4th of July Options

Don’t let gestational diabetes discourage you from joining the party! Here’s how you can navigate the 4th of July!

Eating can be a daunting thought with gestational diabetes, let alone gatherings centered around food. Don't be discouraged to join the party, just be prepared!

We normally like to grill during the summer holidays, and the foods usually include our "stay away" carbs like white-flour breads and sugary desserts. The way I see it, there are two options: bring your own food and toss it on the grill, or eat what's already available but make good choices.

If you choose to bring your own food, foil packets are easy to grill and there are a ton of recipes and combinations to look up. Just take your favorite veggies and protein, add in some seasonings and/or sauce and wrap the foil into a sealed pouch. The great thing about foil packets are that you can throw them in the oven too and there's no clean up! ?? In the picture I used 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of onion powder (because I didn't have onions), half of a teaspoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, then salt, pepper and squeezed half of a lemon when it was finished. The sauce was good! *I recommend salting food only after it has finished cooking so that you use less, helping to reduce swelling. **If using shrimp I suggest grilling it directly on the grill for superior taste and texture. ***If I made this again I'd leave out the corn and just use the chickpeas for carbs because they incorporated better in texture and taste.

If you decide to eat whatever is available, make sure you're getting everything you need. There will likely be a few proteins to choose from, like burgers, chicken, etc. Depending on your allowance, you can eat the whole bun, half, or none at all. If you choose to half it, brush the bun with butter and grill it. It'll add major flavor and you won't feel like you're missing out!

Side items and desserts are troublesome categories. Chips are ok for some mamas, about 1oz which is 1-2 handfuls. Fruit salads normally have lots of extra sugar. Fresh berries are a better choice, normally about half of a cup is a serving. Add Reddi Whip (totally safe) to enhance it! Potato salad in a small portion isn't terrible if you can handle potatoes: the fat in the mayonnaise helps. Store-bought desserts are good ONLY because you can read the label and decide whether or not to have it, but you should be cautious with homemade desserts. If you want GD friendly desserts, check out our Fudgy Brownies here or Strawberry Shortcake here.

What are you and you family doing this 4th of July? More importantly, what's on the menu?? Comment below!