Festive Diabetes-Friendly Recipes to Get You Started
If you’re still at a loss as to how to create a tasty, diabetes-friendly dish for your table, try one (or more) of the following recipes that are perfect on a holiday menu. These crowd-pleasers get the thumbs-up from diabetes experts.
1. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This recipe from Downshiftology offers a delicious way to add more veggies to your holiday plate, Smithson notes. What’s more, Brussels sprouts are a nonstarchy vegetable, which is one food group theADA encouragespeople with diabetes to eat aplenty. Nonstarchy veggies are chock-full of vitamins and minerals yet low in calories. Plus, the recipe couldn’t be more straightforward: Simply toss sliced Brussels sprouts in olive or avocado oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven. You’ll end up with a crunchy, healthy side dish.
Nutrition per serving (serves 6): 90 calories, 5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 28 mg sodium.
2. Mashed Butternut Squash
While this recipe from Well Plated includes two carb-heavy ingredients (butternut squash and maple syrup), it balances the scale with low- and no-carb ingredients (olive oil, almond milk, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and spices). The result: a diabetes-friendly dish that contains 17 g of carbs per serving, Smithson says.
Nutrition per serving (serves 6): 109 calories, 5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 407 mg sodium.
3. Healthy Pumpkin Pie
What are the holidays without pie? With this recipe by Amy’s Healthy Baking, your guests can enjoy the traditional flavor of pumpkin pie, without the hefty dose of calories, sugar, and fat typically found in the treat. Plus, it’s a good source of fiber with over 3 g per serving. “Including higher-fiber foods with your meals will help blunt spikes in blood sugar,” Smithson says.
Nutrition per serving (serves 10): 135 calories, 4.6 g total fat (2.6 g saturated fat), 4.3 g protein, 19.6 g carbohydrates, 3.4 g fiber, 7.6 g sugar, 189.7 mg sodium.
4. Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce
This healthier version of a holiday classic from Wholesome Yum offers plenty of flavor without loads of added sugar. It contains only four ingredients: cranberries, water, erythritol, and orange zest. “This recipe can fit into the holiday meal for a person with diabetes as long as the full 6 g of carbohydrate is calculated into the whole meal,” Smithson says.
Nutrition per serving (serves 6): 32 calories, 0 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), 0 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 2 g sugar.
5. Twice-Baked Potatoes
Kimberlain offers up this recipe as a way of enjoying a flavorful potato dish — minus the standard heaping serving of butter. “I used a little butter in the recipe, but in all honesty, many recipes use double to triple the amount,” she notes. “Any time you’re able to cut back on the amount added in is of benefit.”
Nutrition per serving (serves 8): 164 calories, 5.5 g total fat (2.4 g saturated fat), 5.5 g protein, 24.2 g carbohydrates, 3.6 g fiber, 3.2 g sugar, 110.1 mg sodium.
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