Christmas

[graj0]

I am at present high risk of diabetes and wondered what Forum members do with Christmas with regard to christmas pudding, christmas cake, mince pies, trifle etc. Do you decide it is best to have nothing at all or just a small portion of something from time to time - perhaps cake one day and another day pudding, but only small portions.

My approach is to avoid the stuff with obvious carbohydrates, so, no pudding, no cake, no mince pies (maybe one), no trifle, no spuds, no roast parsnips. For the sake of clarity, sugar is just another carbohydrate, it just doesn't have to get converted (so much) to supply energy.
At least this way, nobody can accuse me of not trying. As somebody who only has to look at food to gain weight and as somebody who is right p1$$ed off with being reminded by the media that I'm diabetic because I'm fat, rather than the reverse, I'm doing all the right things to lead a healthy life style.

If this seems to be a bit severe and you find it necessary to eat the afore mentioned goodies, your meter is the best thing to let you know what and how much you should be eating as far as carbs is concerned. I choose to avoid the lot and don't worry too much about getting the meter out every meal time.

 

[Mark Parrott]

I won't be having potatoes over Christmas. Gone right off them now. Might experiment with low carb Yorkshires. Pudding will be low carb yule log. Might try doing a sugar free trifle too. Will still have at least one mince pie.🙂

 

[KateR]

I just have a very small portion of pud, etc. and hope for the best. 😛 I won't let D spoil my Christmas!

 

[graj0]

Might experiment with low carb Yorkshires.

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the ready made ones in our local co-op, if only I could remember the exact numbers. Sparkpeople reckon on a 5 " Yorkshire having 15 gms of carb. I expect if making them, the more you beat them, the more air, the lighter and the less carb per cc.

 

[trophywench]

What I call 'normal sized' individual Yorkshire Puds - the size you'd cook in a 12-hole bun tin, but the frozen Aunt Bessies 'cook the batter in these tinfoil cups yourself these days cos if I cooked 12 we'd eat em LOL - I cook half the packet, 2 for Pete and one for me - are only 12g each so the same as one roast spud basically. However in practice I count them as 10g cos that's the effect they have on me.

I call that a bargain in carb terms!

Daughter makes a mean trifle; sugar free jelly with fruit in (none of them like sponge in a trifle so that saves me eating that) about 3 parts of a pint of extra thick custard on top of that and at least an equally thick layer of whipped double cream on top of that. OF COURSE - the cream slows the carbs down shedloads!

Sugar free crème brulee with half a teaspoon of caster sugar on top, well blowtorched. Gorgeous.

 

[FergusC]

For the last few Chrismasses, I have foresworen the carby sweet stuff and stuck to the non-root veg and meat, together with a low carb trifle! My BG at the end of a good meal is still n the respectable 4.5 - 5.5 range!!

 

[mikeyB]

I don't bother with sugar free anything at Christmas, I just don't eat much of anything, but it's nice to have a small taste of, say, Christmas pud as long as it's alcohol free. The food is the only thing I like about Christmas so making everything low carb is just adding torture to grumpiness, not a good combination. That is, after all, what insulin is for.

 

[Robin]

I don't bother with sugar free anything at Christmas, I just don't eat much of anything, but it's nice to have a small taste of, say, Christmas pud as long as it's alcohol free. The food is the only thing I like about Christmas so making everything low carb is just adding torture to grumpiness, not a good combination. That is, after all, what insulin is for.

I often feel as Type 1s we're lucky to have insulin as our secret weapon. My cousin invited me for a meal once, and was sounding me out as to what I could and couldn't eat, and commented that she had a Type 2 friend who told her one of her puddings was absolutely delicious.....but it took him three days to get his blood sugar under control afterwards!

 

[DeusXM]

The one thing I'd strongly recommend is after dinner, go for a walk!

This is good for everyone after a big Christmas dinner. For years I always used to just sit around in the afternoon feeling really rank, hot and bloated while trying to manage my blood sugar. I found that walking is the only thing that really sorts me out - the cold wakes you up, and because you're moving around, you actually start to burn up some of the food you've eaten instead of it just sitting around. Should increase your insulin sensitivity as well, which is good for both T1s and T2.

I know when you've had a big meal, the last thing you want to do is go walking in the cold and for the first 5-10 minutes, it's horrible, but then you suddenly start to feel a heck of a lot better.

 

[Martin Canty]

I'm just about to experiment with a "bread" stuffing, made some almond buns yesterday which are sitting out to get nice & stale....

1 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
salt to taste
for a sweeter bun (kinda like cornbread) a few drops of Stevia

Whisk all together, divide into 6 portions & bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes

Serving size 2 buns, 7 carbs

 

[Mark Parrott]

I'm just about to experiment with a "bread" stuffing, made some almond buns yesterday which are sitting out to get nice & stale....

1 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
salt to taste
for a sweeter bun (kinda like cornbread) a few drops of Stevia

Whisk all together, divide into 6 portions & bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes

Serving size 2 buns, 7 carbs

Let us know how you get on with that. Sounds great.🙂

 

[Martin Canty]

Should know tomorrow, Mark, as we are pre-cooking the Thanksgiving bird & going camping for the weekend....

So far, the menu is

• Brined Turkey
  • Brown rice & chestnut stuffing
  • Cornless cornbread stuffing (hence the almond buns) done Cajun style
• Roasted butternut squash & sweet potato mash
• Cranberry sauce made with Stevia & Orange Liquor
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Perhaps some green beans sautéed in Olive Oil

 

[Radders]

I was hoping to have a small portion of Christmas pud last year but then I read the carb content!

 

[Mark Parrott]

If I was having Christmas pud, I wouldn't look at the carb content.😱

 

[Radders]

If I was having Christmas pud, I wouldn't look at the carb content.😱

Ah well that's where those of us on insulin are blessed with the two-edged sword I guess!

 

[Amigo]

If I was having Christmas pud, I wouldn't look at the carb content.😱

Serving portion of M&S Christmas pud (without sauce or cream) 😱

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/8 Pudding (113.0 g)
Amount Per Serving % Daily Values
Calories 333
Calories from Fat 51
Total Fat 5.7g
9%
Total Carbohydrates 66.7g
22%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g
5%
Protein 2.3g
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

 

[Carolg]

What I call 'normal sized' individual Yorkshire Puds - the size you'd cook in a 12-hole bun tin, but the frozen Aunt Bessies 'cook the batter in these tinfoil cups yourself these days cos if I cooked 12 we'd eat em LOL - I cook half the packet, 2 for Pete and one for me - are only 12g each so the same as one roast spud basically. However in practice I count them as 10g cos that's the effect they have on me.

I call that a bargain in carb terms!

Daughter makes a mean trifle; sugar free jelly with fruit in (none of them like sponge in a trifle so that saves me eating that) about 3 parts of a pint of extra thick custard on top of that and at least an equally thick layer of whipped double cream on top of that. OF COURSE - the cream slows the carbs down shedloads!

Sugar free crème brulee with half a teaspoon of caster sugar on top, well blowtorched. Gorgeous.

Where do you get sugar free crime brûlée?

 

[Amigo]

Where do you get sugar free crime brûlée?

In our dreams Carol! Unless anyone knows any different?

 

[mikeyB]

I wouldn't even attempt making creme brûlée sugar free. Why would you? How can you crisp the top? It's just another Type 1 extra couple of units.

Sorry, that sounds a bit smug, it's not meant to. True , though.

 

[trophywench]

My daughter's a chef, I get them from her house! It's only glorified egg custard after all, the trick for getting a custard to set in the first place is all to do with the fat content of the milk (too much 'water in semi or fully skimmed) and you add cream to crème brulee (otherside it would be called egg custard brulee LOL) anyway - and even a T2 could manage to ingest half a teaspoonful of REAL (LOL) sugar without fatal consequences. Just pour your portion into the cocotte dish first and stick some identification on the dish before adding a bit of sugar to the rest for everyone else. In fact when Coz makes them, everyone gets sugar-free, but everyone else gets two full teaspoons of sugar on top blasted to a thicker crust.

My only excuse for not making them myself is lack of a blow-torch - though Pete has told me he thinks he still knows someone who does oxy-acetylene welding LOL