Striking a healthy balance between festivities, pleasure and diabetes

Diabetes never takes a holiday. In fact, throughout the year, there are several occasions when it may be difficult to keep your diabetes in check.

How you can effectively manage your diabetes during festive occasions?

It starts by making the right choices. The following tips will help you enjoy parties with friends and family—without putting your health at risk.

1. Don’t show up at a party hungry. If you do, you may be tempted to dive into the pre-meal snacks or serve yourself huge meal portions. Instead, eat small portions of your favourite foods and savour them. Whenever possible, fill up your plate with vegetables and fruit (go easy on the dips and sauces!). Share a dessert or only have a small portion to calm your sweet tooth.
2. Drink in moderation. Everyone should drink in moderation; however, diabetics must be particularly careful. While moderate amounts of alcohol may cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar, especially if you have eaten. This may make you feel sleepy or confused—either right away or a few hours later. Make sure you eat something healthy before drinking an alcoholic beverage. If you must drive, verify your blood sugar level before leaving to ensure that it is not too low.
3. Get moving! Exercise helps to lower your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol—all while burning the excess calories that are often found in very copious meals. Even if you are not at home, stay active. Taking a walk or dancing to some tunes are two exercises that are accessible to most people. Don’t forget to adapt the intensity of your activities according to your physical capacity.
4. Monitor your blood sugar. Even if you think that your result is less than ideal, don’t ignore the numbers. Continuously check your blood sugar level so that you can bring it back to a number that is right for you. Always carry your glucometer with you.
5. Take advantage of technology. To follow your diabetes more closely, there are some high-tech solutions available on the market that are very easy to use. For example, the My Diabetes app is designed to simplify monitoring every aspect of your condition on a daily basis. Learn more by doing some research online!

If you have any questions about how to manage your diabetes medication during special occasions, talk to your pharmacist to get some practical tips.