Diabetic Food Tips

Consider these diabetes tips when choosing foods to control blood sugar! Controlling blood sugar can delay or prevent diabetes complications.

• What - Foods high in simple sugars (candy, soda, juice, etc.) can increase your blood sugar levels. As whole foods become more processed (juiced, pureed, mashed) blood sugar increase quicker as well. Each day choose a variety of foods including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low fat dairy, and lean meat & meat substitutes. Limit fats and sweets.
• When - The timing of eating a meal is very important for controlling blood sugar. Eat around the same time each day and do not skip meals or snacks. Why? The goal is to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level throughout the day. When you eat a large dinner on one day and a small dinner the next, blood sugar can fluctuate. Taking medication and exercising should also be conducted at around the same time each day.
• How much - How much you eat depends on your gender (women generally require less calories than men), activity level (physical activity can increase your calorie needs), and whether you are overweight. If you need to lose weight, you will want to eat less calories to support weight loss.

You can learn more about food tips for diabetes by visiting the following link:

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What is the minimum amount of carbohydrate?

The Food & Nutrition Board of the National Academies, Institute of Medicine has released new recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for energy yielding nutrients including carbohydrate. The RDA for carbohydrate has been set at 130 grams per day for children and adults.
The standard recommendation for carbohydrate is 45-65% of total calories. This means if 1800 calories are eaten each day, the recommended amount of carbohydrate is 202-292 grams based on 45-65% calories from carbohydrate.

Carbohydrate (glucose) is your body's favorite energy source. Many organs in the body can use protein or fat for energy if carbohydrate is not available. The brain, however, requires some carbohydrate (glucose) to function.

The brain uses an average minimum of 130 grams carbohydrate daily. This minimal amount is where the RDA is derived. Consider that other parts of the body would like to use carbohydrate for energy as well.

The importance of eating a diet with carbohydrate sources including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low fat dairy products is stressed in the American Diabetes Association journals. The American Diabetes Association also indicates that consideration for the total amount of carbohydrate in each meal and/or snack should be held with high importance.

You can learn more about carbohydrate and other diabetes topics by visiting the following link:

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Treatment for Diabetes

Diabetes treatment varies depending on the type of diabetes you are diagnosed with.

Those with Type 1 diabetes (accounting for 5-10% of all diabetics) do not produce insulin themselves and therefore require insulin injections. In addition, treatment should include a healthy meal plan to support blood sugar control. Exercise should be planned to avoid blood sugar abnormalities.

About 90-95% of those with diabetes are Type 2 diabetics. Treatment for those with Type 2 diabetes includes weight loss if overweight, a healthy meal plan to support a healthy body weight and control blood sugar, and exercise. Medications may also be necessary (oral medications or insulin) to help control blood sugar.

Blood sugar testing is important for anyone with diabetes. Testing blood sugar provides feedback regarding foods consumed, exercise, sick days, etc.

You can learn more about diabetes treatment by clicking the following link:

http://www.glucomenu.com/articles/diabetes_treatment_for_diabetes.asp

Diabetic Weight Loss

Weight loss can be beneficial to those with diabetes. For those who are overweight, aiming for a healthy body weight can help better control blood sugar. In addition, weight loss helps reduce blood pressure and blood cholesterol.

If you are not sure how to begin with weight loss, ask your doctor what a healthy body weight is for you. Learn about how many calories your doctor thinks you should consume each day and what exercises are acceptable for you.

A standard healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week. One pound equates to 3500 calories. If you divide 3500 calories by 7 days per week = 500 calories per day. To lose one pound per week, you will want to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories each day.

Consider exercise as well. Exercise will help with weight loss but also can assist in controlling blood sugar.

Learn more about weight loss here:

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Fiber Benefits

Fibrous foods can offer a variety of health benefits.

• Fiber can help you feel full longer which may help with weight loss.
• Some research shows fiber may delay absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
• A diet rich in fiber can help reduce cholesterol.
• Fiber can help improve regularity and alleviate constipation.

Fiber is found in plant foods. To increase fiber in your diet, consume vegetables and fruits over juices, choose whole grain bread, pasta, and cereals over refined flour grain products, and select beans and other legumes more often.

It is important to start slowly when adding fiber. Increase fiber a few grams a day and be sure to drink plenty of water.

Learn more about fiber:

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Diabetes Education

Learn as much as possible about diabetes when you are diagnosed. See a Certified Diabetes Educator, attend a diabetes education class, read diabetes related books, and visit diabetes websites to educate yourself about diabetes.

Acquire as much diabetes knowledge as possible to help with questions/concerns that you have. Learn about the following topics to help understand diabetes treatment:

• Blood sugar. Establish blood sugar goals with your doctor. Learn about when to test and what your blood sugar goals are (fasting or after eating). Ensure that you are testing correctly as well.
• Meal planning/diet. Learn about a healthy diet that helps control blood sugar and meets weight goals.
• Exercise. Exercise can help you to control blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight. Educate yourself on what types of exercise are safe for you. Address the duration and intensity of the exercise as well as how often you should exercise.
• Medication. Ensure you know how often and how much medication should be taken. Learn about side effects and interactions of medications so they are working as they should.
• Complications. Ensure you are having preventative check-ups to reduce risk of complications. Foot care, eye care, and dental (gum) care are important in lessing complications. Also, visiting your doctor for regular exams is important to ensure that your internal organs (including your heart) are functioning normally.

Diabetes education can help you to improve your treatment the disease and lessen risk for complications down the road. Learn more about diabetes by visiting the following websites:

The American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/

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