Jerry Mathers’ Holiday Tips for Managing Type 2 Diabetes

The Beavers’ Healthy Eating Tips for the Christmas Season

The Christmas holidays wouldn’t be the same without all the food associated with it. But especially for those suffering with diabetes, all those delicious calories can pose a real struggle. In an exclusive interview with Jerry Mathers, he offers some great tips for getting through the holidays without sacrificing your health.

Jerry Mathers starred as “The Beaver” in the 50s and 60s television series Leave it to Beaver. Following his years as a child actor, Jerry bought a catering business in which he provided food for the casts and crews in Hollywood.

During those years representing his catering business, Jerry admits to “putting on a lot of weight” eating the delicacies that Cleaver’s Caterers offered. Eventually, Jerry found himself at the doctor’s office with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes!

He didn’t like the idea of going on diabetes medication, so his doctor suggested that he lose some weight. That was all the motivation Jerry needed. He decided his catering business presented too great a temptation, so he sold his business and began losing weight through diet and exercise. Initially, he lost 50 pounds, which played a significant role in reversing his type 2 diabetes.

Jerry lost that weight in the late 80s and continues to keep type 2 diabetes at bay by means of a careful eating plan and exercise, similar to those found in our Diabetes Solution Kit.

Every Christmas, the Mathers clan gathers for a feast at Jerry’s mom’s house. (His dad has since passed away.) Jerry and his wife Teresa, his three brothers and his sister all converge on Mrs. Mathers’ home with all the kids and grandchildren. Such a big family celebration at the Mathers home spills out of the kitchen and dining room into the living room and den to accommodate everyone – all 40 -50 of them!

As the whole family gathers together, this offers a great time to catch up with all the relatives. After all, it’s not just what’s under the Christmas tree that matters, it’s who is around it. And this year’s Christmas marks the first time that Jerry’s new granddaughter will be joining the Mathers’ festivities!

Each of the five Mathers children bring their favorite holiday dishes for all to enjoy and share the responsibility of Christmas dinner. Jerry says with a smile, “I’m a turkey man.” Roasting the turkey is his specialty and feeding a crew this size often calls for two or three turkeys! But as former caterer, he knows his craft and does it well.

With all those delicious aromas and delicacies on display, how does one make it through a feast like this without overindulging and putting their health at risk? Here is what Jerry has found works well for him and may work for you too.

Jerry explains how he manages type 2 diabetes heading into the Christmas season:

1. I control what I eat primarily by portion size. Don’t overindulge! There’s a tomorrow and you can eat again then. Take a small portion size and enjoy it.
2. I take small bites of my favorite foods and savor them. Be satisfied with that first taste. The first bite is the most tantalizing anyway, after that we typically just shovel it in.
3. I stay away from candies and sugar-laden foods. These have little or no nutritional value and only spike your blood sugar.
4. I pass on what I don’t need. I give myself permission not to try everything on the table. I limit myself only to those food items that are special at this time of year.
5. 

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   I don’t deny myself those foods I really look forward to at Christmas. For example, my sister makes a wonderful turkey dressing that I love, but I control the amount I eat.
6. I limit myself to this one Christmas feast. Typically, after a meal like this there are leftovers galore. When we take all those leftovers home, we end up eating the same feast over and over again. I choose not to take a lot of leftovers home to prevent myself from doing that. I just take a few things home and not in great quantities.
7. I maintain a routine of regular exercise. I walk for about two hours every day through my neighborhood. I do a little bit of running to get my heartrate up, but it’s mostly walking. I alternate between two sets of walking shoes and go through a pair about every three to six months. That’s a small price to pay for being free from type 2 diabetes!

As our interview with Jerry Mathers drew to a close, Jerry expressed a special holiday wish to our readers:

“I hope everyone has a safe and sane holiday! Don’t overindulge. There’s a tomorrow. Take a small portion and enjoy it. Don’t totally ban certain foods from your diet.”

At this Christmas season, take your cue from “The Beaver.” Enjoy your holiday feast and keep type 2 diabetes at bay. Take control and make sensible eating choices and stay physically active. If you have weight to lose, losing those extra pounds can be one of the best things you can do to control your type 2 diabetes.

The holiday season doesn’t have to be full of temptation, the good news is with a little of advice from “The Beaver,“ and with a bit of planning you can have fun while keeping your blood sugar levels under control and your waistline in check.

Postscript

Jerry Mathers has been an actor since he was two years old when he modeled children’s clothing for a special line of clothes. Leave it to Beaver aired from 1957 to 1963. This television show and others like it at the time were filmed before live audiences.

The two producers of Leave it to Beaver had 13 or 14 children between them. Their wealth of childhood experiences provided a never-ending source for true-to-life scenarios that the Beaver, Wally, Eddie Haskell and others played out in this beloved television show. They also tried to weave good, moral, and ethical messages into each episode.

And by the way, The Diabetes Solution Kit is a systematic program that shows people with diabetes how to maintain a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise.

Endorsing The Diabetes Solution Kit is another step in Mathers’ mission to use his celebrity status to help people.
“Since I was blessed with a second chance, I vowed to help knock out this disease quicker and easier than ever before. My personal commitment to my own health has inspired me to help others. I use my celebrity to promote positive, wholesome values because that’s just who I am,” Mathers said. “I’ve personally used many of the techniques in this Kit and I can tell you from first-hand experience that they work.”

The Diabetes Solution Kit is available at www.MathersDiabetes.com

 

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