Holiday Health: Balancing tradition and wellness for those living with diabetes

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — November marks Diabetes Awareness Month and as Thanksgiving nears, a dietician is offering tips for people to stay healthy through the holidays.

More than 37 million people live with diabetes in the United States and more than one million of them are in North Carolina.

As a borderline diabetic, Columbus County resident Al Daniels says he keeps a close eye on his A1C and is mindful of his diet.

“Small portions are my go to and cutting back on soda pop,” Daniels said. “Diabetes does run in my family. It’s just one of those things that’s hereditary but this time of year we kind of cheat ourselves because it’s Thanksgiving. It’s hard to turn down all that good food.”

Beth Mitchell, dietician and diabetes educator at Novant Health, says no food is off limits. It’s all about moderation.

“With the whole stigma of the word diabetes, I prefer to say it’s glucose transport deficiency,” Mitchell said. “We’re just not getting the glucose out of the blood vessel like it’s supposed to.”

There are two main types of the disease.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin. This typically appears in children and is chronic.

Type 2 diabetes is an issue in how the body turns glucose, or sugar, into energy for the body to use. It can affect anyone at any age if they have the genetics for it. Those symptoms can come on slowly.

“A lot of times people will ignore the signs which could be blurry vision, or increased urination, or really thirsty, or really tired. Like something’s just not quite right, but they hesitate going to the doctor,” Mitchell said. “We encourage everybody, if you’re not feeling right, go to the doctor, get some blood work done, see what’s going on and let’s take care of the problem.”

For people like Daniels, Mitchell says exercise and mindful portions can help keep them healthy.

“If you have a family history of diabetes, you’re at risk for diabetes, healthy lifestyle,” she said. “Even if you’re not at risk for diabetes, healthy lifestyle is still a pretty good idea.”

So, you don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying that piece of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.

For more information on diabetes and helpful resources, visit the American Diabetes Association’s website.