Handling the holidays when you have diabetes.
I never understood why National Diabetes Month was in November. It seems cruel to me that while people are being advised to avoid sweets and limit carbohydrates, the rest of America is having a carb-laden Thanksgiving meal, the holiday baking has begun, treats and goodies are flooding the stores, and this is the only time of year where we may get some of our childhood food favorites. I made a motion to move this campaign to June. Anyone agree?
While I don’t have the power to change the month for diabetes awareness, I can provide some tips that may help you enjoy the season without shame, guilt, or giving everything up you love. When approaching the main meal, I feel there are several ways to handle this:
1) Eat some protein and veggies a couple hours before the event, to curb your appetite and prevent overeating.
2) Have a dollop or small taste of everything. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite. If you feel you need more to eat, have a little more protein or non-starchy veggies.
3) Utilize the “trade-off” method, which is what I like to do. Check out all the options and decide what you REALLY want. For Thanksgiving, I really want the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy and have salad to prevent over-eating the other stuff. I could care less about the bread, corn, squash, etc. as I can have those any time.
4) Lighten foods up. Green bean casserole is a carbohydrate but green beans aren’t. Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic and add that to the cooked green beans. Throw in some slivered almonds versus the French onion pieces. Also try adding butter, a little honey and cinnamon to the yams or squash to reduce the carbs from the original candied yams recipe.
5) Have your dessert in between verses with the meal. A slice of pumpkin pie is ~ 2 carb choices (~30 gm); a slice of pecan pie is ~ 4 carb choices (~60 gm).
Let me know in the comments if you are going to try any of these tips OR please share any that you have.
If you’re looking for more tips or ways to improve your blood glucose, reach out to me HERE: https://foxfunctionalnutrition.com/contact-me/
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