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Diabetes-friendly entertaining

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Keep entertaining fun with Canadian Living's diabetes-friendly tips and recipes.
Choosing the right carbohydrates
Managing diabetes is about choosing the right foods in moderate portions – and these recipes and nutrition tips will help people living with diabetes (and their hosts) do just that.

Healthy eating tips
Here are tips from the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for healthy eating and maintenance of blood-glucose levels. 

• Enjoy three meals per day.
• Space meals and snacks no more than six hours apart. Try to balance each meal by choosing three of the four food groups. 
• Limit sugars and sweets, including candies, sweet drinks and desserts.
• Avoid high-fat foods, such as chips, pastries and deep-fried items. 
• Choose more high-fibre foods, including whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits.
• Select water to drink more often.

Choose the right carbohydrates
The Glycemic Index (GI) classifies carbohydrate-rich foods by the amount they raise blood-glucose. For people with diabetes, it is important to maintain stable blood glucose values at all times to avoid complications from the disease.

Consuming high-GI foods cause blood sugar to increase rapidly, while eating low-GI foods leads to better blood-glucose control. In addition to keeping blood-glucose stable, low GI foods may also help control cholesterol and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. The recipes on page 2 of this article - such as Canadian Living's Herbed Crab Dip -  feature foods that have low or medium GI values. It’s important to remember that choosing lower GI foods is only one part of healthy eating.

Here are examples of typical carbohydrate-rich holiday foods and their GI values:

High GI foods
Medium GI foods
Low GI foods
Dates Cantaloupe Orange
Watermelon Raisins Yogurt
White bread Whole wheat bread Pumpernickel bread
Waffles Long-grain white rice Brown rice
Parsnips Corn Beans/ peas
Red and white potatoes, peeled New potatoes, unpeeled Sweet potato
Graham crackers Arrowroot cookies Carrots
Saltine crackers Ice cream Dark chocolate
    Dairy products with no added sugar
    Meat and seafood cooked without sauces or breading


Page 1 of 2 – See page 2 for diabetic-friendly recipes . . .

  • Keywords : entertaining , holiday food , illnesses

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