November is National Diabetes Month. This year’s focus is what actions you can take to prevent diabetes-related health problems.
If you have diabetes, you are not alone. 38 million Americans have diabetes. And, according to the CDC, about 98 million Americans have pre-diabetes. That’s 2 million more than I reported in my 2022 blog! With both of these disease states, your glucose levels (aka blood sugar) are too high. When the sugar concentration in your blood is too high, it can damage blood vessels that can affect the health of your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.
Unfortunately, there are some risk factors for diabetes that you can’t control like your genetic predisposition or race. You are more likely to develop diabetes if you have a family history of diabetes; are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander.
In addition, lifestyle can also play a significant role in developing diabetes. if you have overweight or obese; are age 35 or older; are not physically active; or have pre-diabetes—you are at risk. The good news here is you have control over some of these factors.
Let’s look at some of the ways that diet can help you better manage diabetes. Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. Start slow and build healthier habits from there; eventually they catch on!
Take the time to plan meals ahead of time and not rely on drive through or take-out meals. When ill prepared to cook a healthy meal, hunger and time can get the best of you— and not so healthy (quick) menu choices are made.
Portion sizes do matter. Our pancreas is the organ that produces the hormone insulin that lowers blood sugar. People with diabetes often have compromised or inefficient insulin delivery systems. So it's good to spread your meals out and have smaller portions throughout the day versus saving everything to one meal at the end of the day.
It’s important to take care of blood vessels from a cardiac perspective, as well. So, eating fewer foods high in saturated fats and sodium, and substituting with more plant-based, high fiber foods is a good way to start.
The My Plate model is a healthy approach to maintaining a healthy diet. MyPlate’s (plate) graphic is a simple reminder of how to choose and incorporate a variety of foods into your diet throughout the day. Making healthy food choices includes adding lots of non-starchy vegetables to your meals —they are full of fiber and have fewer calories than their carbohydrate-rich cousins (ex. potatoes, corn, peas) and will fill you up. Their fiber helps to slow down the rise of glucose in the bloodstream. Choose more whole grain foods and fish at least twice a week. Choose non-fat or low fat dairy and use liquid oils versus hardened ones (spray oils are my go to!). The MyPlate website will give you more information but here’s a shorter version of their recommendations:
Non-starchy Vegetables-fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or summer squash/zucchini.
Protein Foods -fill one quarter of your plate, about 3 ounces, with lean protein foods like fish, chicken, lean beef, soy products, and low fat cheese.
Carbohydrate Foods- Fill one quarter of your plate with carbohydrate foods like whole grains, starchy vegetables, whole fruit, or low fat dairy.
Choose a drink without calories or carbs like water or unsweetened tea or coffee.
Reach or maintain a healthy weight. Research has shown that you may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight. Diet and daily exercise can help you jumpstart that goal.
Getting enough sleep is also an important part of enhancing lifestyle patterns. Most adults should aim for about 7 to 8 hours each night while children and adolescents may need more sleep.
And lastly, take care of your mental health. Stress can affect blood glucose levels. Check with your health care team if you need a referral to a mental health professional. Managing diabetes takes a team effort that includes your primary care provider; a diabetes specialist, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator; and a therapist.
Work with your health care team to create a plan that works for you— and you are one step ahead in taking charge of your health that may help you prevent getting diabetes.
In Good Health,
Sophie
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