The holidays present a special time for families and friends to get together and reminiscence about past, current and future events. During this holiday, many families prepare sumptuous meals which are composed of stuffed Turkey, wine, main courses, salads and finally sweet desserts.
For individuals who suffer from diabetes, this holiday can prove to be very difficult especially when one considers the type of food on offer. The food is tempting, the music, the gathering and the decorations are beautiful and without extra caution, one can make bad decisions that can result in difficult health problems.
Below are tips to help you tackle diabetes this Thanksgiving holiday.
Eat healthy snacks
Thanksgiving means that one will have to make a lot of traveling from one destination to another. Since airline flight meals may not be healthy especially to an individual with diabetes, planning your eating schedule can help you save a lot of trouble.
When on the plane, you need to have healthy snacks nearby. A healthy snack can be composed of salads, fruits and nuts such as almonds. The fruits, vegetables and nuts contain nutrients such as protein,low quantity of natural sugar and fiber which helps to fill one’s stomach as well as ensuring that their health is maintained. Even at the party, you need to have a healthy snack before meals to ensure that your appetite is reduced therefore avoiding over eating altogether.
Get flu shots
Flu is a serious health complication that can result in several consequences especially to an individual with diabetes. The disease is caused by a virus and it results in several complications such as problems with the regulation of blood glucose.
In order to ensure that one is able to enjoy thanks giving, it is important to get flu shots before one travels. This will ensure that they are able to stay healthy as well as tackle the disease.
Have warm clothing
During thanks giving, the biting cold is present in many states and if you are planning to travel to areas where cold will be present, it is important to invest in warm clothing. Thick socks, thick mittens, hats, sweater, thick woolen pants and warm boots are some of the accessories that will ensure that one stays warm.
This not only ensures that one is able to fight the cold but also reduces complications such as poor circulation and neuropathy.
Maintain a healthy weight
Many people are known to pack a few pounds especially after the holidays such as thank giving. For those with diabetes, it is even much more easier as the insulin helps to contribute to these effects.Insulin when taken usually drops the level of glucose in one’s blood. Since this is the goal, many people may be tempted to consume more calories. When this occurs and depending with one’s activity level, it will result in the cells getting more glucose than they need.
When your body is unable to sufficiently convert the glucose into energy, it is converted instead into fat therefore contributing to more weight. To eliminate weight gain, it is important to keep count of the number of calories one is consuming.
Maintain low stress levels
Thanksgiving is synonymous with a time when people reveal secrets that they have been concealing throughout the year. If you are a parent, spouse, brother, sister, uncle or aunt, this can lead to increased stress especially if the secret revealed is very damaging and embarrassing.
For people who are sick, increased stress levels can contribute to more complications. This may lead to rise in cortisol levels which will contribute to blood glucose.
Drink water regularly
Winter brings with it dry heat and food that is rich in sugar. This can make one to be very dehydrated and it can cause problems for individuals with health issues. To ensure one is able to stay healthy and reduce complications altogether, it is important to drink water regularly. Water helps to ensure one stays hydrated.
In conclusion, it is very important to ensure that you are able to tackle diabetes especially during the thanks giving holiday. The following tips will help you on this journey. They include drinking water regularly in order to stay hydrated, maintaining low stress levels, maintaining a healthy weight and finally staying warm.
