Perspectives on Diabetes Care
This is the official blog of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists where we share recent research and professional opinions on diabetes care and education.
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Healthy Eating for the Holidays... en Español
Nov 5, 2015, 10:50 AM
H
appy National Diabetes Education Week! This time of year, I’m usually planning holiday themed classes for my diabetes patients to equip them with the resources needed to stay healthy during the holidays. That’s why I love handouts like the AADE Holiday Season Eating Tips. This year AADE released a Spanish version.
When I worked with the Hispanic population at the health department, we had interpreters who would go with us to classes or for individual appointments. When an interpreter was not available, we would use a phone. That was wonderful to have but usually the diabetes educator still came up with the class content. It can be hard to find good Spanish-language resources that consider the differences between traditional American foods and foods that may be served at an Hispanic holiday celebration. This handout actually has recipes that are native to some Hispanic cultures. I know every culture is a little different, but it is a good start.
It is so much more convincing when trying to get a patient to try a new recipe to actually try it yourself!
As an educator, one of my first thoughts when reviewing the handout was that I wanted a English version of the recipe to make either for myself to test it out with my family or to make as a demo for a cooking class. It is so much more convincing when trying to get a patient to try a new recipe to actually try it yourself! Especially with holiday recipes that will be shared with family and friends, it is great to have a personal recommendation.
The recipes are from
DiabeticLiving. I found some of the English versions here:
Pepper Pork Tamales Cinnamon Custard and Fruit
These recipes look pretty tasty and I think they would be a hit with your patients. It’s even fun to have samples available for your diabetes classes if you do not have the time or resources to do a live demo in class.
Please comment below if you have other Spanish holiday resources for sharing!
About the Author
Amy Campbell is a dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She currently works in public health in Lexington, Kentucky and has been working in diabetes for over seven years.