It’s difficult to say no to all the savory dishes and desserts during the festive season, and it is even more challenging for diabetic patients. But it is important to make an effort to resist the food minefield because careless moments can become mayhem for blood sugar levels.
The latest facts reveal that there are 25.8 million people in U.S. who are a victim of diabetes and the number diagnosed has increased significantly since 1958. And it’s not just elderly among the population who have to manage blood sugar; in 2010, about 1.9 million diagnosed were 20 years and above.
So should you deprive yourself of vacations, parties, events and other occasions? Of course not, that will make you feel worse and lead to stress build-up – another thing that diabetics should avoid.
All you need to do is make some smart choices to enjoy a happy, enjoyable festive season. More specifically, to manage blood sugar levels you should do the following:
There are likely to be some dishes that you’re only going to eat in one season, so enjoy eating them, but in moderation. Keep the calories on the same level as you do for the rest of the year and practice portion control.
For example, when your favorite dessert is served along with the main meal, try to intake the same calories of carbohydrates as you normally would. You can do this by cutting out some other carbohydrates from the main meal.
2. Keep blood sugar level in check
Routinely monitor your blood sugar levels and keep taking prescribed medicines. According to Dexcom, diabetic patients don’t have the right set of tools for adequate management of blood sugar levels. Not only does this increase the patient’s health risks, it increases the cost of medical care through the frequency of clinic visits.
However, assistance can be found in the use of a glucose monitoring device, which not only provides valuable insight into diabetes and health management, but also saves patients from the cost of visiting the clinic for a monitoring session. This is because one can use the device to monitor one’s levels right from home. As a plus, most modern offerings are painless and easy to use.
The festive season doesn’t mean that you should skip daily workouts. Exercise helps in lowering blood sugar, and staying active also translates into lower blood pressure and stress. While you’re unlikely to find time for the usual workout schedule, you can be smart with the whole thing and burn more calories.
For example, you can take your dog for a walk as you admire the decorations in the neighborhood, or do a light jog down to the shopping mall for small grocery items. You can also indulge in holiday games with the kids outside and participate in local holiday events to stay active.
4. Focus on the bigger picture
The festive season extends beyond indulgence in delicious treats – it’s also a time to catch up with family and friends. So you should focus less on food and more on giving time to your loved ones.
There are several ways to engage with the peers (other than dining with them). You can spend time enjoying the weather, play festive games and do house chores together.
This guest post was submitted by: Samantha Peters, a contributor on the personal finance blog Paid Twice. Sam enjoys writing about ways to ensure that your money is working hard and earning you the highest rates of return. Sam lives in sunny San Diego, California where she enjoys life with her puppy Leona.