Celebrating St. Patrick's Day while living with T1D

People with type 1 diabetes (t1d) shouldn't feel left out of holiday celebrations — we're able to celebrate with the heartiest of revelers! But sometimes the condition requires that we take creative approaches to certain activities.

If you're living with t1d, rest assured you can have more than a wee bit of fun this St. Patrick's Day while staying healthy. All it takes is a little extra planning and preparation.

While traditional St. Patrick's Day parades will likely be canceled or scaled back this year because of COVID-19, people all over the world will still be observing the day. The traditions of dressing in green, eating Irish soda bread, and indulging in spirits will still be enjoyed, just in different ways.

This March 17, you can absolutely join in the celebratory fun while skillfully managing t1d. Here are a few tips to consider.

Monitor blood sugar changes

If you decide to enjoy a hearty St. Patrick's Day meal (and eat more carbs or drink more alcohol than usual), it's wise to be on the lookout for any blood sugar fluctuations. Straying from your normal diet can cause unexpected changes in glucose levels, so it's important to monitor your blood sugar while celebrating.

Because of this, it's an especially good idea to use diabetes technology that can help you manage the condition's highs and lows. For instance, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can keep a running tally of your blood sugar levels, allowing you to spot trends and make informed decisions. Some even allow your loved ones to access your data in real time, offering a second set of eyes on your health and well-being.

If you drink alcohol, do it cautiously

If you're living with t1d, you can definitely drink the green beer, spirits, wine, and other alcoholic beverages that are popular on St. Patrick's Day — as long as you exercise a little caution.

Keep in mind that different individuals with t1d respond differently to alcohol. Some people with t1d react to alcoholic drinks with more blood sugar fluctuations than others, and some are especially sensitive to specific drinks. For example, a cocktail might prompt a sharper rise and fall in your blood glucose levels than a beer. So it's important to be aware of the impact of different alcoholic drinks and to regularly monitor your blood sugar.

If you want to drink alcohol during the holiday, Diabetic Gourmet provides a useful chart of carbohydrate counts in St. Patrick's day drinks. Here are a few popular options and the carbohydrates they include:

• Green beer (12 grams of carbs per 12 ounces)
• Guinness beer (17 grams per 16 ounces)
• Smithwick's Irish Ale (15 grams per 12 ounces)
• Irish coffee (8 grams per 8 ounces)

Also, take it from me, a man with t1d who has done his share of partying: It's not a good idea to drink alcohol on an empty stomach. That can cause dangerously low blood sugar. One of my worst low blood glucose episodes occurred when I was in college and drank scotch without eating first. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I discovered that eating some carbohydrates before enjoying an alcoholic beverage can make a big difference in the overall experience.

It's also important to stay hydrated while you're drinking alcohol. That's because alcohol can prompt excessive urination and lead to dehydration.

Even when you're finished celebrating on St. Patrick's Day, low blood sugar can be a problem if you've been drinking. If you don't have a CGM — which beeps to warn you about low blood sugar — consider setting your bedside alarm and waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. to do a fingerstick blood test.

Make healthy food choices

I know what it's like to be living with t1d and have temptations to go off the dietary deep end. It's easy to make unhealthy food choices, especially on holidays like St. Patrick's Day. On the other hand, it's also easy to enjoy your favorite holiday foods and still practice good nutritional habits. If I can do it, you can, too!

You can enjoy many delicious foods that are traditionally served on St. Patrick's Day without heaping on extra carbs and dramatically changing your diabetes diet. For example, if you crave corned beef and cabbage, try to include moderate amounts of potatoes or even eliminate them altogether. Thankfully, it's easy to prepare low-carb recipes for traditional favorites like Irish soda bread, shepherd's pie, and Irish pub salad.

If you want to eat green food to keep with the theme of the day, plenty of healthy, diabetes-friendly options are available. Consider trying green appetizers like avocados and spinach, arugula and roasted beet salad, and sesame kale with garlic.

Of course, theoretically, if you take enough bolus (short-acting) insulin, you could slurp down a McDonald's Shamrock Shake (74 grams of carbs) without making your blood sugar skyrocket. But why bother when there are so many other tasty, healthy food items available to people living with t1d?

Keep your focus on healthy fun

Staying on your diabetes diet and drinking alcohol in moderate amounts is easier said than done. Another way to stay healthy on St. Patrick's Day is to focus on other activities that make the holiday fun. Especially if you have kids and you plan to spend the holiday at home because of the pandemic, you can create great memories by having a green costume party, planting shamrocks, or organizing a scavenger hunt in the house.

Looking for help in managing diabetes during holidays? You can find lots of other useful information and practical advice while browsing the Edgepark Health Insights blog.