to elevated blood-glucose levels and a diagnosis of diabetes.
Diabetes and diet are intimately intertwined. It’s impossible to talk about managing diabetes without discussing food in great detail. Blood-glucose levels are influenced by what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat. The goal is to eat healthy foods, properly portioned, at appropriate times. The following sections introduce the basics of managing diabetes.
Checking out concerning trends in the diabetes epidemic
Nearly 30 million Americans are living with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for roughly 95 percent of cases. Over 86 million American adults have prediabetes, a condition where blood-glucose levels are above normal but not yet high enough to be classified as diabetes.
The best way to turn that trend around is to improve dietary choices, lose weight if you are overweight, and exercise regularly. Prediabetes can progress to type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle changes cut the risk by up to 58 percent. If you already have diabetes, eating right and exercising comprise the foundation of treatment.
Improving outcomes and preventing complications
I don’t plan to list scary statistics on how many people with diabetes have developed complications. Fear isn’t a good motivator. Hope is. In this book, I focus on how to better manage diabetes to help prevent complications. Keep in mind that when people developed diabetes many years ago, they simply did not have the resources, knowledge, tools, medications, and technologies needed to adequately manage their disease. Those tools are available now: blood-glucose monitors, insulin and other medications, insulin-delivery options, and knowledge. The roles of diet and exercise in managing diabetes are understood. Multiple studies from around the globe provide a hopeful message, which is taking care of your diabetes has a big payoff: your improved health.
You should take diabetes seriously. Uncontrolled diabetes may lead to complications. For example, elevated blood-glucose levels over time can damage blood vessels and tissues. People with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. Your eyes, kidneys, feet, and nerves are all vulnerable to the damages inflicted by persistently elevated glucose levels.
Building your diabetes team
Your diabetes team starts with you. You are the team captain, and you get to pick who will be there to assist you on your diabetes management journey:
❯❯ Your primary care provider manages your overall healthcare needs. Look for one who has experience with diabetes.
❯❯ If you have type 1 diabetes or your type 2 diabetes is not under adequate control, your general practitioner may refer you to an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in diabetes.
❯❯ You may also benefit from the expertise of a diabetes nurse educator (RN or NP), who can teach you how to monitor your glucose levels, keep and review blood-glucose records, properly administer insulin, handle travel and sick days, and more. In addition, a registered dietitian (RD or RDN) can help you plan balanced meals, teach you to read Nutrition Facts labels and count carbs, and provide dietary advice to help you achieve weight goals, manage blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, understand the impact of alcohol, treat hypoglycemia, and more.
❯❯ A certified diabetes educator (CDE) is a healthcare provider who has advanced training in diabetes management and has passed a comprehensive national exam. To maintain the CDE status, the healthcare professional must complete 75 hours of continuing education in the field of diabetes every five years.
❯❯ Also on the roster to join your team are an eye doctor (either an ophthalmologist or an optometrist), a dentist, and a pharmacist.
❯❯ At times you may choose to see a mental-health specialist: a counselor, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
❯❯ Should you need them, a podiatrist is available for foot care and an exercise physiologist or physical therapist can guide your physical fitness plan.
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Staying up to date with advances in diabetes care
Diabetes specialists (like those listed in the preceding section) stay up to date on the latest advancements in the field of diabetes. Capitalize on their knowledge; stay up to date with your medical appointments and healthcare screenings. Having a few reputable diabetes management books (like this one!) on your home bookshelf is also helpful. Read and reread the sections most pertinent to you.
This book offers in-depth info about the nutrients in food and how nutrients are used in the body. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are macronutrients. We need them in relatively large amounts as compared to micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which are required in smaller amounts. Here’s what they do:
❯❯ Carbohydrates provide glucose, the body’s primary fuel.
❯❯ Proteins contribute amino acids for building and repairing tissues and cells.
❯❯ Fats provide fatty acids, assist in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and, along with glucose, are used for energy.
❯❯ Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients required for hundreds of
