Diabetes doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying the turkey and pumpkin pie. Here are some tips From Dena Lopez, RD Registered Dietitian at LIVIA.

 

  • Plan Ahead
    • Whether you’re doing the cooking or heading to a friend’s or family member’s for dinner, know what’s on the menu beforehand and plan what you’re going to eat. Diabetes or not, excessive amounts of anything unhealthy should be avoided. People with diabetes need to plan ahead with their insulin when eating high carbohydrate foods.
  •   Eat in Moderation
    •  A good rule of thumb is to remember the USDA’s Choose My Plate recommendations. Make half the plate vegetables, one-quarter protein and one-quarter carbohydrates.
  • Fill up on Vegetables
    • Just because you can’t eat a mound of mashed potatoes doesn’t mean you need to go hungry. Vegetables such as green beans, carrots, broccoli or Brussels sprouts are all free foods. You can eat as many veggies you want – as long as you stick to the right ones. Squash, pumpkin, acorn squash and butternut squash are all carbohydrates These starchy vegetables have to be included as part of their total carbohydrate intake.
  • Check your blood sugar often
    • Managing your blood sugar every day is crucial when you have diabetes, but even more so on Thanksgiving when you’re likely to have a lot more choices.
  • Don’t Spare the Deserts! *
    • Desserts are often carbohydrate heavy, so give yourself a budget of carbs for the day and save some for pumpkin pie. The American Diabetes Association recommends budgeting 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal.

*Remember you can have a taste, but don’t go wild!

….and most of all Enjoy!

Need an easy low carb paleo stuffing for Thanksgiving?

Stay tuned…coming early next week!!!!!

Additional Resources:

American Diabetes Association: https://www.diabetes.org/

Center for Disease Control:  https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.

WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes