• Home
  • My Story
  • Blog
  • Contact Information
The Diabetic Cyclist

Diabetic Thanksgiving

11/20/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
I'm not sure when all of the major American holidays decided to be about food, for people living with diabetes the holidays can be very tough.  People living with diabetes are human and enjoy food just like everyone else and should be able to enjoy the holidays.  Sadly all to often this is not the case, the last thing we want is to be low or high and not enjoying the day.  When you are presented with a table full of different foods it is tough to calculate the carbohydrates and the correct amount of insulin.  You have your carb heavy foods like, stuffing, potatoes and dinner rolls and then you have your high sugar foods like cranberry sauce, pies and beverages for those of us over the age of twenty-one.  Lets say you have a plate full of  quick acting carbs and also have a large amount of starchy high carb foods, what do you do?

My suggestion is to eat in shifts, I will start with a plate of turkey, stuffing and potatoes.  I eat these food occasionally and know how to cover them with insulin.  I will then wait to see how my body responds to my first course, if things go smoothly I will then have a drink or dessert and cover that with insulin.  I have gotten odd looks when I do this but it is better than being 300 and angry.  If that does not sound fun I would suggest going with square wave bolus, I have not tried this during the holidays but a square wave will give you a set amount of insulin over a set amount of time.  With a square wave you can eat everything at one sitting and get maybe ten units over a three hour period.

Personally I treat the holidays like any other day, being so obsessed with cycling and working out I tend to watch what I eat more then I probably should.  On Thursday I will have my normal breakfast, a small lunch (Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a few almonds) and then use Thanksgiving dinner as my mid-afternoon snack.  I will have a small piece of turkey, a spoon of stuffing and a dinner roll, again I get odd looks but I know what works and I'm with family so they know how odd I can be.  I will then have a bowl of pasta for dinner with a sliver of pumpkin pie.  My plan is not for everyone but I wish everyone the best and encourage people to share what works for them.

1 Comment
Scott K. Johnson link
11/22/2012 11:40:03 am

Good idea on eating in shifts! I've also heard that the order that you eat your food can change how quickly (or slowly) they are digested, which might be another way to manipulate the balance of BG's and insulin.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

    Follow The Diabetic Cyclist on Facebook!!!! 

    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000646483719
 All diabetics are not textbook cases