How to Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels When Temptation’s All Around

This article is part of a short series on how you can improve your healthspan, even if you’re chronically ill right now. 

When you think of the holiday season, do gingerbread cookies, Christmas pudding, candy canes and sipping hot chocolate automatically come to mind?

Many of us associate December with cozy drinks and special treats. But the rest of the year can also have periods of time when sweet temptations are everywhere, like a busy season filled with birthday parties, weddings and summer barbecues.

Sadly, we know that eating too much sugar wreaks havoc on our health. And it’s not just a high intake of refined sugar that causes serious health problems – even covert, repeated, prolonged spikes of your blood glucose level will put you at risk of developing insulin resistance, which is the precursor of diabetes. More so, every time your blood sugar peaks, it causes an inflammatory reaction that damages the walls of your arteries, increasing your chances of heart disease and stroke.

Even in the short term, a quick, steep rise in blood sugar levels followed by a crash can lead to tiredness, brain fog, mood swings and headaches.

But managing your blood sugar levels isn’t always easy, especially with the smell of warm cinnamon rolls in the air, cookies on the table and mulled wine at Christmas markets.

Is there anything you can do to limit an overdose of sweet and minimize blood glucose spikes during times when temptation’s all around?

Here are some psychological strategies and practical steps you can take.

Important note: If you have diabetes or other metabolic syndromes, or you’re concerned you might be suffering from insulin resistance or hypoglycemia, please contact your doctor for personalized medical advice and lifestyle interventions. The information provided is for general, educational purposes only.

This article contains some affiliate links to resources you may find useful, at no extra costs to you. All opinions are my own. 

Psychological Strategies to Handle Sweet Temptations

1. Be (somewhat) selective

I know it’s tempting to eat all the goodness put in front of you – we’ve all been there. But when you stop to think about it, are those snickerdoodles you’re not even a massive fan of or that second serving of sticky pudding really worth the impact sugar has on your health? Sometimes the answer is “yes”, and that’s perfectly ok! But other times, you may realize that you’re only having dessert because it’s offered or available, not because you want it that badly.

If that’s you, it may help to form some sort of plan for this season.

For example “I will eat whatever I want on Christmas Day, but I won’t have any unhealthy snacks the week beforehand.” Or you could decide: “During the holiday season, I will consciously enjoy one healthier version of seasonal sweets a day, but only I will take steps to minimize blood glucose spikes (see the practical tips below!) and I’ll eat healthily throughout the rest of the day.” Or maybe you have some specific seasonal treats you’re looking forward to tasting, while firmly saying no to all other sweets.

That way, you don’t have to make food decisions on the spot or depend on willpower alone to resist sweet temptations (because we all know that won’t cut it).

2. Savor your sweet treats

When you’re having dessert, make it a feast for your senses! Don’t mindlessly stuff yourself with pecan pie, but really enjoy each bite. Not only will you appreciate the delicious flavors, aromas and structure more, but taking your time to eat will also allow you stomach to signal to your brain it’s full, so you’re less likely to overeat or prolong your cravings. Win-win, right?

3. Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

When it comes to sweet temptations, ask yourself Gretchen Rubin’s famous question: Are you an abstainer or a moderator? Do you love having one piece of peppermint bark and then you’re satisfied? Or does that bite only make you want to eat more and more, so you’d rather politely decline all together?

Knowing which strategy works best for you – indulging moderately or deciding something is completely off-limits – can be a great help to eat healthily during the holiday season and manage your blood sugar levels better.

4. Consider healthier alternatives

Don’t like to the feeling of depriving yourself or do ‘food rules’ make you a little rebellious? In that case, you might want to come up with healthier versions of your favorite sweets. You can browse Pinterest for sugar-free, low-glycemic or Paleo/keto recipes of those seasonal treats. Just make sure these desserts, sweets and drinks aren’t packed with natural sweeteners that still spike your blood glucose levels, like honey, molasses or maple syrup.

Of course, you could also indulge yourself with savory seasonal snacks that won’t disturb your blood glucose levels as much, like a holiday antipasto wreath, probiotic deviled eggs and spiced nuts.

5. Reduce cravings

Cravings can mess up the best laid food plans. One of the reasons why we can’t resist a rocky road or peppermint brownie is because of fatigue and stress. When you’re stressed, your brain uses up much more energy especially glucose, and carbohydrate-rich snacks are the fastest way to refuel. And when you’re physically tired, your body also tries to get a quick energy fix by getting sugar in.

So if you want to manage your blood sugar levels when temptation’s all around, you should also try to get enough sleep and make time for rest and relaxation, especially if you are chronically ill. Have an adaptable plan to pace your energy throughout the holidays and support your hormones (the chemicals in charge of your mood, appetite and sleepiness/alertness) by gently moving your body in any way that’s doable for you and catching daylight, even on dark winter days.

Practical Tips to Manage Your Blood Glucose Levels

6. Be mindful of liquid sugars

You may have read before that sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice are the biggest source of added sugars in the typical Western diet, contributing to weight gain and diabetes. But it may not cross your mind that those festive (non-alcoholic) cocktails, mulled wines and gingerbread lattes can also contain more sugar than you’d think.

So be aware of your liquid sugar intake. Keep those drinks for special occasions, explore low-sugar versions of hot chocolate and mocktails, and alternate alcoholic drinks and sweet beverages with water to help filter and flush out excess sugar.

7. Eat your veggies first

Turns out your mom and dad were right all along: eating your vegetables first, before the carbohydrates of your meal, seems to lead to lower blood glucose peaks than eating your foods in a random order.

So if you’re looking forward to enjoying potato gratin on Christmas Eve or digging into a bowl of pasta, you could have crudité with healthy dips as an appetizer, a salad as a starter or simply eat your cooked vegetables before taking a bite of the mashed potatoes, Yorkshire puddings or mac and cheese.

8. Pair high-glycemic foods with proteins, fats and fiber

Research shows that combining foods high in refined sugar or simple carbohydrates with proteins, fats and/or fiber-rich ingredients slow down the digestion and absorption of the foods eaten, leading to lower glucose spikes.

That means you can still have that delicious risotto, but add plenty of mushrooms, zucchini or peas, and sprinkle parmesan cheese, crispy pancetta or shrimps on top. And if you want that slice of Christmas cake, maybe you can have a dollop of whipped (coconut) cream or chopped nuts with it to manage your blood sugar levels better.

With that in mind…

9. Have desserts rather than sweet treats

According to Jessie Inchauspé, author of The Glucose Goddess Method, it’s better to have dessert after dinner than to grab a sweet snacks between meals. That’s because  you’ve already eaten some proteins, fats and/or fiber-rich foods, so the excess sugar will be tempered by those macronutrients.

If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth during the holiday season or other celebrations, don’t eat sugary sweets or carb-heavy snacks on an empty stomach, but save them for dessert. This easy health hack can help you to manage your blood sugar levels without restricting yourself.

10. Take a short walk after meals

It’s not always easy to do when you have chronic illness, especially on eventful days that already require so much of your energy. But studies show that even a 2 to 5-minute stroll around the block within half an hour after eating a meal will help regulate your blood glucose levels.

So maybe you can leave the dishes or do a quick tidy up before heading outside for a short walk to see all the lights in your neighborhood? Or combine putting out the trash after dinner with stretching your legs?

Conclusion

Thankfully, you don’t necessarily have to overhaul your entire diet or deprive yourself of desserts to better manage your blood sugar levels during festive seasons. The psychological strategies above will help you to resist (some of!) the sweet temptations all around you, while the practical tips show you how you can still enjoy beloved seasonal treats in a way that’s better for your health.

You can find tons of detailed advice on how to manage your blood sugar levels in The Glucose Goddess Method by Jessie Inchauspé. For more tips and recipes, learn how you can curb your cravings plus reduce your refined sugar intake without feeling restricted.