Holiday Meal Planning

Holiday Meal Planning

The holidays can be a tough time for families, especially families dealing with diabetes. But there's no reason you can't take it all in stride. With a little preparation and some diabetes know-how under your belt, you'll be ready to face any holiday head-on.

Check out our quick guide to surviving the holidays and you're on your way!

Holiday Preparation

The most important thing about managing diabetes during any holiday season is to plan ahead. The more you know about what's going to happen, the better you can plan for good diabetes care. Let's look at a few specifics.

Schedules

What does your family schedule look like for the holiday season? Are you going out of town? Having visitors stay with you? Do your plans usually include a lot of parties and food-oriented events? Or are your holidays more active, with events such as the annual family Thanksgiving football game? Getting a handle on what your schedule will look like ahead of time will help out a great deal as you tackle each day.

Menus

Once you know what your day will consist of, you should then examine your menus. Do you have traditional dishes that you make every year? There's no need to completely rework your menu just because of diabetes, but you may want to fine-tune it a bit. Planning ahead can help. For example, maybe there are some ways you can make your traditional holiday foods a bit healthier. Will that casserole taste just as good with fat-free or light sour cream instead of regular? Can you steam the green beans this year instead of sautéing in butter?

There are plenty of ways to lower fat, sugar, and carbohydrate counts in your favorite foods while still keeping the taste and texture you love. If your family looks forward to Aunt Selma's Heavenly Fudge every year -- go ahead and make it, but first talk to your diabetes educator or dietitian about ways to work a piece or two into the meal plan. It may mean eating less of other treats, getting more exercise, increasing insulin doses, or a combination of all three. But you can do it!

Resources

Portion Distortion: Learn how to avoid holiday weight gain by watching portion sizes
During the holiday season, when gatherings and even shopping trips are often centered on food, weight gain can seem unavoidable. But watching portion sizes can help prevent those extra pounds. New additions to the Portion Distortion Interactive Quiz section of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Web site show the difference in size and calories between portions offered 20 years ago and what is often a standard serving today.

Passover
Looking for information on what to eat during Passover? Visit the Jewish Diabetes Association's Web site.