Warning: mysql_result(): Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 6 in /www/ext/pubs/html/stdheader.php on line 53
Warning: mysql_result(): Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 6 in /www/ext/pubs/html/stdheader.php on line 54
Warning: mysql_result(): Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 6 in /www/ext/pubs/html/stdheader.php on line 55
Warning: mysql_result(): Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 6 in /www/ext/pubs/html/stdheader.php on line 56
Warning: mysql_result(): Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 6 in /www/ext/pubs/html/stdheader.php on line 57
Diabetes Life Lines
Vol 14 No 6
Janine Freeman, RD, LD, CDEEducation Program Specialist
As we wrap up year 2000 and enter into the new millennium, why not start a whole new tradition for the holidays? Say goodbye to some of the traditions of past holidays, which often leave many people feeling guilty and uncomfortably full because they eat too much. This year, begin a new tradition of enjoying the holidays while giving yourself the gift of good health.
The holidays are a season of spending time with the ones we love and gathering around the table to feast on traditional holiday treats. Holiday eating can be a challenge for anyone trying to follow a healthy meal plan, especially if you have diabetes. Not only can poor food choices do damage to your waistline, but they can also send your blood glucose out of control. With just a few changes to your past holiday traditions, you can keep control of your diabetes and overall health, while continuing to hold on to your holiday traditions.
Guidelines for Holiday Eating:
- Good planning: Don't get caught up in the holiday shuffle. Plan ahead for menus, shopping lists, and food preparation to prevent yourself from overeating or settling for high fat, high calorie convenience or fast foods.
- Know your meal plan: It's important to know your meal plan inside and out to better predict blood glucose responses to what you eat. This means eating regular, consistent meals with a good balance of fat and carbohydrate. If you don't know your meal plan, make an appointment with a registered dietitian.
- Get active: When relatives and other house guests come to visit, the usual activity includes sitting around and eating. Instead, get your guests involved in other activities --take a walk in the neighborhood or attend a holiday event. Plan specific times to exercise. Walking or other types of physical activity will help reduce holiday stress and lower blood glucose.
- Eat slowly; savor taste: Most people only fully enjoy the first couple bites of a food. So, why not just sample a small bite of the foods that are high in fat and calories?
- Serve foods that fit your meal plan: If you're hosting a party or bringing a dish to someone else's party, prepare a healthy dish that you can eat.
- Modify recipes: Learn ways to reduce fat, calories and sodium in recipes. Try recipes from cookbooks that feature lower fat, healthier foods.
- Choose turkey instead of ham to reduce sodium
- Choose the vegetables on the relish tray in place of broccoli casserole and stuffing
- Limit the amount of mashed potatoes and leave off the gravy and butter
- Eat only one roll without butter
- Choose fruit rather than rich desserts
- Limit alcohol to no more than one to two servings. Always have food with your drink to prevent hypoglycemia if you take insulin or diabetes pills
How is your type 2 diabetes treated? Pills and diet (sometimes)? Do you consider regular physical activity a way to lower your blood glucose? It is unfortunate that exercise is often ignored in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity has many benefits and some are especially important to people with type 2 diabetes. One of the major benefits for people with diabetes is that exercise lowers blood glucose. Physical activity makes your body more sensitive to insulin and can lower your blood glucose not only while you're exercising, but also after you've exercised. Regular physical activity can also lower blood pressure, a problem for a lot of people with diabetes. Although regular exercise can help you lose weight, you will also need to eat less to help you reach your goal weight and keep the weight off. Physical activity may also improve your blood fats like cholesterol and triglycerides. Feeling less stressed and feeling better about yourself can also result from regular exercise.
As you can see, exercise has many benefits. The key is changing your lifestyle to include regular physical activity. Some new guidelines for exercise and type 2 diabetes were recently published by the American College of Sports Medicine. They can help you get started.
The new guidelines state that people with type 2 diabetes should do some type of low to moderate physical activity at least 3-5 days each week. Strenuous activity is not better and may be more harmful. You may be asked to test your heart rate or to rate how hard you're exercising on a scale. Following exercise, your blood glucose is usually lower for about three days. Therefore, it's more helpful to space out your exercise sessions so that you get lower blood glucose levels every day than to exercise only on weekends. How much your blood glucose is lowered depends on how long and how hard you exercise. Your blood glucose may continue to be lower for up to 12-24 hours after you've finished exercising.
How long should you exercise? When you're just getting started, begin with no more than 10-15 minutes each session. You should very gradually increase the time to at least 30 minutes, which may be divided into three 10-minute sessions. This amount of activity will benefit your heart and blood glucose control. If weight loss is your major goal, you may need to gradually increase your exercise time even more.
What types of exercise are best? Aerobic activities like walking, biking, swimming, water aerobics, and use of a treadmill or stationary bike are good choices. The type of exercise needs to be convenient and fun for you so that you will continue it on a regular basis. The new guidelines also recommend resistance training (weight lifting) at least two days a week for people with type 2 diabetes if possible. It can increase your strength, make you more flexible and decrease your risk for heart disease. Ask your doctor to recommend someone who can teach you how to do these types of exercises.
Avoid extra snacks. People with diabetes often eat snacks before or after exercise, which prevents any possibility of weight loss from the exercise. Although low blood glucose reactions (hypoglycemia) can occur in people on insulin and some medications, they are rare in people with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, you will usually not need extra food before, during, or after exercise unless you exercise hard for a long time.
Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Some types of exercises may not be safe for you if you have some of the complications of diabetes. Your doctor and health care team can give you specific exercises that are best for you.
Don't expect unrealistic results from your efforts. Instead, consider increasing physical activity to be a long-term healthy way of life. Choose activities you enjoy and will continue throughout your lifetime.
Have you had your flu vaccine yet this year? Each year more than 10,000 to 30,000 people with diabetes die from complications of the flu and pneumonia. If you have diabetes, you are three times more likely to die with the flu and pneumonia than if you don't have diabetes.
The Diabetes Control Program at the Georgia Department of Human Resources and the Centers for Disease Control are recommending that people with diabetes get flu shots every year before the flu season begins. This year the vaccine has been delayed until November -December so that people with high risk will get the vaccine first. Flu viruses are different from year to year, so you need to get a shot every year. The flu shot is very safe. You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine because it does not contain a live virus.
The pneumonia shot is also recommended for people with diabetes and usually needs to be taken only once in a lifetime.
The vaccine is covered by Medicare Part B. You can get it through your physician or at your local health department.
Talk to your doctor about getting a flu and pneumonia shot today. It could save your life!
| Recipe Corner |
| 2 cups whole wheat flour |
| ¼ cup sugar |
| ½ tsp nutmeg |
| 1 tsp almond extract |
| 1 cup pumpkin puree |
| 2 tsp cinnamon |
| 2 Tbsp canola oil |
| 2 eggs, beaten |
| 2 tsp baking powder |
| ½ cup unsweetened applesauce |
| 1 tsp baking soda |
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix until blended. Do not overbeat. 2. Pour the batter into 18 nonstick muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove muffins from oven and cool slightly. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely.
12 servings
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Exchanges: 1 starch
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 86 Carbohydrate: 15 grams Protein: 3 grams Fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 24 milligrams Sodium: 119 milligrams
Reprinted with permission from Flavorful Seasons Cookbook, American Diabetes Association.
| Menu Item | Exchanges | Carbohydrate |
| 3 ounces roast turkey | 3 lean meat | † |
| 1/2 cup mashed potatoes | 1 starch | 15 grams |
| 1/2 cup green beans | 1 vegetable | 5 grams |
| Tossed salad | Free | † |
| 1 Pumpkin Spice Muffin* | 1 starch | 15 grams |
| 1/2 cup fresh fruit cup | 1 fruit | 15 grams |
* This month's featured recipe | ||
† Insignificant | ||
Note: Portions may need to be adjusted for your meal plan. | ||
