Diabetes: to take advantage of the holidays, adapt your treatment

During the end-of-year celebrations, the meals are copious, often start late and go on forever. To share these convivial moments, the choice of the menu is essential if you are diabetic. But be aware that you can also adapt your treatment for this separate period. Here’s how.

To fully participate in the Christmas and New Year festivities, you’ll want to drink, eat and have fun late into the night with your family and friends. And this despite your diabetes. And you will be right, because it is quite possible. For this, first keep in mind the main advice of the French Federation of Diabetics: “always have your complete equipment with you to carry out as many checks as necessary and deal with unforeseen situations”.

You will thus be able to choose the moment of administration of your insulin by using in particular the method of “insulin for eating (prandial insulin)”. This is’“a rapid injection of insulin at mealtimes, depending on the number of carbohydrates ingested”.

How to proceed ? “This insulin is active regarding 30 minutes to 1 hour following the injection and is injected regarding 20 minutes before the meal. The peak of action occurs 2 to 4 hours following the injection”, specifies the association Aid to young diabetics. So, since during these festive meals, “the aperitif brings carbohydrates and is followed by a meal”, you should “do a blood sugar level and insulin injection at the start of the aperitif”, recommends the association. And calculate the amount of carbohydrates you will absorb during the meal.

“If the waiting time between each dish is long, avoid snacking, bread in particular”, advises the FFD. On the other hand, “if you notice that your blood sugar is between 0.90 and 1.20 g/l before the meal, you can postpone the insulin injection preferably in the middle or even at the end of the meal if starchy foods are planned later , and in anticipation of the dessert which also provides carbohydrates.”

In case of treatment by insulin pump, if the function is available on your pump, you can program the bolus injection duration. And if you are on oral antidiabetics, you can take your medication at mealtime.