Smart Blood Sugar on Halloween

From parties and pumpkins to trick-or-treating and sweet snacks, most of us celebrate Halloween in some way — and as holidays go, it can get a little indulgent. A day based largely on the distribution of candy can be tricky for anyone to navigate, but more so if you or your child has diabetes. That doesn’t mean you can’t take part in the fun, however … And even some of the sweets.

You can enjoy Halloween’s magic without a spooky sugar spike with the following tips and tricks.

1. Keep It Positive

It’s important for both adults and kids with type 1 or type 2 diabetes to know that they are totally allowed to participate in all celebrations, including Halloween, says Kimberly Johnson, RN, CDCES, a pediatric diabetes educator at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Massachusetts. Instead of focusing on what you or our child can’t do, focus on what you can do.

“We try really hard when we see newly diagnosed kids to try to hit home the idea, ‘yes, you have diabetes, and you do have to do a few things your friends don’t,” Johnson says. “It shouldn’t limit your participation but it does mean you’ll do things differently.’”

For example, Johnson says she’s not a fan of saying, “You can’t have candy.” Rather, “we mimic what a primary care provider or dentist says regarding high sugar and high carbs: None of us should have a lot of those, but it’s OK to have a little bit,” she says. With diabetes, you simply have to decide how much carbohydrate you want to add into your diet on Halloween and accommodate for that.

It’s smart to have children wait until they’re home from trick-or-treating to indulge. Parents might consider saying, “Your friends are going to eat lots of candy while they’re out, but we can have ours when we get home,” Johnson says. This way you can monitor the amount your child is consuming and dose insulin accordingly. It also makes it possible to balance out the candy with other foods … for example, have the candy with a meal so that it becomes dessert rather than a meal in itself.

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Parents may also need to account for the extra activity their child will be doing trick-or-treating with friends (which usually entails a lot of running around) — for example, feeding them a meal or snack before they go out, which can help balance their blood sugar and keep it from dropping too low.

Another smart idea? Once kids return home with their brimming Halloween baskets, let them use most of the candy as currency: They can “sell” it to you or a grandparent in exchange for money, a toy or game, a future activity with you, or a charitable donation of their choice.

Prepare Ahead of Time for Halloween Parties

If you plan on heading to a bar or party — where, no doubt there will be lots of food (most of which likely won’t be entirely healthy) — the goal is to walk in knowing what you should and should not snack on, especially if you’re going to enjoy a few sweet treats.

This requires that you truly understand your carbs and how to count them, Johnson says. “When you’re looking at a buffet, know where the simple carbs are and where the complex carbs are and why you not prefer smart blood sugar,” she suggests its best thing for diabetes.

You want to reach for the complex carbs, which take longer to break down in the body and provide more lasting energy, like fruits or whole grain crackers, over simple carbs, which are often loaded with sugar. Make sure you know how many grams of carbs are in each cracker, as well.

“You’ll also want to snack on some fats and proteins, which will slow digestion so you don’t get a big rise in blood sugar,” Johnson says. If the party has a spread laid out, look for choices like crudités and a bit of hummus, a few pieces of cheese, and lean meats.

It might sound a bit daunting to do all this planning and counting, but putting in the effort will help you to avoid very high or very low blood sugar. If you need assistance, there are apps designed to help manage your diabetes and make carb counting way easier — right from your pocket. Check out smart blood sugar.

Be Smart About Alcohol

Cocktail and wine glasses often overflow on Halloween night, but people with diabetes should be extra careful to consume with moderation.

Here’s why: When you drink alcohol, your liver is doing two things. It’s trying to metabolize the alcohol in your cocktail while also trying to stabilize your glucose levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, the liver isn’t great at multitasking, especially if you’re imbibing on an empty stomach: “Your liver will choose to metabolize the alcohol over maintaining your blood sugar, which can lead to hypoglycemia,” Johnson says.

Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your glucose levels fall dangerously low; if you’re taking medications like insulin or sulfonylureas while drinking, alcohol can especially increase the risk of low blood glucose.

Hypoglycemia symptoms include fatigue, lightheadedness, confusion, blurred vision, and unsteadiness — among other symptoms — and can feel a whole lot like being drunk. “[Alcohol] changes how you feel, so when you’re under the influence, you may not recognize hypoglycemia,” Johnson says.

Given all of this, it might seem like drinking a sweetened alcoholic drink such as a piña colada or margarita would help offset the hypoglycemia risk. But not so fast, Johnson warms: The sugar in alcoholic drinks is simple sugar, which doesn’t stay in your system long enough to balance the hypoglycemia.

Instead, to help ward off any threat of hypoglycemia you’ll want to ensure you’re eating while you drink. This will help your liver both metabolize your pumpkin martini and stabilize your blood sugar. Ideally, go with a complex carb (whole grain bread or crackers, fiber-rich fruit or vegetables, bean dip) while you enjoy your drink.

Wear a Medical ID

If you’re going out for the night, a medical ID can help you in the event that something does go wrong. Medical ID bracelets are widely available, and can be customized to reflect your or your child’s style and aesthetics.

If you’ve got an Apple phone, you can use the Health app to share your medical ID. Even if your screen locks, you have the option to share your medical ID from the lock screen by selecting “Show When Locked” while setting up your ID within the Health app. Open the Health app and tap the Summary tab.

The Medical ID app (Android only) provides rapid access to your medical data right from your lock screen. It also allows you to send an alert and your location, among other features.

Set Realistic Expectations — and Give Yourself Some Grace

Expecting yourself to never indulge on holidays or beating yourself up when you do can set you up for failure. Managing diabetes is not easy and what matters is eating healthfully most of the time and keeping your blood sugar in the target range most of the time.

Johnson says that she likes her patients to aim for healthy blood sugar levels at least 75 to 80% of the time, rather than having an expectation of perfection. The same certainly goes on Halloween night.

“Don’t set the expectation that the blood sugar will be exactly where you want it 100 percent of the time,” she says. Rather, understand that you will do your best to keep your blood sugar levels on target the majority of the time.

Now, get out there, stay safe, and enjoy a spookalicious Halloween!

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