8 Tips for Diabetes Care During the Holidays

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8 Tips for Diabetes Care During the Holidays

Medical Author: Ruchi Mathur, M.D.

Medical Editor: C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

The holiday season is a special time to gather with friends and

family and take some time out to enjoy ourselves. In keeping with

the season, I thought we should spend a few minutes discussing

taking care of your diabetes during the holidays.

First and foremost, remember to enjoy yourself! Get caught up in the

festivities - the decorations, the music, the gatherings. Too often,

we focus simply on the food- and there's so much more. Consider

starting a new tradition in your family- one that involves arts and

crafts, or supporting a charity organization. Do something you've

never done before - something involving physical activity. Maybe try

snow shoeing, or cross country skiing (of course this will depend on

your underlying health), or taking a late night walk around your

neighborhood to see the lights. These simple and wonderful things

help to keep the holidays simply wonderful!

OK, so you make some changes and realize that there are ways to stay

fit and active during the holidays. But, let's face it, everywhere

you go there's food. What do you do? Well, remember the golden rule -

" Everything in Moderation. "

Pick and choose your battles.

When confronted with holiday delights, realize that you are human

and proceed accordingly.

Pick the one item you absolutely must splurge and put a small amount

of it on your plate, guilt free. But now, remember that it is on

your plate and avoid the other things on that buffet table that you

don't really want or need.

Fill your plate will healthy things (you'll always find veggies).

If you know ahead of time that you will be in a situation of

temptation, plan your day accordingly. Eat healthy at home and

consider filling up on good nutritious foods before you go out, in

order to minimize cravings.

When going to a dinner party, there is certainly no reason why you

shouldn't let your host/hostess know of any dietary restrictions you

may have in advance. Most people appreciate knowing there are any

specific needs so that they can make their guests comfortable. It

may be something as simple as setting out an artificial sweetener

with the coffee.

Another important thing to remember is that alcohol does have

calories and can interfere with medications. If you have specific

questions about how much you can drink on certain medicines, don't

hesitate to ask your physician or pharmacist.

In addition, if you are on insulin, you may want to speak with your

physician about how to plan ahead for situations in which your

carbohydrate intake may increase. Together, you can decide if an

increase in short-acting insulin should be used in certain

situations.

One thing I advise my patients to do is to check their blood sugars

regularly during the holiday season. The feedback this gives is

invaluable and the data provides a lot of insight into what an

individual's personal limits are. The ideal goals, regardless of the

season, are fasting values of 80-120 mg/dl before eating and about

140mg/dl 2 hours after eating. Values higher than these indicate

that there may be a little too much holiday cheer going on!

Finally, eating healthy is good for everyone, not just those with

diabetes. If you are bringing food to a party, make it healthy. If

you plan on baking, use a diabetes-friendly recipe. There are great

recipe books on the market that focus on cooking for those with

diabetes.

With a little bit of planning, the holidays can be enjoyed by

everyone, regardless of diabetes. And, with a little bit of

moderation, you can help to ensure that there are many more holiday

seasons to be enjoyed in the future.