Top tips for diabetics this holiday season

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Being diagnosed with diabetes means making a lot of alterations to your lifestyle, and it can be especially difficult to keep up with it during the holiday season.

Dr. Deneen Vojta, senior vice president for business initiatives and clinical affairs at UnitedHealth Group and chief clinical officer for Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, offered these helpful pointers to manage the disease while enjoying the festivities. While these tips are helpful for diabetics, she said that they could be of use to anyone who wants to stay healthy during this holiday.

Avoid winter weight gain

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Many tempting, traditional holiday foods are loaded with carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar levels to spike.

"Recognize that there are times in our lives that are natural weight gain times, and the holidays are a recurring one," Vojta said.

She said its important for diabetics to especially keep track of how much they eat and how much they exercise at this time of year. Exercise usually dips during the winter and food consumption increases, so its important to stay in control of your blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar and your weight.

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