Diabetic diet tips can help seniors make healthy eating choices during holiday meals.
This season of holiday celebrations is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with loved ones and close friends, but let’s face it: it’s often also a time for overindulgence in less-than-healthy meals. With a multitude of rich, fatty, and sugary delicacies to choose from at every turn, it’s difficult to abide by a healthy diet, which can result in serious health concerns for individuals with diabetes.
These diabetic diet suggestions, however, can help individuals stay safe throughout the holiday season without feeling deprived of special goodies. Be sure to first speak with the doctor for his or her approval on any meal decisions that stray from an approved nutrition plan.
- Decide on your favorites. Review choices during a holiday meal, and select your top two carbs to enjoy. For instance, figure out if you’d prefer to have stuffing or rolls, or pick between mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, as opposed to indulging in all of the choices.
- Bring your own. When attending a holiday gathering at someone’s residence, speak with the host concerning your nutritional limitations, and offer to bring a healthy dish to share, such as a tray of vegetables or a sugar-free dessert.
- Have a snack first. Enjoying a healthy snack prior to the holiday meal will help keep blood sugar levels consistent and aid in steering clear of the temptation to go overboard. Good snack choices for those with diabetes include nuts, veggies with hummus, celery with peanut butter, cottage or string cheese, or an egg.
- Hydrate. Having a glass of water before sitting down to the meal will help give a feeling of fullness, making it less likely that you’ll be inclined to overindulge.
- Stay active. After a heavy meal, defy the urge to settle into the recliner and watch TV or snooze; instead, provide help with cleaning up the kitchen, play an active game with the children, or take a walk in the brisk fall air.
If in spite of these tactics, if you end up overeating or making less-than-healthy selections, be kind and forgiving to yourself. Keep in mind that tomorrow is a new day to pick up healthy habits again. Keep a close eye on your blood sugar to make sure levels stay in the appropriate range and to prevent the potential for a serious problem, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, which could bring on a hospitalization and most definitely put a damper on the holiday spirit.
Contact the in-home care professionals at Advanced Home Health Care to learn more diabetic diet friendly tips, for assistance with preparing nutritious meals, providing medication reminders and support to engage in exercise programs, and much more! Our senior home care Burlington, IA area families trust is available throughout the holiday season and beyond to empower seniors to live their best possible lives. Call us at 800.791.7785 to request a free in-home consultation for senior home care in Burlington and the surrounding areas!
