For many summer time is travel time. For those with diabetes, this can make staying on track and managing your diabetes a challenge. Unfortunately, this part of your routine cannot take a vacation. Keep your healthy lifestyle on track and your diabetes under control this summer.
Travel Tips for Diabetes
The truth is you can still manage your diabetes and enjoy your vacation. Take a few steps to eat healthy most of the time and monitor your system more frequently. From your travel time to your actual vacation time, a few tips can help you enjoy your time away without having to worry about your diabetes.
Tips for Diabetes when Traveling by Air
Here are a few of the key essentials if you are traveling by air to your destination:
- Put your diabetes supplies in a carry-on bag (insulin could get too cold in your checked luggage). Think about bringing a smaller bag to have at your seat for insulin, glucose tablets, and snacks.
- Pack twice as much medicine as you think you’ll need. Carry medicines in the original pharmacy bottles or ask your pharmacist to print out extra labels you can attach to plastic bags.
- Be sure to pack healthy snacks, like fruit, raw veggies, and nuts.
Tips for Diabetes when Traveling by Vehicle
When you are traveling by vehicle to your destination, you should:
- Find healthy food options like on of the following:
-
- Fruit, nuts, sandwiches, yogurt
- Salads with chicken or fish (skip the dried fruit and croutons)
- Eggs and omelets
- Burgers with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun
- Fajitas (skip the tortillas and rice)
- Stop and get out of the car or walk up and down the aisle of the plane or train every hour or two to prevent blood clots (people with diabetes are at higher risk).
- Set an alarm on your phone for taking medicine if you’re traveling across time zones
Managing Diabetes at Your Vacation Destination
Once you reach your destination:
- Your blood sugar may be out of your target range at first, but your body should adjust in a few days. Check your blood sugar often and treat highs or lows as instructed by your doctor or diabetes educator.
- If you’re going to be more active than usual, check your blood sugar before and after and adjust food and activity as needed.
- One of the most important things you can do is to test your blood glucose level, usually twice a day. You can do this more frequently depending on the care plan from your physician.
- Find restaurants with healthier options and plan healthy snacks and meals whenever you can. This will help keep you on track while enjoying the luxuries of vacation.
- Make sure your provider is aware of your travel plans and keep in contact as needed while on vacation.
What the Experts Say
Lisa Harris, CDE, RN at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said that many patients with type 2 diabetes would likely benefit from testing more frequently. “Testing your blood sugar can be extremely informative for people when they’re trying to prevent the need for further medication, like insulin,” Harris said. “Even if they’re only taking metformin, seeing for themselves how certain types of foods affect their blood sugar can have the biggest impact on motivating them to make changes in their diet.”
When traveling, healthy eating tends to become more difficult to regularly sustain. People will usually eat out more and have less time to plan healthy meals or have fewer healthy options from which to choose. There’s also less time to ensure proper nutrition and exercise which is important for managing diabetes.
“For people with diabetes, having their blood glucose readings sent to a provider is even more important when they travel because their diet might not be as healthy, eating times and patterns may shift, and other metabolic stressors related to traveling,” said Dr. Bill Lewis, a leading telehealth consultant.
Vacation is often a time when those with diabetes struggle to stick with their management plans. Indulgent foods and changes in routines throw a wrench into a carefully crafted plan for diabetes management. Time away does not have to wreak havoc, though. Wherever you are headed this summer, follow these tips and you can enjoy your vacation and manage your diabetes.
Adapted from an article by Smart Meter, LLC
Leave a Reply