Festival season is the time where friends and family gather together to celebrate, and what better to celebrate than planning a big feast of delicious food? However, it is also during these times that people tend to consume a lot more calories, fats and carbohydrates. Studies have shown that during holiday seasons, people gain an average of 1 pound extra body weight, and this extra weight is not lost even after the holidays are over. To prevent fluctuation of blood glucose levels during the holiday seasons, people with diabetes are advised to plan ahead, enjoy the holidays without compromising the blood glucose level.

Here are some dietary advices during holiday seasons

1. Choose healthy meals: Plan your feast with low-calorie and low-fat dishes, such as

.Sautéed vegetables

.Salad with low fat or low-calorie dressing (e.g., Japanese dressing)

.Fruits as dessert

.Serve tea or slightly watered juice as beverages

2. Cook foods with health diet principles

.Use healthy oil products (e.g., olive oil or canola oil) to substitute fats that are

.unhealthy for the cardiovascular system (such as lard and margarine)

.Remove visible fats (e.g., remove chicken skin or pig skin)

.Use ingredients low in fat (e.g., pork loin or chicken breast)

.Whole grains (e.g., brown rice and whole wheat) to replace refined grains (white rice and white bread)

.Avoid food high in sodium contents (e.g., canned goods and preserved foods)

3. Choose an appropriate restaurant
Browse the restaurant menu online and select the dishes based on the aforementioned principles.

4.Discuss your holiday dietary plans with your nutritionist
Before the holiday seasons, discuss with your nutritionist on incorporating holiday diets into your personal dietary plans.

5.Maintain regular exercise
Remember to exercise regularly even during the holiday seasons. Keeping fit is important for weight management, since it is possible that food intake may be increased during the holiday seasons. People may need to increase extra physical activities outside of the normal exercise regimes to balance the extra caloric intake.

Reference: Joslin Diabetes Center