Enjoy food

INDIAN
✔ Go for tandoori and tikka
options as these are baked
and lower in fat.
✔ Dhal is rich in fibre because of
the lentils and pulses, but can
still be quite oily. Try sharing
a portion.
✔ Choose boiled or steamed
rice rather than pilau or
fried rice.
✔ Choose chapatti rather than
naan bread.
✘ Watch out for the extras you
order, such as poppadoms
and naan breads.
CHINESE, THAI
AND MALAYSIAN
✔ Go for broth-based
soups, rather than spring rolls
or satays.
✔ Choose steamed or fragrant
rice, or noodles.
✔ Stir-fried vegetables are a
filling and healthy side dish.
IT’S PARTY TIME!
Whether it’s a wedding, dinner
or birthday party, food plays an
important part in celebrations.
If you’re hosting the occasion, you
can make sure there are plenty of
healthy options on the table for
both adults and children.
✔ Choose oven-baked crisps.
✔ Substitute mayonnaise with
low-fat yogurt in dressings.
✔ Serve plenty of crunchy
vegetables and an exotic
fruit salad.
✔ Cut smaller slices of birthday
cake (see page 61 for some
tasty swaps for birthday cakes).
✔ Pack kids’ party bags with a
small toy or a colouring book,
rather than sweets.
If there’s a buffet, look at everything
that’s on offer before you choose.
Then make one trip, filling your
plate with healthy options before
heading back for dessert. At a party
with only nibbles, make sure you
eat a small meal before you go so
you don’t arrive hungry and snack
all night.
When your child with diabetes is
invited to a friend’s house, make
sure that the parents know what
support your child needs, what to
do if they have a hypo and what
they can eat.
Carb-counting resource
If you’re confident with
counting carbs, either for
yourself or your child, and
adjusting the insulin dose,
it may be possible to change
the amount injected to fit
with the food eaten. To make
it easier to estimate the
amount of carbohydrate you
or your child are eating, try
the Carbs & Cals book (go
to shop.diabetes.org.uk/go/
carbs-count).
INSULIN AND
EATING OUT
Although eating out is a
change in your usual routine
and diet, it doesn’t need to
affect your diabetes control.
You can adjust the timing
and/or the amount of insulin
that you take. Talk to your
diabetes team about how
to adjust your dose.
32
www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood