DRDN helping folks manage
their diabetes this Christmas
by Tracey Coveart/The Scugog Standard

For those of us watching our waistline, the holidays are a difficult time. For people with diabetes, the Christmas season - the parties, the family gatherings and all their inherent goodies that go along with them - is downright daunting.
mFortunately, the Durham Region Diabetes Network (DRDN) is here to help, not just at Christmastime but all year round.
mAn official program of Lakeridge Health that is funded by the ministry, the DRDN - with cooperation from 500 community partners - works throughout Durham Region promoting diabetes awareness, education and support for people with diabetes, their friends and families, Diabetes Educators and other healthcare professionals.
mWith a focus on type 2 diabetes prevention and management, the DRDN offers ongoing help through free Diabetes Support Groups that operate in a number of locations across the region. These peer support groups meet once a month from September to June in Port Perry, Uxbridge, Bowmanville, Oshawa and Pickering, and feature speakers and subjects of interest to people living with diabetes. Topics for 2011-12 include Eye Health and Diabetes, Osteoporosis, a Grocery Shopping Tour and Diabetes Medications. The information sessions, which are provided by healthcare specialists on a volunteer basis, are the same at each location, so a regular at the Pickering group who misses a topic of interest one month can drop in and join any of the other groups that month and catch it there.
mThe two North Durham groups just began meeting this September on the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between Uxbidge and Port Perry and, according to DRDN Administrative and Event Facilitator Cheryl Green, they are starting to attract a crowd.
m“Our North Durham Diabetes Support Groups are coming along nicely,” said Ms. Green. “Each month we are seeing a few more people attend and we are attracting a few regulars as well. While it’s always a bit slower at the beginning, we’re excited to continue to offer the diabetes support groups in North Durham into the 2012/2012 season.”
mThe Bowmanville group, which started three years ago, was similarly slow to get off the ground, said Ms. Green. “ Now we have a regular crew of up to 10 people who show up for each session.”
mAccording to registered dietician and certified diabetes educator Christine McCleary, the Outreach Dietician at DRDN, “the support groups are an essential community service. A lot of people are in denial about their diabetes but it is a serious disease and they need to take charge. It’s all about self management. Learn to manage the disease and you can live a longer and healthier life. That’s the message we present at the support groups. We are there to help people live better with diabetes.”
mMeetings are informal and start with a roundtable discussion.
m“We do a 10-minute introduction and meet and greet, and then we have an hour with our speaker for the evening,” said Ms. McCleary. “There is a social networking time after, and people who are having trouble managing their diabetes can brainstorm with their peers. Group members feel comfortable talking to other people in this kind of informal atmosphere.”
mThe groups attract primarily people with type 2 diabetes, their spouses and caregivers, as well as people who have been diagnosed as pre-diabetes. “We have one gentleman who comes with his wife and two daughters,” said Ms. McCleary. No referral is required.
While the core members often come back year after year, new members are joining all the time and the DRDN team - available between sessions to those who need ongoing help to manage their illness - keeps things fresh and innovative.
m“Most of our members give us their e-mail addresses so we can advise them of any summer programs we’re involved with,” like shopping and cooking classes offered by the Canadian Diabetes Association at local Loblaws stores. “And they can fire off questions to us via e-mail,” added Ms. McClearly. “We touch on some of the hot topics each year - like medication and nutrition - but we always refresh the material and provide new information. And through our partnerships and networks, we’re always finding new speakers who are willing to come and talk at our support groups, not just about diabetes but also but about general good health and living well.”
mAn information survey at the end of each year, which asks participants what topics they would like to see covered at future support groups meetings, helps to inform planning for the following year.
mWith the Christmas season now in full swing, the DRDN wants to make sure no one puts their diabetes on hold for the holidays.
m“Staying physically active is a powerful way to help maintain good blood glucose control while helping to prevent weight gain,” said Ms. Green.
mThe Canadian Diabetes Association recommends that all people living with diabetes get more than 150 minutes per week of moderate to intense activity. Moderate to intensive activity can include such activities as brisk walking, which can be done indoors and outside throughout the holiday season. This could include walking to the store to do your Christmas shopping or ‘mall walking’ before the stores open.
m“To sustain the benefits of being active,” cautions Ms. Green, “you don’t want more than three consecutive days off between your days of activity.”
mResistance training three times per week is also recommended to help lower blood glucose levels - which makes resistance bands a great ‘non-food’ gift for yourself or the type 2 diabetic on your list.
m“The bottom line,” said Ms. Green, “is to be good to yourself this holiday season. Sit less, move more.

10 Tips for Managing your Diabetes this Christmas
1. Sit less, move more. Be physically active every day or every other day. The benefits of activity are endless. Not only can physical activity help to reduce holiday stress and regulate appetite, but it can also burn up extra calories from holiday eating and help to maintain blood glucose levels.
2. Focus on maintaining your weight versus losing weight during the holidays. Christmas is not the time to diet! Maintenance of your present weight is a big enough challenge. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself.
3. Plan on NOT making a New Year’s resolution around dieting. Resolutions like ‘I will never eat chocolate in 2012’ are often unrealistic and can set us up for binge-type eating over the holidays. A better plan would be to set smaller, achievable goals, such as, ‘I will have one piece of chocolate every Friday at lunch and I will enjoy it.’ We are less likely to overeat when we are not depriving ourselves.
4. Eat a light snack before going to holiday parties. Don’t go all day without eating to save up for the big holiday meal or party. When we skip meals we are more likely to overeat and feel guilty because we are less likely to resist the temptation of higher fat/higher calorie foods. Try eating a piece of fruit, a small yogurt or a slice of low fat cheese with a few crackers before you go.
5. Make an action plan to avoid overeating. Think about where you will be; who you will be with; what foods will be available; what foods you really want to eat as opposed to those you could probably do without; what your personal triggers to overeating are and how you can minimize them. Remember, while some foods have more calories than others, no food will make you gain weight unless you eat too much of it.
6. Take steps to avoid mindless eating. During the holidays, food is everywhere! The variety of food and having food in sight can lead to overeating. To avoid this, consciously make up one plate of the foods that you really want. Enjoy and taste every bite by eating slowly. When you are finished, pop a mint or stick of gum in your mouth or get a tall glass of water to sip on throughout the night. Stand away from the buffet table or food trays to keep yourself from overeating.
7. Reduce the fat and sugar in holiday recipes. Use low fat and low calorie substitutes. Try using applesauce in place of oil in favourite recipes; replace sour cream with plain yogurt. You can reduce the sugar content in most recipes by up to 50 per cent without altering the flavour or texture.
8. Be beverage wise. Alcohol is high in calories. Liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks contain 100 to 450 calories per glass. Limit your intake to one or two alcoholic drinks per occasion. And watch out for calories in pop, fruit punch and egg nog. Water and diet soft drinks are low calorie choices. Have a glass of water between each drink that contains alcohol to help you stay hydrated.
9. Maintain perspective. Overeating one day won’t ruin your eating plan. And it certainly won’t cause you to gain weight. It’s when you overeat every day that you start to pack on the pounds. If you overindulge at a meal, put it behind you. Return to your usual eating pattern the next day without guilt or despair. Don’t deny yourself favourite foods, but eat them in moderation.
10. Enjoy good friends and family. Spending time with our family and friends is an important part of the holidays. Food doesn’t have to be the focus. Concentrate on the enjoyment of being with the people you love.
mThe keys to managing your diabetes this Christmas season are balance and moderation. It’s okay to eat too much once in a while. So relax, and enjoy the holidays!

The 10 Tips for Managing your Diabetes this Christmas were provided by Christine McCleary, DRDN Outreach Team Registered Dietitian and Bev Bazak, DRDN Outreach Team Registered Nurse. To find out more about the DRDN and the Support Group in your area, visit www.drdn.ca, e-mail drdn@lakeridgehealth.on.ca or call 905-576.-8711, ext. 3160.