What Is Carbohydrate Counting
Carbohydrate counting is a meal planning approach that evenly distributes your carbohydrate calories throughout your day by counting out the right amount of carbohydrate foods for each meal and snack. The emphasis with carbohydrate counting is on how much carbohydrate you eat at any one time, NOT on which type of carbohydrate you choose. Stay away from fad diets that restrict the amount of carbohydrates you can eat.
Are There Alternatives To Sugar Alcohol If You Have Diabetes
Having diabetes doesnt mean you can never enjoy sweets, even if sugar alcohol isnt a fit for you.
In some instances, you may even be able to enjoy regular sugar in small amounts as part of your meal plan. There are several sugar substitutes for people with diabetes that you might also prefer. These include the following:
If You Already Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes and you are prescribed steroids, then you may notice a rise in your blood glucose levels, which will usually mean that your diabetes treatment needs to be adjusted. It is important that you check your blood glucose levels regularly. If you are concerned that your diabetes is getting out of control while you are on steroids, contact your diabetes care team.
Your blood glucose level may rise 2448 hours after your first steroid injection or first dose of tablets, although this may be temporary. Inhaled steroids and steroid skin creams are unlikely to increase your blood glucose levels.
If your steroid treatment is intermittent, e.g. if you only take it with an acute recurrence of your illness, you may need to be on a different diabetes treatment while you are taking steroids.
If you have been on large doses of steroids but these doses are reduced as you get better, then treatment for your diabetes will also need to be reduced or you will be at risk of hypoglycaemia .
You may need to take steroids on a permanent basis. If so you will be reviewed by your GP or may be asked to attend the diabetic clinic at the local hospital.
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Fasting Plasma Glucose Test
A fasting plasma glucose test is taken after at least eight hours of fasting and is therefore usually taken in the morning.
The NICE guidelines regard a fasting plasma glucose result of 5.5 to 6.9 mmol/l as putting someone at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when accompanied by other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Sugars In Our Food Supply
Sugars are ubiquitous in our food supply and are consumed as a naturally-occurring component of many foods including milk, yogurt, fruits, and vegetables. It is also frequently added during food preparation, at the table and during food processing.
Sugars come in many forms. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose are commonly used sugars. Glucose occurs naturally in fruits and plant juices. Most ingested carbohydrates are converted into glucose during digestion and it is the form of sugar that is found in our blood. Fructose is found in fruits, some vegetables, cane sugar, and honey. It is one of the components of table sugar . It is also consumed as a high-fructose syrup. Sucrose is found in the stems of sugar cane and roots of sugar beet. It also occurs naturally with fructose and glucose in fruits and some roots vegetables such as squash. Maltose is found in certain grains and is less sweet than glucose, fructose or sucrose. Lactose is found in milk and other dairy products .
Free sugars are those sugars that are removed from their original source and added to foods as a sweetener or as a preservative. There are many different forms of ‘free sugars’ including cane juice, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt, agave nectar, and fruit juice concentrate.
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Can Eating Too Much Sugar Cause Type 2 Diabetes
Olivia Yang was stunned when she learned she had type 2 diabetes six years ago, when she was 19. Her doctor was shocked, too. In fact, herphysician tested her twice to be sure there wasnt some mistake. Yang wasyoung, had a normal weight for her 5-foot-2-inch frame, and didnt considerherself a particularly bad eater. She certainly didnt seem like someone at risk.
Now a new study may hint at why some patientsend up with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes even when they dont appear to haveall of the typical risk factors such as age, obesity, and an unhealthy diet.
Yang learned of her condition sophomore year of college.Shed gone for a physical a requirement in order to begin working outwith a fitness trainer but her A1C blood test came back abnormally high,indicating diabetes. An A1C test tells a persons average blood sugar levelover the past few months.
More specifically, an A1C test measures what percentageof your hemoglobin a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen iscoated with sugar. Its used to diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to keeptabs on how a person is managing their condition over time.
Normal readings land below 5.7 percent. The range forsomeone with prediabetes falls between 5.7 and 6.4 percent and indicates a highrisk of developing diabetes. Anything higher is considered diabetes.
Unexpected diagnosis
After the diagnosis, though, she realized shed had symptoms for a while.
The sugar factor
Tooth Decay And Sugar
Sugar is one of the main causes of tooth decay.
To prevent tooth decay, reduce the amount of food and drinks you have that contain free sugars such as sweets, chocolates, cakes, biscuits, sugary breakfast cereals, jams, honey, fruit smoothies and dried fruit and limit them to mealtimes.
The sugars found naturally in fruit and vegetables are less likely to cause tooth decay, because theyre contained within the structure.
But when fruit and vegetables are juiced or blended into a smoothie, the sugars are released. Once released, these sugars can damage teeth.
Limit the amount of fruit juice and smoothies you drink to a maximum of 150ml in total per day, and drink it with meals to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Squashes sweetened with sugar, fizzy drinks, soft drinks and juice drinks have no place in a childs daily diet.
If youre looking after children, swap any sugary drinks for water, lower-fat milk or sugar-free drinks.
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What To Know About Glucose And Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your body has difficulty responding to its own insulin production . To try to overcome insulin resistance, your pancreas will produce more insulin, and when it can no longer keep up, your blood glucose rises, says Dr. Dixit.
Glucose is an energy source that our body needs and that we get through the food we eat. In diabetics, elevated glucose levels can affect other organs. The most common complications of uncontrolled diabetes include heart disease, nerve damage or peripheral neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness, and chronic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure or dialysis.
For people who dont have diabetes, glucose levels usually remain stable, says Dr. Dixit. A person who does not have diabetes should not experience a sugar spike after having soda or a piece of cake. This is because your pancreas is working normally and is able to effectively manage it.
The majority of diabetes medications act by trying to keep blood glucose levels within specific ranges. In type 1 diabeteswhere the pancreas does not make insulin at allsince the defect is in insulin production, we treat patients with insulin. Patients with type 2 diabeteswhich occurs because of insulin resistancehave several options for therapy since most of them are still producing insulin. They are often started on oral medications before being placed on insulin.
Sugar And Diabetes And Your Diet
We all enjoy eating sugary foods occasionally, and theres no problem including them as a treat occasionally as part of a healthy, balanced diet. And, for some people with diabetes, sugary drinks or glucose tablets are essential to treat a hypo, when your blood glucose levels get too low.
However, we are eating too much free sugar and harming our health as a result. Being overweight can make it difficult to manage your diabetes and increase your risk of getting serious health problems such as heart disease and stroke in the future. Too much sugar is bad for your teeth too.
The maximum recommended daily amount of sugar is 30g for adults which works out at just seven teaspoons a day. Given that a tablespoon of ketchup contains around one teaspoon of sugar, a chocolate biscuit has up to two, and a small serving of baked beans almost three, you can see how quickly the teaspoons tot up.
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Where Can You Get Sugar In Your Diet
Sugar may be found in fruits, vegetables , and dairy products . Food makers, as well as ourselves, add it to food and beverages. These sugars are known as free sugars, and they may be found in pure fruit juices, smoothies, syrups, and honey. The major focus of the sugar and health discussion is on free sugars.
- This includes the following:
- Table sugar, which we use in our hot beverages or morning cereal
- Caster sugar is a kind of sugar that is used in baking and may be found in sauces, ready-to-eat meals, cakes, and beverages.
- Pure fruit juice smoothies with honey and syrups, such as golden syrup or agave syrup
Healthy Ways To Eat Fruit
Small steps can make a big difference in your blood sugar levels. Be sure to:
- Watch your portion sizes, especially with dried fruit. Two tablespoons of raisins have the same amount of carbs as a small apple.
- Choose fresh or frozen fruit when you can. Processed fruits like applesauce and canned fruit in syrup or juice often have more carbs and can raise your blood sugar higher than fresh fruits.
- When you eat dried or processed fruit, check the label. Many have added sugar, and serving sizes can be very small.
- Go easy on the fruit juice. Itâs high in carbs: Eight ounces of apple juice has 29 grams of carbs. And it doesnât have fiber to slow digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes like whole fruit does. Research even links drinking lots of fruit juice with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Spread your fruit out over the day. Instead of two servings for breakfast, have one at breakfast and another at lunch or as a snack.
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Healthiest Fruits For People With Diabetes
All fruits have vitamins, phytochemicals, and other things that make them good for you. But some are more likely to lower your chances of chronic disease:
- Blackberries. One cup of raw berries has 62 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 7.6 grams of fiber.
- Strawberries. One cup of whole strawberries has 46 calories, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber.
- Tomatoes. One cup of sliced or chopped tomatoes has 32 calories, 7 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fiber.
- Oranges. One medium orange has 69 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber.
Sweet Nothings: Added Sugar Is A Top Driver Of Diabetes
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For years, doctors have recommended that people lay off sugary snacks and sodas to reduce their weight and improve their health. Now, a new report says sugar is a primary driver of type 2 diabetes.
In the report, a team of scientists compared the effects of different types of carbohydrates in food. They found that added sugar, primarily in the form of fructose, is significantly more harmful when it comes to diabetes.
Fructose can play a role in boosting fat accumulation in the liver, the researchers say, which leads to inflammation and insulin resistance. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, insulin resistance increases the risk that a person will develop type 2 diabetes.
They also found that even moderate amounts of sugar tended to affect insulin levels in test subjects. Only subjects who had a diet with a very low amount of sugar were able to avoid the negative changes associated with higher-sugar diets. Added sugar and especially added fructose present a serious and increasing public health problem, the researchers warn.
Thats because of how this kind of sugar behaves in our bodies. Fructose is directly involved more than other types of sugar as a building block of fat, says Timothy Graham, MD, an endocrinologist at University of Utah Health.
Fructose intake plus high insulin levels drive lipogenesis and make it easier to put on weight and potentially harder to burn fat, he cautions.
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How Does Diabetes Affect My Oral Health
A diet high in carbohydrates feeds cavity-forming bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria also form acids that break down the enamel and other tooth structures, resulting in decay.
But did you know if you have diabetes, you’re at a higher risk for gum problems, including periodontitis and other infections? High blood glucose levels influence the severity of gum disease. There is more sugar present in the saliva of a person with diabetes compared to the average healthy person.
Sugar in the saliva promotes bacteria growth, which then forms plaque . If untreated, plaque buildup can lead to the gum diseases of gingivitis and the more severe periodontitis. Also, if you have diabetes, you’re less likely to resist infections, such as those causing periodontitis.
Conversely, periodontitis might make it more difficult to control blood sugar and increase the severity of diabetes.
How Many Carbs Should You Eat If You Have Diabetes
Figuring out how many carbs to eat when you have diabetes can seem confusing.
Dietary guidelines from around the globe traditionally recommend that you get around 4560% of your daily calories from carbs if you have diabetes .
However, a growing number of experts believe that people with diabetes should eat far fewer carbs. In fact, many recommend less than half of this amount.
This article tells you how many carbs you should eat if you have diabetes.
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Where Sugar Is Found In Your Diet
Sugar is found naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy foods . Its also added to food and drink by food manufacturers, or by ourselves at home. These types of added sugars are called free sugars and they are also present in pure fruit juices, smoothies, syrups and honey. The debate about sugar and health is mainly around free sugars.
This includes:
- table sugar that we add to our hot drinks or breakfast cereal
- caster sugar, used in baking
- sugars hidden in sauces, ready meals, cakes and drinks.
- honey and syrups, like golden syrup or agave syrup
- pure fruit juice
Will Supplements And Vitamins Help My Diabetes
No clear proof exists that taking dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or spices can help manage diabetes.1 You may need supplements if you cannot get enough vitamins and minerals from foods. Talk with your health care provider before you take any dietary supplement since some can cause side effects or affect how your medicines work.2
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Can I Drink Coffee When I Have Diabetes
February 18, 2019 by Diabetes Care
For many of us, drinking a cup of hot brewed coffee is a daily morning ritual. But do coffee and diabetes go together? The answer is yes, but its important to be aware of how coffee impacts your disease.
The jurys still out on exactly how coffee affects diabetes because the research is somewhat conflicting. Some studies point to coffee increasing insulin sensitivity and other data shows that it doesnt. Your genetic makeup has something to do with how coffee will affect your diabetes as well. Certain genes may metabolize coffee differently, which can improve your blood sugar levels or make them worse.
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What Are Blood Sugar Targets
A blood sugar target is the range you try to reach as much as possible. These are typical targets:
- Before a meal: 80 to 130 mg/dL.
- Two hours after the start of a meal: Less than 180 mg/dL.
Your blood sugar targets may be different depending on your age, any additional health problems you have, and other factors. Be sure to talk to your health care team about which targets are best for you.
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A Lot Of Physical Exercises
Physical exercises are important, but excess of everything is absolutely dangerous. Individuals who are active to a great extent and those who have a sedentary lifestyle have approximately twice the chance of acquiring type 2 diabetes. Just 150 minutes of moderate activity per week can help minimize the risk of diabetes. People need to understand that they should maintain a healthy lifestyle rather than focusing on doing excessive exercise. In general, diabetics are less active. They need to be more active in their daily lifestyle to lower the risks of diabetes.
Whats A Safe Level Of Sugar
Unfortunately, Americans eat too much sugar. They dont seem to know where to draw the line, whether or not they have diabetes. A national survey published in 2016 showed that American adults averaged at least 77 grams of added sugar per day. Children were found to eat a startling 82 grams. To put things in context, 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon.
These numbers are way above the daily limits recommended by the American Heart Association :
- Men: 36 grams
- Women: 24 grams
- Children ages 2 to 18: less than 24 grams
If you have diabetes, your doctor will probably advise that you eat less sugar than the AHAs recommendations. With a typical diet, you can quickly reach your sugar limit at breakfast. A pastry and a couple of cups of sweetened coffee will likely be above whats safe for you.
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