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		Healthy Holiday Eating: Making It through the Holidays without a Blood Sugar > 300 By Lynn Maarouf, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. - Stark Diabetes Center Edited: 11/21/2006   Statistics tell us that the “average” American gains about seven pounds over the holidays.  Texans, with access to tortilla chips and salsa, fried turkey, jalapeno cornbread and pecan pie might gain even more!  People who have diabetes, in addition to having to worry about weight gain, also have to think about blood sugars and how high they go after a meal with rolls, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes and a piece of lemon pie for dessert. Holidays can be a catastrophic time for blood sugars. During the holidays people are under more pressure to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods they might not usually choose. In addition to this, we are all genetically coded to eat more when there is an abundance of food in front of us. This promoted survival in our ancestors, but in modern times, we need to modify this code and caution it to back off a bit. The news media tells us daily that children are becoming dangerously obese. Our diabetes rates are skyrocketing, even in children as young as 5 and 6 years old. Maybe it is time to sit back and look at how we are feeding our family and friends during the holiday season. Let’s look at a few easy tips to help everyone stay healthy and avoid crash-dieting after the first of the year. Whether you have diabetes or not the holidays are a good time to: 1) Get some exercise. The best time to exercise is before a big meal. It gets your metabolism revved and if you have diabetes it may also prevent a blood sugar rise after that meal. Remember, 30-60 minutes of walking can help reduce blood sugars. Make time to exercise- it can reduce your risk of a heart attack by 50%! Think about getting some pedometers for stocking stuffers – 10,000 steps per day is the new rule for fitness! The holidays can also become a stressful time for some and downright depressing time for others. Many studies suggest that exercise, especially when done on a regular basis, helps our body make more endorphins – natural mood elevators that calm us and reduce our feelings of stress at the same time.   2) Fiber is essential. Eat a high fiber cereal with at least 8 grams of fiber in the morning. This will help you feel less hungry and decrease the temptation to over-eat. Women need 25 grams of fiber per day while men need at least 34 grams. When you eat enough fiber a huge appetite won’t be a big problem. Traditional country foods like beans and greens are also good sources of fiber. Use whole grain breads and rolls or whole wheat tortillas when possible. 3) Drink lots of water.  More water makes us feel less hungry so water is essential at times of the year when tempting food is everywhere. Flavored waters are tasty and calorie-free.   4) Plan healthier desserts. Pumpkin or sweet potato pie are sources of beta carotene and fiber and are much lower in fat and sugar than cheesecakes and pecan pies (And about half the calories). Go to the Equal or Splenda websites for healthy dessert recipes. You can also substitute 2% or skim for whole milk in most recipes.   5) Share a meal. Restaurant meals contribute to the obesity epidemic. A single meal in a restaurant contains at least 1,600 calories, or even as much as 2,200, more than most of us should have for the whole day.  Split a plate with a friend, take some food home, eat from the senior menu, or choose low fat menu items.   6)  Cut back on FAT. Recent books have promoted carbohydrates as food from the devil, when in fact; fat is the major source of calories especially in Southern diets where fried foods are more common. Other foods like chips, pizza, cheeseburgers and fries, salad dressings and cheeses are also high in fat.  Add a nice piece of cheesecake or ice cream for desert and you have sealed it. On any given day, especially when eating out, the fat content of our meals could add up to 200 grams.  When you multiply this by nine - the number of calories in a gram of fat-this means:  200 grams of fat x 9 calories per gram = 1800 calories just from the fat content of the meals.   This is why some low carb dieters don’t do well. If they are not very knowledgeable about the carbohydrate contents of foods, then adequate consumption of carbohydrates will allow them to metabolize all of the fat and protein in their ( high fat ) low carb diets, giving them more than adequate calories to prevent weight loss.  Often, low carb products misrepresent the actual carb content of their foods in order to increase sales.  One brand of spaghetti lists the “digestible carbs” of their product as 5 grams, when in fact this spaghetti contains 37 grams of carbohydrate per serving. While you are thinking about becoming healthier- Daily exercise should become a part of your routine in 2007. Did you once swim, bike or ride horses?  An extreme lack of exercise is one of the reasons why we are becoming obese as a country. Kids are gaining weight from not walking. Computer games and T.V. play a major role in childhood obesity and diabetes. And though kids love to drink sodas and juices these drinks may be contributing thousands of extra calories to their diet- get them to drink more water instead!  Remember 100 extra calories per day = 36,500 extra calories per year! (10 pounds)   Children learn by watching what YOU do. If you want them to be more active, you need to be active with them. Check out that bike you have been wanting then get bikes for the whole family. Plan a trip that involves hiking. Exercise is of MAJOR importance in weight loss and diabetes prevention for adults and children.   Make 2007 a healthier year. When doing holiday shopping, get a grilled chicken sandwich and skip the fries. Remember how much more fun life was when you felt GOOD?  Make a pledge to stay healthy and help your family stay healthy, too. If you need help planning a healthy lifestyle- check out this web site: http://www.mypyramid.gov.  This will give tips for healthy bodies of all ages! For more interesting resources on diet and nutrition see the diet counseling page
updated 3/19/07