Healthy Holiday Tips for Diabetics

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Michelle Nguyen, GoLocalProv Contributor

It's November again and the holiday season is just around the corner, promising delicious sugary treats and scrumptious high calorie comfort foods. For those with diabetes, this time of year can be a real challenge to stay healthy. In light of the upcoming holiday season and American Diabetes Month, here are four simple tips to keep in mind this holiday season:

1. Be Picky and Make Balanced Choices

Sugary desserts and heavy carbohydrates are a natural part of the holidays. Just remember to check out everything at the dinner and dessert table before you eat, and be picky. Make a conscious decision about what you'll consume and what you'll pass on to the rest of the table. Desserts count toward your total carbohydrate intake, so choosing to have a slice of that pumpkin pie means cutting out some carbohydrates elsewhere in your meal to balance it out.

2. Watch Your Alcohol

Consuming alcohol oftentimes distracts your liver from maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. If your liver is too busy breaking down alcohol, it can't convert stored carbohydrates into glucose to raise blood sugar levels when they drop.

If you still want that warm holiday buzz, try alternatives to classic mixed drinks. Mix club soda with dry wine for a low-alcohol, low-sugar wine cooler. And always eat before drinking. Aim for proteins or complex carbohydrates that will release sugar into the bloodstream slowly.

3. Stay Active

Exercise can help reduce stress, burn excess calories and help control blood sugar levels. With all the gift lugging, holiday decorating, ice skating and sledding, staying active can be fun. Plan to do some of these active holiday activities with friends and family in lieu of inactive ones.

4. Make Nighttime Checks

Don't forget to check your blood sugar level before bed. To avoid nighttime low blood sugar, treat yourself to a bedtime snack and then feel free to dream about dancing sugar plums all night long.

American Diabetes Month is a national awareness campaign headed by the American Diabetes Association. For more information on ways to get involved this November, visit the website for American Diabetes Month. For more information on how to manage your diabetes, the Care New England Wellness Center offers diabetes education classes all year-long. For more information call (401) 732-3066. Or check out DiabetesHealth.com.