Don't Forget to Count Carbs this Holiday Season

31/10/06 Stomachs are growling and mouths are already watering in anticipation of the holiday season. Thanksgiving dinner, holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and winter festivities all add up to the most food-centric time of the year. While many will eat until they need to loosen their belts, for people with diabetes, counting the carbohydrates they consume is especially important. According to the American Diabetes Association, almost 1 in every 17 Americans has diabetes, so it's very likely that someone at your table is keeping an eye on their carb intake.

One resource for holiday meal planning is the Recipe Box section at http://www.accu-chek.com/recipes. Recipes for cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, sweet potatoes, desserts and many other favorites are listed on the site along with their nutritional information and carb count.

"To make carb counting more manageable, I compare it to sticking with a budget. A person may have 60 grams of carbs to spend on a meal and needs to figure out how to get the most bang for their buck," says Patti Geil, registered dietitian and author of The Carbohydrate Counting Cookbook and Diabetes Nutrition A to Z. "Label reading and portion size should also be considered."

It's important for people with diabetes to count their carbohydrates because the more carbs they eat, the higher their blood glucose levels. So they have to adjust their insulin dosages accordingly in order to manage their diabetes.

But this doesn't mean that holiday meals have to taste bland or be boring. Family favorites can fit nicely into a meal plan.

"Carb counting is great during the holidays when people with diabetes realize that no food is 'off limits' -- it's all just a give and take. For example, if someone wants to eat one of Grandma's special flaky dinner rolls, it's important that they eat less of the homemade mashed potatoes so that the total amount of carb at the meal is consistent. It's all about moderation," advises Geil.