You Are What You Eat—

Good Nutrition Is Essential

To Diabetes Prevention And Management

By Kaaren Valenta

According to US Health and Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, the United States is heading for a diabetes epidemic that could see as many as 41 million Americans suffering from full-blown diabetes if prevention measures are not taken.

Currently 18 million Americans have diabetes, and if predictions from the Center for Disease Control are accurate, some 45 to 50 million US residents could have diabetes by 2050.

Diabetics are two to five times more likely to have heart attacks or strokes, although the invention of glucose meters have helped many patients avoid the worst side effects of diabetes, including vision loss, kidney damage, and amputation.

The key to good health is managing blood sugar levels and this is best done through food and nutrition, according to Carolyn Losure, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and certified diabetes nutritionist with Health Net. Ms Losure spoke at the Newtown Senior Center recently as part of a program co-sponsored by the Western Connecticut Area on Aging and Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

 “The one thing you can do about your diabetes is to control your own food and nutrition,” Ms Losure said. “You are what you eat. If you understand what food does to your system, you will understand how to control your blood sugar.”

Carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes, noodles, fruit, and sugar, break down 100 percent as sugar in the body, she explained, while only 50 percent of meat and other proteins break down to sugar.

“Fat doesn’t do anything as far as blood sugar levels are concerned. It is stored in the body but it doesn’t affect blood sugar level,” she said.

After a typical breakfast of cereal, skim milk, juice, and fruit, many diabetics will find that their blood sugar level is more than 200. That is because all the components of the breakfast are mainly carbohydrates.

“Do not drink juice,” Ms Losure emphasized. “Eat the whole fruit. It takes five oranges to make a cup of orange juice. There are seven teaspoons of sugar in a glass of juice. If you eat the whole fruit, there is less sugar and at least you will get fiber, too.”

Similarly bagels and diabetics “just don’t go together,” she said. “A bagel will raise blood glucose levels to 180 or 200. And if you are a diabetic, I’d better not see your car at Dunkin’ Donuts. A reduced fat muffin contains 700 calories and 100 carbs, the equivalent of breakfast, lunch, and half of dinner for a small woman.”

The phrase “no sugar added,” is a scam, she said. “One muffin equals four servings.”

A better breakfast would be egg whites — although two whole eggs a week are fine — with Canadian bacon or soy sausage, cereal with five grams of fiber or more, plain shredded wheat, noninstant hot cooked cereal, and whole fruit, but not cereals containing dried fruit. Low-carb bread and English muffins are okay.

One of the biggest problem involving diets is the prevalence of fast food.

“You can get fast food on any corner,” Ms Losure said. “I have four kids, I work, and I cook. If you can’t cook a 15-minute meal, shame on you.”

“It’s easy to make a salad — lettuce is sold prewashed. They even shred the carrots and put them in the bag of salad greens for you. I think we’re just lazy,” she said. “But if you can buy your food as fresh as possible, you will be alright. Shop the outside aisles of the grocery store, not the inside aisles where all the packaged foods are.”

For lunch, have a sandwich on low-carb bread or a salad with protein on it and a piece of fruit. Dinner should include meat or other protein, vegetables, and one scoop of starch, she said.

“You want a balance. If you have pizza have one slice plus a salad, not a whole pizza.”

Holidays are difficult because of the traditional cakes, cookies, and breads that are frequently served. “A large Kaiser roll has 40 grams of carbohydrates,” Ms Losure said. “But women should only eat 100 to 130 carbs a day; men, 150 to 180.”

Many people think that the carbs they drink do not count, but specialty coffees have as many carbs as juice, she said.

Two hours after eating a lot of carbohydrates, people start to fade and become sleepy as their blood sugar rises and falls.

“Why have a coffee and?,” Ms Losure said. “Why not a walk instead? In the winter walk at the mall in the early morning before the stores open. There are benches to sit on if you get tired. Even people who can’t walk can do chair exercises. Draw the alphabet with your foot. Use soup cans for simple weight lifting. There are excellent chair exercise videos.

“Think of exercise as moving your body in a way that is comfortable, not as punishment,” she said.

Eat right and your energy levels will go up, she promised.

Diabetics should test their blood sugar at different times of the day to get an accurate picture of their health.

“If Medicare only pays for one test a day, on the first day check as soon as you get up,” she said. “On the second day check after breakfast. On the third, after lunch, and the fourth, after dinner. If you only test in the morning, and it reads 80 to 120, you may never realize that two hours after you eat it could be 240.”

“By controlling what I put in my mouth, I can lower my blood sugar by 100 points,” Ms Losure said. “A diabetic diet is a healthy diet. It is what we should all be eating. “