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Spotlight on Nutrition Blog

Preventing and Managing Diabetes

2/1/2023

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Blog post by Sarah Berube, IUPUI dietetic intern
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Over 34 million people of all ages in the United States (about 1 in 10) have diabetes. Of these, about 1 in 5 adults don’t know they have the disease. Possible risk factors for diabetes include: 
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  • Family history 
  • Stress 
  • Being Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American or Pacific Islander 
  • Having overweight/obesity 
  • Having high blood pressure 
  • Being physically inactive 
  • Being 45 years or older 
  • Having a history of heart disease or stroke 
  • Experiencing food insecurity (not having consistent access to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy lifestyle)

​The choices you make and the resources available in your daily life can raise or lower your risk of diabetes. Keep reading to understand how these relate and how you can help prevent and/or manage diabetes! 

​Diabetes 101

Diabetes happens when your body isn't able to take up sugar (glucose) into its cells to use it for energy. Glucose in the body comes from two main sources:
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  1. Carbohydrates in foods you eat
  2. Your liver making sugar through normal processes​
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​Your body controls the amount of glucose in your bloodstream by making insulin. Insulin is a hormone created in the
pancreas. It serves as a “key” to let glucose into the cells, where it can then be turned into energy. When insulin doesn't work as it should or there isn't enough insulin available, glucose can build up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar can cause damage to organs and tissues like your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

There are several different types of diabetes:
  • Prediabetes - a higher than normal blood sugar level, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes yet
  • Type 1 diabetes - the body doesn’t make enough insulin
  • Type 2 diabetes - the body can’t use insulin normally (insulin resistance)
  • Gestational diabetes - the body can’t use insulin normally during pregnancy

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Image from doh.sd.gov
Symptoms of diabetes include: 
  • Increased thirst 
  • Weak, tired feeling 
  • Blurred vision 
  • Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet 
  • Slow-healing sores or cuts 
  • Unplanned weight loss  
  • Frequent urination  
  • Frequent unexplained infections  
  • Dry mouth  

​If you experience any of these symptoms, please visit your primary health care doctor. ​
​
Tips for Preventing and Managing Diabetes

Not having regular access to nutritious foods can make preventing or managing diabetes a challenge. Living with a health condition like diabetes can also make it hard to keep working or to afford medications. Luckily, there are things you can do to keep diabetes in check! Try some of these tips for preventing and managing diabetes:​​
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Image from mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov
  • Visit your primary care doctor at least once a year to get screened for diabetes and to manage your medications. Be sure to tell your doctor about any symptoms or concerns you have.​ Click here take a quick online diabetes risk test that can help you understand your general risk factors.​​
  • Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity every day. This can include walking, dancing, swimming, bicycling, gardening, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, or any other ways you like to move!​
  • Choose lots of different nutritious foods for your meals and snacks. Look for colorful fruits and vegetables, low-fat meats and dairy products, beans, nuts, and whole grains at the grocery store or food pantry.
    • Read our handout on eating well with diabetes for more information.
    • If you want a more personalized eating plan, ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian. You can also look up dietitians near you with this search tool.
  • Use resources to stretch your grocery budget and get more healthy foods on the table:
    • ​SNAP - provides benefits that can be used to buy nutritious foods. Contact Gleaners' SNAP Outreach Team to learn more and to apply for benefits.
    • WIC - provides benefits for pregnant and lactating women and their children ages 0-5 years
    • Fresh Bucks - a program that matches SNAP dollars at local farmers' markets to double (or even triple) the amount of fresh foods you can buy!
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Image from www.operationfoodsearch.org
  • Take a diabetes education class - the Marion County Public Health Department offers a free "ABCs of Diabetes" self-management education/support program at several different locations in Indianapolis. Similar programs may be offered in your local area, so check at your doctor's office, hospital, or public library.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but there are many ways you can reduce your risk of health complications. For more information, resources, recipes, and more, please visit diabetes.org.

​Sources
  • Food Insecurity and Diabetes | ADA 
  • The Prevalence of Food Insecurity Is Highest Among Americans for Whom Diet Is Most Critical to Health | Diabetes Care | American Diabetes Association (diabetesjournals.org) 
  • The Intersection between Food Insecurity and Diabetes: A Review - PMC (nih.gov) 
  • Food Bank–Based Diabetes Prevention Intervention to Address Food Security, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity in a Food-Insecure Cohort at High Risk for Diabetes (cdc.gov) 
  • (1430) Food Insecurity and Diabetes Management: Interventions that Make a Difference - Quick Learn - YouTube 
  • Diabetes: Types, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Tests, Treatments & Prevention (clevelandclinic.org) 
  • The Liver & Blood Sugar :: Diabetes Education Online (ucsf.edu) ​
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Diabetes and Portion Awareness

12/1/2020

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Content contributed by Ricah Lucero and Samantha Presslor, IUPUI Dietetic Interns

November was National Diabetes Month, but you can take steps to prevent or manage diabetes all year long. This is especially important as we enter the holiday season, which can be filled with tempting treats, stressful schedules, and cold winter weather!

Good nutrition is one key step in diabetes prevention and management. Choosing nutritious foods in the right amounts can help you reach your health goals, whether that is controlling your blood sugar, maintaining a healthy weight, or reaching a healthy blood pressure. However, it can be overwhelming to try to track the exact amounts of each food that you eat. A simple first step is to be mindful of portion sizes.
Serving Size vs. Portion Size
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A serving size is the recommended amount of food that is listed on a package or used in nutrition guidelines, such as MyPlate. For example, the serving size of ice cream listed on this Nutrition Facts label is 2/3 cup.
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Photos from walmart.com and lmld.org
A portion size is the amount of food that you actually serve yourself and eat. This can be more or less than the recommended serving size. For example, you may fill your bowl with ice cream, which actually holds 1-2 cups. Portion sizes at restaurants have increased over the years, and one entrée can sometimes have 2 or more servings!

Reading labels and monitoring portion sizes can help you limit added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat in the foods you eat. In turn, this can promote blood sugar control, weight management, and an overall healthy lifestyle.
A "Handy" Guide for Estimating Portion Sizes

A good way to portion out food is to use measuring cups. However, since you may not always have measuring cups with you, there are other simple ways to estimate portion sizes. One way is to use something that is always with you: your hands!

Different parts of your hands are about the same size as common serving sizes:
  • Your closed fist is about the size of one cup. This is handy for estimating portions of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
  • Your thumb is about the size of one ounce. This is can be used to measure out meat or cheese.
  • Your palm is about the size and thickness of three ounces, which is a typical serving size for meat and fish.
  • Your fingertip is about the size of one teaspoon, which can be helpful for estimating portions of oil or salad dressing (3 teaspoons or 3 fingertips = 1 tablespoon or 1 thumb tip).
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Image from fitstylebyshana.com
Estimating Portion Sizes with MyPlate

MyPlate is a another tool that can help you estimate portion sizes and plan balanced meals. The goal is to fill your plate with foods from different groups so you get all the nutrients your body needs. Here are the basic guidelines:
  • Fill half (1/2) of your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables.
  • Fill one-fourth (1/4) of your plate with whole grains.
  • Fill the other one-fourth (1/4) of your plate with lean proteins.
  • Add one serving of dairy to your meal or serve it on the side.
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Some people with diabetes may be able to manage their blood sugars by following these simple guidelines at meals. Others may need to look more closely at specific serving sizes.

The image below shows common serving sizes for each MyPlate food group. You will notice that fruits, vegetables, and dairy are measured in "cup equiv", which is short for "cup equivalents". Grains and proteins are measured in "oz-equiv", which is short for "ounce equivalents" These are simply ways of measuring different foods in a way that provides a similar nutrition value. For example,  1 slice of bread has about the same carbohydrate content as 1/2 cup of oatmeal. One egg has about the same protein content as 1/4 cup of beans.
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​The chart below shows how many servings of each food group the average adult needs each day. Let's say a 40-year-old woman wants to plan out how many servings of grains she should eat each day. The chart lists "5 ounce equivalents", which means she can have 5 servings of foods that each equal 1 ounce equivalent. This could be 1/2 cup of oatmeal at breakfast (1 ounce equivalent), a sandwich with 2 slices of whole wheat bread at lunch (2 ounce equivalents), and 1 cup of brown rice at dinner (2 ounce equivalents).

Your exact needs may be different based on your age, gender, weight, activity level, insulin sensitivity, etc. Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov and talk to a doctor or dietitian to make a plan that meets your specific needs.
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​To print these charts for use at home, click here. For more information and tips on diabetes prevention and management, visit the American Diabetes Association website.
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    Author

    Sarah Wilson, RDN, Nutrition Manager at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, along with guest blog posts by dietetic interns

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