luckymom Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I am preparing side dishes and a dessert for a dinner where one of the guests is a diabetic. It is a birthday dinner so I do want to take some sort of cake to sing h-b-day with. I would like to make three side dishes and one or two desserts. Please share what you would make and if possible the recipe. I am a bit nervous about it. I want it to be delicious and festive but also sensitive to this guest's needs. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Any vegetable side dishes that don't have added sugar would be fine for a diabetic. Roasted root vegetables, greens sautéed with olive oil and garlic, bean salad. For dessert my husband will pass on cake because diabetic friendly ones usually involve artificial sweeteners so I give him an assortment of berries with fresh whipped cream. I don't add sugar when I make the whipped cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanda7 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Don't think sugar as much as carbs. If the diabetic is diet-controlled, the amount of carbs the person can eat is likely to be much lower than if the person is medicine-controlled. Personally, I have to eat extremely low carb right now, and I couldn't eat the root vegetables or the bean salad as suggested by the poster above. However, it might be perfectly fine for other diabetics. A regular garden salad with a low carb dressing (if bottled, look for 2 grams or less) would be fine. Steamed summer squashes and mashed cauliflower (steam it, then put it in the food processor with some salt, butter, and heavy cream) are side dishes that I could have. Berries and maybe a small bowl of dark chocolate pieces would be nice for dessert. Honestly, if I have a protein available, that isn't breaded or in a sugary sauce, and a large salad, I am in good shape and won't starve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 For desserts, alldayidreamaboutfood has great recipes. Not sure if you have while foods, wegmans, etc for ingredients. Google genaw low carb for lots of recipes including carb count. I think she has a cauliflower "mac and cheese" recipe that could work as a side. You can also so mashed cauliflower, as a previous poster suggested. If you have a food processor or blender cauliflower can also be "riced." Salads, cooked greens (spinach, kale, chard) are generally good choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Another nice summer recipe is a banana split cake made with almond flour, erythritol, etc. Banana is normally a nono but each piece would have just one or two little slices of banana. Carb count is included with the recip. Google bobo banana split cake and it should come up on lowcarbfriends. If you buy something like truvia ( fairly easy to find) make sure it isn't the one blended with real sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Be careful of artificial sweetners that end in -ol. Those are sugar alcohols and can cause GI upset. I avoid them like the plague. Here are lists of starchy and non-starchy vegetables. I would choose non-starchy vegetables over the starchy ones. Have you asked your friend what s/he would like to have? Also, if they use medications, (insulin or other meds) or have just made lifestyle changes. You could also provide a recipe card for every dish so they can calculate the carbs later. Make sure the recipe card is exactly how you made it, including brand names. For dessert, I would love fresh berries with real whipped cream, no sugar added. Thanks for being such a thoughful friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Ask them, at least as far as the desserts go. I know my diabetic SIL prefers that people not go out of the way to try to make something special for her, and just make the decision over whether she'll splurge and cover with insulin or just skip it. Making something special also puts someone in an awkward position if they don't want it for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I would make a regular cake for the birthday person and bring fresh fruit and cheese as an alternate dessert. Sides--do you want something fancy? Any "paleo" sides would be fine. Nice, fresh salad with homemade vinaigrette. Green beans or asparagus can be gussied up easily. Grilled veggie kabobs. If there's a special dietary need, I try to make sure there's a few things the person can eat, but I don't worry about making everything compliant. We still have turkey for Thanksgiving even though SIL is vegetarian, for example. If you want to make a carb-y side dish, I wouldn't leave it out just because the person with diabetes might not eat it. S/he might like some and might be able to adjust other choices to partake. As long as everything isn't white bread and corn, you're fine! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Most of these would work: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/dessert_recipes.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I would bring a loaded cauliflower casserole. It's got many of the flavors of a baked potato but in casserole form, and it's paleo friendly. For dessert, are you sure the person can't eat dessert? My dad is diabetic (not type 1, not sure if that would matter or not), and he can generally eat a bit of dessert without it being too big of a problem, especially if it isn't every day. Paleo desserts made with almond flour might work too. Oooh, I love the idea of a fruit and cheese plate too! One year for Christmas snacking (when we don't want to cook because it takes time away from enjoying the children), we did fruit, cheese, nuts, olives. I could eat that every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I would ask the diabetiic what he or she can eat. My type 1 diabetic friend can very occasionally eat a sweet if it has also has protein and fat in it to slow down digestion. She usually eats a very small amount of whole fat ice cream or cheesecake on the very rare occasion when she eats dessert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Cucumber salad, the standard one with vinegar and sour cream, would be a great and fairly filling side dish. Of course a green salad or a Greek salad (cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, Greek olives, sliced red onion, dressing) would be good standard sides as well. Dessert is much more difficult. Strawberries have a lower glycemic index than most other fruit, so a platter of clean, whole strawberries that are naturally sweet or have just a tiny bit of artificial sweetener on them would be good. There used to be a fat free sugar free vanilla ice cream--I have not looked for it in a long time though. Sliced strawberries over that might be a bit more festive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymom Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thank you for all of the ideas. I have asked but she won't tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldilocks Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 My mom and my son are both Type 1 diabetic. We do not do anything special or different for them. They just count the carbs that they eat and give themselves enough insulin to cover it. If the guest has not given you any special instructions despite you asking, I would assume they are able to eat anything you provide and you shouldn't worry about making anything special. If they have a problem with the meal that is served, it is their problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 People who are diabetic do not have to avoid sugar necessarily. It's carbohydrates of any kind that they must be careful about. So a diabetic could choose to eat a small portion of any regular dish, as long as they counted it into their total carb intake. As long as the meal has a variety of food choices, your friend should be able to find something to eat. Protein entrees without pasta, bread, or other carbs added, and most green vegetables (not beans, which are high carb, depending on type) are usually low carb or carb free. Salad is a good choice, with no fruit added and dressing on the side. A veggie platter with an assortment of raw vegetables and dip would be perfect. If you make something special for her, like the cauliflower recipe someone suggested, and she doesn't happen to like cauliflower, it could make her feel like she has to eat it anyway, even if she prefers a different choice instead. It's sweet that you are concerned. Not everyone takes special diets into account when planning a menu. But it sounds like she prefers to just monitor her own carb intake without having others make it a big deal. I wouldn't point out that the dish you bring is something low carb for her benefit. Just put it on the table and let her choose from among all of her options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymom Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Got it! Thanks everyone. I think that I will make a nice green salad, roasted vegetables, berries/cheese platter, and a small birthday cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 You are over thinking it :) a well rounded meal not too heavy on carbs or sweets will be just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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