{"id":650,"date":"2009-11-10T04:18:48","date_gmt":"2009-11-10T04:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=650"},"modified":"2009-11-10T04:18:48","modified_gmt":"2009-11-10T04:18:48","slug":"making-turkey-day-healthier-for-diabetics-and-non-diabetics-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/making-turkey-day-healthier-for-diabetics-and-non-diabetics-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Turkey Day Healthier for Diabetics–and Non-Diabetics, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

7 Tricks Make Thanksgiving Easier on the Blood Sugar<\/h2>\n

You know that sinking feeling\u2014more like a crash, really.\u00a0 The rolls, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and pies have all been devoured and now they’ve joined forces to create white carb havoc.<\/p>\n

While most of us joke about the stupor we fall into after a big turkey dinner, Thanksgiving aftershock is not a joking matter for diabetics.\u00a0 Hence the call I got from Pam Mellskog, reporter for Longmont’s Times-Call<\/em>.\u00a0 November is Diabetes Month and Pam was looking for ideas that could make Thanksgiving easier for diabetics.\u00a0 Here are some of the things we talked about.<\/p>\n

First, a clarification:\u00a0 There isn’t such a thing as a specific “diabetic diet.”\u00a0 Diabetics benefit from the same whole and natural eating approach that everyone benefits from:\u00a0 real fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, good fats, beans, nuts\u2014in other words, foods that come straight from the earth or as close thereto as possible.\u00a0 What’s not so great for diabetics are the same manufactured foods that aren’t great for any of us:\u00a0 white sugar, candy, sodas, white flour breads, muffins, cakes, pizzas and cookies, and other highly processed packaged foods.*<\/p>\n

Ideally, we’d would pitch most of the traditional Thanksgiving meal out the window if there were any diabetics at the table.\u00a0 As this would like spark serious civil unrest, however, I shared some intermediate steps with Pam:<\/p>\n

Trick 1:\u00a0 Weave in Whole Grains<\/span><\/strong> This is one of the easiest ways to “healthify” the Thanksgiving meal.\u00a0 You might remember the whole grain article in September’s newsletter, “What Makes Whole Grains So Hard to Eat<\/a>?”\u00a0 As one reader commented, whole grains aren’t so hard to eat if you just follow a 50-50 rule:<\/p>\n

For my baked goods, I just make them out of half white, half whole wheat flours. The difference between 50-50 and all-white is much smaller than the jump to 100% whole grain. Whole grain flours do not hold moisture as well as processed ones, so using half white maintains a familiar texture, while actually increasing flavor.<\/p>\n

So Trick 1 this Thanksgiving is to make 50-50 baked goods.<\/p>\n