Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful holiday. It combines family, friends and food as everyone gathers to give thanks. If you have diabetes, though, all of the food that's typically served on this day can become a bit of a challenge. Need to talk? Need to find out how others cope? It's all here in the Diabetes Forum. Forum member Zellbell, who is looking for advice on coping with the holiday, posted this thread, "Thanksgiving Ideas Needed".

Zellbell, a member since 2006, asks... Does anybody have any ideas on how to cope with Thanksgiving dinner? We're traveling to the states to my mother-in-law's house this year, and it's going to be a day-long food fest!!!! It's nice to see... read more.

Adriennesmema, veteran member and forum moderator, offers this advice... Thanksgiving is a special day.. and with that said I will tell you that as a type 1 diabetic for over 45 years I allow myself more food...yes I can take more insulin but it is special... I make sure when I make Thanksgiving that I have tons of vegetable plates... read more.

TBOLTO77, a member since 2007, adds... One other thing that helps me with Thanksgiving is to take a long brisk walk in the morning. I walk by Lake Michigan for about 6 miles, but there are lots of options for people. I used to plan on a walk AFTER the dinner, but... read more.

More from your diabetes guide...

• Holiday Eating with Type 2 Diabetes
• What to Know About Healthy Eating When You Have Type 2 Diabetes

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A study from the Medical University of South Carolina, that appeared in the journal, General Hospital Psychiatry, shows that depression plays a part in how well people control their blood sugar.

11,525 veterans with type 2 diabetes were followed for nine years. Ninety-seven percent of the participants were men.

When A1c values were measured, they were higher in the depressed veterans than in the non-depressed veterans.

People with diabetes are at risk for depression. Many studies have shown a definite link between diabetes and depression. Diabetes can make people more susceptible to depression, but also there are studies that show that depression may lead to type 2 diabetes.

If you are depressed, it's important to see a health care provider and receive treatment for the depression.

More from your diabetes guide...

• Coping With Depression When You Have Diabetes
• Diabetes and Depression - A Vicious Cycle

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A study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in Sydney, Australia has shown why people who are treated for HIV are more vulnerable to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Associate Professor Katherine Samaras, Head of Garvan’s Diabetes and Obesity Clinical Research Group and senior endocrinologist at St Vincent's Hospital, has published the study in the online journal, Obesity. She demonstrates that the inflammation that anti-retroviral drugs cause when treating HIV, increases the risk of developing metabolic and cardiac complications, including diabetes.

In a quote from a press release from Garvan Institute, Professor Samaras says, “People being treated for HIV tend to lose fat on their arms, legs, face and buttocks and gain it around their abdomen. This redistribution of fat is termed ‘lipodystrophy’ and those patients with the condition have a cardiac and metabolic risk profile worse than being very obese.”

She goes on to say, “We think that in some way anti-retroviral drugs influence fat cells, making them push out inflammatory molecules that contribute to creating the heart disease and diabetes we see in patients.”

People who are being treated for HIV are advised, by Professor Samaras, to eat a healthy low sugar, low fat diet and get enough exercise. Also being aware of the risk of diabetes and heart disease is important so that they can seek the treatment they may need for these conditions.

More from Mark Cichocki, About.com's Guide to AIDS/HIV...

• HIV Medication Fact Sheets

_{*If you have questions or concerns about medications that you are taking, always talk them over with your health care provider. Do not stop taking medications without speaking to your provider first.}

Managing type 2 diabetes means making healthy food choices. Lean meats, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, are all part of a healthy diet, but when you have diabetes, eating a lot of carbohydrates can affect your blood glucose levels. Usually foods with a high sugar or starch content are higher in carbs. Most kinds of fruit have natural sugar in them and contribute carbohydrates to your meals, but not all fruits are created equal. Some fruits have more grams of carbs than others. Have you ever wondered how many grams of carbs are in the fruits you eat?

About.com's online nutritional website, Calorie Count.com can help you figure out the carbs in all kinds of foods. I used Calorie Count to find out how many carbs are in many different fruits. An apple can have as many as 30 grams of carbs, while a cup of strawberries can have 11 grams.

Find out the carb count in your favorite fruits...

• Counting Carbs? Know the Carbs in Your Fruit

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