Five Suggestions for People Living with Diabetes Can do to have a Joyful Thanksgiving



Bob Hawkinson, Author and lifelong diabetic (http://www.joyofdiabetes.com/read-an-excerpt-joy-of-diabetes.html), provides suggestions from a diabetic'ss perspective, for a joyful Thanksgiving celebration.

Let us give thanks for turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie's8230;.Oh Yeah, and glucose meters, Hawkinson says.

This Thanksgiving, millions of diabetics are going to be struggling to balance celebration and glucose control.

With all of the activities, food, snacking, entertaining family and friends, and increased cooking, and cleaningpeople living with diabetes can be under constant stress this holiday. There are a lot of variables that have to be accounted for, says Bob Hawkinson. Hawkinson, a 45-year-old, understands the highs and lows of living with diabetes (http://www.joyofdiabetes.com) as he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) at 1-year-old.

Hawkinson offers the following suggestions for a safe, joyful Thanksgiving celebration:

> Use your glucose meter a lot. Check your blood sugar levels often as they can vary rather quickly during these stressful times.

> As always, watch what you are eating. Instead of grazing at the snack table 3 or 4 times, use a plate and put what you think you should eat on it. It helps you understand and control the amount of food you are eating.

> Ask. Find out what is in that super sweet potato magic casserole that Aunt Betty brought. You may be surprised to find out the actual number of carbohydrates that are in there.

> Sample in small servings. You can still meet what your carbohydrate intake needs to be, but it may require trying those 8 different foods in smaller quantities. Try different things, but know what is in your food and use smaller serving sizes.

> Careful for salt and fat too. Foods are either going to be carbohydrates, fat, or protein. Just because it isn'st high in carbohydrates, doesn'st necessarily mean it'ss good for you.

Hawkinson says, Relaxlighten up. Stress can have devastating effects on a diabetics's control. Life is short, and spending time with loved ones in Thanks is what it'ss all aboutEnjoy the family and friendsEnjoy the day.

About Bob Hawkinson:

Bob Hawkinson is a life long type 1 insulin dependent diabetic of 45 years who uses humor and his accomplishments to uplift people living with diabetes. Bob'ss book The Joy of Diabetes is not only inspiring, but it also educates with a lighthearted and pithy approach. Bob who is 45 was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 13 months old. His goal is to Help other diabetics grab hold of this disease by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. To order his book, go to www.joyofdiabetes.com Get Social with Bob at the new social networking site http://joyofdiabetes.ning.com on Ning or watch Bob enjoy life with diabetes on his YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/1DIABETIC.

For an entertaining and informative interview, call Bob at 904-699-0046





Five Suggestions for People Living with Diabetes Can do to have a Joyful Thanksgiving