Navigating the Holidays With Diabetes 112019

Photos by Sandra Michaud

About a dozen people attended Gila Regional Medical Center’s free session on Nov. 20, 2019, to learn how to keep blood glucose levels under control with the holiday challenges of meals, treats, shopping, travel and other challenges.

Bonnie Stone, RD/CDE with Diabetes and Nutrition Services and Allison Schmid, GRMC Dietician, offered tips and treats while they answered questions from the attendees. Not everyone at the session had diabetes, but the ideas offered can help anyone get through the Holiday Season in good health.

Some of the tips offered:

1. Maintain your schedule – Get up, eat, exercise and take medications at the same time you usually do.
2. Check your blood sugar regularly
3. Budget your sweets and treats – Include them as part of your carbohydrate budget,
4. Watch your beverage and alcohol intake – Don’t drink on an empty stomach. The amounts of calories and sugars vary so check the nutritional information.
5. Fix favorite dishes your way and take them to parties, dinners etc. – There are many low-carb, diabetes friendly dishes that you can bring to holiday parties.
6. Be party smart – Enjoy vegetable-based appetizers first, then meat or cheese. Place them on a napkin instead of a plate to be less likely to overdo. Don’t stand near the buffet table while chatting. And stay hydrated.
7. Keep active or add activity – If you can’t stick to your usual exercise program, add a fun activity with family or friends, or break up your exercise into shorter segments.
8. Take healthy snacks with you when you go shopping. That way you won’t be tempted to eat a carb-heavy restaurant meal.
9. Keep expectations reasonable – Holidays are stressful for everyone. Don’t try to make things perfect. If you are feeling stressed, take some time for yourself, take a walk, a nap. Breathe deeply.
10. Remember the reason for the season – Put the focus on family and friends, not on food.

You can find out more information at Cornerstone4Care.com.
Healthy low carb recipes can be found at https://healthyrecipesblogs.com or https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes