HUMANIMALS

Holiday Health Tips

By Joy Pape, FNP-C, CDCES and Nicole Cerniello, DVM

As a medical team we want to share some ways to for people and pets to enjoy the holidays and prevent some hazards.
This can be a hard time for people who don’t want to gain weight and want to manage their diabetes or even prevent it. It’s not unusual to see an increase in newly diagnosed diabetes or problems with weight management, blood glucose (sugar) levels and even high blood pressure and heart problems during and right after the holidays. Why? It may be that the different way of eating and a lack of regular activity sets up the right situation for blood glucose, blood pressure, heart rate/rhythm or weight to go up or be irregular.
Robert Eckel, M.D, past president of the American Diabetes Association said, “The holidays provide challenges to staying heart healthy for many people, but especially for those managing conditions closely tied to daily nutrition like type 2 diabetes. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it’s important to create healthy environments for our friends and family who do.”

HUMANS
As a specialist in diabetes and weight management, I encourage my patients to plan, prepare, speak up, be considerate and act.
For example,
Plan and prepare. Think about how you will manage your health during this time. Do you want to strictly manage it or will you allow yourself a little more freedom of choice? Once you make a decision, make a plan and stick to it. Either way, this will include deciding how you will deal with the food, especially sweets and saltier foods that are so readily available. Are you going say yes to everything? Or, are you going to set some limits? During the hub bub, do you plan to be more or less as active than usual?
Speak up. Whether planning for company, being invited to someone’s home or a restaurant, speak up for what you want. With so many food preferences and intolerances, it’s fine to let your host know. Choose what you eat wisely. There are often a lot sweets and salty foods but not much on the vegetables and lower carbohydrate choices. I often bring a veggie platter or delicious salad and find that others enjoy them too. If eating at a restaurant, ask for a food to be prepared as you want it. This goes for gifts too. Ask people you are ‘gifting’ what they may like or need. And the same for you, it’s okay to let the gift giver know what you would like or need.
Be considerate. Realize that people think of holidays in different ways. There’s no right or wrong here, so let’s respect one another and make it a time of peace, not arguments. Also, be considerate of others who would enjoy hearing from you. Often, a card or call is enough to make one feel good.
Act on the above. Hopefully this will help you and your loved ones have a good holiday season and beyond.

PETS
Your pets can make the holidays that much more special but there are some precautions to keep in mind.
The biggest precaution I can stress is do not feed your cats and dogs table food! As tempting as it can be, it is in your pet’s best interest to forgo sharing with them. Many of these foods are much higher in fat than in cat and dog food. High fat foods can lead to gastroenteritis, pancreatitis (which sometimes requires hospitalization), lethargy, weight gain and refusal of their regular diet. Any new pet treats should be introduced slowly in small quantities to make sure they do not upset your pet’s digestive system.
If you are hosting people at home, make sure your pets are comfortable as well. Most cats may choose to hide in a quiet spot. Allow your cat access to a quiet space along with their food and litter box, even if it means moving it a day or two ahead of time to adjust to the change. Dogs also react differently to new people in their home. Let them greet your guest on their terms and don’t force them into a situation that may feel stressful. If you can, make sure your dog gets plenty of attention and exercise in the days leading up the event. A tired dog is generally a happy dog and will tend to be more well behaved.
If you have to leave your pet behind this holiday season, make arrangements ahead of time because boarding facilities or pet sitters fill their spots quickly. If you are boarding your pet make sure they are up to date on their required vaccines. Introduce your pet to the location where they will be staying ahead of time and schedule a trial day if possible. It you are using a sitter in your home, make sure your pet is somewhat familiar with this person, it will make everyone’s adjustment much easier.

Joy Pape, FNP-C, CDCES, CFCN is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, Certified Diabetes Educator and Specialist in Weight Management & Obesity at Weill Cornell’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center and has a private practice in the West Village. Dr. Nicole Cerniello, DVM is Medical Director for the Greenwich Village Animal Hospital.