November means Thanksgiving – a celebration of all the things we have to be thankful for. It also brings us into the holiday season. You can enjoy the bounty of a Thanksgiving meal without the extra weight that most times follows. If you are diabetic, it is very important to monitor your blood sugar carefully this time of year with all the parties and extra goodies around.
Some tips for the Thanksgiving meal:
ü Don’t be too hungry when you sit down to eat. Be sure to keep on your regular eating schedule before you have the big meal.
ü Be aware of high calorie side dishes – these often include items containing cheese, cream, sugar and butter which can raise your blood sugars even higher.
ü Serve yourself small portions so that you can enjoy several offerings.
ü If you know you want dessert, cut back some on the main meal, ‘saving’ calories so that the whole meal is not too high. Be sure you have eaten some protein with your main meal and only have a small portion of dessert.
ü Get out and be active after you eat, it will help burn off some of the calories you consumed.
For more information on how to manage your diabetes during Thanksgiving, visit www.diabetes.org.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Kathy Hubbert, MS, RD