Top tips for diabetics at Christmas

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Diabetics needn’t miss out at the dinner table this Christmas, says award-winning writer Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne.

Eat regularly including sources of starchy carbs in your meals, such as potatoes.
Prepare food from scratch so you can control the salt, fat and sugar content, and check food labels to help you buy healthily.
Go easy on foods with a high saturated fat and sugar content, such as stuffing, turkey skin, Christmas pudding and mince pies.
Try stuffing the turkey with vegetarian stuffing to avoid eating high-fat sausagemeat. Cook the stuffing in a separate dish to the turkey.
Use olive oil rather than butter to moisten the turkey and flavour vegetables.
When you go to parties, take your own healthy snacks along to keep you going.
If you’ve been drinking alcohol, eat something starchy before going to bed.
Alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and use diet mixers.
Let people at parties know you are diabetic so they don’t confuse the signs of a hypoglycaemic attack with being drunk.
Diabetes UK Careline: 0845 120 2960 or click here to visit the website.