Have a Healthy Holiday Season!

Written by: Tamika Handfield MS, RD, LD/N

It suddenly occurred to me a few days ago that another year had literally flown by and the holidays were right around the corner. Along with that thought came the fear of over-spending because let’s face it, this is the time of year when we really get into trouble with our spending. And no, I don’t mean over-spending on toys and other gift ideas but I mean over-spending on our calories. We tend to think that Thanksgiving is only one day and so is Christmas so we can afford to splurge and eat the extra calories for those two days right? Well, what happens most of the time is that we get into that mode of thinking and before we know it we are splurging for two months instead of two days.

Then I came into the office and while checking my emails found out that Sunday, November 21, 2010 is World Diabetes Day. So I figured it would be beneficial to come up with some ideas on how we can still enjoy the holidays without expanding our waistline and blowing our blood sugar levels through the roof. Since there really is no such thing as a “Diabetic Diet” (everyone should be eating healthy and watching portion sizes), coming up with a list of tips that addressed holiday eating as well as helping people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control was not that hard.

A friend of mine always reminds me that sharing is caring…so, I am sharing my list of ideas with you.
Hope you find it helpful and enjoyable:

1. Start the holiday season with exercise—this helps to prevent any weight gain because you will be burning off the excess calories. Exercise could include participation in the Gobble Wobble this Saturday, November 20th, 2010 or dancing to a Latin beat.
2. Take all diabetic medications as prescribed.
3. If you are attending a holiday party, never leave the house hungry—fix yourself a salad or munch on healthy snacks before leaving.
4. Do not skip meals—continue with your eating habits as you usually would. Many people skip meals trying to “save” calories for the big dinner and end up eating more calories in one meal than they would throughout the entire day.
5. Use ingredients to help lower calories, fat and salt. If you are the one preparing the meal, find healthier substitutions for holiday favorites such as Pumpkin Pie. Using applesauce instead of butter or non-fat evaporated milk instead of heavy cream is a start.
6. Watch your portions—Thanksgiving meals are notorious for being Carbohydrate laden so be sure to take smaller portions of different foods. Have a bigger variety with smaller portions by using smaller plates.
7. Be mindful about drinking—holiday drinks are an easy way to sneak excess carbohydrates and calories into the body.
8. Be deliberate in your food choices—choose a food because you actually like it and will enjoy it not because it’s in front of you; after all, food should be something that we can enjoy.

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