Delta Regional Medical Center

Breaking News

Delta Regional Medical Center Urges the Community to Take Action: more

Community Focus

Delta Regional Medical Center to host Mental Health Awareness Open House more

Physician's Spotlight

Dr. Ben P. Folk, III more

Health Tips

HOLIDAY TREATS ARE UNWELCOME TEMPTATIONS FOR DIABETICS

Local physician offers tips for enjoying the season while managing the disease

Overflowing gift baskets, beautifully-decorated cookies, festive punch bowls and traditional family desserts all wreck havoc with diets, but for the more than 20 million Americans living with diabetes, holiday treats pose a risk greater than not fitting into your jeans come January. “While many of us can take a holiday from our diets, people with diabetes have to be careful to watch what they eat to maintain proper blood sugar levels every day,” said Parvez Karim, MD, Internal Medicine, at the The Wound Healing Center, a Service of Delta Regional Medical Center. “Fortunately, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) nutritional guidelines now offer diabetics more food choices and fewer restrictions.”

Dr. Karim uses medical nutrition therapy to help the diabetics he sees at The Wound Healing Center at DRMC to manage their disease and increase their bodies’ ability to heal chronic wounds. “Diabetic nutritional guidelines no longer recommend a high-carbohydrate/low fat diet,” Dr. Karim explained. “The goal now is to focus on the total carbohydrate intake rather than the type of carbohydrate being consumed.” Dr. Karim offered these holiday tips for diabetics:

• Keep to your blood glucose monitoring schedule and monitor more frequently if you find you are eating more often or at different times of the day.

• Along with your gift-giving list, plan out what kind of holiday foods are best for you. When you get to a party, check out the food options and choose the ones that match your plan.

• Whenever possible, choose to bring a dish to the party rather than a hostess gift or a bottle of wine. That way you can be sure of at least one healthy item.

• Focus on activities other than food. Instead of meeting friends for a get-together at a restaurant, suggest going to a holiday-themed concert, movie or play instead. Offer to help out at a party rather than risk overeating by standing by the food all night.

• ADA dietary guidelines include several sweeteners that can be used in holiday baking including table sugar, honey, molasses and brown sugar. Tinker with favorite recipes to reduce the amounts of sugar required or make other substitutions such as low fat or non-fat milk for whole milk.

• The internet and libraries offer countless suggestions for holiday treats developed for people with diabetes. Look to see if there is a recipe that is equivalent to one of your family’s traditional holiday meals or start a new tradition of healthier eating.

• Don’t feel deprived during the holidays: you may need to exercise more, increase your insulin or eat less of other foods but you can enjoy the holidays to the fullest.

For more information on managing diabetes, contact The Wound Healing Center located at the West Campus of Delta Regional Medical Center, 300 South Washington or call (662) 725-7606 or visit http://www.deltaregional.com.