Diabetes Lunches

In making diabetic lunches, remember that variety helps ensure that the person with diabetes eats enough of the right foods. Plan well, to include contrasts in flavor, texture, temperature, shape and color.

In cold weather, you could pack some soup in a thermos. Many businesses now provide a microwave for employee use. Casseroles and leftovers can be re-heated in a microwave.

A meal is more appetizing when it contains something moist to offset dry food, tart to offset the sweet and crisp to offset the soft. To add moisture, add mayonnaise, mustard or catsup on sandwiches, lemon juice on fruit or vinegar on raw vegetables. Try including small cans of either tart tomato, vegetable juice or unsweetened fruit juices. Coffee or tea can be carried hot, or iced in summer.

Raw vegetables and pickles add crispness. Include carrots, radishes, green pepper strips, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, sliced onion, crisp lettuce or cherry tomatoes. To save time, clean a pound of carrots or a whole head of cauliflower at one time. Store the rinsed vegetables wrapped in a paper towel, in a plastic bag, in the refrigerator.

Fresh fruits are easy to pack. For a change from apples and oranges, try the fresh fruit in season. Chilled canned fruits, sugar-free gelatin or pudding, or a baked apple travel well in wide mouth thermos containers. Remember to pack a spoon. A brown bag lunch does not need to be a slice of cucumber between two slices of dry bread. Add variety and happiness to your lunch.