Avoid that sugar rush at your Thanksgiving dinner

November starts one day after Halloween and signals the beginning of the holiday season. Most of us feel this season as separate from the rest of the year. Decorations go up around town, and we begin to think of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas. 

It just so happens November is also National Diabetes Awareness Month, and it coordinates pretty well with Thanksgiving and all its eats and treats. 

If you’re diabetic or have any issues with your blood sugar, you’re probably thinking about how to survive and still have a healthy good time. Since Thanksgiving is traditionally a sugar-heavy holiday, the rest of us could do well to follow that lead. 

I’m going to give you some diabetes awareness info and a formula we can all use for enjoying holiday foods with less angst. 

Our bodies run on sugar. Most of the food we digest ends up as glucose, a sugar our blood carries to our body parts for energy. We need to maintain a relatively constant level of sugar in our blood for our bodies to function. The pancreas regulates our blood sugar level with the hormones insulin and glucagon. Insulin lowers blood sugar if there’s too much, and glucagon raises sugar if there’s too little.

People with diabetes have too much sugar in their blood because their bodies don’t make enough insulin or they can’t use it effectively. Left untreated, diabetes can be life-threatening. But under a doctor’s care, diabetics can live normal lives. That’s why every annual blood test includes testing for sugar levels.

When you get a blood test for sugar, they test for glucose. Your doctor will probably prescribe a fasting glucose test and an A1C test. 

Normal fasting blood sugar should be under 100 milligrams deciliter. 

A1C is a different way of measuring sugar in your blood, so it can be done using the same blood draw. It shows your glucose level over a period of 2-3 months. Here’s how it works.

Red blood cells are about 95% hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen to all the tissues in your body. When we have glucose in our blood, some of it attaches to that hemoglobin and stays there for the entire life of the red blood cell, which is about three months. So, a single blood test can tell how much glucose attaches to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells for around three months.

The higher the percentage, the more glucose is in your blood.

Some glucose in your blood is normal.

But elevated levels of glucose indicate prediabetes or diabetes depending on how high that level is. An A1C below 5.7% is normal. 5.7% to 6.4% means you have prediabetes. If your A1C 6.4% or above, you’re diabetic.

Non-diabetic women shouldn’t eat more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day, 9 for men.

According to the American Heart Association guidelines. 

Unless you’re diabetic, the natural sugar in fruits, dairy products, grains and vegetables is OK. It’s added sugar, in cereals, flavored yogurts, of course bakery goods, candy and ice cream and that sneaky sugar they put in food you wouldn’t expect like tomato sauce, that can put you over the top and without knowing it.

For most of us, all bets are off on Thanksgiving. We could have triple the daily amount in just one meal. There’s sugar all over the place. So what can we do about it and still enjoy the holiday?

• If you work out regularly, a Thanksgiving morning workout including a little extra cardio and weight training to burn calories and raise your metabolism will get you started.
• If you haven’t been working out, take a morning walk. Depending on how long and how fast, it can burn up to a piece of pie’s worth of calories and will definitely set the tone for the day. It will help keep your glucose at a more constant level and prevent sugar spiking.
• Don’t eat all day before Thanksgiving dinner? Bad advice. Not eating drops your blood sugar down around your knees, and you’ll almost certainly overeat at dinner.
• Eat light until the big dinner. Moderation, not starvation, is the key. 
• Don’t be afraid to feel a little hungry but not so hungry so as not to overeat later.
• At dinner, don’t count calories. Just concentrate on portion size. It’s a balancing act. 
• You can sample everything you care about and save room for dessert. Of course, if you’re diabetic, you’ll be monitoring your blood sugar. Have some veggies, a moderate portion of turkey or whatever protein, just a dollop of carbs like potatoes or yams. Consider skipping the dinner roll. Save carbs for pie crust. If you get too full, it can ruin your night.
• Drink moderately. The more you drink, the more you’ll feel like eating.
• When it comes to desserts, make smart choices. You don’t want to feel yucky afterward.
• Sample is the key word here. A sliver will give you a healthy, satisfying taste of everything you want. If you’re diabetic, keep the slivers small. 

You’re probably going to overindulge a little. But with a little pre-planning and a pinch of discipline, it doesn’t have to be a lot. And you can taste it all and feel good afterward. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!