Hosting a diabetic friendly Christmas

Are you hosting Christmas this year? Have some guests with diabetes? Here are some things to consider in planning the day’s meals and drinks.  

Some of us do celebrate with a turkey even if it is more of an American tradition. When carving up the turkey consider removing the skin and dividing up the meat into light-coloured (breast) and dark (thigh). This reduces the fat intake if your guests choose the light-coloured meat.  

Serve a lot of vegetables. They are low in calories and help you feel fuller for longer. Boil or steam your veggies over frying.  

No Christmas is complete without some dessert. Try serving desserts with single cream instead of double cream if you are serving a dessert that is usually served with cream. Or you can make a custard with a semi-skimmed or skimmed milk. When baking cakes or muffins try using fruit or fruit juice to sweeten your baked dessert.  

We all like to enjoy a drink or two for Christmas. Give your guests the option of some sugar-free or diet drinks. Juices tend to be high in sugar so don’t let that be your only option as a mixer for your alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can sometimes lower blood glucose levels which may sound like a good thing, but this increases the risk a hypo, which is where your blood glucose levels fall dangerously low.