Wow, we can’t believe it’s the holiday season already! As busy as this season can get we are determined to keep you healthy now more than ever. Which is why we will be focused on Diabetes Awareness Month, which happens to be November!
Luckily, there is a fun way to help keep those sugars in check even during the holidays when delicious food (that isn’t all that healthy for you) is everywhere. First, a quick overview...what IS Diabetes? And what does it have to do with my eyes?
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the levels of our blood sugar. The natural insulin your body produces breaks down the sugars we eat and turn that into energy. With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin to keep up with the sugars in our blood.
Diabetes can cause some complications in our eye health, too. Things like:
Retinal bleeding
Cataracts
Diabetic Macular Edema
Dry eyes
The good news is when kept in check and diagnosed early you can learn to keep your eyes healthy with the help of your Optometrist. (Give us a call if you have specific questions on any of the eye complications listed).
Now, for the fun stuff! How to have holiday meals AND help keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. Here are a few tricks and tips we found....
Stuffing:
Add sausage to balance out the carb to protein ratio. More protein means keeping those carbs and sugars in check.
Try cornbread instead of regular loaves of bread.
Want to get REALLY creative - try a pumpkin bread with feta cheese and sausage stuffing recipe!
Mashed Potatoes:
Use real potatoes, not the box.
Mashed cauliflower - a lot yummier than it sounds!
Mashed pumpkin and squash
Pumpkin Pie:
Use Stevia in place of sugar
There is also Splenda brown sugar you can use in place of traditional brown sugar.
Use graham crackers to make the crust.
Use sugar free vanilla pudding mix in place of flour.
As you can see, these are just the start of endless ideas online you can use to tweak your holiday meals. But, no matter how you choose to monitor your blood sugar levels, never miss an annual exam. We hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday season!