The Fast Facts
- Partaking in holiday feasts can temporarily raise blood sugar levels, but with a bit of planning, you can easily enjoy gatherings and galas while managing diabetes.
- Fill your party plate with poultry or fish, greens, low-glycemic fruits such as apples or grapes, nuts, and other diabetes-friendly foods.
- Other products, such as digestive enzymes, may help your body ease through the season.
*This article provides general information and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.
It’s the season of gatherings and get-togethers, which means it’s also the time when many of us indulge in our favorite treats. But for those living with diabetes, the holiday barrage of carbs, candies, pastries, and other treats can throw off glucose levels, cause blood sugar spikes and disruptive symptoms, and even get dangerous if left unchecked.
Managing a medical condition that includes dietary restrictions shouldn’t make you feel like the Grinch during the holidays. We’ve packed a goodie bag of strategies, hacks, and products to keep you mindful and allow you to participate in the holiday cheer in a safe and stress-free way.
The hustle and bustle of the holidays, with unexpected drop-ins from loved ones, impromptu “treat yourself” splurges, and festive in-office treats, can make managing insulin levels trickier.
Whether you check your blood glucose levels once a day or 10 times a day, it’s wise to get a baseline blood glucose reading before any pleasant surprises come your way and again after the celebrations have fizzled out.
The American Diabetes Association recommends retesting 1 to 2 hours after the first bite of higher-carb, sugary holiday foods. We recommend setting an alarm on your phone or smartwatch to do just that.
If you don’t already keep a log of your numbers, before the holidays ramp up, you might want to consider trying an app to help you revisit what and when triggers elevate your numbers.
What you’re looking for is a grasp of your “time in range (TIR),” or the percentage of your day spent with glucose between 70 to 180 mg/dL.
It’s wise to plan your approach to each holiday function as soon as you commit to the event. It can be as simple as putting a few reminders into your phone when you add the event to your mobile calendar. For example:
- Cindy’s holiday bash: Next Saturday
- 3 days before: Buy snacks to bring along
- 2 hours before: Check A1C and log in diabetes app
- At the party: Snap a photo of appetizer plate (to log in diabetes app later)
- 1.5 hours after: Check A1C and log in diabetes app
Excitement or stress can make it easy to lose track and dive into holiday spreads without being as intentional as you had planned. But each impromptu item carries with it baggage in the way of a glycemic index (GI) that could make blood sugar surge.
Take a cake walk around the buffet or food offerings, see what’s available that fits a low-glycemic diet, and fill your plate with those first. Then, you can top your plate with a favorite treat.
The key is to make mindful choices with your blood sugar stasis in mind.
How to practice mindful eating over the holidays
- Plan your approach to the spread before you dig in.
- Enjoy nibbles and snacks such as:
- nuts, such as almonds
- grains
- raw vegetables
- low-glycemic fruits such as pears, apples, or grapes
- Load your plate with diabetes-friendly foods first, then add small indulgences at the end.
- Choose lower-fat cuts of meat such as fish or poultry.
- Opt for baked foods over fried.
- Enjoy green and non-starchy vegetables.
- Sip on sparkling water.
Hot toddies, winter ales, and themed cocktails can also cause blood sugar levels to surge. If you want to enjoy a toast over the holidays:
- Be conscientious of your nuanced blood sugar-spiking activators based on your preferences.
- Look for diabetes-friendly substitutions.
If you have a hankering for a cocktail, here are five helpful hacks:
- Substitute the usual beer or cocktail for a kombucha or hard kombucha. Our editors like Health-Ade Kombucha’s Ginger Spice & Everything Nice.
- Stick to zero carb, pure distilled (stripped of fermentable sugar) spirits like gin, agave tequila, whiskey (bourbon and rye), and unflavored rum (darker and “spiced” can have added sugar).
- Substitute tonic (surprisingly high in sugar) and other cocktail mixers for club soda with slices of citrus fruits.
- If you must use a sweetener, opt for raw agave syrup when making your own cocktails. Even though it’s chemically processed, it has a lower glycemic index and at least retains some nutritive properties like inulin.
- Make your drink last longer by asking for a 2:1 ratio of club soda to alcohol (for a chilled drink) or extra hot water or milk for a warm toddy. That way, you’ll have something to hold while you mix and mingle.
Enjoying holiday parties is sometimes less stressful when you bring your own sweets to share with guests.
There are lower glycemic sweetener options such as stevia, date sugar, and even cinnamon, which you can incorporate into baking.
Date sugar is available in granulated form, or as a paste or syrup that is suitable for baking. Despite their natural sweetness, dates have a GI score between 43 to 55.
If approved by your doctor, a supplement may help your body process the foods you enjoy.
Chromium, for example, can assist the body’s processing and absorption of sugars into cells, while digestive enzymes can help your body process various nutrients.
There are different enzymes that help dissolve and absorb fats, lactose, protein, carbs, and other sugars.
Amylase is a sugar-specific digestive enzyme you can consume before or while eating to help healthy sugars like carbs and fructose perform the bodily functions they’re supposed to.
We like these digestive enzymes to keep in your back pocket (literally) or purse and partake during your holiday festivities.
Note: Only supplement with a doctor’s approval and alongside your existing diabetes medication management, not in lieu of.
Double Wood Supplements Chromium Picolinate
- assists body’s processing and absorption of sugars into cells
- supports insulin response
- lowers blood sugar and insulin, both for
those with diabetes , andthose looking to prevent diabetes
Fructaid Enzyme Supplement
- helps digest fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and other sweet foods or drinks
- active ingredients: 160 mg glucose isomerase enzyme
Why not add a bit of merry winter cheer to your diabetes gear? Here are a few of our favorite finds to deck your glucose monitor sensor or pump with some festive fun.
Adhesive CGM Sensor Patches Christmas Sensor Covers for Libre 2/3
- 25-pack
- 5 designs
- waterproof
- $0.52 per patch
Adhesive Patches for Libre 3
Pre-Cut CGM Sensor Tapes
(Christmas 2025)
- 5-pack
- fray-resistant
- waterproof
- $3.20 per patch
CGM Adhesive Patches, Compatible with
Dexcom G7, (Winter)
- 32-pack
- 8 designs
- waterproof and sweatproof
- $0.62 per patch
Moderate physical activity, such as walking and dancing,
So after the feasting is done, try to work in some movement. If you’re hosting the party, this might be a good time to get your body moving by doing a round of spot cleaning. If you’re a guest, now’s your chance to volunteer to help out.
Remember that management of a medical condition is a long game, not a pass/fail pop quiz. Moderation is the most well-rounded approach to mindful eating for individuals living with diabetes.
If you partake in more than originally intended, which so many of us do during the holiday season, practice self-compassion.
*Keep in mind that the preparation method and other recipe ingredients can negatively or positively affect the glycemic index. It’s best to opt for whole-food, versus processed or ready-made dishes.
| Holiday food | Estimated glycemic index | Low-glycemic alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| sugar cookies | 70+ | fresh cranberries and pomegranates |
| mashed potatoes | 80 to 90 | sweet potatoes |
| traditional mac and cheese | ~64 | mac and cheese with chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat pasta |
| dinner rolls (pullapart rolls) | • pumpkin pie • peach cobbler | whole grain or seeded rolls |
| • holiday stout beer • liqueurs • seasonal cocktails | • 110 • 30 to 70 • 70 to 110 | champagne, dry wines, or distilled spirits taken straight or diluted with club soda |
| dinner rolls (pull-apart rolls) | • 59 to 79 • 70+ | • baked pumpkin custard with sugar alternative • peach (or any fruit) crisp |
| glazed ham | • 59 to 69 | non-glazed ham |
With some advance planning, a few party tips and tricks, and an understanding of how to stay mindful with food and drink choices, you can keep the celebration going strong while managing diabetes.
Holiday festivities aren’t the treats themselves. The revelry is an outpouring of the joyous and giving mindset, coupled with intention. When you understand it that way, you can plan your celebrations throughout the year, and enjoy them to the max!