How to keep your blood glucose level steady this festive season

Published December 2025 | 5 min read
Expert contributor: MaryJane Hulls, Nurse Practitioner, Royal Flying Doctor Service Health Group
Words by Jo Hartley

Smart choices, small swaps and a bit of planning can help you enjoy the silly season while keeping your blood glucose level in the healthy range.

The festive season is packed with delicious food, drinks and celebrations, but it can make managing your blood glucose level (blood sugar level) trickier if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

“As the social calendar fills up, there’s food and drink – often alcohol – everywhere, making it easy to overeat or indulge,” says MaryJane Hulls, Nurse Practitioner at Royal Flying Doctor Service Health Group.

“Most of our favourite festive dishes are carb heavy, which turn to sugar in the body and can elevate blood sugar levels, and desserts are usually packed with sugar.”

The good news is you don’t have to miss out. A small indulgence is generally okay – it can become a problem if it’s ongoing or not managed. 

Enjoy the festive season with mindful eating

Sugar hides in many foods, so keep this in mind when planning your festive meals and choosing what to eat and drink at social events.

MaryJane recommends the following strategies to stay on top of your health at this time of year:

• Plan your meals in advance.
• Include vegetables or fresh salad choices with your meals.
• Choose fruit for dessert.
• Eat mindfully. Slow down to enjoy each bite and stop eating when you’re full.
• Manage your portion size by using a small plate and avoid having multiple servings.
• Reduce high-carb foods. Choose healthy food swaps where possible.
• Consider healthy dips and vegetables as an entrée.
• Choose non-alcoholic or low-sugar drinks.
• Opt for non-sugar snacks like nuts and non-starchy vegetables.
• Keep hydrated. Add flavour to water with fresh herbs or fruit.
• Eat a small protein snack before heading out. Try a boiled egg, tinned fish or some wholegrain crackers.
• Stay active with regular exercise.

You can also get support from a healthy eating program. Eligible HCF members can get free access or save on the cost of the evidence-based CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet^*, which combines a high-protein, low-GI eating plan with exercise and proven weight management tools to help improve habits and create lifelong positive behaviours.

Make smarter drinking choices

Alcoholic drinks can vary widely in sugar content depending on the type of alcohol and what it’s mixed with. You can usually check the drink label or look it up online.

“Alcohol can interfere with the liver’s normal role in keeping blood sugar steady,” says MaryJane.

“Because the liver treats alcohol as a toxin, it focuses on clearing it first, which means less sugar is released into the bloodstream to stabilise levels.

“If you’re drinking on an empty stomach or before bed, this can increase the risk of low blood sugar levels, especially for people on insulin.”

Another important thing to keep in mind with alcohol is its high kilojoule content, which can make it harder to manage your weight over the festive season.

“For anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes, putting on a few kilos can make your body less efficient at using insulin, creating a tricky cycle that’s hard to reverse,” says MaryJane.

If you’re keen to cut back on drinking over the festive period, or at any other time, there are plenty of ways to do it.

“These days there’s no shortage of non-alcoholic options like beers, wines, sparkling wine, mocktails or even sparkling water dressed up with fruit and herbs,” says MaryJane.

“If you do choose to drink, choose a low-sugar option over one packed with sugar and keep in mind that moderation is what matters most.”

You can also:

• alternate water with every alcoholic drink
• avoid drinking on an empty stomach 
• offer to be the designated driver
• enjoy smaller amounts of wine
• avoid sugary soft drinks as mixers.

For more tips and support to cut back on drinking, check out the free Daybreak app, which connects you anonymously with an online peer community to help you change your relationship with alcohol. Eligible HCF members may also get referrals to additional mental health support through Daybreak^{^}.

Aim for balance throughout the festive season

Managing blood glucose levels is about more than just limiting high-sugar foods. It’s about eating a healthy, balanced diet featuring fibre-rich plant foods and low glycaemic index foods.

These include:

• oats (rolled, steel-cut or oat bran)
• grains (pasta, rice noodles, quinoa, barley)
• legumes (lentils, split peas, chickpeas)
• starchy vegetables (corn, sweet potatoes)
• dairy foods (low-fat, unsweetened)
• most fruits.

“The right food choices help your body to work more efficiently, and simply tweaking them can have a profound impact on blood sugar levels,” says MaryJane.

If you need advice about managing your blood glucose levels, book an appointment with your GP. Through our partnership with GP2U, you can book an online flat-rate GP consultation⁺ to access fast and convenient healthcare when you need it and for services like medical certificates, referrals and prescriptions. Rural and remote members can access one annual 15-minute GP2U consultation at no extra cost^#.

What happens when your blood glucose level is too high?

Hyperglycaemia, the medical term for high blood glucose levels, affects people with diabetes and can be caused by several factors, including diet.

Early signs and symptoms of hyperglycaemia include:

• frequent urination
• increased thirst
• infections
• weight loss
• fatigue
• blurred vision.

Managing high blood glucose levels is essential because, if they're not treated, they can cause serious short-term problems. These can include diabetic ketoacidosis, a medical emergency that mostly affects people with type 1 diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, high blood glucose levels can lead to a hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state, which also requires urgent medical care. Over time, ongoing high blood glucose levels can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of complications affecting the nerves, eyes, kidneys and heart.

As diabetes is a significant risk factor for heart disease, it’s important to schedule regular health checks. Eligible members^** can get a no-cost HCF Heart and Diabetes Health Check, delivered by Victor Chang, at selected locations and dates.

Get personalised diabetes support

Looking for help managing your diabetes? The COACH Program^® is staffed by an in-house team of accredited health professionals who support eligible members with diabetes or a heart condition^{^^}. Our team of dietitians, pharmacists, exercise physiologists and nurses work with you and your GP through a 4 to 6-month phone-coaching program to improve individual health outcomes. If you’d like to speak to one of our team, fill in your details and we’ll contact you to discuss the program further.