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Diabetes and Thanksgiving
November 23, 2008 |
Thanksgiving is one day out of the year that focuses on food. But that one day of
gorging could pose problems, especially if you have a disease like diabetes.
Sharon Tilbe is a registered dietitian with Lee Diabetes Care. She says there are
things you can do to make sure you are able to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.
“Plan ahead for the meal, I don’t mean plan ahead for every little detail that you
are going to eat but think what foods are going to be available. Focus on the foods
that are really special to you, the ones you haven’t had for a while, the ones you
really, really enjoy. Don’t fill up on the potato chips, the mundane, that you can
get any time.”
She says everyone, diabetic or not, should try to fit some exercise into their Thanksgiving
Day schedule. “Start by attacking the day in this way, first of all I’m going to
get some exercise today. Thanksgiving, for example, could I take a half an hour
walk in the morning get the blood circulating, get the energy going, giving you
the energy for what you have to do during the day.”
As for the dessert table, there are lots of sugar free sweets out there. If folks
with diabetes want to dig into the homemade pumpkin pie they need to be extra aware
of their insulin levels so they know how many slices they can safely eat. “Enjoy
a dessert. But do you really have to have four pieces of pie? Why not pick your
favorite and have one. Just realize that maybe it’s a good idea to check your blood
sugar a little bit more often on those days.”
Dietitians like Sharon say you should enjoy the day and the food on Thanksgiving.
It’s more important not to let those holiday eating habits continue long after the
holiday is over. Nutritionists also advise everyone to eat a healthy breakfast and
snack on things like fruit or yogurt before you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner. |
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