Spending the Holidays with Diabetes

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At Christmastime, Steve Tubin’s wife, Lene, loves to bake treats from her native Denmark. And when she does, the sweet smell of marzipan wafts through their home in Tarrytown, N.Y. For Steve, a 59-year-old music teacher diagnosed 25 years ago with type 2 diabetes, it’s delightfully overwhelming. “So I taste a little bit,” he says. He’s come to realize that allowing himself a small serving of his favorite sweet treats is healthier behavior than total self-deprivation. 

 

Back when he first learned he had diabetes, Steve found it easier to avoid holiday parties than to face the edible temptations. But, gradually, he learned to control his eating and make the necessary adjustments to his insulin intake and exercise regimen. Now, he once again looks forward to the festivities. “The longer you’re forced to deal with something,” he explains, “the better you get at it.”

 

The holiday season is a challenge for many perfectly healthy people. But it’s especially difficult for those with diabetes. Erratic schedules, stress, and get-togethers at which calorie-laden goodies are standard fare can interfere with self-care, says Michele Jachim, RD, CDE, at the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute in Orlando. 

 

To avoid overindulging, Jachim advises patients map out their holiday schedules in advance. Who is visiting you and when? Who are you going to visit? What parties are you attending? “See whether you’re overextending yourself,” she says. If so, prioritize. 

 

Before getting caught up in the holiday whirlwind, consult your healthcare provider, suggests Ann Albright, PhD, RD, president of health care and education at the American Diabetes Association. Find out how alcohol, which is metabolized like fat, will affect any diabetes medication that you take. Never drink on an empty stomach, she adds, and never substitute alcohol for food. 

 

After battling throngs at the mall, Aunt Betty’s brownies or your brother-in-law’s eggnog can thwart an ironclad resolve. Knowing your personal food weaknesses, experts say, can help you develop strategies to combat them. 

 

Before Tamara McKenna, of Tappan, N.Y., leaves home for a party, she eats a snack so she’s not famished and inclined to overeat. The 32-year-old mother of an infant and a 4-year-old says that, when she attends parties with her kids, minding them keeps her away from the hors d’oeuvres. But without the little ones in tow, she positions herself away from the buffet table, taking a seat on a couch and socializing. Otherwise, she knows she’ll nibble unconsciously and suffer the consequences later. 

 

“I end up wondering, Have I had 10 cheese and crackers or two?” says Tamara, who has type 1 diabetes. The guesswork makes it difficult to determine how to regulate her insulin pump. Too much insulin, and her sugar level will plummet. Too little, and it will soar. 

 

Are you a nibbler, too? At a cocktail party, put your food on a small plate, suggests Dr. Albright, so you can see what you’re eating. Limit high-carb, high-fat goodies to one-third of the plate. Choose something lighter, like raw veggies, for the other two-thirds. 

 

Do you have a hard time saying no? Keep some food that you don’t plan to eat on your plate. That way your host or hostess won’t push more at you.

 

“It’s OK to enjoy a little bit,” says Jachim. Just monitor the carbohydrates and fats. At a holiday dinner, if mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing are served, pick just one to eat with your turkey and vegetables. Save up for a small piece of pie, if that’s what you really want. If you participate in a cookie swap, eat one or two and give the rest to a co-worker or neighbor. “Re-gift,” suggests Jachim.

 

Ruth Saley, of Orlando, Fla., brings diabetes-friendly versions of family-favorite dishes to her children’s homes for holiday meals. Sweet potatoes taste fine without the marshmallows and brown sugar, she says. Instead of baking squash in butter and brown sugar, she steams it. She steams green beans, too, and prepares them without bacon or any additional fat. “Casseroles can be very dangerous,” says Ruth, 73, a great-grandmother with type 2 diabetes. Unless she knows what’s in them, she avoids them.

 

Steve Tubin, the above-mentioned type 2 patient, drinks water or diet soda at parties, and opts for carrots and celery over richer fare. “You have to make conscious choices, and it’s not always easy,” he admits. “But you don’t have to give up everything.” 

 

Although he maintains a year-round exercise regimen—basketball three times a week, raking his own leaves, shoveling the snow—Steve is especially disciplined about exercise at holiday time. He will work out a little longer when he overeats. 

 

Like Steve, Teresa Arayata, of Downingtown, Pa., is cautious when temptation abounds. She drinks ice water at parties. And, if she overindulges, she walks longer than her usual daily half-hour and tests her blood sugar levels more often. “I cheat a little and then walk it off,” says the 48-year-old customer service representative, who also has type 2 diabetes.

 

Because so many holiday traditions center around food, experts suggest starting new traditions that remove the family from the table, such as a group walk after a big meal or some games. “Enjoy the company of family and the pleasure of food,” says Dr. Albright, “but be smart. You want to be around to celebrate many more holidays with your family and friends.” 

—Margaret Farley Steele