.560.7771 or via email at wrobinson@dconc.gov at least 15-20 minutes prior to the start of a webinar.  Please note, the confirmation link will be sent to the email address you included in your registration.  So, make sure you are able to access that email address prior to the start of the webinar.

Pre-diabetes – Thursday, November 12, 2015; 3PM-3:30PM; Click HERE!

Diabetes is a serious disease.  While there is no cure for diabetes, there are ways to live a healthy lifestyle and properly manage diabetes.  This webinar will go over four steps to help those with diabetes understand, monitor and manage their diabetes.

Vegetarian Eating and Diabetes – Things You Should Know – Tuesday, November 17, 2015; 10AM-10:30AM; Click HERE!

Eating fruits and vegetables is part of a healthy diet for most everyone.  While they are low in fat and high in fiber, there are still considerations that must be made if you have diabetes.  A dietician specializing in the area of diabetes will facilitate this webinar to help you learn how smarter food choices assist in diabetes management.

You can check out the full event schedule here.

Diabetes In The United States

Because November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, we are focusing on topics relevant to diabetes and how we can help our patients with the diagnosis.

Instead of a bunch of words, simply posting this nice infographic from the CDC seems like a much more efficient way for me to tell you that diabetes is widespread concern that probably impacts someone you know. Please take a moment to at least skim some of the statistics and details about diabetes in the graphic below. On a side note, I may or may not have chosen this particular infographic because it fits in so nicely with our website’s color scheme.

If your diabetes is uncontrolled or believe you are at risk of developing diabetes, please contact your physician and schedule an appointment. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help yourself or someone you love, the American Diabetes Association offers a free program to people with type 2 diabetes called “Living With Type 2 Diabetes.”

The program, available in English and Spanish, provides information and offers free guidance to help people learn how to manage diabetes at regular intervals throughout the year-long. People can enroll into this free program by visiting diabetes.org/type2program, calling 1-800-DIABETES, or texting Type2 to 69866 to learn more about the program in English or Tipo2 to 69866 to learn more about the program in Spanish.

Topics and resources include:

  • Food, nutrition and recipes
  • Stress and emotions (see infographic below)
  • Physical activity
  • Complications
  • Peer support online and via phone
  • Support from the Association’s local office
  • Support from the Association’s National Call Center
  • Opt in text messaging

– See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/infographics.html#sthash.2QaK4ZV9.dpuf

November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month!

In keeping with the National Diabetes Awareness Month theme, it makes sense that November is also National Diabetic Eye Disease Month. From our local UNC Hospital:

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, approximately 29 million Americans age 20 or older have diabetes, but almost one-third don’t know they have the disease and are at risk for vision loss and other health problems.

Early symptoms are often unnoticed, therefore vision may not be affected until the disease is severe and less easily treated.

Diabetic eye disease, a group of eye problems that affects those with diabetes, includes diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma. The most common of these is diabetic retinopathy, which affects 5.3 million Americans age 18 and older.

From friendsforsight.org:

Diabetes can lead to a wide variety health complications, including heart disease, nerve damage, stroke, kidney disease, and vision loss. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans. Diabetes is a risk factor for developing glaucoma, as well as for developing cataracts, but the most common and debilitating vision problem experienced by diabetics is diabetic retinopathy.

Today 3.6 million Americans ages 40 and older suffer from the diabetic retinopathy. During Diabetic Eye Disease Month, Friends for Sight encourages individuals with diabetes to take preventative measures and protect their eyes from the devastating effects of diabetes.

From caringnews.com:

What is diabetic eye disease?

Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye problems affecting people who have diabetes. This includes cataracts and glaucoma, but the most common type is diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20 – 74 years of age. In this condition, the high blood sugar levels associated with diabetes cause the blood vessels of the retina to swell, leak fluid or become blocked. Sometimes abnormal new blood vessels grow on the retina. Diabetic retinopathy can result in severe vision loss.

Reducing the risk of diabetic eye disease

The good news is that people with diabetes can lower their risk of developing diabetic eye disease. The National Eye Institute (NEI) urges people with diabetes to keep their health on TRACK:

Take your medications.
Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Add physical activity to your daily routine.
Control your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Kick the smoking habit.

Diagnosis and treatment

Prevention is the best step to protect against the damage caused by diabetic eye disease. But although diabetic eye disease cannot be cured, ophthalmologists offer a number of treatments to reduce or halt the loss of vision. This can only happen if the problem is detected early enough—and unfortunately, patients may not notice that anything is amiss during the early stages. So regular eye exams are extra-important for people with diabetes.

Says the NEI’s Dr. Paul A. Sieving, “The longer a person has diabetes, the greater his or her risk of developing diabetic eye disease. If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease often has no early warning signs, but can be detected early and treated before vision loss occurs. Don’t wait until you notice an eye problem to have a dilated eye exam, because vision that is lost often cannot be restored.”

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month!


This month, the Family Care blog will be featuring educational materials and information specifically for people living with diabetes. Our office has held free diabetes education classes for our patients for the past few years because we think it is necessary for patients to fully understand the disease to lower their health risks and the overall impact that diabetes has on their lives. November is designated as National Diabetes Education Month by the American Diabetes Association, so it is a great time to raise awareness of the challenges and help provide a better understanding of how to live with diabetes. The goal of the month, according to the American Diabetes Association:

The vision of the American Diabetes Association is a life free of diabetes and all of its burdens. Raising awareness of this ever-growing disease is one of the main efforts behind the mission of the Association. American Diabetes Month® (ADM) is an important element in this effort, with programs designed to focus the nation’s attention on the issues surrounding diabetes and the many people who are impacted by the disease.

Here are just a few of the recent statistics on diabetes:

  • Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
  • Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion.

Here is a great video of Republican Congressman Tom Reed discussing his personal reasons for recognizing and promoting National Diabetes Awareness Month in November and the reasons it is really a 365-day-per-year cause.

Throughout the month, we will have more content and specifics, so consider this an introduction to National Diabetes Awareness Month. For final takeaways, here are three messages on what National Diabetes Awareness Month is all about from the American Diabetes Association:

Eat Well, America! This year’s theme for American Diabetes Month in November.

  1. Eating well means more than eating healthy. Eating well means savoring food that is delicious, nutritious and simple to prepare.
  2. The American Diabetes Association will show people living with diabetes and others who want to lead a healthy lifestyle how to enjoy foods that are both delicious and nutritious.
  3. We will inspire Americans to eat well by equipping them with tips for planning and preparing healthy meals on their own.
  4. Diabetesforecast.org/adm and 1-800-DIABETES are the go-to resources offering meal planning, shopping tips, grocery lists, chef’s preparation secrets and delicious recipes.
  5. The Association is leading the conversation that helps the nearly 30 million Americans living with diabetes and the 86 million Americans with prediabetes, as well as their loved ones, achieve health and wellness every single day.

Healthy Eating from Start to Finish. The Association will show Americans how to eat healthy from start to finish, without sacrificing flavor.

  1. Every week in November, the Association will introduce recipes for every meal, including snacks and recipes for the holidays and other special occasions, when indulgences can present a challenge to your healthy eating plan.
  2. The Association will include seasonal recipes and tips from noted cookbook authors and chefs to give Americans the extra boost to incorporate healthy eating into their everyday lives.
  3. We will address the start-to-finish steps that empower people to put together a healthy meal that tastes good and is good for you and your family:
    1. Planning and shopping tips will include mapping out a shopping trip, creating a shopping list and choosing budget-friendly ingredients.
    2. Preparation and cooking tips will include tools and techniques that guarantee recipe success.
    3. Plating and serving tips will guide people with simple steps to create a healthy, nutritious and appealing plate of food—whether at home or dining out.
    4. Complete nutrition information for every recipe so that people can decide which dishes suit them best, based on their diabetes management plan and personal tastes.

Lunch Right with Every Bite! On National Healthy Lunch Day, the Association’s annual celebration of nutritious eating, we will spotlight what healthful, simple and enjoyable meals look like.

  1. This year we’ll celebrate National Healthy Lunch Day on Nov.17, when we encourage everyone to “lunch right with every bite” and make better food choices to counter expanding waistlines, low energy and rising rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity-related illness. To start, let’s do lunch—a healthy lunch.
  2. On this day, we will ask Americans to make or buy a healthy lunch and encourage employers and restaurants to provide healthy alternatives.
  3. In addition, we’ll ask people to share their healthy lunch photos using the hashtag #MyHealthyLunch to create social media buzz. Our fans and followers will inspire their friends and family to make healthy lunch choices that best fit their lifestyle.