Dietary Recommendations For Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in about 7 percent of all pregnancies. It usually arises in the second half of pregnancy and goes away as soon as the baby is born. However, if gestational diabetes is not treated, you may experience complications. The first step in treating gestational diabetes is to modify your diet to help keep your blood sugar level in the normal range, while still eating a healthy diet. Most women with well-controlled blood sugar deliver healthy babies without any complications. One way of keeping your blood sugar levels in normal range is by monitoring the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Carbohydrate foods digest and turn into blood glucose (a type of sugar). Glucose in the blood is necessary because it is the fuel for your body and nourishment your baby receives from you. However, it's important that glucose levels stay within target. Carbohydrates in Food Carbohydrates are found in the following foods: Milk and yogurt Fruits and juices Rice, grains, cereals and pasta Breads, tortillas, crackers, bagels and rolls Dried beans, split peas and lentils Potatoes, corn, yams, peas and winter squash Sweets and desserts, such as sugar, honey, syrups, pastries, cookies, soda and candy also typically have large amounts of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates in foods are measured in units called grams. You can count how many carbohydrates are in foods by reading food labels and learning the exchange lists. The two most important pieces of information on food labels for a carbohydrate-controlled diet is the serving size and grams of total carbohydrate in each serving. Dietary Recommendations It is important to be meet with a registered dietitian to have your diet assessed. The dietitian will calcula Continue reading >>
All About Snacking With Type 2 Diabetes
The definition of a snack is: "a small bit of food between meals." This begs the question - what constitutes a small bit of food? Typically, we say to limit snacks to 200 calories or less.The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that you make snacks "nutrient rich, mini meals" that will not exceed your daily calorie budget. Snacking with Type 2 diabetes can be especially tricky because not only are you managing calories for weight purposes, you also need to snack in a way that doesn't negatively impact blood sugars. Ideal snacking will depend on your lifestyle, blood sugar patterns, and medications. If you do need a snack, it's probably best to limit snacks to about 15-30g of carbohydrates and make sure that the snacks contain protein and fiber. The exact timing of snacks and amount of carbohydrates will vary from person to person. How Do You Know if You Need a Snack? Your Blood Sugar is Low: Are you feeling shaking, sweaty or disoriented between meals? This may mean that you blood sugar is too low. Certain medications can put you at increased risk of having a low blood sugar - and if you delay or skip a meal, or don't eat enough carbohydrate at a meal your blood sugar can drop. A low blood sugar is considered anything less than 70mg/dL (some people can have symptoms at higher levels). When you feel "funny" or symptomatic, you should test your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is low, you will want to treat it with 15g of fast acting carbohydrate: 3-4 glucose tablets, 4oz of juice (1 small juice box), 8oz of skim milk, and then re-test to make sure it has increased. Repeat these steps if you blood sugar has not increased. The goal is to prevent low blood sugars as best as you can. If you are taking medications that may cause hypoglycemia such as insulin o Continue reading >>
Healthy Nutrition For People With Type 2 Diabetes
Join the conversation. register now or log in Healthy nutrition for people with type 2 diabetes Getting proper nutrition is an important part of healthy living for any person. However, this is especially true for people with type 2 diabetes, because diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, a word that means how our body uses the food you digest for growth and energy. With diabetes something goes wrong with the way our body processes the food we take in, interfering with our ability to use that food for energy and to maintain our health. So, a healthy eating plan that supplies the proper nutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein, and vitamins and minerals) and works to control the elevated blood glucose, as well as blood pressure and lipids, is not just optional, but is a necessary part of any diabetes treatment plan. Its important to make good decisions when it comes to putting together healthy meals. This includes selecting foods according to their nutrient content (how much and what kinds of carbohydrates, fat, and protein a food contains). In general, you a healthy pattern of eating should focus on getting1: Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low-fat milk, rather than other carbohydrate sources, such as those containing fats, sugars, and sodium. Protein from leaner meats and other sources of protein, including meat alternatives. Fat from sources of polyunsaturated (eg, fish, olive oil, nuts) and monounsaturated fats (eg, nuts, vegetable oils, canola oil, olive oil, avocado), limiting saturated fats (red meats, butter, cheese, margarine, and shortening) and trans fats (processed and fried foods) to no more than 10% of daily calorie intake. In this section, well make some specific recommendations for meal planning based on how specific groups Continue reading >>
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What Fruit Can You Eat If You Have Diabetes?
You may have heard at some point that you cannot eat fruit if you have diabetes. Perhaps someone even told you that watermelon and bananas are off limits because they are too sweet. Neither of these is entirely true. You can enjoy fruit, you simply need to make smart decisions about which fruits and how much you eat. Fruits and Diabetes Fruits have many health benefits and they can be beneficial to a diabetic diet if eaten in moderation. The key to eating fruit is to make sure you eat the right kinds in the appropriate portions. For instance, fruits contain fiber. Fiber can help prevent blood sugar spikes, pull cholesterol away from your heart, and help you feel full, causing you to eat less. Fruit is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, which can help reduce your blood pressure. On the flip side, fruit is a carbohydrate and it contains a natural sugar called fructose. Carbohydrates, whether from bread, milk, yogurt, potatoes, or fruit, get broken down and turn into sugar or glucose. For this reason, it's recommended that people who have diabetes monitor how many carbohydrates they eat, including fruit servings. When choosing fruit you'll want to take a few tips into consideration. Avoid Dried Fruit and Fruit Juices Dried fruit, especially if it is sweetened, is higher in carbohydrates per serving than natural whole fruit. It also contains more sugar because sugars are added to flavor it and can be lower in fiber if the skin has been removed. Just two tablespoons of raisins (1 ounce) will cost you: 100 calories, 23 grams carbohydrate, and 18 grams sugar. This yields almost 5 teaspoons of sugar. It's also best to avoid all fruit juices. Even 100 percent fruit juice, causes instant spikes in blood sugars because the flesh of the fruit, whi Continue reading >>
Nutrition And Meal Planning
Pediatric Type 1 diabetes To correct for the lack of insulin in Type 1 diabetes, families learn how to match insulin doses to the amount of food (carbohydrates) eaten at meals. Foods contain a mixture of protein, carbohydrate and fat. One hundred percent of carbohydrates (carbs) are broken down to glucose. Meals and snacks should include a variety of foods, for good nutrition. Include colorful fruits and vegetables each day. Choose whole grains to add fiber to the diet. Protein and fat A minimum amount of protein and fat end up as sugar in the blood, so additional insulin is usually not needed to cover these foods. Protein and a moderate amount of fats are important for good nutrition and a balanced diet. They can help maintain a steady level of blood glucose and play a role preventing hypoglycemia. Include protein foods with two or more meals or snacks every day. Include low fat dairy to meet calcium needs. Most dairy foods count as carbohydrates; cheese is a low-carb protein substitute. Look for reduced-fat choices to help control saturated fat. Carb counting Carbohydrate is a broad category including sugars, fiber and starches (bread, cereal and starchy vegetables like potato). Carbs are found in many food groups, such as grains, fruit, milk and sweets. Food labels Reading food labels will help you control your diabetes, and is essential to learning carb counting. Prepared foods are required to have food labels, and reference books will help you find carb contents for ones that do not, like produce, meats and restaurant foods. It is important to compare your serving size to the serving listed on the nutrition facts label for accurate carb counting. If the food contains less than 5 grams of fiber, subtract half of the fiber grams from the total carbohydrate, as only p Continue reading >>
Living Healthy With Diabetes
Making healthy food choices, including controlling portion sizes and reading food labels, is an essential step in maintaining a proper body weight and preventing or managing diabetes. Individuals with prediabetes or diabetes have additional food considerations, especially limiting simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs are found in foods like table sugar, cake, soda, candy, and jellies, and consuming them causes an increase in blood glucose. With so many food options, it can be difficult realize which ones are healthy. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, this chart will help you determine the best choices. Include Limit Fiber-rich Whole Grains (for example: oatmeal, barley, brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole wheat, and corn) Sweets and added sugars (for example: table sugars sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrups, high- fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey, soda, fruit drinks, candy, cake, and jellies) Fish at least twice per week, especially high in omega-3 fatty acid (such as: salmon, lake trout, mackerel, and herring) Fatty meats (such as: fatty beef and pork) Chicken or turkey (without the skin) Sodium 9The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams a day and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day.) Lean beef (round, sirloin, chuck, and loin) Cholesterol (consume less than 300 mg per day) Fruits and Vegetables (deeply colored such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries) Partially hydrogenated or trans fats (contained in hard margarine, shortening, cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, pies, muffins, doughnuts, and French fries) Vegetable oils and margarines (soft/tub or liquid) Saturated fats (contained in dairy products such as butter, whole milk, 2% milk and cheese, fatty meats and poultry, cocon Continue reading >>
Should You Ditch Sugar If You Have Type 2 Diabetes?
Q. I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Do I have to give up all sugar? A. Having diabetes does NOT mean you must give up sugar forever! For any of us, with or without diabetes, having too much sugar in our diet can be unhealthy. Excess sugar is linked to an increased risk of weight gain, heart disease, and of course, elevated blood sugar levels. However, even with diabetes, you can enjoy sugar in moderation. It’s important to note that eliminating all sugar from your diet doesn’t automatically mean you will be able to lower your blood sugar levels either. Foods that contain no added sugars, but are rich in simple carbohydrates, can also spike blood glucose levels. When it comes to healthy blood sugar management, moderation is key. Sugar can be incorporated sparingly into your diet. Just remember that sugar is a form of carbohydrate, which means it will raise blood sugar levels. The type of carbohydrate, along with the amount you eat and what you eat with it, will alter how quickly your blood sugar levels rise and just how high they go. The simpler the carbohydrate, the more quickly blood sugar levels rise. That’s why it’s important to consume only small amounts of simple carbohydrates such as sugar each day. If you are wondering what a simple carbohydrate is, it's a carbohydrate that is already a sugar or one that quickly converts to sugar. For instance, table sugar, honey, candy, white flour, and white rice are all simple carbohydrates. If you have been avoiding all added sugars, but are still consuming white rice or pasta at meals, your blood sugar will quickly rise, much as in the same way as if you had eaten added sugars. This is why your choice in carbohydrates, along with your portion, is more important that just avoiding all added sugars. For t Continue reading >>
How To Count Carbs In 10 Common Foods
What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are sugar-based molecules found in many foods, from cookies to cantaloupes. If you have diabetes, planning your carb intake—and sticking to the plan—is critical to keep blood sugar on an even keel and to cut your risk of diabetes-related problems like heart disease and stroke. Whether or not you have diabetes, you should aim to get about half your calories from complex carbohydrates (which are high in fiber), 20-25% from protein, and no more than 30% from fat, says Lalita Kaul, PhD, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. How to read a food label The Nutrition Facts label lists the total amount of carbohydrates per serving, including carbs from fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols. (If you're counting carbs in your diet, be aware that 15 grams of carbohydrates count as one serving.) Sugar alcohols are often used in sugar-free foods, although they still deliver calories and carbs. Sugar alcohols and fiber don't affect blood sugar as much as other carbs, because they're not completely absorbed. If food contains sugar alcohol or 5 or more grams of fiber, you can subtract half of the grams of these ingredients from the number of total carbs. (See more details at the American Diabetes Association and University of California, San Francisco.) How many carbs per day? If you eat 2,000 calories a day, you should consume about 250 grams of complex carbohydrates per day. A good starting place for people with diabetes is to have roughly 45 to 60 grams of carbs per meal and 15 to 30 grams for snacks. While snacks are key for people with diabetes who use insulin or pills that increase insulin production (otherwise, they run the risk of low blood sugar), they aren’t essential for non-insulin users. The goal for anyone with diab Continue reading >>
Diabetes Diet: What You Should And Shouldn’t Eat
Non-starchy vegetables should play a major role in a diabetes diet. Keep dark green leafy vegetables (including romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula) on hand. Asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, and salad greens should also be regularly on the menu. What can diabetics eat? That’s a natural question that people with diabetes may ask their doctors. With so many choices available to you, it’s only natural to wonder about which foods to avoid with diabetes. But a diabetes diet isn’t only about which, if any, types of foods are off limits. It’s also about focusing on moderate consumption of healthful foods and getting the most nutritional value out of your dietary choices. In that sense, a diabetes diet is beneficial for just about anyone. Here’s some general advice about how to get the most nutrition out of your food and beverage choices while minimizing any adverse effects on your blood sugar. How to Make Your Carbs Count Managing carbohydrate intake is one of the cornerstones of diabetes management. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, are broken down rapidly to be used as energy. Compared to simple carbs, complex carbohydrates contain more fiber and other nutrients and are digested more slowly. Your body needs carbohydrates as a primary energy source, but it’s important to choose them wisely. Complex carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars (such as those found in fruits) should constitute the majority of your carbohydrate intake. So, consider these tips to guide you in making carb-smart selections as part of your diabetes diet: Eat a variety of fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables not packaged in sauce, or low-sodium/sodium-free canned vegetables. In particular, focus on non-starchy vegetables, which are generally low in calories and carbohydrates Continue reading >>
8 Foods That Are Off-limits For Type 2 Diabetes
Foods That Don't Belong in Your Diabetes Diet One of the most essential steps to avoiding complications from type 2 diabetes is managing your diet, says William Sullivan, MD, a senior physician at Joslin Diabetes Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. People with type 2 diabetes can control their blood sugar by eating foods that are low in sugar and carbohydrates. A healthy diet is even more important if you're overweight. "Weight loss has a dramatic effect on controlling diabetes," Dr. Sullivan says. He advises small portions and healthy foods — especially those low in sugar. So what shouldn't be on your plate? Avoid — or at least limit — these eight foods to help manage type 2 diabetes. Continue reading >>
Living With
If you have type 2 diabetes, it's important to look after your own health and wellbeing, with support from those involved in your care. Caring for your health will make treating your diabetes easier and minimise your risk of developing complications of diabetes. Self care for type 2 diabetes includes: maintaining good physical and mental health preventing illness or accidents effectively dealing with minor ailments and long-term conditions. Your diabetes care team As type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition, you'll be in regular contact with your diabetes care team. Your GP or diabetes care team will also need to check your eyes, feet and nerves regularly because they can also be affected by diabetes. You should also be tested regularly – at least once a year – to check how well your diabetes is being controlled over the long term. A blood sample will be taken from your arm, and the HbA1c test will be carried out. It measures how much glucose is in the red blood cells, and gives your blood glucose levels for the previous two to three months. Lifestyle changes Healthy eating Eating a healthy, balanced diet is very important if you have diabetes. However, you don't need to avoid certain food groups altogether. You can have a varied diet and enjoy a wide range of foods as long as you eat regularly and make healthy choices. You can make adaptations when cooking meals, such as reducing the amount of fat, salt and sugar you eat, and increasing the amount of fibre. You don't need to completely exclude sugary and high-fat foods from your diet, but they should be limited. The important thing in managing diabetes through your diet is to eat regularly and include starchy carbohydrates, such as pasta, as well as plenty of fruit and vegetables. If your diet is well balanced, you Continue reading >>
I Have Type 1 – Diabetes What Can I Eat?
From the moment you are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes you are likely to be faced with what seems like an endless list of new tasks that need to become part of everyday life – injections, testing, treating a hypo, monitoring and eating a healthy, balanced diet. No wonder it can all seem so daunting and overwhelming. One of your first questions is likely to be “what can I eat?” But, with so much to take in, you could still come away from appointments feeling unsure about the answer. Plus, there are lots of myths about diabetes and food that you will need to navigate too. If you’ve just been diagnosed and aren’t sure about what you can and can’t eat, here’s what you need to know. I've just been diagnosed with Type 1 – what can I eat? In one word... anything. It may come as a surprise, but all kinds of food are fine for people with Type 1 diabetes to eat. In the past, people were sent away after their diagnosis with a very restrictive diet plan. This was because the availability of insulin was limited and the type of insulin treatment was very restrictive. As insulin treatments have been developed to be much more flexible, the days of “do's and don'ts” are long gone. The way to go nowadays is to try and fit the diabetes and insulin around the same healthy, balanced diet that is recommended for everyone, with lots of fruit and veg and some food from all the food groups. Is there anything I should avoid? Before your diagnosis of diabetes, it is likely that you experienced an unquenchable thirst. It is a good idea to avoid sugary drinks and fruit juices as a way of quenching thirst. They usually put blood glucose levels up very high and very quickly – which is why they can be a useful treatment for a hypo (low blood glucose levels). Instead, drink water, Continue reading >>
14 Foods That Could Change A Diabetic's Life
Print Font: When you think of managing blood sugar, odds are you obsess over everything you can't have. While it's certainly important to limit no-no ingredients (like white, refined breads and pastas and fried, fatty, processed foods), it's just as crucial to pay attention to what you should eat. We suggest you start here. Numerous nutrition and diabetes experts singled out these power foods because 1) they're packed with the 4 healthy nutrients (fiber, omega-3s, calcium, and vitamin D) that make up Prevention's Diabetes DTOUR Diet, and 2) they're exceptionally versatile, so you can use them in recipes, as add-ons to meals, or stand-alone snacks. 1. Beans Beans have more to boast about than being high in fiber (plant compounds that help you feel full, steady blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol; a half cup of black beans delivers more than 7 grams). They're a not-too-shabby source of calcium, a mineral that research shows can help burn body fat. In ½ cup of white beans, you'll get almost 100 mg of calcium—about 10% of your daily intake. Beans also make an excellent protein source; unlike other proteins Americans commonly eat (such as red meat), beans are low in saturated fat—the kind that gunks up arteries and can lead to heart disease. How to eat them: Add them to salads, soups, chili, and more. There are so many different kinds of beans, you could conceivably have them every day for a week and not eat the same kind twice. 2. Dairy You're not going to find a better source of calcium and vitamin D—a potent diabetes-quelling combination—than in dairy foods like milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt. One study found that women who consumed more than 1,200 mg of calcium and more than 800 IU of vitamin D a day were 33% less likely to develop diabetes than those taki Continue reading >>
The Insulin Resistance Diet Protocol
Understanding the cellular mechanisms of insulin resistance helps us choose more effective therapeutic interventions for the treatment and prevention of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is present in individuals who are obese and those with diabetes mellitus. Several studies have found that an insulin resistance diet protocol and exercise can alter insulin signaling pathways and delay the onset of insulin resistance. It’s estimated that the number of diabetes sufferers in the world will double from about 190 million to 325 million during the next 25 years. (1) It’s obvious that we need to pay more attention to our lifestyle habits and make some changes. An insulin resistance diet, similar to a diabetic diet plan, helps you lose excess weight and regulate your insulin and blood glucose levels in order to reduce your risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes. Insulin Resistance Diet Research suggests that the primary cause of insulin resistance is excess weight, especially excess fat around the waist. Fortunately, weight loss can help the body respond better to insulin. The Diabetes Prevention Program and other large studies indicate that people with insulin resistance and prediabetes can often prevent or delay developing diabetes by changing their diets to follow an insulin resistance diet, along with losing weight. Here are seven ways to start eating an insulin resistance diet. 1. Limit Carbohydrates Research published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity suggests that monitoring carbohydrate intake, whether by carbohydrate counting or experience-based estimation, remains a key strategy in achieving glycemic control. Although all carbohydrates can be incorporated into carbohydrate counting, for good health, carbohydrates from vegetables, Continue reading >>
Should You Limit Your Fruit Intake?
Do you ever worry about the natural sugar found in fresh fruit? Common sense should tell us that refined sugar is NOT the same as the sugar in fruit, but it’s still common to hear that you need to limit your sugar intake, and many experts throw fruit into that category. After doing some digging, I’m convinced that the body does treat the sugar in fruit differently, and I’ve got research to back me up. So, today I’m going to address some common concerns about fruit using peer-reviewed studies in the hopes that it will lay any of your fruit fears to rest. 1. Can you eat too much fruit? In a Harvard health publication, fruit is declared to be beneficial in almost any amount. A small study even put that theory to the test, having subjects consume a whopping 20 servings of fruit each day! Despite the high fructose content of this high-fruit diet, subjects had no adverse effects on body weight, blood pressure, insulin, or lipid levels. Another small study showed that a group eating 20 servings of fruit over a period of just 2 weeks significantly lowered LDL cholesterol, and possibly reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. (Other studies have shown that added sugar negatively affects cholesterol levels, with higher sugar consumption driving HDL cholesterol lower and triglicerides higher.) 2. Should diabetics limit fruit intake? In this study, diabetics were divided into two groups. The group who reduced their fruit consumption showed no difference in weight, waist circumference, or diabetes management when compared to the group who ate at least two or more pieces of fruit each day. The researchers ultimately concluded that fruit should not be restricted in patients with type 2 diabetes. 3. What about “sweet” fruits? In another study, my favorit Continue reading >>
