Cooking for Someone With Diabetes

Whether it’s a family member or occasional guest, here’s what you need to know

Every good host or hostess wants to prepare a meal that’s tasty and attractive. But there’s an added challenge when the guest list includes a friend or relative with diabetes—and given the dramatic rise in type 2 diabetes, that’s more and more likely.

Concerned about how to be sensitive to and supportive of your guest’s dietary restrictions? Don’t be intimidated, says registered dietitian Yi-Wen Ding of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. The key is portion control for carbohydrate choices such as starch, fruit or milk. To maintain healthy blood-sugar levels, most women with diabetes should consume 30-45 grams of carbohydrates per meal, and most men 45-60 grams.

One method to help ensure your guest doesn’t exceed that intake is to serve your meal by the plate rather than buffet or family-style, Ding says (see details below). If you’re offering alcoholic drinks, provide a snack that contains carbohydrates, such as fruit or crackers. “Alcohol can dangerously lower blood sugar, especially on an empty stomach,” she says. Carbohydrates help keep blood sugar in balance. Check out her other strategies for a healthy diabetes-friendly meal below.

Go easy on salt and fat—Because diabetes raises the risk for high blood pressure, use herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt. Avoid saturated and trans fats. Use olive or canola oil, and grill or bake rather than fry.

Activity helps—Plan an activity like walking between dinner and dessert. The break spreads out your calorie and carbohydrate intake, which helps you maintain even blood-sugar levels.

Use the ‘plate method’—Half of the 9-inch dinner plate should contain non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, green beans or cabbage. Serve starchy foods (bread, grains, potatoes) on a quarter-plate and protein (meat, eggs) on the other quarter. You can add a serving of fruit or milk alongside.

Modify dessert recipes—Use Splenda (a sugar substitute) in place of half the sugar in the recipe, or simply cut the sugar—for example, use 1/2 cup instead of 3/4. You’ll get a slightly less sweet but still tasty dessert everyone can enjoy.

Want to Know More? For a diabetes-friendly holiday menu, call 610-402-CARE or click here.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, March-April 2008

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