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Diabetes and the Holidays Making it through the sugar-heavy time of the year. By Kimberly A. PorrazzoPublished: November, 2004

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Editor's Note: This is part of a yearlong series, Defy Diabetes. While controlling diabetes (or reducing one’s risk) is a yearlong effort, perhaps no other season poses as many temptations as the holidays. At home, at work, at school ­ seems everyone is indulging in holiday treats. Researchers in Taiwan, who monitored type 2 diabetics during one holiday season, reported that blood glucose levels in the subjects they followed increased from November through April, putting them at increased risk for complications. “The cumulative effects of the yearly A1C gain (or increase in blood glucose) during the winter holidays are likely to contribute to the substantial increase in A1C that frequently occurs among type 2 diabetic subjects,” the authors of the study write in the journal Diabetes Care. So how do you make it through? Here are suggestions, several from the Defeat Diabetes Foundation (www.defeatdiabetes.org), to help you keep focus. • Plan ahead. Make certain that you schedule exercise time BEFORE and AFTER indulging in order to rid your body of the excess sugar you consume. • Try to have or attend “active” parties where those gathered walk to holiday light displays, walk through the neighborhood caroling, or cut down a Christmas tree. • When attending a party, offer to bring a dish ­ one that you know is compatible with your dietary needs. • Survey the buffet table and fill your plate with smart choices. Sit as far away from the table as possible to limit return visits. • If you consume alcohol, eat something with it and keep the alcohol and sugar content as low as possible. • Eat a healthy snack before arriving at a holiday party to ease the temptation. • During long shopping trips at the mall, bring your own healthy snacks and avoid food court fare. Sharon Allbright’s “Low-Carb Sweets and the Art of Self-Indulgence” offers low-carb recipes for everything from Macadamia Fudge to Chocolate Crème Brulee. No recipe contains more than five carbs. The author also coaches readers on various emotional aspects of low-carbing it, including how to bounce back from “blowing it,” and how to journal your way to a healthy life. Information: www.LowCarbSweets.net. - Kimberly A. Porrazzo

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