New Year holidays and type 2 diabetes: how to stay healthy?

The text is for informational purposes only. We urge you not to use diets, do not resort to any medical menus and fasting without medical supervision. Recommended reading: “Why you can not go on a diet on your own.” Limiting yourself on a holiday, and even on the New Year, is an extremely unpleasant prospect. But for most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, dietary restrictions become the norm. And when the most important holiday of the year comes, patients with this disease tend to consider two radically opposite scenarios for themselves.

The first is strict adherence to all restrictions and, as a result, depriving yourself of a significant part of the pleasant impressions of the winter holidays. The second scenario, which is best described by the phrase “well, once a year, you can,” can lead to unpleasant health consequences after the holiday.

But the truth is that diabetes is not at all a reason to refuse delicious food, and with the proper approach, a small amount of alcohol. The main thing is properly prepared food and a rational approach to the choice and use of alcoholic beverages. A thoughtful festive menu for patients with diabetes will allow you not to dwell on your disease and enjoy your vacation.

There are several ways to combine taking care of your health with a festive feast. Let’s talk about how to enjoy the New Year holidays, even with the necessary restrictions.

Festive calorie control

In type 2 diabetes, the diet and diet undergo major changes. The problem is that this diagnosis is almost always accompanied by overweight, diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys and liver. ^[1].

Therefore, the menu of a patient with type 2 diabetes, in addition to reducing the amount of sugars, is also designed to reduce the load on the digestive tract and normalize blood cholesterol levels.

If the New Year is celebrated at home, then the problem is solved simply: there are many recipes for delicious and quite dietary dishes that a patient with type 2 diabetes can almost safely afford at the festive table. First of all, these are recipes for the Mediterranean diet: cashew salad with tuna and cucumbers, warm salad with salmon, tomatoes and olives, grilled rack of lamb with mint, tabouleh with chicken. As a main course, let’s say a stewed rabbit or poultry. And if diabetes is not accompanied by kidney disease, then the menu can be enriched with baked fish. Just be sure to avoid sauces based on flour or starch.

However, things become more complicated if the celebration takes place at a party or in a restaurant, and there are no dishes suitable for a diabetic patient on the menu.

In this case, you should try to adhere to the “plate rule”, giving no more than half of it for meat dishes and side dishes. That is, in fact, you do not need to give up everything tasty. But in relation to dishes that cause reasonable suspicion, one should limit oneself to only a small tasting.

If alcohol is not expected, you can slightly increase the dose of hypoglycemic drugs. How much – it is worth consulting with your doctor in advance. Also, if blood sugar levels are maintained with insulin injections, you can slightly increase its dosage by 2-6 units. The interval of permissible increase, of course, must also be individually agreed with the doctor.

But with a reasonable use of alcohol, it is not worth adjusting the dosages of hypoglycemic drugs. Alcohol (unsweetened) in small doses by itself contributes to a short-term decrease in blood sugar levels, which, in combination with an increased dose of a hypoglycemic drug, can lead to hypoglycemia. But we will talk about this separately.

Type XNUMX diabetes and alcohol

Alcohol is an essential attribute of many New Year’s parties. And it can seriously complicate diabetes control. On the one hand, alcohol, especially strong alcohol, reduces the amount of sugar in the blood up to a certain dose. On the other hand, it is a fairly high-calorie product, which can lead to an increase in sugar levels with increasing doses.

You can’t give up alcohol completely. ^[2]. But be sure to exclude alcoholic beverages with a high content of carbohydrates – liqueurs, beer, sweet and semi-sweet wines. As a New Year’s glass of champagne, brut is best. As far as spirits are concerned, vodka, whiskey and gin are preferred over cognac. But it is better to stay away from Roma, especially young ones.

Of course, you should do without cocktails, since they very often contain either liqueurs or other high-carbohydrate components.

It should be borne in mind that when drinking strong alcohol, the hypoglycemic effect can last up to 12 hours. Therefore, when using short insulin before the next injection, it is recommended to measure the sugar level with a glucometer and, if necessary, reduce the dose by 2–6 units.

If diabetes is complicated by diseases of the liver and kidneys, alcohol should be completely abandoned. Even with the onset of kidney failure, just one glass of champagne can be harmful to health and well-being.

Alcohol in type XNUMX diabetes is completely contraindicated in:

• uncompensated disease – when the sugar level is unstable even during treatment;
• diabetic nephropathy, renal failure, hepatitis, cirrhosis or pancreatitis;
• gout, which often accompanies type 2 diabetes.

And what about sweets?

It can be very difficult for patients with type 2 diabetes to refuse sweet treats at the festive table, and these are most often desserts and cakes, which are dozens of times higher than special diabetic sweets in fast carbohydrate content.

With such treats, of course, you will have to exercise restraint and caution. Even with alcohol and an increased dose of insulin or a hypoglycemic drug, these sweets can be dangerous. To have a better chance of resisting temptation, try to eat well before dessert.

However, the dessert itself is quite possible to try: no one limits you in an effort to get a sense of taste if it is only a small piece. After dessert, it is recommended to get up from the table, dance or just walk. 10-15 minutes of activity will help the body cope with excess glucose.

After New Year’s Eve

Before going to bed after a festive evening, it will not be superfluous to measure the sugar level with a glucometer.

If it is normal or low, you should eat some more carbohydrate-containing foods or dishes with a low or medium glycemic index. Glucose in this case will gradually enter the bloodstream, protecting against a decrease in sugar levels during sleep.

If evening sugar is very high (more than 15 mmol / l), you can take an additional dose of a hypoglycemic drug or, if the patient is on insulin therapy, administer an additional 4-8 units of short insulin.

Is it important to follow all these rules?

When you’re in the holiday spirit, it’s easy to be tempted to forget about all the restrictions for at least a few days. However, in this case, a patient with type 2 diabetes may face two dangers.

First, a sharp increase in sugar levels, coupled with an alcohol load, can lead to a state of ketoacidosis in the morning and further holidays in a hospital. Secondly, in people with hypertension against the background of severe hyperglycemia, a crisis may occur, which greatly increases the risk of stroke.

Therefore, compliance with certain norms, which are described in the article, is a great opportunity to give yourself a holiday without unnecessary risk to your own health. These norms are not too complicated: most of them are part of a healthy lifestyle, which everyone who sets out to take care of their condition and well-being can adhere to. Just a little extra attention to your health during the holidays – and as a reward you will receive only pleasant memories from the New Year.

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