Hanukkah is all about tradition; families coming together to celebrate the miracle of the oil in the temple – it was enough oil to last one night but miraculously continued to burn for eight days. Since my children were newborns, every year on Hanukkah we bought them 8 gifts, one for each night. They may have been too young to open the gifts or truly appreciate them that first year, but we started our family tradition.

During Hanukkah, we traditionally eat food that contains lots of carbohydrates and are typically fried in oil which was all a consideration when our then 12-year old daughter was diagnosed. Through the three and half years since my daughters diagnosis, we have learned to navigate Hanukkah and now we are mindful to count how much she eats and do the best we can at bolusing.

As we light the menorah each night of Hanukkah, our family comes together in prayer.  If you ask any of my three children what they are praying for they will answer “A cure for diabetes”.  Amen to that.

Below are two of the most traditional Hanukkah foods along with their nutritional breakdowns.
Latkes: 2 pancakes 250 calories, 11 g fat 32g carb
Soofganiyot Hanukkah Doughnuts: 3 oz. donut 290 calories 15 g fat and 31 g carb
Click here for approximate carb counts for other Hanukkah specialties.

Happy Hanukkah,
Carrie (T1D Mom of Carly)