4 Tips for Diabetic Eating on July 4th

By Karen Lajoie

Any diabetic worth their weight in sugar-free Splenda knows exactly what to eat and when to eat it in order to stay healthy and happy. But when a holiday rolls around even the most stringent diet-and-exercisers can throw their healthy habits out the window when the red, white and blue cheesecake makes its first appearance. The following four tips can help you stay sane and free of sugar shock while everyone around you pigs out.

Stuff Your Face With Burgers
A 4th of July without a barbecue would be like a Jimmy Fallon movie without unfunny jokes. It would just never happen. Feel free to load your plate with burgers and hotdogs, but you know the drill when it comes to carbs. Opt for bunless barbecue favourites and score points with the South Beach crowd as well as your blood glucose levels.

Steer Clear of the Soda
Diet sodas, with their promises of zero carbs, calories, and sugar can be tempting, but you’re better off guzzling water for a few reasons. Diet sodas will wreak havoc on your diabetic body, just like regular varieties will, and the fad diet sodas of the month aren’t worth the illness that will accompany them. Additionally, walking around with a big bottle of water will keep your hands busy and stop you from grabbing extra snacks as well as keep you hydrated for all of the summer fun that comes along with celebrating Independence Day.

Don’t Share!
There are loads of delicious diabetic recipes out there, so take a few hours before you begin your holiday to bake up some sugar-free cookies or pick up some specialized snacks or candies to munch on while the fat-laden pies and donuts are making the rounds. Bonus: if cousin Fred looks like he’s going to start leeching off of your stash, a quick “there’s no sugar in these” should be enough to send him back to the buffet table.

Flap Your Gums
Don’t be afraid to tell your friends and family about your dietary needs. Diabetes is always in the news these days and your fellow partiers are almost guaranteed to be fairly well educated and understanding when it comes to the things you should and should not eat or drink. It’s much easier to avoid sweets when Aunt Lillian isn’t shoving a cake in your face every time you turn around. Also, your diabetes provides you with a pretty handy excuse for avoiding the stomach-churning jelly salads that seem to turn up at every single gathering.
Source http://www.netscape.com/