No matter what type of diabetes you have, when you’re away from home, finding ways to keep your blood-glucose levels stable is extra challenging. If you visit relatives, they offer you all kinds of delicious treats that may send your levels rocketing. Isn’t it rude to turn them down?
And, if you’re on the road or at a hotel, you don’t have a lot of choice about your menus. Even so-called savory meals, such as hamburgers or even a steak, could be slathered in sugar-rich sauce.
Dr. Kimberly Bolling, our caring and expert internist, loves summer vacations and wants you to enjoy yours, too — despite diabetes. At our Bowie, Maryland, office, she helps you find ways to manage your blood sugar with diet, exercise, and — if needed — medications.
But how do you keep things stable and safe while still enjoying parties and restaurants? Follow these tips.
If you have diabetes, you need to keep track of your blood sugar levels. At home, you can control what you eat. On the road, at vacation spots, or visiting family and friends, that’s not always possible.
You also don’t want to constantly prick your finger. Instead, consider a wearable continuous glucose monitor (CGM). You simply attach a biosensor to the back of your upper arm. The biosensor is linked to an app you can add to your phone.
During or after a meal, you see immediately if it made your blood sugar spike. Then you can take action — whether that’s doing some exercise to lessen the spike or taking your medication. Talk to Dr. Bolling about what would be best for you.
After meals, or whenever you experience a slight bump in your blood glucose, exercise can bring you down again. Exercise helps your blood deposit glucose into your muscles, where it’s used for energy.
Our ancestors knew this: That’s why many cultures encourage after-meal strolls. But even if you can’t take a walk after a meal, you can get the dietary sugar into your muscles with other types of easy-to-do exercises, such as:
Try to do whatever exercise you choose for at least 10 minutes. You can even do squats privately in the bathroom, if you’re self-conscious. You can do calf raises while still sitting at the dining table.
When it comes to post-meal walking, enlist your family and friends to come along. Stroll through the park, on the beach, or through whatever nature you find. You get a reviving “nature bath” as an extra perk.
If you know where you’re going — such as a resort or new city — research the menus of places where you’re most likely to land. Look for sugar-free, low-glycemic meals or those that you can transform into healthy meals by requesting them without sauce.
Whenever possible, bring snacks or meals from home so you don’t have to make meal decisions on the fly.
Consider:
Also, make sure you have your insulin (if needed) as well as gel packs to keep it cool. Check with Dr. Bolling to make sure your medications are up to date.
Since you may find yourself in situations where you’re not sure of the ingredients in the food on offer, take small amounts of the foods you think should be OK, and watch how you react. Fill up on veggies first – but skip the dips. They could have sugar in them.
If you plan to visit friends and family, let them know in advance that you must avoid high-glycemic foods and other treats that trigger your spikes. This could be obvious choices, such as cookies and cakes, as well as counter-intuitive ones, including fried chicken, biscuits, and pasta.
By letting your host know ahead of time that you’re limited in your choices, they won’t feel bad when you pass on their pie. And, just as in the case of researching restaurants, you can request dishes without sauce or sugar. However, you may want to carry some snacks with you just in case your host can’t accommodate your needs.
Are you dreading vacation and all of its temptations? Learn more about how to control your blood sugar by calling Dr. Bolling at 301-352-0090. You can also click here for our online appointment form.
