Tips for diabetes care during the holidays

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 and 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. Do something you have
never done before, something involving physical activity. Maybe try snowshoeing
or cross country skiing 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 change and realize that there are ways to stay fit and
active during the holidays. But lets face it; everywhere you go there is food.
What do you do?

Well, remember the golden rule “Everything in Moderation”

1. Pick and Choose your battles.

2. When confronted with holiday delights realize that you are human and proceed
accordingly.

3. Pick the one item you absolutely must splurge on 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.

4. Fill your plate with healthy things, you will always find veggies..

5. 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.

6. When going to a dinner party, there is certainly no reason why you shouldn't let
your host 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.

7. 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 or certain medicines, don't hesitate to ask your Doctor or pharmacist.

8. 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 carb 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 140 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.

Happy Holidays to you All,
With Blessings
Nancy

Medical Author Ruchi Mathur, MD
Medical Editor William C. Sheil Jr. MD FACP, FACR