The holidays are in full swing! ‘Tis the season for gift shopping, decorating, festivities and culinary masterpieces. While it’s “the most wonderful time of the year,” this season can also be very taxing. Rich and hearty meals are prevalent, so it can be a stressful time for diabetics. If you’re a caregiver to someone with diabetes, or are managing the diseases yourself, part of your daily health care will include balancing food needs and healthy meal decisions daily.

But it’s important to remind ourselves that holiday meals and celebrations don’t have to disrupt your diabetes control. With a little preparation, you can be sure that your holidays are both happy and healthy.

Some helpful tips for diabetics:

• Don’t “bank” your calories or carbs.
In other words, don’t save them all for one meal. Try to stick with your normal eating schedule as much as you can to avoid blood-glucose fluctuations.

• Control portions.
Diabetes does not mean you have to give up your favorite foods, just use portion control to accommodate different situations. Check out Choose My Plate for tips on what foods to put emphasis on.

• Know your own limits.
Every diabetic is different, and you need to figure out the balance of different foods that works for you. It’s important to have a general sense of what combinations of carbohydrates, fats and fiber work.

• Prepare for parties.
When heading to a holiday party or festivity, bring a dish with you that you know you can eat. Given that there are almost 26 million people in the U.S. with diabetes, there many diabetic-friendly recipes and cookbooks (check out some of my favorites). Your host will certainly appreciate the gesture, and you’ll be able to relax knowing that you won’t go hungry.

Tips for the family:

• Be open to new traditions.
If your loved one would rather take a walk than sit and watch an entire football game, then support them. Walking is a great social activity for the whole family. Physical activity is as important to managing diabetes as diet is.

• Keep an open mind.
Don’t assume just because your loved one is diabetic that they cannot eat carbs. Many adjust their medication so that they can indulge on special occasions.

• Talk about it.
If you are not sure how to approach the holiday season with the needs of a loved one with diabetes ask them ahead of time what you can do to make things easier.

For the holiday hostess:

• Serve healthy snacks.
To help diabetics from getting too hungry and their blood glucose levels getting too low, have options like veggies, whole grain crackers and high fiber nuts.

• Consider timing.
Check with your guest to see what time they would prefer eating because timing can alter their blood glucose levels.

• Put movement on the menu.
After the main meal get everyone outside to throw around the old pig skin or go for a walk.

Traveling this holiday season? If you need to carry all your medications, a handy pill box (at almost any local pharmacy) is great. I suggest the 7-Day Travel Pill Pod  to help organize my family’s medications. It’s especially useful if you’ll be gone just a few days. Each daily compartment pops out so you can tailor the number of pill compartments to the days you are away from home. The pill box compartments are extra large to accommodate all pill sizes and can hold up to 40 aspirin tablets. You can rest assured that you or your family won’t miss a dose while traveling this holiday season.

Overall, it’s important to focus on the fun, not the feast. The holidays are a time for family, friends, and celebration!

-Susan