6 ways to enjoy food (and fun) during the holidays

With holidays come fatty, high-carb feasts, irregular eating schedules and well-meaning relatives who just want you to have "one little bite." Take a few of the following steps to avoid some of this awkwardness, and stay moving.

Many of us have a pushy cousin, uncle or mother-in-law who never seems satisfied unless you have several helpings of their signature dish. How on earth can you defend yourself from their entreaties?

• If they won't accept a simple "No, thank you," bring out the big guns.
• Confess that you can't resist their prize-winning pie, but that your doctor insists that you show some restraint.
• If you relent, take a small serving, then ask for their help — in front of others — in resisting seconds. They will quickly come to your aid, lest they be thought of as saboteurs.

When you must decline food that a relative or friend has lovingly prepared, make it clear to the cook that you are not rejecting them — you are just sidestepping a food that doesn't fit into your meal plan.

• How can you keep from hurting their feelings? Say "No thanks," wistfully, then tell them how delicious the cake looks.
• You might even tell them you'd love to pass the recipe along to a friend who loves coconut cake, or ask questions about their cake-decorating technique.

Most holidays are associated with certain foods, but that doesn't mean food has to be the main focus.

• Instead, throw yourself into the other rituals a holiday brings, whether it's presents, fireworks, costumes, carolling or tree trimming.

Do your in-laws' meal schedules fly in the face of yours?

• Here's how to compromise: Say they wake up later than you do and serve a late breakfast at 10:30. Then they skip lunch and serve Christmas "dinner" at 3 p.m. To keep your blood sugar steady without overdoing it on calories, have an early-morning snack (such as a piece of whole-grain toast) before your relatives rise and shine.
• Their late breakfast will count as your "real" breakfast, plus some of your lunch.
• Enjoy the 3 p.m. meal — but don't overdo it! — and have a small snack at around 8 p.m.

Be sure to pack your monitoring equipment so that you can see how this work-around plan is affecting your blood sugar.

• Walk about the neighbourhood carolling, get all family members involved in decorating the house, or find out where the most elaborately decorated houses in town are and trek out there (with some sugar-free cocoa in your thermos).

Remember that exercise is the perfect antidote for a buttery dinner roll or piece of pie. 

Rather than buying a tree from a roadside lot where the trees have been drying out for weeks, visit a tree farm that allows you to cut your own.

• It will be fresher and perhaps less expensive than they are at the lot.
• You'll burn off calories and combat some of the blood-sugar effects of the sugar cookie you just ate by traipsing around the grounds in search of just the right tree.
• And your family will have one more fond holiday memory to look back on.

Family celebrations are supposed to be welcome distractions from everyday cares. But for someone with diabetes, they can make "everyday cares" bigger problems than they already are.

With a few simple strategies, can you can enjoy the holidays and stay on track with managing your diabetes.