We’re talking about mindful eating and coping with diabetes during the holidays on December’s Divabetic podcast with musical inspiration from Leona Lewis.

‘Tis the season for family, festivity, and temptations that may disrupt daily diabetes health routines. That means it’s also the season when eating healthy, staying active, and taking medication on a schedule are harder.  The added stress and anxiety of staying on track with your diabetes health may cause even those who are usually content to experience loneliness, anxiety, and a lack of fulfillment.

We also discuss using mindfulness to build a healthier relationship with food this season. It can be easy to get so caught up in celebrations that we lose track of regular, balanced meals that serve us so well the rest of the year.

Paying attention to what, when, and how you eat allows you to better tune in to your body’s true physiological hunger cues and make choices that keep feeling your best.

Studies show that people with diabetes have a greater risk of depression than people without diabetes.

Just like denial, depression can get you into a vicious cycle. It can block good diabetes self-care.

“I have a best friend who has severe depression, who takes medication and still struggles, so I know how bad it can be,” says Leona Lewis.

She describes herself as having “highs and lows” brought on by circumstance, not a clinical illness. In retrospect, frustrated and anxious might have been better termed to use, but she declines to dwell on it.

If you are feeling symptoms of depression, don’t keep them to yourself. First, talk them over with your doctor.

Guests include Diabetes Alert Dog expert Debby Kay CDT, CDTA, PDTI, Megrette Fletcher, MEd, RD, CDCES, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Janis Roszler RD, CDCES, LDN, Emmy-winning Producer Linda Bracero Morel, Poet Lorraine Brooks, and Mama Rose Marie.

Megrette Fletcher’s book, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes: A Mindful Eating Program for Thriving with Prediabetes or Diabetes builds on the Mindful Eating Cycle and other principles to help readers with prediabetes or diabetes reduce their anxiety about diabetes self-management. Even people with diabetes can eat what they love, using awareness and intention to guide them.

Plus, we’re giving away six months of access to mySugr Pro app in our INSTANT WINNER challenge.

The mySugr app logs important therapy data such as blood sugar, meals, activity, insulin, and much more! Handy features like the Photo Function and entry customization mean you can embrace the wonderful world of data logging and kick old-school logbooks to the curb.

The podcast features music from Leona Lewis’ Christmas, with Love album courtesy of SONY Music.