If you have diabetes, managing your diet is an important part of treating your disease. Regulating glucose and insulin, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels low and maintaining a healthy body weight all depend on your eating habits. You can still have delicious meals -- with some creative planning and careful substitutions you can create healthy, diabetes-friendly brunch dishes with universal appeal.
General Diabetic Dietary Guidelines
Although many special occasions and celebrations revolve around food, if you have diabetes, you always need to make the best possible food choices. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that you choose high-fiber complex carbohydrates; try to get at least 30 g and up to 50 g of fiber each day. A high fiber diet can help keep blood sugar stable. Avoid foods with more than 5 g of sugar per serving. Using the glycemic index can help you make food choices that will have a minimal impact on blood sugar. Carbs should make up between 45 and 65 percent of your calories, protein should be 12 to 20 percent and between 25 and 35 percent of your calories should come from healthy fats.
Brunch Starters
When planning your menu, the American Diabetes Association suggests you include a variety of fruits and vegetables -- picking from the rainbow of colors. You could start brunch with a fresh fruit salad that includes blueberries, strawberries and slices of oranges, apples, pears, peaches, pineapple and bananas. Raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, cauliflower, bell pepper and broccoli can be served with salsa, hummus or other bean dips. Avoid sour cream-based dips or use Greek yogurt as a substitute to lower saturated fat and calories content.
Brunch Main Courses
Lean proteins such as eggs and egg whites are a good place to start for a main course. Baked egg dishes, frittatas and omelets can be made with vegetables such as spinach, roasted red peppers and olives. Using higher fat proteins such as cheese, ham or bacon in your egg dishes, rather than as side dishes, allows you to have the all the flavor, but with much smaller portions. Serve high-fiber multigrain toast, or low-fat muffins with your meal. Avoid high-sugar choices such as pancakes and waffles with syrup.
Brunch Beverages
Coffee, tea and water are easy choices, but be careful not to drink your calories. Coffee beverages that have chocolate, caramel or other flavors added, whole milk, whipped cream and sugar can contain more calories than your meal. Juice, which is high in natural sugars and low in fiber should also be limited. Because alcohol can interfere with the way your liver processes glucose, mimosas and blood Marys should only be an occasional indulgence.
