During Christmas, eating more sweets could result in higher blood glucose levels as well as there can be chance of gaining extra weight. A best thing to remember during the festive season is to check your blood sugar levels. If your blood glucose levels are normal or more than normal, so plan how you are going to manage your diet in advance, relax and enjoy delicious food over the festive season.
If you eating out and you are having diabetes, it can be hard to fully relax because you might be worrying about the changes to the food you are going to eat at the special occasion. If someone else is in charge of the menu- at a restaurant or in someone else’s home- You might feel more worried, particularly there can be more chances to indulge than usual over the festive period. But like rest of the year, eating with diabetes is a matter of balance.
Enjoy Yourself at Christmas:
- Balance your eating, reading and relaxing time with a good walk or other activity to utilize your blood glucose
- Stick to your usual routine diabetic diet plan as much as possible
- If you eating out try not to arrive hungry or you are likely to overeat. Keep your regular meal pattern and have a small filling snack just before you head out such as a piece of fruit
- Choose a restaurant or cafe that serves a good variety of healthy options
- Start your meal with some appetizers like vegetable soup, lentil soup or chicken broth without cream
- Ask for salads with dressing served on the side. You can have raw vegetable sticks with salsa or yoghurt dip
- Eat slowly- allow time to enjoy the taste of your food so that your brain can register it and gives proper signal when the food requirement is fulfilled
- Christmas cake, chocolates can still be enjoyed but don’t just eat too many or too much in one go. The trick is to spread them out over the Christmas period and keep your portions as small as you can. Stick with Sugar-Free as much as possible.
- Fried foods, fish or chicken can be easily avoided by grilling, baking or roasting