Skiff Medical Center: Diabetes should mean better diets

If you have diabetes, it’s important to eat well to help keep yourself healthy. For most people, general guidelines for diabetes are as follows: • Aim to maintain a healthy weight. • Exercise moderately for about 30 minutes at least five times per week. • Get your carbohydrates mainly from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and low-fat or skim dairy products. • Limit saturated fats, trans fats and dietary cholesterol. • Consider use of sugar substitutes. • Do not use low-carbohydrate diets to control diabetes. Diets for weight loss Individuals must find a healthy eating pattern that they can continue for a lifetime in order to successfully achieve weight loss and weight maintenance. No best diet exists because different things work for different people. However, changing eating and exercise behaviors is essential for successful weight loss. To lose weight, a deficit (decrease) of 500 to 1,000 calories per day generally is recommended. A combination of eating and drinking fewer calories and burning (exerting) more calories through physical activity can help you lose weight. One study showed that about one hour per day of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, with small calorie restrictions produced weight loss. Starches It’s true that everyone, including those with diabetes, should try to get most of their carbohydrates from foods that also contain other nutrients, such as whole-grain breads and cereals, legumes, low-fat milk, fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet can include refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice and regular pasta, as long as you also include whole grains and monitor portion sizes. You can substitute sugary foods and drinks for other carbohydrates in your meal plan every now and then. For example, on your birthday you could substitute a small piece of birthday cake for the roll you usually eat at dinner. Remember, most sweets such as cakes, cookies, pies and candy have very few valuable nutrients. So it’s best to get most of your carbohydrates from the more nutritious foods previously mentioned. Carbohydrates are important to good health. In fact, your body needs at least 130 grams of carbohydrates each day to work correctly. Foods that contain carbohydrates often are good sources of energy, fiber and vitamins and minerals. Sugar substitutes Sweeteners allow you to enjoy sweetened beverages and foods with fewer calories. Aspartame (Equal®), saccharin (Sweet’N Low®) and sucralose (Splenda®) are among the most readily available sweeteners. Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol commonly are found in sugar-free foods. These substances contain calories and count as carbohydrates. Fat People with diabetes are at risk for heart disease. For that reason, you should limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and dietary cholesterol, which can all increase your risk for heart disease. Saturated fat and dietary cholesterol usually are found in animal foods, such as: • Whole milk • Whole-milk cheeses • Fatty cuts of beef, pork and chicken • Processed meats such as bacon, sausage and lunch meats Trans fats are found in many foods, including: • Margarines • Commercial baked goods • Cookies • Crackers • Fried foods Limiting these types of foods may help prevent you from having heart or circulatory problems as a result of your diabetes. Fat also is very high in calories. Eating too much fat makes it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight. • Free lunch and learn on Nov. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. — The Ins and Outs of Diabetes Medications. Do you take an oral medication for diabetes? If so, do you know how it works? Are you taking it at the right time? Learn about the importance of these factors taught by Tracy Graham, Pharm. D.  To register, call 787-3070.