Autumn has arrived! Along with the cooler weather, costumes, and seasonal parties comes a variety of sweets as we approach Halloween. For people with prediabetes, this can be a challenging time of year. Healthy diets, portion control, and exercise are essential in preventing diabetes. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be tough during the holiday season.
Tricks to avoid temptation
A balanced diet is critical to managing and preventing diabetes. At-risk people may work with coaches to develop healthy eating plans. But maintaining these plans during with Halloween treats around can be tricky.
For parents of children with diabetes or prediabetes, the holiday can provide a teachable moment to establish healthy habits. For example:
- Pick out their favorite items to enjoy and then donate the leftovers
- Offer non-edible “treats” like stickers
- Certain types of candy can be stored to balance low blood sugar in a pinch
- Movie nights and hayrides can also serve as a fun alternative to trick-or-treating
Adults with prediabetes experience many of the same temptations while handing out candy or going through their children’s candy. The American Diabetes Association recommends:
- Buying candy as close to Halloween as possible so it isn’t a temptation for long
- Choosing to hand out treats you don’t enjoy to reduce the risk of over-indulging
An overlooked risk
Seasonal beverages like apple cider and pumpkin-spiced drinks are also temptations. Sugary drinks like these represent a common risk for people with prediabetes. Research from Clinical Diabetes recommends beverages with low- to no-calorie sweeteners as another choice. Like other areas of an individual’s diet, moderation is key to managing and preventing diabetes during this time of year.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones this season with safe options for a healthy lifestyle. On behalf of Tabula Rasa HealthCare, we wish you a very happy Halloween!
To learn more about this program and how it could help you or one of your patients, email us at preventdiabetes@trhc.com.
We’ve partnered with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to offer the National Diabetes Prevention Program. This program includes both telehealth and digital care services, including video and online programming. Visit medwisehealthcare.com/preventdiabetes for more information. You can also contact us at 1-844-326-3043 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., MST, Monday through Friday. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is offered by Tabula Rasa HealthCare and the APhA Foundation and is funded by the CDC.
**Please do not send personal health information to preventdiabetes@trhc.com. We take your confidentiality seriously.**
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