5 Diabetes-Friendly Comfort Foods for the Winter Season

Warm yourself on a chilly morning with a bowl of hot, whole-grain cereal. While steel-cut oatmeal is always a good choice, you might be surprised to learn that whole grains traditionally served at lunch or dinner make tasty breakfast options as well — and the fiber helps keep you satisfied until lunch.

Brown rice is delicious topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a splash of low-fat milk. Quinoa, high in protein and fiber, is another good alternative. Lesser-known grains, such as farro, bulgur, barley and polenta, are excellent breakfast options too.

For more flavor and crunch, add protein with Greek yogurt, low-fat milk, almonds or walnuts, and toss in apple slices, berries, dried fruit or cinnamon.

Mashed potatoes are popular comfort foods for people of all ages. Since potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, they will cause a person’s blood sugar to rise quickly.

“When choosing the type of potato to mash, the sweet potato provides the most powerful nutritional punch, and they have a slightly lower glycemic index,” says Kelly Barger, a registered dietitian at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.

This means blood sugar may rise a little more gradually with sweet potatoes than with white potatoes. Plus, they’re more flavorful than white potatoes, so you can skip the butter and sour cream. Try mashing them with a little olive oil to add flavor. Sweet potatoes can also step in for white in other comfort foods like baked potatoes and potato pancakes.

A steaming pot of pasta warms up the whole kitchen, but the simple carbohydrates in white pasta can add up fast. Instead of white spaghetti, substitute spaghetti squash. When cooked, spaghetti squash can separate into long, pasta-like strands. This makes it a low-carb alternative to traditional pasta.

A cup of spaghetti squash has just 10 grams or so of carbs. Bake or steam the squash until cooked, then scoop out the insides and top with your favorite sauce for a filling lunch or dinner. Remember that tomato-based sauces like marinara tend to be lower in fat and calories than creamy or cheese-based choices.

Roasted vegetables can serve as a healthy and flavorful substitute for less nutritious snacks or fried foods.

During the winter months, some of the most popular vegetables to roast are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and garlic.

Roasting these veggies brings out their flavors. Toss or spray lightly with olive oil, spread them out on a baking sheet, roast until crispy on the outside and tender inside and season as needed. You can add a few pieces of squash or sweet potato, but do take into account the higher carbs.

Try our healthy recipe for roasted cauliflower and broccoli tacos.

Apples, from traditional varieties such as Red Delicious and Granny Smith to newer favorites such as Honeycrisp and Pink Lady, are an easy and satisfying dessert or snack that provide sweetness without added sugar. Try baking apples whole or sliced.

“Apples are a fruit, so they do have sugar,” Dr. Tsimikas said. “But the high fiber helps keep blood sugar levels steady.”