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Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family, feast, and share in fellowship. But, for someone with diabetes, Thanksgiving can prove a difficult holiday to navigate. If you’re cooking for a senior loved one with diabetes, you’ll want to include healthy dishes to accommodate their needs. Healthy doesn’t mean skimping on flavor, though. To help you broaden your Thanksgiving menu horizons, here’s a list of smart, diabetic friendly options for your Turkey Day feast.
Sides
Of course, we all love traditional Thanksgiving Day sides like mashed potatoes and stuffing. But, these are not always the healthiest options on the table. This season, try a fresh spin on mashed potatoes with this recipe for pumpkin mashed potatoes. Not only will you be creatively updating an old favorite, you’ll be catering to your senior loved one’s dietary needs.
For stuffing, there’s this tasty carrot and mushroom stuffing recipe that has only 130 calories per serving. It’s a new take on a traditional recipe without pivoting too far from what makes stuffing taste so great (hint: good, hearty bread).
Along with those, a fresh salad can also make an excellent side dish and a healthy option for your diabetic loved one. Our recommendations for salad are this light Waldorf recipe for a healthier version of the classic Thanksgiving dish, and this cranberry cucumber salad for something bold, festive and delicious.
Main Dishes
Of course, this holiday is about the turkey. Although traditional methods of preparing turkey for Thanksgiving range from moderately healthy to extremely unhealthy, we’ve got just the take on turkey to delight your guests and please your diabetic loved one. This herb-rubbed roast turkey has deep flavor due to its tarragon, thyme, and rosemary spice blend, plus it’s only 374 calories per serving.
If you’re looking for a different kind of Thanksgiving turkey, consider this recipe for a maple-glazed bird. Using the flavors of orange, maple, and marjoram, this recipe is a sweet and savory treat for any table.
Desserts
Desserts like pumpkin pie still hold down their role in holiday festivities, even for those on limited sugar intake. When cooking for a diabetic, dessert is going to be the arena where you have to put the most thought. To help you out here are two sweet suggestions, one classic for the sticklers out there and one that’s a little more adventurous.
This spoonable pumpkin pie makes for a great diabetic version of traditional pie. With less fat and sugar than traditional recipes, and chopped pecans for an added crunch, how can you go wrong?
Lastly, this recipe for cranberry orange bars is a new and tasty suggestion from EatingWell. Using whole wheat flour, fresh fruit, and orange juice, these are just the ticket for any dessert tray and make simple grab and go treats for potlucks and parties.
Making the most of the holidays doesn’t always mean sticking to tradition. When we’re cooking for the ones we love, sometimes we have to adjust and compensate to help meet their dietary needs. Thankfully, with these recipes, you won’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. At Life Settlement Advisors, we understand that sometimes tradition has a way of making it seem like the only direction. But, just because you have been making the same pumpkin pie for the last ten years doesn’t mean you can’t change. And similarly, just because your senior loved one has been paying the premiums on their life insurance even though they may no longer have need for the policy doesn’t mean they have to lose all of their investment.
In fact, if your senior loved one still maintains a life insurance policy they no longer need, did you know they can sell all or a portion of that policy for more than the cash surrender value? This is called a life settlement, or viatical. Contact Life Settlement Advisors today to learn more about the life settlement process or see if your parents pre-qualify.
Case Study:
Cathy now divorced, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Cathy has a bucket list that she wants to pursue so she sold her life insurance policy for $250,000 and started checking off the items on her list.
Leo LaGrotte
Life Settlement Advisors
317-863-5936
