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Issues to be Aware of in a Diabetic Diet

Diabetes can be effectively controlled with regular exercise and eating a healthy diabetic diet. If you are a diabetic, the two main issues you should be well aware of in a diabetic diet plan are the sugar and fat intake.

Constant weight control is essential to prevent excessive weight gain that can contribute to a number of different problems.

If you are a diabetic, you become tuned into what you are putting into your body. Ideally, you should be eating as much raw, unprocessed food as possible, but you will still probably be consuming packaged foods. If you want to do this in a healthy way, you need to be aware that what some manufacturers put on a label is not always straightforward.

Are Food Labels really what they say they are?

For example:

Fat free must be less than 0.15 per cent fat.
Reduced fat should be at least a 25% reduction from the original food or product.
Low fat must contain less than 3 per cent for solid foods and less than 1.5 per cent for liquid foods.
No added sugar in a product means the product must not contain any added sugars, but says nothing about the natural sugar content. Fruit juice is an excellent example here.

People suffering with diabetes must also keep in mind that fats, sugars and salts can be also added in many forms and scattered throughout the ingredient list without actually being labelled as fat, sugar or salt.

Always look at the fine print as fats can be labelled as:

Dripping, butter, shortening, coconut, coconut oil, Palm oil, copha, cream, sour cream, mayonnaise, vegetable oils and fats, hydrogenated oils, full cream milk powder, eggs, mono / di or tri glyderides. None of this mentions the quality of the ingredients, which is another issue.

Sugars can be labelled as:

Brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, disaccharides, fructose, glucose, lactose, golden syrup, honey, malt, maltose, mannitol, maple syrup, molasses, monosaccharides, raw sugar, sorbitol, sucrose and xylitol.

Much of the advice given by a dietitian is to follow a diet that is healthy for both diabetic and nondiabetic, without distinction. The key is moderation in everything.

A good diabetic diet has an emphasis on reducing the amount of sweet foods, especially cakes and biscuits and increase the intake of complex carbohydrates by eating more brown rice and whole foods. Medication is not always necessarily the answer to control diabetes as regular exercise and a diabetic diet is quite effective.

How much exercise does a diabetic need?

There is medical evidence that regular exercise can actually help prevent a person developing diabetes and help with its control. The muscles of the body uses glucose during exercise, resulting in lower overall levels of blood sugar. The minimum recommended amount of exercise to be effective is 20 minutes at least three times a week.

And of course it’s important to consult your doctor before taking a new kind of exercise, especially if you have additional health problems, along with diabetes. Exercise alone is not sufficient to help control diabetes, which means that a diabetic diet is a must!

Moreover, there are some diabetic patients for whom this is not enough and medication is necessary. Most drugs are taken orally for diabetes. A diabetic may be prescribed a drug or a combination of several drugs to adequately control their diabetes.

Effective management of diabetes can usually be achieved through adherence to proper diet and exercise for diabetics on a regular basis.

Learn more about the complications of diabetes HERE!

American Diabetes Association Diet Plan

Practical Food Guidelines for Diabetes

Post updated: 8th April 2023

Dietary advice for people living with diabetes is gradually changing as a result of modern scientific research. After several years of favoring low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, a study posted at the ADA (American Diabetes Association) Scientific Sessions reports that there are other diet options that give better cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes outcomes than the standard diet formerly recommended by the ADA.

Some of the practical eating patterns discussed include:

DASH Diet

The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet was shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure, and it helps people lose weight. One of the main advantages of the DASH diet is that it is practical and easy to follow.

A report shared in Diet Spectrum by Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Amy Campbell notes that besides being practical, the DASH eating pattern does not require any special supplements and foods, and it can also be followed by patients’ entire families.

Scientific studies have proven that the DASH diet helps reduce blood pressure more than traditional American diets. This diet is specifically designed to be low in total fat, cholesterol, and saturated fat, and rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium as well as fiber and protein.

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care shows that the DASH diet is highly effective in improving insulin sensitivity suggesting that this dietary plan can also help improve blood sugar control.

The DASH approach includes plenty of

vegetables,
whole grains, and fruits;
low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products,
fish,
poultry,
lean meat,
and nuts.

Low Carb Diet

VLCDs (very-low-carb-diets) were found to reduce A1C (a blood test that measures average blood glucose over the previous 3 months), lower serum fat (triglycerides), give higher levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good cholesterol”), and reduced weight and blood pressure. A very low-carb diet is strict as it allows daily consumption of 20 to 50 grams only.

LCDs (low-carb diets) which prescribe a daily intake of 20 to 40% of calories from carbohydrates, also show several benefits compared to the typical American diet (which generally includes about 45% carbs) or the previously recommended ADA diet (generally about 50% carbohydrates). Like the DASH diet, low carbs diets recommend vegetables, particularly non-starchy veggies such as cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower, cooked greens, salad greens, and broccoli.

Both dietary approaches approve a wide range of plant fats, including oils, nuts, avocados, and nut butter. However, unlike DASH, low-carb diets favor meats and animal fats. Both diets also approve protein usually in the form of fish, poultry, and lean meat, but disagree on cheese, eggs, and fattier meats.

Some low-carb diet plans include a wide range of vegetables and fruits such as berries. However, all avoid sugary and starchy foods such as potatoes, sweets, bread, rice, and pasta.

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Will a low-carb diet actually lower blood sugar?

Carbohydrates have been blamed for a wide range of issues including stomach aches, weight gain, and feeling draggy and tired. As a result, there are numerous websites and books dedicated to reducing carbs and making it easier to get started.

Low-carb diet plans such as South Beach, Atkins, Keto, and Paleo can be beneficial when it comes to lowering blood sugar and losing weight at the same time.

Although more and more studies are coming out of the never-ending low-carb debate, misconceptions about these plans are still abounding. Let’s explore some of the low-carbohydrate claims and whether the claims are falsehoods or facts

For instance, some people think that all carb foods are bad, which is a dangerous and misinformed assumption. Moreover, falling into the bad/good food mentality makes it hard to adopt a healthy diet. It’s essential to understand that all foods have their advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, some carb foods such as cake, candy, and soda, are not so healthy. However, other carb foods such as black beans, raspberries, sweet potatoes, and quinoa are highly nutritious. Refined carbs are the types of carbohydrates to limit, while unrefined carbs such as whole grains, fruit, legumes, and vegetables are good alternatives.

Vegan or Vegetarian Diets for Diabetics

Numerous studies have shown that diets that aim at eliminating or reducing animal products help lower LDL cholesterol and A1C, reduce the risk of diabetes, and promote weight loss. A vegetarian diet does not contain meat; vegan means eliminating all animal products from your diet such as lard and dairy. The American Diabetes Association has added these dietary options to its list of recommended practical diabetes diet plans.

Can the Mediterranean Diet Plan help with Diabetes?

The Mediterranean diet plan is one of the high-ranking diet plans for managing heart disease and diabetes as well. Just like the DASH diet plan, the Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, fish, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans, and olive oil.

The diet also encourages a small amount of red wine. The Mediterranean eating pattern lowers triglyceride and AIC levels and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The foods you eat on the Mediterranean diet can vary depending on your preference and the region you live in. Some of the key foods that you can incorporate in the Mediterranean diet include:

Fruits: Figs, dates, bananas, pears, oranges, grapes, berries, and dates.
Vegetables: Peppers, broccoli, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, kale, and asparagus.
Whole grains: Whole wheat, corn, brown rice, oats, barley, and spelt.
Dairy: Cheese and yogurt.
Eggs: Quail, duck, and chicken eggs.
Poultry: Duck, chicken, and turkey
Fish: Crab, mackerel, trout, oysters, sardines, salmon, and shrimp
Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, pistachios, and almonds
Legumes: Peas, Beans, peanuts, lentils, and chickpeas.
Fats: Avocado oil, grape seed oil, avocado, olive oil, and olives.

Sweets and red meats are limited and beverages include a glass of red wine and water each day.

All diabetes patients can benefit from MNT (Medical Nutrition Therapy), meeting with dietitians to create practical meal plans. In most cases, improvements in A1C levels with Medical Nutritional Therapy are similar to or greater than what can be achieved with medication.

When choosing food to consume, this diet plan gives you a solid guideline that you can incorporate quite easily into your lifestyle.

The Dangers of Extremely High Blood Sugar Levels

There are many dangers of having an extremely high blood sugar level. When the insulin levels are low the glucose skyrockets, which can permanently damage the body. The damage that the body can sustain includes heart damage and the increased chance of getting:

heart disease
nerve damage
blindness and
kidney damage

which can be life threatening in the end. Extremely high blood sugar symptoms include tiredness, dehydration, a very dry mouth, vomiting and nausea, excessive urination, stomach pain and other side effects. Hypoglycemia, or extremely low blood sugar, is also very dangerous and can lead to fainting, dizziness, confusion, hunger, feeling sweaty or clammy, increased heartbeat and other serious life threatening problems that can be dealt with by adding some simple sugar to the system.

If your blood glucose levels remain too low, or too high, for a long period of time, this can cause what is called a diabetic coma.

So what happens when a person goes into a Diabetic Coma?

It is a life-threatening complication of diabetes that causes unconsciousness – if you don’t seek medical help immediately, this can be fatal. All people with diabetes are at risk of diabetic coma. The very first this you would do if faced with this situation is to call 911. This is an emergency situation.

Treatment for a diabetic coma

Hyperglycemic diabetic coma: Which is if you have extremely high blood sugar levels, the medical professional will administer insulin and rehydrate the patient.

Hypoglycemic diabetic coma: The patient would be injected with glucagon and give glucose.

How to Care for Extremely High Blood Sugar.

Monitoring your blood glucose levels constantly: helps diabetics to avoid the complications that can arise. This is done with a blood glucose meter. There are many different kinds of meters to choose from. Many of the meters available today are quite small and easy to use.

Most of the meters available have fast test times, only really require a tiny blood sample and you are able to download the results to keep good records of your levels.

Here’s some of the popular, portable and preferred pocket-sized meters you may want to look into:

Lifescan One Touch Ultraeasy
Abbott Diabetes Care Freestyle
Accu-Chek Mobile
Accu-Chek Aviva Nano
Truone by Home Diagnostics
Bayer’s contour Next USB

Diets can easily help with your extremely high blood sugar.

The correct diet for diabetes, will certainly help to lower your high blood glucose levels and maintain them. The foods you choose to eat can be so important to your overall health and wellbeing. What you eat can make an enormous difference to your blood sugar levels, to your cholesterol and also your blood pressure levels.

These days we are advised by our diabetes health care professionals to focus more on creating healthy eating patterns, lower in saturated fats and higher in fiber, and our overall weight control.

High Fiber Foods:

High fiber foods are beneficial as they have a low glycemic index. They regulate blood sugar metabolism and improve the health of the digestive system. A fiber-rich diet is generally lower in fat and sugar and makes you feel “fuller” for longer! You can find soluble fibers in oat bran, barley, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seed husks and flaxseed.

Plant Foods:

All fresh, whole, unprocessed plant foods are beneficial. Below are a few of these listed, that have been shown to improve blood sugar management.

Green tea
coffee
cocoa
black rice
Pumpkin, beans, eggplant
Blueberries, black currants, raspberries and strawberries

Protein Foods:

Animal proteins that contain very little carbohydrates will reduce the glycemic index of foods they are eaten with and help to stabilize your blood sugar levels. Lamb is a great option. Free range preferably organic chicken is a good source of protein – but the best you could probably get would be fish! Make sure it’s wild fish though, as fish farming is becoming an increasing problem with all the chemicals and the antibiotics used in the farming processes.

Exercise is Vital for Extremely High Blood sugar

I’m sure we could probably all gain from a few lifestyle changes – one of the main one being exercise! Some of these changes can certainly be challenging, but if you have diabetes, you really do need to make them a priority in your life. It’s no secret that losing those extra kilos and keeping them off, will definitely help to control your blood sugar levels. Apart form losing weight, regular exercise also increases insulin sensitivity. It’s recommended that a diabetic perform at least two and a half hours of medium to vigorous intensity exercise in a week. some examples would be fast walking, swimming, jogging, water aerobics.

So talk to your doctor about lowering your dangerously high blood sugar levels!.

OneTouch Diabetes Management

OneTouch Diabetes Management Software is a management application designed to help diabetics organize results obtained from OneTouch glucose meters through data ports. Although the software is free when downloaded from the company’s website, users need to buy the OneTouch Interface Cable in order to connect their glucose meters to computers.

Data of various patients can be input and easily organized with the help of the interface cable. Patient data typically includes name and date of birth, diabetes type, blood glucose level, complications, medication, and regimen. The application features a search tool that allows users to find a particular patient and their data in the list.

How does the OneTouch Diabetes Management Software Work?

After downloading the readings stored on the glucometer and transferring them to the database, various reports can be processed by the software, such as blood glucose trends, average readings, histograms, and pie charts. For instance, pie chart reports typically display blood glucose readings that fall in and out of an individual’s target range for every meal, in percentages.

Glucose trend reports help patients, as well as caregivers, track any changes that occur in blood glucose readings within the chosen date range. These reports are very useful for both doctors and patients under their supervision. Moreover, the OneTouch Diabetes Management Software allows users to print, email, or fax reports directly from within the application.

Key Features and Benefits of OneTouch Diabetes Management Software

Provides personalized, easy to read reports

Onetouch Diabetes Software by LifeScan Inc. is a powerful tool designed to help users manage diabetes by tracking diabetes-related data that they can use to monitor the condition. Users can also share information generated by the application with their healthcare providers and diabetes educators in order to get personalized advice on how to best manage the condition.

The software generates specially designed diabetes-related reports that make it extremely easy to identify blood glucose level trends as well as trouble spots by presenting data in easy-to-understand tables, pie charts, and graphs.

Moreover, the software helps diabetes patients better understand how specific actions, such as when they exercise and what they eat affect blood glucose levels. People with diabetes can now use their computers as personal healthcare tools to visually track important factors in their individual diabetes management plans.

Enables people with diabetes to link readings to their everyday choices.

OneTouch Software offers up to 11 easy-to-read reports for users to view their diabetes and glucose information. The graphs and charts generated by the application can help diabetes patients better understand how everyday choices, habits, and lifestyle in general impact glucose control.

For instance, pie charts that show the percentage of readings that fall within or without the target range may signify that an individual needs to make changes to what they are eating at certain mealtimes. The software can also help diabetics identify trouble spots as well as blood glucose patterns that don’t surface automatically from simply reviewing individual blood glucose results in handwritten logbooks.

Helps personalize diabetes-related information

OneTouch Diabetes Management Software features easy-to-use icons and tabs that enable users to customize entries of diabetes-related information, making it easier to share with doctors.

This allows diabetes patients to enter general information (name and date of birth), personal blood sugar target ranges, specific diabetes medications, information on up to 5 insulin regimens, non-working and working schedules, which helps them account for variations in exercise and eating patterns between vacations, weekends and weekdays.

The application also allows users to keep track of other factors, such as weight, diet, exercise, and even other diabetes-related health measures like cholesterol and blood pressure. These other factors can help shed light on what is affecting the patient’s blood glucose levels. This can be particularly helpful when patients share detailed reports with their doctors directly from the application via fax, printed copies or email.

OneTouch Software compatibility

The OneTouch Diabetes Management Software is fully compatible with all OneTouch Monitors, including OneTouch UltraSmart, OneTouch ultra, OneTouchBasic, OneTouch Profile, OneTouch SureStep, OneTouch FastTake, OneTouch II, and InDuo.

The Bottom Line

The OneTouch Diabetes Management Software is designed to help users manage results returned by OneTouch blood glucose meters. Its ability to generate a wide range of detailed diabetes-related reports makes it ideal for use by patients as well as healthcare providers to track blood glucose trends and identify trouble spots, making the management of diabetes easier and more effective.

Dealing with Hypos and Hypers in Diabetes

Blood glucose levels can go up or down during the day. The goal is to get them as stable as possible.

Dealing with Hypos:

Levels are generally low before meals, during or after exercise and in the middle of the night when there is a long time between meals. Higher glucose levels generally occur about two hours after meals and during stress. But everyone is different and diabetics should learn their patterns as completely as possible.

Low blood glucose is called hypoglycaemia, or ‘hypo’ for short. High blood glucose is called hyperglycaemia, or ‘hyper’ for short.

Symptoms of a hypo.

The symptoms of hypos appear quickly, over the period of a few minutes, and generally mean your blood glucose levels have slipped below 3.0mmol/L. This is easily checked on your blood glucose meter. Hypos usually happen only in people taking insulin.

Hypoglycaemia symptoms are:

anxiousness or nervousness,
palpitations or shakiness,
hunger and disorientation progressing to confusion,
mood change,
belligerence and clumsiness.

Prolonged symptoms can cause damage to the brain and nerves.

Causes of hypos.

Causes of hypos include too much insulin, lack of carbohydrate intake, excessive alcohol or excessive physical activity.

What do I do when I have a hypo?

Diabetes groups advise diabetics with a hypo to first make sure they are in a safe place and to stop operating a car or machinery. Have some quick acting carbohydrates like half a can of soft drink or juice OR 3 teaspoons of sugar or honey OR 6 or 7 jelly beans. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes and repeat the dose of quick-acting carbohydrates if the levels don’t rise. Symptoms should ebb quickly; if not, make sure an ambulance is called.

Dealing with Hypers.

Hypers happen when the blood sugar levels are too high, sometimes higher than 15mmol/L. A hyper comes more gradually than a Hypo and can sometimes take days.

Causes of hypers.

Possible causes of a hyper may be not enough insulin, too much food, an illness or infection and stress.

Symptoms of a hyper.

Symptoms include :

excessive thirst,
passing large volumes of urine,
dramatic weight loss,
lack of energy over several days and progression to nausea and vomiting,
abdominal pains,
sweet smell on the breath,
drowsiness and eventually unconsciousness in the worst case.

The symptoms can usually be alleviated with more than the usual dose of insulin. Diabetics should talk to their doctor about having some fast-acting insulin and drink plenty of water or other sugar-free fluid to compensate for the frequent urination. Seek medical treatment if the symptoms worsen.

Read more about the complications of diabetes here!