As Thanksgiving and holiday dinners may fill stomachs more than a typical meal, it’s important for those who are prediabetic and diabetic to know how to eat well and still enjoy themselves.

Washington County Hospitals and Clinics Diabetes Educator Amy Martin gives advice on how to navigate holiday meals, “You shouldn’t feel like you have to eliminate all the foods that you like. My tip to people is eat the foods that you like but just eat smaller amounts of it. If you’re going to someone’s house, make sure that you’re taking a dish that you know you can eat that doesn’t have a lot of carbohydrates in it. And if you try to think about filling your plate with half of your plate being what we would count as free foods, so proteins and vegetables and the other half of your plate being carbohydrates you’ll do a pretty good job of keeping your carbs in check.”

November is National Diabetes Month, and while a full Thanksgiving meal and a nap may sound appealing this Thursday, those who are diabetic or prediabetic should get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day and limit consumption of foods high in fat, sodium, and carbs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention other risk factors associated with diabetes are obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood glucose.