Eating Healthy During the Holidays

Rachel Hollis once said, “The best way to celebrate the holidays is with some delicious food.”  I agree. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, Las Posadas, and Boxing Day are a few of the upcoming winter festivities featuring delicious food. You want to celebrate them, of course, but you also want to keep your blood sugar levels stable. According to the American Diabetes Association, the most important thing about managing diabetes during the holiday season is to plan. Here are some helpful planning tips for eating healthy during the holidays.

Tips for Eating Healthy During the Holidays

• Choose lean proteins such as chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cheese, beans, etc.
• Choose carbs with high fiber, such as whole grains like brown rice and sweet potatoes
• Offer to bring nutritious meals to ensure you will have something healthy to eat (fruits, vegetables, cauliflower mashed potatoes, and hummus, for example)
• Eat a salad or veggies before your meal. The fiber will keep you full and keep your blood sugar leveled
• Choose your favorite foods or eat smaller portions to sample many different foods
• Chew slowly. For tips on practicing mindful eating, please read my blog post: https://backtonaturediabetic.com/chewing-your-food-slowly-helps-with-blood-sugar-weight/
• Don’t skip meals because your blood sugar may drop, and you may overeat
• If you can, walk after meals (https://backtonaturediabetic.com/walking-after-meals-can-lower-blood-sugar-levels/)
• Monitor blood sugar levels and adjust insulin if necessary
• Try to eat close to your regular mealtimes, but prepare for later meals by eating a healthy snack beforehand
• If the host offers to-go containers, this is a great way to sample foods the next day instead of all at one sitting
• Eat until you are full, not stuffed
• Use the diabetes plate method (1/2 non-starchy vegetables, ¼ lean proteins, and ¼ carbs)

Alcoholic Drinks

While water or sugar-free drinks are good choices that won’t spike your blood sugar levels, you may want to toast with champagne or drink eggnog with brandy. If so, you must again plan if you’re going to drink. Drinking alcohol when on insulin or sulfonylureas may lower blood glucose. Drinking on an empty stomach and dancing can make hypoglycemia worse.

Also, remember that if your liver has to choose between keeping your blood sugar from dropping or processing alcohol, it will process the alcohol.

Here are tips for drinking alcohol safely from my post-https://backtonaturediabetic.com/can-diabetics-drink-alcohol/:

• Plan for dancing or being active, which may lower your blood sugar. You may have to adjust your insulin or eat extra carbs
• Never drink on an empty stomach
• Alternate between drinking water with each alcoholic beverage
• Test blood sugar frequently
• Wear a medical alert ID and let the people you are with know you have diabetes. Hypoglycemia can be mistaken for intoxication
• Have glucose tablets or something sweet to reverse low blood sugar
• High-carb alcoholic drinks like a pina colada may not be the best choice to keep your blood sugar from dropping, but instead, eating carbs while drinking is the best solution

Conclusion

The holidays are coming soon, so remember, no foods are on the naughty list. Just have a plan for what you eat and drink to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Also, remember that the holidays are more than just food—focus on get-togethers, music, and holiday movies, not just the food.

Quotes

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” –Hamilton Wright Mabie

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” –Edith Sitwell

“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” — D.M. Dellinger