Patimlw's Blog

Question: I have pre-diabetes and am trying to lose weight.  How many servings of fruit and veggies should I have each day?

Answer: You should eat the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight. It’s important to eat multiple meals and snacks at regular times per day as recommended. And Do not skip meals. Choose foods high in fiber such as whole grain breads, fruit, and cereal since they contain important vitamins and minerals. It suggested we need about 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Studies suggest that people with type 2 diabetes who eat a high fiber diet can improve their blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Below is an overview for serving fruit and vegetables:

Fruits Serving Sizes

1/2 banana
1 small apple, orange, or pear
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit

Vegetables Serving Sizes

1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables; cooked, raw (chopped), or canned
1/2 cup of vegetable juice

Starchy Vegetables Serving Sizes

1 small potato or 1/2 large potato
1/2 cup sweet potatoes or yams
1/2 cup corn kernels or other starchy vegetables such as winter squash, peas, or lima beans

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Question : I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last month.  I’m having difficulty understanding how many carbs and sugar I can have each day.  I’m finding that nearly everything contains carbs and sugar!  Can you help me with this?

Answer: Carbohydrates have a direct impact on the blood glucose level.  Eating a consistent amount of carbohydrates at each meal can help to control blood glucose levels, especially in people who take oral diabetes medications. People with type 2 diabetes should focus on reducing calories, increasing physical activity, maintaining their weight with carbohydrate counting and possible try a diet that is high in fiber (25 to 30 grams per day) may help to control blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c goals.

Some products that are “sugar-free” or “fat-free” do not necessarily have a reduced number of calories or carbohydrates. Read the nutrition label carefully and compare it to other similar products that are not sugar- or fat-free to determine which has the best balance of serving size and number of calories, carbohydrates, fat, and fiber. Some sugar-free foods, such as diet soda, sugar-free gelatin, and sugar-free gum, do not have a significant number of calories or carbohydrates, and are considered “free foods”. Any food that has less than 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate is considered a free food.

Here is a 3 step Carbohydrate Counting get start:

Step 1: Know the goal

• Eating about the same amount of carbohydrate at meals and snacks each day will help to keep blood glucose levels from getting too high or too low.

• Focus on keeping the amount of carbohydrate intake moderate to keep your blood glucose levels from going too high. Remember, it is not healthy to cut out all carbohydrate foods; the body, especially your brain, needs some every day.

Step 2: Monitoring intake and blood glucose

• Keeping a daily food and blood glucose record will help inform what affects blood glucose levels.

• Measuring or weighing foods is helpful in the beginning to learn what common food portions look like.

Step 3: Methods of counting carbohydrate

• To count carbohydrates, there are two methods. Patients may also blend the two methods.

Read food labels: Look at the grams of total carbohydrate on the label. Remember, the nutrition information on food labels is for the standard serving size. If the portion is larger or smaller, it is necessary to adjust the carbohydrate information.

Use the exchange system: Estimation of carbohydrate content can be broken down into food groups that are standardized for carbohydrate content according to particular portions. For example, one serving from the Bread/Starch, Fruit, or Milk group each contains between 12 and 15 grams of carbohydrate. Most vegetables do not contain a significant number of carbohydrates and do not need to be counted, although there are exceptions (eg, corn, potatoes).

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Below is a viewer’s question:
I am trying to find a class for our grandson.  He is 19 and has a part-time job but no insurance.  He just found out last week that he is a type 1 diabetes after losing a lot of weight and his blood sugar was 523.  He is on insulin but needs to go to a class to manage is diabetes without going hungry.  Where do we start?  Any suggestions would help us a lot.

The best way to start is to visit a physician on managing his glucose level. As a Type 1 diabetes, the  beta cells of the pancreas can no longer make insulin because the body’s immune system has attacked and destroyed them. It can lead to Hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose (sugar), is a serious health problem for those with diabetes. It develops when there is too much sugar in the blood. It is important to know the early signs of hyperglycemia. If hyperglycemia is left untreated, it may develop into an emergency condition called ketoacidosis.

Early signs of hyperglycemia in diabetes include:

• Increased thirst
• Headaches
• Difficulty concentrating
• Blurred vision
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
• Weight Loss
• Blood glucose more than 180 mg/dL

Thus the best treatment is to

• Drink more water. Water helps remove the excess glucose from your urine and helps you avoid dehydration.

• Change your eating habits. You may need to meet with the dietitian to change the amount and types of foods you are eating.

• Change your medications. Your health care provider may change the amount, timing, or type of diabetes medications he takes. Do not make adjustments in the diabetes medications without first talking with the health care provider.

• Exercise more. It will help to lower your blood glucose. Caution: If you have type 1 diabetes and your blood glucose is over 240 mg/dL, you need to check your urine for ketones. When you have ketones, do NOT exercise. Exercising when ketones are present may make your blood glucose level go even higher. You’ll need to work with your doctor to find the safest way for you to lower your blood glucose level.

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