Let’s talk about festive wellness

The festive season is upon us! And it can be tricky to navigate with diabetes… Bridget McNulty shares her top tips for festive wellness with diabetes.

If you’re like me, you can’t wait for the December holidays to begin! Relaxation, sunshine, celebration… What’s not to love? Well… A few things. Here are 3 essential things to be aware of if we want a season of festive wellness (which I’m pretty sure we all do!)

Physical and emotional wellness

First up, the basics: make sure you sleep enough. Drink enough water. Eat vegetables and salad as well as all the treat food.

Move your body! Make sure you do a little exercise, even if it’s just a 30 minute walk around the block every day.

And support your body in all the ways it needs. You will have seen us talking about nerve health and diabetes lately, and it’s something I feel really passionate about it. You can read more about how Vitamin B, nerve health and diabetes are related here, and find out if you have a Vitamin B deficiency here.

Mental health challenges

While quality time with family might be a joy for some, it can also be difficult for others. And if you’ve lost a loved one, or have strained relationships with someone in your extended family, it can be a stressful time as well.

This is a reminder that you don’t have to be jolly and happy all the time – no matter what the ads tell you! It’s perfectly fine to need to leave a social function early, or go for a walk (bonus: a walk after eating is really good for your blood sugar!)

Be gentle with your mental health this festive season, and don’t forget to reach out for help if you need it.

The season of feasting

The festive season is full of celebration, which is lovely. Also full of feasting and big meals, which is lovely but difficult for blood glucose control. After many years of trying to figure out the best way to deal with festive feasting, here are our best tips:

Don’t arrive hungry

Although it seems like a good plan to arrive at a celebration without having eaten much, it means you’ll be more tempted to snack before the start of the meal. Rather have a healthy low-carb meal a few hours before so that you don’t feel hungry and your blood sugar is stable. 

Fill half your plate with veggies

No matter what’s on offer, there will generally be some kind of vegetable option – like cucumber sticks, salad, and roasted veggies. Fill half your plate with veggies so that it crowds out space for other, less healthy options.

Plan ahead

While planning and being on holiday don’t seem like they go hand in hand, your blood sugar will thank you if you’re prepared. Try to stick to a normal eating schedule as much as possible, and trade-off treats – if you know you’re going out for a big dinner, eat a salad at lunch and save your carbs for later!

Serve yourself where possible

It’s not always possible to dish up your own meal, but try to do it whenever you can. That way, you get to make choices that are good for your blood sugar, without feeling like you have to eat everything on your plate to be polite.

Eat slowly

When everyone is gathered around a table, the temptation can be to dive in and start eating right away. But if you can pause and eat more slowly, you’re less likely to overeat and, as an added bonus, you’ll be able to appreciate all the flavours of the food. If you can start your meal with the protein and veg elements, followed by carbs, you’ll also be doing your blood sugar a favour (food order can have an impact on blood sugar spikes).

Most of all, give yourself permission to have a wonderful, relaxing festive season – you deserve it!

Do you have any to add?

So there you have it! The 3 things I’m going to do to ensure festive wellness and a well-deserved break. Let me know if I left any essentials out!