The festive season can be a tough time for the 1.8 million South Africans who are affected by diabetes mellitus.
Many of the lifestyle factors that diabetics are advised to avoid – such as drinking, consuming vast amounts of sugar and red meat, smoking and being inactive – are how the rest of the population fill their days during the December and January holiday time.
Sanlam Personal Finance product actuary Petrie Marx says this time of year can be stressful for diabetics as they are out of their normal routine.
“November is Diabetes Awareness month, with the global spotlight placed on this chronic disease. It is the perfect time to remind diabetics and their loved ones to take care during the festive season.
“Managing A1CL levels is always top of mind for diabetics, and never more so than during the holidays.”
Marx offers a few tips for a diabetes-friendly holiday.
Put your own spin on the festive season diet – there are myriad ideas online for tweaking traditional festive season food for the particular needs of a diabetic.
If you celebrate Christmas, you can find a lot of great ideas on Diabetes UK. Some quick hacks are:
- Everything in moderation – rather than complete denial, keep treats like the odd chocolate small and infrequent.
- Replace fatty braai meats with lean ones.
- Make your roast potatoes big so there is less surface area to absorb oil (and use light cooking oil spray).
- Use low fat custard instead of brandy butter.
- Remove the skin from your turkey roast on Christmas Day.
- Limit your carbs: These are the food group that have the biggest impact on blood sugar. Choosing carbs wisely to keep blood sugar levels stable is critical during the season.