Diabetes-friendly entertaining

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 . . .