Celebrating Christmas with type 1 diabetes

Just a few more days and then it's Christmas! I think it's the nicest period of the year 😊 and also a period with lots of dinners and lots of tasty (carb-rich) food!

As standard, I try to eat about 50 grams of carbohydrates per meal, but during the Christmas period my insulin pump often works overtime giving boluses 🙈

Between the many snacks and the chats with family and friends, it sometimes happens that I estimate the food a little less well and think a little less actively about how much I am eating. To help myself and possibly you with this, I have made a list at the bottom of this blog post with a few carbohydrate indications that can help during the parties, especially with the snacks. Hopefully it helps you!

Everyone should of course do what he or she feels good about, but personally I think Christmas is a period in which I accept the fact that my blood sugar level sometimes goes outside the (sensor) lines more often. The main goal is to have a good time, so I take note of the spikes in my blood sugar level.

Of course, it shouldn't be too dramatically bad. If my sugar levels really start to skyrocket, I'll take a short walk. It can be fun to do this with family because, apart from diabetes, the end-of-year celebrations also involve a lot of food and everyone can benefit from a walk in between.

Some people prefer a low-carb diet, which is completely okay of course. I am not familiar with low-carb variants. I once had to secretly put a lot of sugar in my coffee because my aunt was kind enough to provide me with a low-carb dessert separately and I had given some insulin for it anyway (because yes, I thought 'poor' does not mean 'no carbohydrates). Something that was clearly not necessary, but I didn't want to confuse her by ostentatiously starting to eat some sugar afterwards 😀

I wish you and your family very happy holidays. Enjoy it, be kind to yourself and have a good time! 🥰

Cheat sheet for the Christmas snacks/croquettes:

• Zakouski: 3g KH/piece
• Bruschetta: 7g KH/piece
• Blini: 4g KH/piece
• Crostini: 11g KH/piece
• Mini sausage roll: 3g KH/piece
• Shrimp balls: 2g KH/piece
• Potato croquettes: 7g KH/piece