Home Care Assistance: The holidays are the best time of the year partly because of all the traditional holiday foods that only appear once a year.
For the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone wants to eat traditional holiday foods. But those foods can be very dangerous for diabetic seniors who have to watch their blood sugar and make sure that they don’t eat and drink too many extra calories during the holiday season. Home Care Assistance can be a great help in the kitchen and during meals to help keep the seniors on track.
Seniors who have diabetes and don’t want to give up holiday treats can enjoy holiday foods by keeping the same flavors but substituting low carb and diabetic friendly ingredients like:
Low Carb Stuffing
If your senior parent looks forward to eating the stuffing at holiday meals every year they can still have stuffing, with a couple of minor changes. You can make your family’s traditional stuffing just make it with low-carb bread instead of using regular bread or rolls. Many grocery stores now carry low-carb bread and rolls or you can order them online. If you can’t find any ask your senior parent’s home care assistance provider to keep an eye out for low carb bread when they are shopping with your senior loved one.
Sparkling Water Instead Of Soda
You can create some fancy and delicious beverages that don’t have any sugary sodas in them by using sparkling water as a base and adding fruit like berries or lemons, mint, cucumber, and a splash of fresh fruit juice. Don’t be surprised if your family members prefer these drinks to regular sodas or alcohol.
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
You can give your senior loved one the best part of the pumpkin pie in a bowl instead of in a crust. Skip the carb-laden crust and make up a pumpkin pie filling like usual but pour it into fancy bowls or crystal glasses to serve it and garnish it with some whipped cream made from heavy cream. That way your senior parent can enjoy the seasonal taste of a classic pumpkin pie without all the carbs.
Cauliflower Instead Of Mashed Potatoes
Using cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes is a classic low-carb swap. When you prepare the cauliflower properly you won’t even notice that the dish isn’t actually potatoes. You can buy precut frozen cauliflower florets so that you don’t have to boil and cut down entire heads of cauliflower. When the cauliflower is smashed, mashed, and mixed with butter, cream, and herbs it will taste just as rich and delicious as potatoes without causing a blood sugar spike for your senior loved one.
Mini Desserts
If your senior parent wants to enjoy classic desserts and treats of the season like holiday cookies, cranberry bars, cakes, and pies you can make mini desserts instead of full-sized ones. Mini-cupcakes, mini-pies, tiny drop cookies, and other treats that are about half of their normal size will help your senior loved ones manage their portions and avoid eating too much sugar during the holiday season. If your senior loved one usually makes a particular cake or a cookie a home care assistance provider can help your senior parent adjust the recipe to make a mini version of their classic treat.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Assistance in Apache Junction, AZ, or anywhere in the East Valley, please contact the caring staff at Legacy Home Care.
Call (480) 777-0070
Legacy Home Care has been serving the valley since 2007. We are family owned and operated with over 75 caregivers. We offer a customized care plan that includes services such as: Hourly Senior Home Care, 24-Hour Home Care, Dementia Care, Personal Care and Companion Care. Also ask us about our Veterans' Home Care program.
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