Answered 11/20/2014 by Samuel Grossman, BS Pharm, Pharm.D, CDE
Foods that can affect your blood sugar during the Thanksgiving meal include mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, marshmallows, stuffing, any pasta or rice dish, corn, muffins, cranberry sauce, any sweetened non-sugar free drinks, dairy products, cookies, pies and cakes to name a few. If you plan to eat those foods in moderation and in small portions for one meal, then this can be your cheat meal and you can resume healthier eating habits and the same dose of medications as before. However, if you are planning to eat large quantities of these foods or eat the foods (that you do not consume on a regular basis) for couple of days, you should do finger sticks before the meal and 2 hours after the meal and contact your provider. Your provider may decide not to change your regimen of oral medications (depending on the dose). However, if you take pre-meal insulin, or basal insulin, your provider may want to change the dose of one or both insulin products for the period of time that you eat these foods so to prevent a continuous increase in blood sugar.
