As the New Year's Day holiday approaches, family reunions and gatherings with friends often come with especially abundant feasts. For many people with diabetes, this is both a heartwarming time and a challenge for blood sugar management.

Happy New Year's Day

"After every holiday, we see more patients in the clinic coming in for consultations due to significant blood sugar fluctuations." Director Song Shuhua, a chief physician and outpatient expert at Lanzhou Ruijing Diabetes Hospital, points out that irregular routines and high-fat, high-sugar diets during holiday periods can easily disrupt stable blood sugar levels.

How can one enjoy the festivities while still protecting their health? Drawing on the advanced concept of "body composition management," Director Song Shuhua offers practical tips for diabetes patients to stay healthy during the New Year holiday season.

01 Holiday Eating: Smart Choices Over Strict Restrictions, Order Matters

When faced with a lavish family feast, complete avoidance isn’t realistic. The key lies in "eating smart." Director Song Shuhua emphasizes that people with diabetes should follow the principle of "varied foods, controlled carbohydrate intake."

Pair whole grains with refined grains. Mixing brown rice, oats, or mixed beans into your rice can significantly slow down post-meal blood sugar spikes. Ensure that half of your plate is filled with vegetables at each meal, especially leafy greens, to increase satiety.

Director Song particularly recommends a simple and practical eating sequence: start with soup, then eat vegetables, followed by high-quality proteins like fish, shrimp, and soy products, and finally consume staple foods. Studies have confirmed that this sequence can reduce post-meal blood sugar peaks by 20%-30%.

When choosing foods, prioritize those with a low glycemic index (GI). For meats, opt for fish, shrimp, or skinless poultry. Fruits such as apples, grapefruit, and strawberries can be consumed between meals, with a daily intake not exceeding 200 grams.

02 Maintain a Regular Routine: Don’t Let Staying Up Late Become the "Invisible Driver" of Blood Sugar Spikes

New Year's Eve staying up late is a tradition, but Director Song Shuhua reminds everyone that lack of sleep and staying up late can disrupt the secretion of hormones such as cortisol in the body, directly leading to increased insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels.

Director Song advises people with diabetes to maintain regular sleep schedules as much as possible, aiming for 7-8 hours of sufficient sleep each night. If you stay up a bit late due to social gatherings, it's not advisable to overcompensate with excessive sleep the next day. Instead, try to quickly return to your normal sleep routine to avoid disrupting your circadian rhythm.

03 Keep Exercising: The "Sugar-Lowering Weapon" During Holidays

During the holiday season, activity levels are prone to decrease. Director Song Shuhua encourages diabetes patients to incorporate physical activity into visiting relatives and friends. Taking a walk with family and friends after meals or strolling in the park is a great way to combine socializing and exercise.

Exercise directly consumes blood glucose and improves insulin sensitivity. It is recommended to engage in exercise one hour after a meal, maintaining it for about 30 minutes each time, with a moderate intensity where the body feels slightly warm and you can talk but not sing.

Director Song emphasizes that exercise should not only be consistent but also combine "aerobic" and "resistance" activities. In addition to brisk walking and jogging, performing strength training, such as lifting dumbbells or using resistance bands twice a week, can effectively increase muscle mass. Muscles are the "main force" in consuming glucose, which is significant for stabilizing blood sugar levels.

04 Monitoring and Medication: The "Goalkeeper" of Holiday Health

During holidays when lifestyle changes, blood glucose levels are more prone to fluctuations, making monitoring more crucial than usual. Dr. Song Shuhua advises monitoring fasting and 2-hour post-meal blood glucose levels at least once daily.

If trying new foods or consuming alcohol, it is recommended to increase monitoring frequency. Additionally, be sure to record blood glucose values, dietary intake, and physical activity in detail, as this information provides key evidence for doctors to adjust treatment plans after the holidays.

"No matter how busy, always take medication or administer insulin on time and in the correct dosage—this is the cornerstone of stable blood glucose," Dr. Song Shuhua emphasized seriously. Stopping medication or altering dosages without medical guidance may trigger dangerous acute complications.

05 Mental Adjustment: A Good Mood Is Also a "Glucose-Lowering Agent"

During holiday gatherings, people with diabetes may feel anxious or stressed due to dietary restrictions. However, prolonged mental stress can keep the body in a state of stress, which may instead cause blood sugar levels to rise.

Director Song Shuhua suggests learning to communicate your health needs with family and friends to gain understanding and support. You can also relax by listening to music, meditating, or cultivating interests such as calligraphy and gardening. Maintaining a positive and optimistic mindset is, in itself, an important part of blood sugar management.

06 Reminder: Ruijing Hospital is operating as usual on New Year's Day

。

The New Year symbolizes a new beginning. Protecting your health is the best gift you can give to yourself and your family. By mastering scientifically sound coping methods, people with diabetes can fully enjoy the joy of reunion while stabilizing their blood sugar, embracing a healthy and steady new year.

Lanzhou Ruijing Diabetes Hospital is a non-holiday hospital and will be open as usual during the New Year's Day and other holidays, with outpatient services, examinations, and consultation services operating normally, always safeguarding your stable blood sugar and health.