Hosting A Family Party For People With Diabetes

When you are a person with diabetes, it’s easy to wonder if you can go to parties and have a good time without “breaking” your diet.  You can host a party for people with diabetes!  Perhaps you would prefer to start out with a small family gathering.

Think about how to be successful with a party or family meal.  At our house, we have a family dinner every Sunday night.  Everyone comes over and we have a great time, and we make sure that there is something that everyone likes.  My mom doesn’t eat meat, so we always have salad.

1.  You can start by planning the meal well.  Plan for mostly vegetables and few starches, that way you are not tempted to eat too much starch.  If you have rolls, use whole wheat rolls instead of white rolls.  Don’t put out too many either, just one per person is enough.  Prep what you can ahead of time.

2.  Create a beverage station outside of the kitchen area.  Put out a lemon water pitcher, or orange water pitcher (with slices of lemons or oranges) for people to drink.  You can put out other beverages too, but make the water flavorful and cold.  That takes people out of the kitchen and away from sampling the food prior to meal time.

3.  Keep it casual by letting guests go through a buffet line and fill their plates.  That reduces your stress and your guests who may not like everything that you have to offer.  (I know, really?)  They can grab the veggies and meat they want, make a salad station a little bit away from the main food station so people can take a moment and make a yummy salad too.  Greens are good.  Make sure to have oil and vinegar as well as salad dressings.

4.  Finally, your center of the plate food should be a reasonable size serving of meat (if you have meat).  I am talking about 3-4 ounces, not 5-7 ounces.  Cut the meat, or carve it, or buy it pre-sliced (like chops) but make sure you have it last.  So everyone has filled their plate and can find a small spot to put the meat.

So, the steps for a good party or family meal are easy, but you just have to do a little planning for people with diabetes.  I would love to hear about your favorite dish from our diabetes meal plans!  Check out our meal plans here!