Type 2 diabetes and Christmas

If you have diabete di tipo 2, following a dieta sana is one of the most effective ways of managing your condition. This will help reduce your chance of developing complications - including malattie cardiovascolari, cecità, amputation, dei reni e depressione. However, keeping this up over Christmas day - as well as the festive celebrations that fill December - can feel daunting.

While it's true that many Christmas treats are high in sugar, refined carbs, saturated fats and salt, there's plenty of healthy festive food. By managing your portions and finding a balance between treating yourself and restraint, you can still enjoy your food this Christmas.

Azmina Govindji, registered dietitian and member of the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation (DRWF) editorial advisory board champions realistic goal setting over depriving yourself during the festive period.

"Trying to lose weight during the holidays is likely to be a self-defeating goal," she says. "Instead, strive to maintain your weight. Depriving yourself of festive foods, or feeling guilty when you do have them, isn't part of an empowering healthy eating strategy."

Starchy and sugary carbs

When it comes to managing your diabetes over Christmas, knowing which festive treats greatly affect your blood sugar (glucose) management is important. Carbohydrates - both starchy and sugary - can cause your blood sugar to rise. These foods contain a surprisingly large amount of sugar.

Food that is high in salt

You'll also need to limit food that's high in salt. Too much salt can raise your blood pressure and increase your likelihood of malattie cardiache e ictus. The charity Action on Salt warns that a Christmas dinner can contain more than 15 grams of salt, which is around three times the recommended daily maximum of 5 grams - around a teaspoon.

Food that's high in fat

It's also important to maintain a healthy weight if you are living with type 2 diabetes, as your health can be affected if you are living with obesity or are overweight. A key factor in avoiding weight gain is limiting your intake of fatty foods - especially saturated fats and trans fatty acids. These can raise your blood sugar, your colesterolo and your la pressione sanguigna.

While it's true that you need to manage your intake of many festive favourites carefully with type 2 diabetes, there's plenty of Christmas food that's healthy and delicious.

Govindji says: "Many traditional Christmas treats are nutritious foods, moderate in calories and rich in health-promoting vitamins, minerals and natural nutrients."

Foods that are high in fibra and protein, and also contain low-glycaemic-index sources of carbohydrate - such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and pulses - are recommended by NICE for managing type 2 diabetes. This diet can keep blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure at healthier levels, which in turn reduces your chances of connected conditions.

She says that Christmas day could even be the perfect opportunity to reach your daily five portions of fruit and vegetables without having to try too hard.

Diabetes UK provides resources to help you plan a healthier Christmas, including several festive, healthy recipes.

Knowing what Christmas food to embrace and what to limit will empower you to make healthier choices throughout the festive season. Being careful of dimensioni delle porzioni is also important for avoiding weight gain.

Other tactics can make your Christmas diet goals more effective and easier to maintain. Remember, it's okay to enjoy the odd high-calorie treat.

Tips for eating out over Christmas

You may find yourself attending a few Christmas dinners with friends, family, or work colleagues over December. Eating out can limit your control over what you eat, and offer temptation.

There is usually a lot of alcol at Christmas celebrations, and everyone should be wary not to have more than the recommended limit of 14 units per week. If you have type 2 diabetes, you can usually enjoy bere con moderazione - however, you need to be careful.

If you treat your diabetes with medicines - such as insulina oppure sulfoniluree - you'll be aware that alcohol interferes with your blood sugar levels and can make you more likely to have a hypo (ipoglicemia) where your blood sugar drops too low. Alcohol reduces your liver's ability to store sugar, stopping recovery when your blood sugar is dropping. If you enjoy a drink at Christmas, choose drinks that have lower sugar levels.

Alcoholic drinks with high sugar content include:

• Liqueurs - cream liqueurs - for example, Baileys are also high in fat.

• Cocktails made with fruit juice.

• Sweet wines.

• Sugary spirit mixers - such as fizzy drinks.

• Sherries.

• Beers, ales, and ciders - these contain carbs which will increase your blood sugar levels initially.

Diabetes UK says to be careful with low-sugar beers and cider - sometimes called diabetic drinks. While they have less sugar, there's often a higher alcohol content. On the other hand, low-alcohol wines usually have more sugar, and should also be drunk with caution.

If you do enjoy a drink during the festive season, you can better manage your blood sugar by following these recommendations: