Holidays offer feasting opportunities at veritable obstacle courses of sweet strewn buffets. People whose blood sugars are normal can only imagine the challenge this provides for the diabetics at the party.

Ten percent of people over twenty years old are managing diabetic conditions, and twenty percent over 60 are, according to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Twenty-eight percent of them are Type 1, managing it using insulin in proportion to the carbohydrates they consume.

Seventy-two percent are Type 2, using either oral medications and diet, or diet alone.

Six folks from our area who have personal diabetic experience share their strategies for sailing through these hazardous holiday dining waters.

Alice is 58 and has been a Type 1 diabetic for 29 years. She avoids parties and buffet dinners that offer her few options. “When I do go? Go to be sociable. Hope there are raw vegetables. If it is dinner, eat a meal and avoid sweet things. Eat just a few crackers and cheese, and a few nuts. Be careful about drinking calories.”

She celebrates family heritage by baking Norwegian julekake, a mildly sweet bread, frosted like a coffee cake. “I leave the frosting off for me!”

She will limit the number of parties she goes to in a given week since they are often at odd times, and eating plus insulin injections must be timely. “Brunches are hard. That’s not my normal time to eat.”

“Avoid ham because it is usually sweetened.” She does not use artificial sweeteners, long concerned about their safety, and eats natural foods: proteins, high fibers, and fruits. “If we eat a good meal, we have all the calories we need. After so long you lose your taste for those sweets.”

“Don’t just face your new lifestyle, embrace it. You don’t live to eat; you eat carefully to live well.”

Chuck is 62 years old and was diagnosed two years ago with Type 2 diabetes. Even though he lost 20 lbs. and works out regularly, the doctors say with his high blood pressure, keeping his blood sugar in check will lower the risk of a heart attack.

“Every morning I check my blood sugar and it stays below 120. The routine of taking blood sugar daily forces you to be accountable — what you watch is what you are accountable for.”

“Sugar — I just don’t go there. But before a 3-hour aerobic and Pilates workout, I might have just a little jam on a biscuit with my steak, egg and cheese.”

At a recent Georgia country event, “I ate turkey, steamed pole beans, raw cauliflower and vegetables, and left the red velvet cake alone.”

“Don’t eat after 7 p.m. But if there is a late party, munch on raw vegetables and stay away from the finger sandwiches!”

Sam is 64, and 5 years ago, his doctor told him that he was 60 pounds overweight and a Type 2 diabetic. He was told he would inevitably progress from diet management to pills to insulin.

Sam lost those 60 pounds over a 3-year period by eating very few starches: no bread, pasta, potatoes or sweets. Now, his bloodworm is normal. He is not going back to his old ways.

His wife brings dishes he can eat to church dinners, and they inform hosts of his dietary needs, also asking about food ingredients. Berries are always an allowable fruit. He drinks low-carb milk.

How does he celebrate? “Eat just the turkey and the asparagus and salad and have an extra glass of wine!”

Carroll, 76 years old, was diagnosed 38 years ago, and has been on insulin 36 years. “Old needles were like stabbing yourself with a fencepost; now the new ones you can hardly feel at all!”

“You have to be very selective. Get hold of the wrong stuff and you’ll pay for it. But face it — you can’t escape everything. The other day I got hold of something by surprise and my blood sugar spiked right up. Ask the host or hostess if something has sugar in it.”

“Friends know to serve me sugar-free stuff. And I’ll bring my own low-carb drink. But people need to know that fat raises blood sugar also. My mother used to make a cobbler and she used Splenda®, but the fat would run it up.”

“You can’t ever let up and play like you are not diabetic.”

Dennis is 55 years old, a tall, fit, muscular man who works out regularly, and has been a Type 2 diabetic for 8 years. At 34, Dennis was a 315-pound finalist in the world arm wrestling championships. He was shocked to learn of his diagnosis, even though his mother and older brother had diabetes.

He will enjoy a glass of wine with a meal, but is strict about all other carbs. He has disciplined himself to just look for the meats and vegetables and occasional multi-grain product. This is the same whether it is a special holiday event or a regular dinner.

Being attentive to routines keeps him in the daily, not just holiday, habit of “watching what you eat.”

Ann is 71, and has been insulin dependent for 30 years. “Whether it is a holiday or not, I am very careful about making healthy choices. It is up to me to manage this.”

She is on a recently released, state of the art continuous glucose monitor and a pump, which allows her endocrinologist to observe and make more scientific adjustments to her insulin doses.

“At a buffet, I try to get everything on my plate and then count the carbs so I can adjust my insulin. Avoid sauces and creamed soups and fats.”

“At home, I have a meat, a vegetable, whole grain bread and fruit. I bring my own foods to church buffets and bring dried fruit or half a banana for dessert.”

We can always increase our understanding and encouragement for one another’s challenges.

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Debbie Lidd, clinical dietitian, Diabetes Self-Management Education Program at University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.

Eat before going to parties, to reduce temptations.

Call ahead to find out what’s on the menu.

Offer to bring a dish that you know you can eat.

Bring your own carb-free drink.

Put very small or half portions on your plate.

Avoid the urge to sample everything.

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Christmas Dinner from the American Diabetes Association Family Cookbook, V. 1

ConsommĂŠ

Turkey

Dressing

Peas and pearl onions

Pineapple Cranberry Relish (recipe in sidebar)

Celery Hearts

Dessert: Ambrosia (recipe in sidebar)

Hot Spiced Cider (recipe in sidebar)

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Pineapple Cranberry Relish

½ pound fresh cranberries (2 cups) wash, remove stems

1 cup crushed pineapple canned in its juice, drained

Liquid artificial sweetener to taste

Grind raw cranberries, mix with pineapple and sweetener

Up to two Tbs. are free

Ambrosia:

2 medium orange slices diced

1 small banana diced

Âź cup orange juice

2 T. shredded coconut

74 cal /13 gm carb / 1 gm protein / 2 gm fat

Exchange: ½ cup = 1 fruit, ½ fat

Hot Spiced Cider

2 2/3 cup apple cider

1 1/3 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

½ tsp. whole cloves

½ tsp. whole allspice

Orange slice for garnish

Simmer for 10 minutes, then serve hot with fruit slice.

½ cup is one fruit exchange