Let's Talk Diabetes
By Jamie L. Willmott, RD LD
Clinical Dietitian at Samaritan Regional Health System
8.3% of the population has diabetes. Further, most of us know at least one person who has diabetes. Most of us are also aware that diabetes has something to do with how our body utilizes sugar. What most people don’t understand is how to manage their diet.
Like any diet, following a diabetic diet can be difficult, especially if you think you have to give up the foods you like. However, the key to following a diabetic diet is recognizing foods that contain carbohydrate and understanding how many carbohydrates you can have at each meal. You also need to know how many carbohydrates are in a particular portion of a food you are choosing to consume.
There are three main forms of carbohydrate that most of us can easily recognize: starches, sugars, and fiber. On a nutrition label, look for total carbohydrates. This number includes all three types of carbohydrates. With the exception of fiber, carbohydrate catabolism is the breakdown of carbohydrates into smaller units called glucose. Fiber is an indigestible part of many plant foods. When consumed, most of the fiber passes through the intestines and is not digested, therefore, it doesn’t raise the blood glucose levels.
Eliminating carbohydrates is often thought to be the treatment for diabetes. This is false. Glucose is actually vital to our health. In addition to being our brain’s main source of fuel, glucose is the most important source of energy for the cells that make up our muscles and tissues. Glucose is also essential when it comes to the production of protein and in lipid metabolism.
The first step in following a diabetic meal plan is to determine with your doctor how many carbohydrates you should consume per meal. To manage your diabetes, you must stick to this number. You should not consume any more or any less than this amount. Unless your physician says differently, do not consume carbohydrate between meals. A good number to start with is about 45 grams of carbohydrate per meal. Depending on the management of your diabetes and your individual goals, you may need more or less.
The next step is to learn what foods contain carbohydrate and how many carbohydrates are in a particular portion of the food you eat. Foods that contain carbohydrate and will raise your blood sugars are your starches, fruits and dairy. Starches include breads, crackers, cereals, pasta, rice and grains. It even includes whole grains and starchy vegetables such as corn, peas and potatoes. Also dairy including milk and yogurt, fruit and fruit juices, and sweets such as cakes, cookies, ice cream, jams and jellies. Non-starchy vegetables have a little bit of carbohydrate but in general are very low.
Use food labels to make carbohydrate counting easy. Look at the label to see how many total carbohydrates are in a food, decide your portion size, and estimate the amount of carbohydrate. Then subtract that from your total carbohydrate permitted for that meal.
When focusing your attention on carbohydrate counting, don’t overlook the other important nutritional information such as fat, saturated fat, total calories, cholesterol and sodium. When choosing a source of protein to balance the meal, choose wisely. According to the National Institute of Health, cardiovascular disease is a major complication of diabetes and the leading cause of early death among people with diabetes. About 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke.
