The holidays are especially hard for people with diabetes. With things like traveling and holiday recipes, it’s especially hard to keep a regular schedule and control your blood glucose levels. Maintaining some kind of exercise schedule and managing your carb intake are vital factors in staying healthy during the holidays.
- Maintain your schedule. If you overeat or eat something that you know you shouldn’t have, stay on your usual schedule. Don’t skip meals after overeating, but adjust your next meal or snack accordingly. Despite the holidays, try to maintain your usual diet, exercise, and get enough rest.
- Keep moving. Even if you can’t manage to continue your typical workout schedule, try to incorporate it into your schedule in other ways. Break up your usual work out into smaller segments or get your family in on the activity with you.
- Monitor your alcohol intake. For most people, alcohol is involved during the holiday celebrations. It’s important to remember that alcohol can raise triglyceride levels. Try to limit your drinks to one or two with a meal in order to avoid low blood sugar. You should count each drink as a serving of carbs.
- Check your blood sugar levels often. Any time that your schedule or diet changes, you should monitor your blood sugar levels closer than usual. It’s important to make sure that your holiday meals don’t cause a significant change in your blood sugar levels. Make sure you check your blood sugar before adjusting your insulin dosage.
- Bring your own food. Whether you’re going to a party or celebrating with family, bring your own light dishes and stick with the vegetable and meat appetizers. There are many diabetes-friendly recipes you can bring to parties or gatherings that everyone can enjoy with you. When snacking at parties, use a napkin rather than a plate so you don’t overfill and try to avoid hanging out around the buffet or food table more than necessary.
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