Festive Feasting: 4 healthy recipes for a diabetes-friendly holiday table
Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Festive Feasting: 4 healthy recipes for a diabetes-friendly holiday table

While the holidays are about so much more than eating, there’s no denying that food plays a major part in every gathering. For people with diabetes, navigating the table can be challenging and, at times, frustrating. Nobody likes to feel like they’re missing out on the good stuff.

Fortunately, there are options for crafting holiday staples that are full of flavor and won’t play games with your numbers. Here are just a few recipes you can use to plan a feast that will bring joy to your table and keep your sugar levels in check.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Serves 6

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon sage

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 6-7 pound turkey breast

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle setting and preheat oven to 325° F.
  2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix make a wet rub. 
  3. Place turkey breast in roasting pan and apply rub evenly over both sides of the breast.
  4. Bake for 1.5 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Cranberry-Mandarin Orange Relish

Serves 6

1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries

1 8-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoon sugar

  1. Chop cranberries by hand or use food processor. 
  2. Place in a medium-sized bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Stir to mix well and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld. 

Cauliflower Mash

Serves 6

2 medium head of fresh cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

6 ounces of cream cheese

½ cup skim milk

Dash of black pepper

½ cup chopped chives or scallions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil water. 
  2. Add cauliflower florets and boil until fork-tender, roughly 10 minutes.
  3. Drain cauliflower and press out all extra water. Don’t worry about crushing it as you’ll be mashing it in the next step.
  4. Return drained cauliflower to the pot and mash with potato masher. 
  5. Stir in cream cheese, milk and black pepper.
  6. Fold in chives or scallions and blend to distribute the greens evenly.

Apple Crisp

Serves 6

6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3 cups frozen Hubbard squash drained

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 egg

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup brown sugar

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Lightly coat an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  3. Place prepared apples in an even layer across the bottom of the pan.
  4. Drizzle apples with honey.
  5. Place remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a hand blender to whip to a soft, even consistency. This can also be done in a food processor.
  6. Spread mixture over apples.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes and serve warm.

For more diabetes-friendly holiday recipes, visit the Diabetes Food Hub sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.

Kristin Irace, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian in in-patient, renal dialysis, oncology, and cardiac rehab services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

 

Print
1381

Theme picker

MORE NEWS

 

 

 

Resuming Regular Care

So many important medical appointments were booked for March and April and canceled during the height of the pandemic. Now we are beginning to refocus on the fact that skipping appointments, even if you are feeling well now, could become harmful.

One important group of patients that we are eager to see are those with serious chronic conditions. These diseases require patients to see their primary care provider or a specialist at least once a year and sometimes far more frequently than that. Those with heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for instance, all require regular contact with your provider.

Another group of patients we'd like to see are those with new medical concerns. We know that new medical concerns don't stop during a pandemic. Some conditions, like depression and anxiety, are far more prevalent during a pandemic than before. In many cases, new conditions are easiest to treat when patients first notice symptoms, and delaying care for these conditions can be dangerous.

Even regular care for those who are healthy is as important as ever. Other diseases—cancer in particular—haven't gone away. So, if you would normally be getting a screening such as a colonoscopy or mammogram, it's time to schedule an appointment. Many cancers can be detected and treated early with better outcomes. We can only expect those good results, if people are screened.

For children, regular vaccines are very important. If a big portion of the population neglects to get important childhood vaccines on schedule, we may be susceptible to outbreaks of measles or whooping cough.

There are many steps we have taken to improve safety for those seeking medical care. The first one is the availability of telemedicine. If the condition you are seeking treatment for does not require diagnostics or a physical exam, your provider can meet you virtually using any Internet-enabled device or over the phone. See details here.

If you do need to come to the office, you will notice check-ins at entrances, where staff check patients and visitors for respiratory symptoms and ensure that all are masked. You'll also notice efforts to space the waiting rooms to improve social distancing.

So how do you get the care you need?

  • If you have a primary care provider, call in to see what you may have missed during the pandemic. Did you miss an appointment to manage a chronic condition? Also share any new health concerns you have and check that you and your family members are up to date on all of your screenings and vaccinations.
  • If you don’t have a regular doctor, it makes sense to get one now. Locally, call the find-a-provider line at 802-447-5007 for a directory of practices that are accepting new patients.
  • Those with time-sensitive medical needs can use ExpressCare, a walk-in clinic, on the hospital campus in Bennington. Be sure to call ahead to 802-440-4077 if you have respiratory symptoms.
  • For Emergency Care, always come directly to the SVMC Emergency Department.

Most off all, we want our patients to know that we are here for them. There is no longer a need to delay medical care, whether for known conditions, new concerns, or preventive care. In every step we take, we are protecting patients against COVID-19 and helping patients with all of their other medical needs, too.

Bob Schwartz, MD, is associate medical director of Dartmouth- Hitchcock Putnam Physicians at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester.

Theme picker

MORE NEWS

Theme picker

VIEW ALL

Theme picker

VIEW ALL

Our Services

PARTNERSHIP IS POWERFUL MEDICINE

A commitment to excellence and a patient-centered approach sets Southwestern Vermont Health Care apart.

 Cancer Care
 Orthopedics
 Emergency
 Maternity
 Primary Care
 ExpressCare
 Cardiology
 Rehab & Residential Care
View All Services

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

VIEW ALL