I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving dinner a lot lately, mainly because we’re having it at our house this year. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t love to cook, but who doesn’t enjoy preparing for the Thanksgiving feast?
One of the stories I tell about Thanksgiving and growing up with diabetes is that we always ate at about three in the afternoon. As the years went by I found it more and more frustrating – 3 o’clock is not a mealtime! Eating dinner at 3 o’clock really messed up my blood glucose management for the day (not to mention all the carbs in the meal).
The way I handle it now – as an adult who is in charge of when the meal takes place – is that I serve Thanksgiving dinner at 6 o’clock. It would also make sense to eat around 1 o’clock. The nice thing about eating at six is that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to put the turkey in (which will probably not be completely thawed anyway, knowing us), and I can treat it like a more usual supper (ok, I admit it’s not usual to have 8,000 different types of carb in one meal, but work with me here).
This morning I started thinking about tomorrow and what to do about breakfast and lunch. Should breakfast be a big, special deal because it’s Thanksgiving? I decided, no, I should stick with my usual breakfast, take my usual walk and have my usual lunch. That way, when “supper” (feast) comes, maybe I’ll be less likely to overconsume. Maybe – you never know.
Then I came across this article, which I think is fantastic. It addresses these very thoughts I was having. In addition to following my usual routine, I’m planning to take a walk after Thanksgiving dinner. Those will be my efforts to maintain blood glucose management during what the article calls one of the most “food-centered days of the year.”
Whether you’re the cook or the guest, the important thing is to enjoy yourself tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!