Celebrating the Holidays with Diabetes Doesn't Have to Be a Buzz Kill

Most of you probably know someone that is a diabetic, and you know that they must watch their blood sugar levels daily. For many who suffer from this disease, it is a constant battle, and they often sacrifice their taste buds' enjoyment for the sake of health. Constantly denying yourself the things that you love to eat can make any person crazy, but attending family holiday feasts filled with your favorite forbidden foods can be downright torturous. While many diabetics get away with merely substituting Splenda or Equal for sugar, others are not so fortunate. They must also count carbohydrates, fat, salt, and in some cases, they must even minimize caffeine intake. This article will not only explore many easy tips and substitutions for popular recipes, but it will also suggest some new spins on time honored family favorites.

The simplest way to gear holiday dinners towards diabetics is to cook with them in mind. Most recipes can be made with sugar substitutes, salt substitutes, and in some cases, low-fat items. However, pay careful attention when using low-fat products, as they sometimes contain more carbohydrates. Simple replacements like unsalted margarine, low fat or skim milk, egg beaters, and sugar substitutes can make baked items such as desserts, casseroles, and stuffing healthier. Often times, these simple fixes won't even affect a food's taste.

Other changes won't be as simple. Stuffing and sweet potatoes are loaded with carbohydrates, but they can be cooked in ways that can help cut down on the sugar. My family has several diabetics, so we have manipulated and developed several recipes over the years. Here are a few of our favorites. When making stuffing, it is important to use the correct type of bread. White bread is full of sugar, and wheat bread is even worse. We like to use sour dough bread in our recipe. It is just as tasty, and it contains the least amount of carbohydrates.

Instead of a marshmallow encrusted sweet potato pie, we have opted for a more savory recipe. Peel and chunk your sweet potatoes. Place them into a baking dish with a moderate amount of unsalted margarine, or season with butter buds. Bake until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle a light coating of low fat shredded cheese (we prefer cheddar) and bake until cheese is melted. This recipe quickly became a favorite around our holiday dinner table.

One of the most difficult items to replace is the cranberry sauce. Where I live it is almost impossible to find sugar free canned cranberry sauce. What we did, was we found a nice recipe for homemade cranberry relish, and we substituted Splenda for the sugar. We tried many different recipes before we found one that we all agreed on. If you try adding a few tablespoons of orange juice, you will notice a big difference to any recipe you choose.