Having Diabetes During the Holidays
As an individual living with Type 1 Diabetes, I often approach the holiday season with a sense of excitement, but also nervousness. The questions, "What will I be able to eat?," and "How will I keep my blood sugars under control?" always enter my mind. Holiday meals are usually filled with huge, heaping plates of recipes created with lots of sugar and fat. This combination never does good things for my blood sugar control and I am always struggling to figure out how to enjoy holiday meals without feeling extremely guilty or really ill. It can be especially difficult when you are spending your holiday with in-laws or friends, where you have even less control over what or how recipes are made. So, this year I am making a concious effort to make this holiday season more about the people I can spend it with, then about the foods I will eat. My biggest help will be in portion control. I know that I can at least have a bite of some of those not so good for me foods, as long as I serve myself a very small portion. I will also spend the day making sure not to snack, snack, snack on everything I see and will also drink lots and lots of water. I will try to incorporate a nice long walk into my holiday activities to help keep those blood sugars under control too. Ultimately I know that although many holiday foods can taste delicious, eating huge amounts of those foods is not worth the discomfort of high blood sugars. I will take the time to research some healthy holiday recipes on-line and see if I can even suggest some of them at the holiday meal. My plan is to have fun with my family and friends and keep food consumption as a secondary delight. Here are some healthy holiday meal websites that we can all check out to ensure that our holidays will be satisfying, but not detrimental to our health. Enjoy!
www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/holiday_collection_1
www.mayoclinic.com/health/holiday-recipes/NU00645
www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp
www.fitnessandfreebies.com/holidays/
The Diabetes Diva :-)
