Please Help Adjusting a salad recipe for diabetic friends

I will be serving a salad for a small church group of women that includes 5 diabetics.  Would like to serve something that everyone can eat.  Recipe includes pasta, cooked chicken, celery, onions, unsweetened pineapple tidbits, green and red grapes, 6 oz of dried cranberries, and cashews or sliced almonds.  I would like to use a dressing recipe which includes 1/2 C Kraft Miracle Whip, 3 TB sugar and 2 tsp cider vinegar.  Might need to double that to get enough quantity for the salad.  My question is, could I substitute artificial sweetener Equal for the sugar to make the salad acceptable for my diabetic friends?

Even if you add the artifical sweetner to this recipe a diabetic would have to watch the pasta in the dish, plus the fruits depending on what else is being served. Pasta and fruits counts in sugar counts to a true diabetic.

 I would use the Barella pasta or the low carb pasta's they now have available.  I would also use Splenda for the sweetner in the dressing. (or whatever ever sugar substitue you have or like)  I think the salad looks good.  I have to watch the grapes though and can't eat too many of them...they give me problems.  Most people only take small portions of salad and maybe you could prepack some for the diabetic's....It is very hard for a diabetic to eat out or even do the everyday cooking, but I think with these changes in the low carb pasta and the no sugar sweetner, the salad looks pretty healthy!

 

Mary

Thanks for the replies re my question on coming up with a salad recipe to serve to diabetics.  I have another salad recipe that calls for broccoli, grapes, bacon crumbles, and nuts with the same dressing  Could use the sugar substitite in the dresssing and possibly add cooked chicken and drop the bacon..  No pineapple or pasta.  Would this be a better choice?  Many thanks!

Joyce D

If bacon is sprinkled on I wouldn't worry about it.  it is the fruit and in what quantity i would be concerned with.  Either salad would be ok.  A good salad would be( just an idea) a make your own chef salad bar.  Buy greens already prepared and put out bowls of add ons.  Diabetics for the most part know pretty much how much they can eat and of what.  So bowls of sliced olives, hard cooked eggs, low fat shredded cheese, celery, carrots,  brocoli, zucchini, tomatoe, croutons, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, any raw vege that looks good, then you can put out- tid bit pineapple, grapes, and have a varity of low fat dressings with little cups to put the dressing in.  That way they can dip their fork into the dressing then the salad and get the dressing taste with less carbs.

Have some whole grain warm rolls with butter.    Splenda is a good sweetener of choice because it doesn't mess with the persons blood sugar levels.

 

I hope this helps you.

 

Karen J. :)

I just checked the glycemic index for both grapes and pineapple.  Grapes are 46 on the glycemic index and pineapple is 66.  That makes both of them very high!  A diabetic shouldn't eat very much of either grapes or pineapple.  KLMJ has a great idea.

 

The following is a great salad.  You can add shredded chicken to this recipe to make it an entree instead of a side dish.  I make this salad for lots of carry-ins and family dinners.  Someone always wants the recipe.  Our own LindaChicken posted this recipe.

 

I think the salad bar concept would be the best idea, so each person can pick their own "poison", so to speak.   And it also depends on just how "diabetic" the people are, some are "wink & smile" diabetic and would eat whatever you bring, and that's just the truth.   The Ramen noodles are worse than the regular noodles, and the flavor packet is full of sodium, but those salads are popular out there anyway.   The fruits could be the problem for some, but, as I say, if someone really eats like a diabetic, they will just serve themselves a small portion anyway.   It's nice of you to even consider the diabetics in the first place though!!!

Thanks to all of you who replied to my question with information and helpful suggestions.  I think the lunch after our Thurs, Nov 12  UMW meeting wil work out well and all should enjoy it, diabetic or not.  I have a new appreciation for the effort it must take to follow a suitable diabetic friendly diet.  Thanks again to all.  farmerjoy