Classic Thanksgiving dishes that can be diabetes- friendly

Jokes about food comas lose their humor when facing holiday celebrations and living with diabetes. Holiday celebrations tend to center on food, often a carb-loaded comfort food. While moderation is always good advice, it can be a bit of a downer and squash some holiday fun. This Thanksgiving, try these diabetes-friendly dishes for the whole family. You’ll get all the taste sensation without the worry.

Director of Connected Health & Wellness and registered dietitian, Mary Mellady, shares that turkey and other meats are pretty safe. “Do not eat the skin and don’t add any more salt to it,” she added.

Mash

Forget the mashed potatoes and try this Root Veggie Mash from the TMC kitchen. It’s a favorite among the staff and by combining parsnip and turnips with a single potato, you can have your potato and eat it too. 

Cornbread with a twist

Cornbread tends to be relatively high in carbs as it’s predominately cornmeal and corn. Substitute the cornmeal with a combo of almond and coconut flour to get a similar texture to the traditional comfort food. Make a double loaf and use it for the stuffing too. 

Stuffing

Most recipes call for bread, which can spike your blood sugar. However in this stuffing recipe, you can substitute with the almond/coconut recipe above to lower the carb count. 

Vegetables

Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Almonds - Beyond Type 1 drowning your green beans in a creamy sauce that packs a hidden punch of carb and topping it with battered onions, try this still creamy but healthier alternative from Beyond Type 1.

Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Walnuts - Beyond Type 1 couldn’t resist the look of this as an additional veggie dish with apples and walnuts, also from Beyond Type 1

Dessert

We’re not sure there is any good substitution for pecan pie, so if that’s an absolute must on your list, make sure to keep the slice small and savor the time eating it. If you’re open to a totally different, but equally rich and yummy alternative, try these Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls: https://www.cottercrunch.com/chocolate-coconut-protein-balls/. There are also lots of good options for pumpkin pie. We like this pumpkin pie from Eating Well.