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.
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.
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