It’s hard to contain your sweet tooth when there are festivities around the corner. Though it is okay to have a cheat day and go about munching your favorite desserts, it is essential that you are cautious about your blood sugar level. While this can be tiring, here are 5-holiday cooking tips that’ll help you have all the fun with your food along with being healthy.
1. Swap Sugar with Artificial Sweeteners
While it is never advisable to add sweetening agents to your foods, it is absolutely fine to include it in your Holiday dessert as they are much better compared to the sugar you might intake otherwise. FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approves nearly 5 sweeteners that are safe for consumption. This way, you can relish some healthy lip-smacking delicacies without compromising the taste.
2. Include Fruit-Based Extracts
Another way to cut down on sugar yet add a nice punch to your desserts is to include fruit juices, jams, and extracts. Not only do you gain natural sweetness but also make your sweets rank high on nutritional value. Berry yogurts, and fruit salads, and frozen grape bytes are some of the treats you can try this holiday season.
3. Cut down on Carbs
Sugar isn’t the only foe a diabetic person has to deal with! Carbs and saturated fats also can increase the glucose level in the blood. This is why, when it comes to your holiday cooking, make it a point to include as little carbs as possible. Instead, opt for lean proteins such as poultry, fish, and beans. This way, you can also make room for an extra portion of dessert.
4. Switch to Grilled Meat
As mentioned above, saturated fats aren’t your best buddies! Hence, switch to grilling your meat and veggies instead of deep-frying them. Add the seasonings you prefer to enrich the flavor of your meal. After all, some grilled chicken stuffed with veggies is more delicious than those fried bucket of wings.
5. Choose Whole Grains over White Flour
If you are into baking, make sure you replace the white flour with whole-grain flour. Be it cake or cookies, whole grain flour is rich in fiber and adds very few calories to your holiday meal. Sprinkling a few nuts or choco chips will make your dish worth every bite.
Holiday cooking can be a lot of fun provided you make it equally healthy because, at the end of the day, this is the season of celebration and not about depressing sugar levels.
