Healthy Holiday Recipes Don’t Have to be Just for Diabetics, but for Anyone!
The holidays are difficult. The holidays are even more difficult when you’re a diabetic, or someone who is strictly watching their diet. Sometimes finding diabetic holiday recipes can be challenging, just like finding healthy holidays recipes. You can use our outline of healthy holiday recipes as a way to bring new and delicious holiday plates to your holiday gathering. These healthy holiday recipes don’t have to be just for diabetics, but for anyone! Below you will find a few recipes for each course of a holiday meal and below we have chosen a few specific recipes to provide grocery lists for. Not to mention you can click on the titles below to find the full recipe.
Find more healthy recipes for diabetics here.
Healthy Holiday Recipes
What makes a healthy recipe? In order to find the best diabetic holiday recipes you must be aware of the amount of carbohydrates contained in each serving. 30 grams of carbohydrates per serving is considered the maximum when it comes to diabetic holiday recipes. Carbohydrates affect the amount of sugar in the blood and the holidays are full of high sugar foods. Here are a few of our healthy holiday recipes for diabetics:
Starters:
- Hummus made with Edamame
- Mini Turkey Meatballs
- Spinach and Goat Cheese
- Shrimp cocktail
Soups & Salad:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Chopped Salad with Lemon and Dill Dressing
- Healthy Choice Recipe of Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Mains:
- Ratatouille with Red Snapper
- Sweet and Sour Brisket
- Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Sides:
- Green beans with tomatoes
- Roasted carrots
- Sautéed kale
- Garlic sautéed spinach with onions
Desserts:
- Holiday Sugar cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Snowballs
Here we’re going to give you a breakdown of the ingredients needed in some of the recipes so you can stock up on your trips to the supermarket, or make a grocery list. We went through and selected a few from each section, click on the title of the plate to see full recipe.
Hummus made with Edamame
- Frozen, shelled edamame
- Tahini
- Water
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Olive oil
- Parsley
Healthy Choice Recipe of Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Olive oilOnion
- Garlic
- Ground nutmeg
- Broccoli
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Low fat milk
- All-purpose flour
- Shredded extra sharp cheddar
- Salt
- Pepper
Sweet and Sour Brisket
- Beef brisket – trimmed of fat
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Canola oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato sauce (without salt)
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Dark brown sugar
- Cider vinegar
- Raisins
- Peppercorns
- Allspice berry
Ratatouille with Red Snapper
- Olive oil
- Eggplant
- Onion
- Minced garlic
- Zucchini
- Diced tomatoes with no salt
- Herbs de Provence
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red snapper fillets, with skin
- Lemon
- Rosemary infused olive oil
Green Beans with Tomatoes
- Bacon
- Onion
- Green beans
- 3 cans whole tomatoes with juice
- Salt & pepper
- Cayenne pepper
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- Unsalted butter
- White sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Canned pumpkin puree
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- SaltGround cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
More Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays
After reading through the various healthy holiday recipes I’m sure you’re wondering how else you can manage diabetes during the holidays. Make sure that you plan ahead before any event, take a look at menus online or find out what will be served at dinner so that you can be prepared. Make sure not to skip meals because it can negatively impact blood sugar levels. Take snacks with you or prepare meals for those days when you’re extra busy.
Always remember to stay hydrated. Drinking water helps keep you full and keeps your body moving. Watch your portion sizes and make sure to pay attention to the intake of carbohydrates. When all else fails, maintain an active holiday, go for walks and make sure to keep moving.