Heading into the holidays can be a difficult season for someone who is trying to manage their health by keeping blood sugars on target and/ or accomplishing managing weight. It’s also a busy season in which sometimes health goals lose priority.
Here are some suggestions that might help you stay on track:
- Choosing something lower calorie instead of high-calorie food. For example, instead of cherry pie for dessert, warm up either fresh or frozen fruit, add some lite Greek yogurt and top with a couple of crushed pecans to give the dessert some crunch. You will be decreasing added sugars and saturated fats while adding some calcium (from the yogurt) and healthy fats (from the pecans).
- Eat less of it. Only make enough for what you need on Thanksgiving! The question always comes up on what to do with the leftover turkey!
- A quick recipe is a turkey enchilada. Choose a high-fiber tortilla, add skinless turkey, add enchilada sauce, top with a modest portion of reduced-fat shredded cheese, sprinkle with cilantro. Cover and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!
- Eat high calorie food less often. Having multiple casserole dishes is a lot of work to prepare and deal with leftovers. Change out a couple of casseroles for some lower calorie roasted vegetables! Cut vegetables in small pieces, lay flat on a pan, drizzle with a modest amount of olive and roast in an oven (temperature at 375-425 degrees) until vegetables are able to cut with a fork (or preferred desired doneness).
Enjoy the sights and smells of Thanksgiving while keeping sight of your health targets!
Need help getting your diabetes under control? Let the UofL Health – Diabetes and Nutrition Care help. Request an appointment online or call 502-588-4600.
