How to Manage Diabetes

Eating when you have diabetes may seem like a chore; you may feel like there is nothing you can eat, but this isn’t true! Eating your favorite foods is still possible even if you have diabetes. Today I’ll discuss methods for managing diabetes, focusing mainly on making the right food choices.

Diabetes management

Diabetes is something that doesn’t go away, but it can be managed. Here are some basic steps which are similar to the management of prediabetes which I discussed in last week’s post.

• Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

• Be active for at least 150 minutes each week at a moderate pace. Studies suggest that walking after meals, even for just 10 minutes, may help lower high blood sugar.

• Take medications (if needed). Insulin injections are required for people with type 1 diabetes, but type 2 diabetes may be managed with just lifestyle changes or medications (oral, insulin, or other injectables are options).

• Manage stress; high stress can raise blood sugar.

• Get enough sleep; poor sleep quality or just not enough sleep may raise blood sugar levels.

• Make healthy food choices. Limit carbs and focus on eating mostly whole and unprocessed foods.

How many carbs can I eat?

The answer to this question varies based on age, weight, gender, and activity level. Men can typically have more carbs than women; these are just general guidelines and may not be appropriate for everyone. If you’d like recommendations that are more specific and tailored to you then check out my nutrition services and schedule a 1:1 consultation!

General carb recommendations:

• Men: 45-60 grams carb per meal and 0-30 grams carb per snack

• Women: 30-45 grams carb per meal and 0-15 grams carb per snack

Meal spacing and timing

Rather than a set recommendation for carb intake per day, limiting carb intake at each meal and snack can prevent blood sugar spikes. Eating a large number of carbs at one time can make blood sugar go too high because the pancreas isn’t able to produce enough insulin.

It’s best to avoid going for long periods of time without eating, except overnight. Try to eat within 1 hour of waking up and every 3-5 hours after that. This will keep blood sugar stable and prevent you from getting overly hungry. We tend to make less healthy meal choices when we let ourselves get too hungry!

How do I know how many carbs are in a specific food?

Reading a nutrition label is the best way to figure out how many carbs are in a food, but what if there is no nutrition label? Using an app to track your food intake, such as My Fitness Pal or Lose It is a great way to easily see how many carbs you are eating. There are also plenty of online resources or books to help you figure out the number of carbs in specific foods.

Carbohydrate counting

In order to count your carbs, it is important to know that 15 grams of carb are equal to 1 carb portion. Each of the items below is equivalent to 15 grams of carb:

• 1/3 cup cooked rice or pasta

• 1/2 cup cooked beans

• 1/2 cup cooked oats

• 3 cups popped popcorn

• 1 cup berries

• 15 grapes

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

For example, if you want to eat 45 grams of carb at lunch you can have 1 whole cup cooked pasta or 2/3 cup cooked pasta + 1 cup berries (both would give you 45 grams of carb).

Food combinations

If you eat a carb by itself, such as a piece of fruit, your blood sugar will spike a lot higher than if you eat something else with the fruit. When eating carbs, pair them with one or more of the following:

• Protein

• Fiber

• Fat

All of these will help slow the rise of sugar in the bloodstream, thus preventing a spike and keeping your blood sugar more stable for a longer period of time; this will also help you stay full for longer.

Some examples of food combinations:

• Apple (high-fiber carb) + almond butter (fat & protein)

• Whole grain toast (high-fiber carb) + scrambled eggs (protein & fat) + avocado (fiber + fat)

• Baked sweet potato (high-fiber carb) + roasted chicken (protein) + broccoli roasted in olive oil (fiber & fat)

Though it may seem daunting to manage a chronic disease, it is definitely possible. If you feel like you need more individualized help with managing your diabetes, I offer a Diabetes 101 Package and would love to help you take control of your diabetes!