The holiday season is referred to as “the most wonderful time of the year” in a popular holiday song. While it can be a time of joy, gathering, cheer, and giving, it is also a time when many of us eat more, especially sweets. These treats may partially explain why we enjoy this time of year so much. We not only enjoy eating them, but making tasty treats with friends or family likely brings happiness and fond memories. While having sweet treats every now and then can be part of an overall balanced diet, eating too many sweets or eating them too often can derail a healthy eating plan and lifestyle.
A couple months ago I had my yearly health screening for our insurance. For the past few years my hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) has been climbing. This year it was 5.9 which puts me in the prediabetes category. Now, you might wonder, how can someone whose job it is to help others lead a healthy lifestyle have numbers that are high? Well, many factors can lead to elevated glucose (blood sugar) levels which cause HbA1C to be elevated. Some of these include:
- Family history
- Lifestyle factors including obesity/overweight and lack of physical activity
- Insulin resistance
- Gene mutations
- Hormonal diseases
- Damage to or removal of the pancreas
- Certain medicines
My father has and most of my uncles had type II diabetes, as well as a few other family members. Additionally, I have not been nearly as active the past couple years as I have been previously, especially when it comes to resistance exercises. Nor am I getting any younger. In addition, while it’s not necessarily a risk factor, stress can impact the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, and I have definitely had more stress the past year or so. With my youngest child graduating and heading off to college and now my husband and I building a new house, my stress level has been higher than usual. My daughter has adjusted well and is doing fantastic, despite a hard course load, so that has helped me to adjust better to the empty house. I have also been trying to exercise more, though I still need to get back to doing resistance exercises.
In addition to striving to be more active again, I have been watching the amount of carbohydrates, especially added sugar, in my diet. As I have reduced the amount of carbs, especially processed ones, I notice I don’t crave them as often and smaller servings satisfy. I do not have any symptoms of diabetes or prediabetes, and I am encouraged and motivated to be more proactive to keep it that way.
As we celebrate the holiday season, focusing on gratitude now and all throughout the year may help reduce how much we eat. I do intend to have some of the tasty treats that help make this time of year special, and I will plan my eating based on how I can indulge in treats while still keeping my ultimate goal of a healthy lifestyle a priority.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, September 30). All about your A1C. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/managing-blood-sugar/a1c.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Diabetes Diet, eating, & physical activity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Symptoms & causes of diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/symptoms-causes
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Your game plan to prevent type 2 diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-type-2-diabetes/game-plan
Written by Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Perry County
Reviewed by Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension, Franklin County
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