This time of year, many of us look forward to being with our loved ones and enjoying our favorite traditional recipes. At the same time, it can be stressful due to the busyness of the season, work, and travel. While social events and holidays can be tricky when were trying to follow a plan to prevent weight gain in Annapolis, keep blood sugar levels down, or just maintain wellness, there are simple ways to stay on track. Here are 5 things you can do:

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1. Take A Walk in Annapolis

Take a short walk after your meal to prevent blood sugar from spiking too high. Even if you dont have type 2 diabetes, its important to keep blood sugar balanced in order to maintain steady energy levels, stable mood, enhanced focus and concentration, and maintain healthy weight. Research shows that walking even for just a few minutes after meals can reduce blood sugar (Buffy et al., 2022). Maybe someone else in the family wants to join you for your walk - you can even make it a new tradition.

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2. Look For Healthy Alternatives

Investigate alternative recipes for the holidays and just try one. You dont have to overhaul your entire meal. Some family members may not be open to alternatives, which is okay. You can still make the dishes they love and add one thats, for example, a lower-sugar (or ideally, no sugar!) option for yourself. Chances are, someone will be interested anyway. One idea is to make a sweet potato dish with cinnamon, chopped pecans, sea salt, and ghee or coconut oil. Sweet potatoes are already sweet, and packed full of nutrients like vitamins A and C for immune, skin, and eye health, to name a few. You can always add stevia or monk fruit to any dish if you need more sweetness, and it wont spike your blood sugar.

Click here to download a printable copy of our Thanksgiving Menu.

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3. It's just one meal

Remember that its just one day, one meal. What that means is, you can enjoy one off-plan meal, but you dont have to let it derail you from your program. Let everyone else take the leftovers home dont let one meal turn into one week of poor eating habits.

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4. Dont go hungry!

Dont go hungry! Some people will avoid eating all day to save up for the big meal, only to stuff themselves later. This is like letting your car run on empty so that it can somehow work better when you finally fill up the tank. When you eat, your body converts food (specifically carbohydrates) into glucose into your body, which it uses for energy. Your body can only process and store a certain amount of glucose at a time the excess is stored as fat. Over time, this can contribute to insulin resistance, meaning your cells no longer respond well to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. To keep blood sugar balanced, eat light meals earlier in the day with snacks in between. This will prevent overeating and the inevitable crash that comes afterwards.

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5. Protein at Breakfast

Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast. All meals should be balanced with a good quality source of protein, healthy fat, and carbohydrates. One common mistake people make is loading up on high-carbohydrate foods first thing in the morning, which leads to a spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar (and mood, energy, and increased hunger). Studies show that a high-protein breakfast reduces post-meal cravings and overall food intake, keeps blood sugar levels regulated, and reduces levels of ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating hormone (Leidy et al, 2013). We often recommend our GlucoVite protein shake to our patients with type 2 diabetes. GlucoVite contains 21 grams of protein so its a great on-the-go meal replacement, and its also a multivitamin packed with B vitamins for nerve health and blood sugar regulation. This vanilla-flavored shake contains botanicals that have been clinically proven to reduce insulin secretion, improve insulin sensitivity, and promote satiety.

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In conclusion