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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:

holiday food tips for festive wellness

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!

What to read next?

Healthy festive recipes- diabetes-friendly and family-friendly!: It’s mid-December, which means we’re all ready to kick back, relax and feast with our friends and family…

How to host a healthy festive meal: This year, when you host family and friends, why not consider serving healthier versions of classic holiday dishes? A healthy festive meal is possible, here is how!

10 Intuitive Eating Principles: Here, we share the 10 Intuitive Eating Principles from Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Reach from www.IntuitiveEating.org – the original Intuitive Eating Pros.

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Sweet Life is a registered NPO/PBO (220-984) with a single goal: to improve diabetes in South Africa. We are funded by sponsorships and donations from aligned companies and organisations who believe in our work. We only share information that we believe benefits our community. While some of this information is linked to specific brands, it is not an official endorsement of that brand. We believe in empowering people with diabetes to make the best decisions they can, to live a healthy, happy life with diabetes.