What Is Prediabetes - And What Does It Mean for Your Holidays?

In this article:

• Nearly half of American adults have prediabetes or are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. 
• It’s natural to wonder if having prediabetes will affect your Thanksgiving, since Thanksgiving celebrations often center around food, and include large amounts of high-calorie foods. The average adult gains weight around the holidays, with overweight and obese people gaining more on average.
• A few small changes on and around Thanksgiving can support healthier blood sugar while you enjoy favorite foods, time with people you care about, and other holiday treats. 
• Just being aware of your choices can make a difference.
• Examples of changes that can support lower blood sugar include adding vegetables, trimming meat from turkey, and drinking more water. Adding a short walk after meals and getting plenty of sleep are also impactful.
• Keep in mind that a single meal won’t cause diabetes. Just go back to your regular, healthy patterns if you get out of the groove on Thanksgiving.
• Lark can support you 24/7 as you make healthy choices to lose weight and manage blood sugar, blood pressure, or other conditions with or without GLP-1s. 

Thanksgiving can be a time for gathering with people you care about, recognizing what you’re grateful for, and taking a break from your usual routine. But if you have prediabetes or high blood sugar, you may wonder how being at risk for diabetes affects how you can celebrate Thanksgiving and other holidays. 

Can you still follow your holiday traditions? Will you be able to make your favorite recipes? Can you still have Thanksgiving dinner?

The good news is that you don’t have to choose between enjoying Thanksgiving and taking care of your health. Thanksgiving can present challenges to keeping up healthy habits, but there’s a lot you can do to stay healthy. With small swaps, your Thanksgiving can be healthier, but still include the parts that are meaningful to you. 

Here’s what you should know about prediabetes and which adjustment can help blood sugar on Thanksgiving when you have prediabetes. 

What Is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes means having blood sugar that’s higher than normal, but not yet as high as it is in diabetes. It happens when your body doesn’t use insulin effectively, or develops insulin resistance. Insulin helps your body use sugar well. With insulin resistance, your blood sugar, or blood glucose, increases. High levels of blood glucose indicate prediabetes. Most people with prediabetes eventually develop type 2 diabetes if they don’t treat their prediabetes. 

 More than 40% of US adults have prediabetes, but only 20% of those have been formally diagnosed. That means that you’re already at an advantage if you know you have high blood sugar. 

Having prediabetes means you’re more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes - but there’s a lot you can do to impact blood sugar. Lifestyle changes - like losing extra body weight and increasing physical activity - can prevent or reduce the risk of developing diabetes. In a landmark study, participants in a lifestyle change program had a 58% lower risk of being diagnosed with diabetes over the next 3 years. That’s the same program that Lark Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is modeled after. 

Why the Holidays Can Be Challenging for Managing Blood Sugar

It’s common to worry about weight gain over the holidays - and the holidays can be challenging for blood sugar, too. Adding extra pounds can increase insulin resistance and higher blood sugar. These are other factors that can raise blood sugar over Thanksgiving. 

• Large portions
• Higher-carb, lower-fiber foods and beverages like mashed potatoes, pies, stuffing, and sugary drinks
• Less physical activity with wintry weather and many time commitments
• Less sleep if you’re overly busy cooking, cleaning, and traveling
• Extra stress with cooking, hosting, and planning

Holiday weight gain averages less than a pound per year, according to one study, but overweight or obese adults are likely to gain more. About 14% of adults gain at least 5 pounds. 

There’s good news, too. For example, one Thanksgiving meal isn’t going to cause diabetes. And, there’s a lot you can do on and around Thanksgiving to keep making healthy choices. 

Choices at Thanksgiving Compared to Daily Routines Throughout the Holidays

Keep in mind that a Thanksgiving dinner is just one meal. By itself, it won’t cause diabetes. It’s what you do the rest of the time - say, the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend, and throughout the holiday season in December - that adds up to more. 

The most important part of Thanksgiving and the holiday season is to make healthy choices on a daily basis. If you go overboard on Thanksgiving, you can help yourself out by going back to your typical healthy choices as soon as possible. Drink water, take a walk, and keep your next meal portion-controlled, and high in fiber and protein, for example.

Thanksgiving with Prediabetes: What Does It Mean This Year?

To manage prediabetes during Thanksgiving, consider making small changes. You might think about healthy changes you’ve been making over the past few months. You might also consider how you celebrated Thanksgiving year, and how you might make changes this year. 

For example, this year, might you want to…?

• Add vegetables to your plate
• Choose water more often compared to alcoholic or sugary beverages
• Talk to guests or hosts instead of focusing on a buffet table
• Eat more slowly 
• Choose smaller portions of dessert
• Protect your sleep over the weekend

Here are additional ways to make changes that fit in with healthy habits you may already be building. 

• Fill most of your plate with non-starchy vegetables or salad greens
• Trim skin from turkey
• Add small portions of favorite holiday foods - and savor each bite
• Serve dressings, gravy, and sauces on the side, and just dip your fork in before taking a bite
• Take a walk after dinner or a few walks during the day
• Drink water throughout the day and at the meal
• Spend time with loved ones outdoors, such as taking a stroll or nature walk

Keep the Spirit of Thanksgiving

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a special holiday with personal connection and meaning. That can be true with or without prediabetes! Food can be a meaningful part of Thanksgiving, but there’s more. 

Here are some ways to keep the meaning in Thanksgiving and support lower blood sugar because they’re healthy.

• Focus on what you’re grateful for
• Spend time and talk with loved ones like family and friends
• Enjoy nature with walks or picnics
• Select your favorite foods - and enjoy every bite mindfully

Prediabetes is a reason to be aware on Thanksgiving, not to fear it. This year, enjoy your favorite parts of the holiday - including food and people you care about - while being thankful for your health, and supporting it. With a few small changes, and when you go back to everyday habits when the holiday meal is over, you can have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a healthier holiday season. 

Lark Can Help

Prediabetes is a reason to be aware and grateful on Thanksgiving, and Lark can help you stay accountable. You may be eligible for compassionate, personalized digital coaching at no cost to you! Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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