Holidays can test healthy habits. Here’s how to stay on track and manage diabetes

A tough part of maintaining health during the holidays is the endless opportunity to eat. There are Thanksgiving meals loaded with starch and topped off with pies. Christmas has the heavy combination of company potlucks, desserts and, of course, cookies for Sir Claus. Combine those events with chillier temperatures and less daylight in the evening, and healthy routines can fall by the wayside.

This time of year can be challenging for everyone’s health, especially for those with diabetes. South Carolina ranks 20th on the Center for Disease Control list for diabetes mortality, and diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death in the Palmetto State.

Jennifer Wolfe, owner of TrueFit Pilates in Bluffton, is a holistic health and nutrition coach who has an advanced degree in kinesiology and exercise science. She offered clarity regarding diabetes challenges and some practical solutions.

Be like Popeye

• Eating vegetables or a salad ahead of the heavy meal can add a buffer for increased sugar levels. “When eating something like pasta, you see the spike in glucose levels. A hack for this is to have vegetables or salad on the front end of your carbs.” Wolfe advises. “The spike is not as great after having something like pasta.”

Apple cider vinegar’s secret

• Drinking a full glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before meals can reduce blood sugar level. “It helps to prepare your body for food and can lower the acidity in your stomach,” Wolfe said.

Keep it moving

• “After a meal, go move. Even if is just for 10 minutes,” Wolfe said. “You do not have to go for a jog or climb Mount Kilimanjaro... You need to ‘not sit.’” Moving, she added, actually helps with digestion and uses sugar for energy. This can help diabetics avoid some of those higher glucose spikes.

Little makes a lot.

• “Small things make big changes,” Wolfe said. She suggests taking things like diet changes, adding more water, etc., in small doses. Doing so consistently is the key to success. A healthy routine is about long-term habits, not quick fixes.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach

• Everyone is different. Hence, “A diabetic diet is not a one size fits all. Not at all.” Wolfe said that given different body make-ups and predisposed health conditions, what works for one person with diabetes may not work for the next person.

Additional suggestions:

• Celebrate small wins. Even if you cannot finish all of the goals you set, celebrate the ones you did. Focus on one or two things, get good at those, and then you can add to that.
• Discover the reasons for your choices, have clear goals about what your motivation is for going on an after-dinner walk or eating more vegetables, and educate yourself on nutrition.
• Find someone who will help hold you accountable and, if possible, have a support squad.
• Wolfe advises if you have a, “snack-accident,” or “snack-cident,” brush it off and move on. “Wake up the next day and do better.”
• Get proper rest. Are you sleeping okay? If not, why? Are you eating too late in the evening? The body needs time to rest and to digest. When you are asleep, your body needs to focus on healing from the day’s activities.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
• Take time to schedule meal plans, exercise routines and self-care.
• Wolfe suggests the book, “The Glucose Revolution: The Life-changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar,” by Jessie Inchauspe which speaks of simple things backed by scientists and includes graphics related to diabetes and other health issues.