Diabetics can enjoy holiday feasts with a little planning

“Cheat days” on a healthy diet aren’t a luxury diabetics are allowed to take, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy holiday feasts with their families.

Meridith Smith, MS, RDN, CDE, outpatient diabetes program coordinator at UF Health Endocrinology – Emerson, shares some tips to help you stay healthy without being excluded from your family’s holiday meals.

The focus on food can make the holidays—and especially Thanksgiving—an anxious time rather than a fun time for someone with diabetes. What do you recommend to help diabetics relax and enjoy the holiday without putting their health at risk?

A: You can enjoy the holidays and all of the same foods as everyone else by following a few simple steps. First, it’s important to not skip meals throughout the day, as this may result in overeating. While seemingly healthy foods may be offered, it is a mistake eating large portions of these as they can add on calories and disrupt your blood glucose levels.

Another strategy would be to use a smaller plate to encourage correct portion sizes and start by filling it up with vegetables and salad before going to entrees and desserts. Eating a salad before your meal can help you eat fewer calories overall.

Also, don’t forget to be mindful. Pay attention to hunger cues and eat slowly to savor every bite. Wait at least 10 minutes before you go back for seconds to see if you are still hungry.

What can someone do ahead of time to help plan and prepare for a big holiday meal, which often happens at a different time of day than our usual meals?

A: If you know what time the meal is going to be, you may want to adjust your eating schedule for that day so that the last meal you have eaten is about four hours before. This will prevent you from being so hungry that you overeat your Thanksgiving meal.

If you have any control over what is being prepared or served, you can follow these simple steps:

• Buy a turkey that is the right size for your group. A good rule to follow would be to allow for one pound per person.
• Choose a turkey that is not pre-basted so you can have full control over the basting using fat-free broth to save calories and fat.
• Include in your shopping list plenty of vegetables to use instead of chips for dips. These are also great to use in stuffing or as side dishes.
• Use whole-grain bread for your stuffing and add barley or wild rice to increase fiber.

Are there “safe” foods you recommend a diabetic puts on the table to help offset some of the other choices?

A: Vegetables are always good choices for diabetics. Filling half your plate with these can help control portion sizes of the other items you choose. As with any other meal, diabetics should be mindful of their servings of starches, dairy and fruits, as these affect blood sugars. Balancing your plate with a serving from each food group will ensure variety. Just keep an eye on portion size.

What’s a good guideline to help control portion sizes?

A: Following [the USDA’s] MyPlate guidelines, it’s best to make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Then, the other half can be one-quarter lean protein and the other quarter starch. Aim for 3-4 ounces of meat; a good guideline to follow would be measuring about the size of the palm of your hand. For starches, diabetic portions vary by food item. But typically, no more than a cup of mashed potatoes.

Do you recommend working some exercise into the day? Any favorite ways to do that?

Yes, physical activity should make up part of your day while enjoying delicious food with the family. A good way to incorporate this would be to get some physical activity after dinner. This can be a great time to go for a walk and catch up with family members, or you can play catch or basketball with the kids.

Food substitution tips

Here is a list of traditional favorite foods, healthier choices, and the reasons why:

• Instead of dark meat, choose white meat without the skin. It’s much lower in fat.
• Instead of candied yams, choose roasted sweet potatoes with a “topping bar” for guests to add the toppings they choose to their own potatoes. This choice will be lower in sugar and fat.
• Instead of canned cranberry sauce, choose fresh. It has less sugar.
• Instead of stuffing, choose whole wheat rolls. They have more fiber, less fat and you can control how much fat you put on them.
• Instead of pecan pie, choose pumpkin pie. Pumpkin is lower in calories and an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium and iron. Beware, though, that it is by no means low in calories.
• Instead of wine, drink apple cider. Both contain antioxidants known as flavonoids. Apple cider is the better choice because it doesn’t contain alcohol.
• Between graham cracker and pastry crusts, it’s a draw. They’re about the same when it comes to calories, both contain fat and the graham cracker crust usually has added sugar. However, the calorie levels are higher for a two-crust pastry pie, such as apple, because you are getting the pastry on the top and bottom.