The holidays are coming, so get ready for gut-busting meals and invitations to over-drink. It's a double whammy if you have diabetes and are struggling to maintain blood sugar levels and keep high cholesterol at bay. Read on for tips to keep your diabetes numbers in check without missing out on seasonal fun...
The holidays are a season of joy for many – but it's tough if you have diabetes.
Other people have visions of sugar plums, cakes and butter cookies dancing in their heads. Trouble is, so do you!
You've spent all year carefully monitoring your carbohydrate and cholesterol intake and preparing your food to keep your diabetes numbers – blood glucose and cholesterol levels – in line.
So does it all go out the door when Aunt Sally’s sweet potato pie is staring you in the face after a sumptuous Thanksgiving meal?
It's no surprise you want to indulge with the rest of your family, but a typical Thanksgiving meal can add up to more than 3,000 calories.
“And 3,500 calories automatically packs on one pound,” says Deborah Fillman, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.D.E., and president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
Fighting Back
The good news is that through some careful planning, you can enjoy healthy eating not only at Thanksgiving, but also at other special feasts throughout the year.
Here are 10 ways to minimize and control diabetes numbers and dangerous sugar spikes and lows, lower fat and avoid holiday weight gain.
1. Visualize portions before eating
“If a client told me, ’My aunt always expects me to clean my plate,’ for example, I’d suggest, ‘Put less on your plate to start,” Fillman says.
Do this by visualizing your helpings before you start serving yourself, she advises.
“If I had to choose one main rule for everyone, it would be to learn proper portion control," Fillman says.
Half the plate should be vegetables, one-fourth should be starch (for example, mashed or baked white potatoes) and one-fourth should be protein (turkey slices), Fillman says.
To help you judge without a scale: The size of your palm is about 3 ounces (a general size for a meat portion) and your thumb equals one tablespoon.
“One piece of pecan pie contains 63 grams of carbs," says Patti Geil, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., a diabetes educator based in Lexington, Ky. "For less than that, you could eat 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup stuffing, 1 roll, 1/2 cup green beans, plus small portions of turkey, gravy and salad with dressing!”
Even better, choose between potatoes, stuffing or a roll to make up your carbs, and enjoy a little more turkey.
(But watch the gravy – it has a lot of saturated fat and is a bad move for cholesterol levels).
2. Choose carbohydrates wisely
“A lot of people with diabetes believe that if they avoid carbohydrates, they’ll be fine,” says Lynn Maarouf, M.S., R.D, C.D.E., at the Stark Diabetes Center at Galveston’s University of Texas Medical Branch.
"But that’s a major misconception," she says.
That's because everyone – even people with diabetes – needs carbohydrates to fuel their bodies, she says.
But the key to controlling diabetes numbers and blood sugar levels is to choose carbs wisely and consume them in moderation, even at the holiday feast.
Eat very little – or cut out completely – simple carbohydrates, such as sugary desserts, sides or dishes made with white flour (for example, biscuits, white bread, potatoes or pasta), Maarouf advises.
That's because these break down in your digestive tract and convert easily to glucose in the blood stream, impacting blood glucose readings.
Next, eat carbohydrates that are complex, such as whole-grain bread, brown rice, beans or barley. They take longer to break down and keep your body's blood glucose readings more stable, Maarouf says.
So go ahead and reach for one whole-grain roll or a small portion of sweet potatoes – without marshmallow topping.
3. Plan ahead
Don't skip breakfast to save calories for the evening feast.
“Try to eat a breakfast with 8 grams of fiber," Maarouf says. “It helps you feel full and decreases your temptation to overeat.”
Also, if you're a guest at someone's feast, volunteer to bring a dish so you'll be guaranteed one healthy item to eat.
Maarouf often takes a fruit salad sprinkled with cinnamon to eat instead of pie or cake.
4. Redo family favorites
Check diabetes cookbooks and online resources to find ways to revise your favorite holiday recipes to help keep diabetes numbers in line, Fillman says.
For example, make a traditional macaroni and cheese with whole-grain pasta, light cream cheese and reduced fat cheeses and milk to reduce saturated fats and increase complex carbs.
Make cakes with applesauce and reduce butter or oil. It not only cuts down on fat and simple sugar, it also adds moisture.
Use sugar substitutes to lighten up dessert favorites. You can find online recipes to lighten your favorite dishes.
“Manufacturers of products like Equal and Splenda provide interesting and even revised recipes,” Fillman says.
Experiment with sugar substitutes ahead of feast day to see which still look appetizing.
"To truly eat healthfully, you need food that looks and smells good too,” Fillman advises.
That's because sugar does more than sweeten baked goods. It can also add volume and texture.
“You might want to make Grandma’s pie with regular sugar, so it browns nicely," she says. “Then just eat a smaller portion.”
5. Watch what you drink
While chatting with other guests and noshing, it's easy to lose track of how much you're drinking. But it's important to watch how much alcohol you imbibe.
That's because some alcoholic drinks, such as martinis, can impact diabetes numbers by decreasing blood glucose levels.
Conversely, cocktails made with sugary mixers can cause sugar spikes.
If you must drink, Geil has these tips:
“Avoid the punch bowl; it's usually higher in sugars than plain white or red wine."
Drink only while eating because food slows the absorption of alcohol into your system. That means your blood sugar won't crash.
Like to have a drink in your hand? Alternate a light alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic one. Will anyone know you’re drinking a diet soda instead of rum and cola?
Geil suggests this holiday Cranberry Sparkler:
1. 2 quarts light cranberry juice
2. 2 liters diet ginger ale
3. 1 liter of club soda
Mix all the liquids.
"People can add alcohol if they like, and float frozen cranberries for flavor and decoration,” she says.
6. Become dessert-wise
You don't have to eat a whole piece of cake yourself. Instead, take a smaller piece and split it with a friend.
Another trick for eating less high-sugar/high-fat desserts: Fill up wisely on other parts of the meal – like turkey or steamed vegetables.
7. Check blood glucose levels late in the day
“Lots of people only check their morning sugar, when it’s often the lowest all day,” Geil says.
“You should check it two hours after eating or at least just before bed, to make sure you’ve kept your sugar [level] where you want it,” Geil advises.
If it’s too low, have a couple of crackers or a handful of nuts before you sleep.
Too high?
Then drink lots of water and do better tomorrow, Geil says.
8. Be active before the meal
Lift weights, walk or go for a run before heading to the holiday feast, Maarouf advises.
That's because regular exercise impacts diabetes numbers by lowering blood glucose levels and increasing high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or good cholesterol).
A combination of resistance and aerobics workouts are best at lowering HbA1C levels – a measure of blood glucose levels over 8-12 weeks – in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a 2010 Louisiana State University study.
“Consider giving pedometers for stocking stuffers and encourage the whole family to aim for the now-recommended 10,000 steps daily,” Maarouf says.
9. Take advantage of technology
Use your smart phone to help keep diabetes numbers on track during this season of excess.
There are apps to track blood glucose levels (Glucose Buddy, free on iTunes), how many calories you burn in your workout (Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker, free on iTunes) or track calorie counts in foods (Daily Burn, 99 cents on iTunes).
Check out the nutritional values of various foods (including restaurant and ready-made) at the FDA’s www.mypyramidtracker.gov, which also has a section letting you evaluate your activity level.
Or type “nutrition tracker,” “nutrition calculator” and similar keywords into your search engine to find other ways to check carbs, sugars and fats in various foods.
10. Watch out for stress
Do you reach for food in a crisis? Holidays can be stressful – your To-do list is probably longer than Santa's and family gatherings can bring on clashes.
Unfortunately, stress and extra food put a dent in diabetes numbers.
If you’re a stress nosher, learn how to cope.
For example, “try yoga," Maarouf advises. “It’s a good de-stresser.”
Geil recommends any exercise to lower anxiety and blood sugar levels.
“Remember: A little activity can provide two benefits – de-stressing and maintaining sugar levels,” Geil says.
Last but not least, consider the purpose of the holidays.
“These are times for celebrating life, for thinking of or even enjoying the people we love," Geil says. “Focus on that, instead of the food.”
How Much Do You Know About Diabetes?
In the United States alone, 23.6 million people have diabetes. And 5.6 million of them don’t even know it. Unfortunately, misinformation about diabetes is rampant – and mixing up the facts about this disease can have dire consequences.
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