Healthy Eating

Food and blood glucose levels are intimately linked. Knowing what's in the food you eat - the calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fatwill make it easier for you to manage your blood glucose levels.

For many people with diabetes, food is the biggest struggle.

The millions of us who have ever tried a "diet" know how hard it is to change how we eat. Diabetes is filled with food myths, starting with what causes diabetes. Have you ever been told that eating too much sugar gives you diabetes?

Sharon was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she
was 4 1/2 years old. Managing her diabetes at that
age was a real challenge! After a few months, her par-
ents had worked out a manageable blood testing and
injection schedule, and Sharon didn't seem to mind too
much. The bigger problem was with food. Getting any
4-year-old to eat healthy foods is hard enough. How
would they ever manage a diabetes diet? And soon her
5th birthday would be coming up. Sharon's parents
were concerned that she would forever be missing out
on many of the joys of childhood - birthday parties,
holiday dinners, and baking cookies - which all
seemed to work against her meal plan.

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Adam had always had a problem keeping his
weight where he wanted it. And since he retired last
year, he'd gained a few more pounds. Now he and
Sarah were about to celebrate their 40th wedding
anniversary with a Caribbean cruise. But last month
he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His diabetes
care provider thought he could manage it through
diet. But how could he ever stick to a diet while on a
cruise? Should he call it off?

Nancy was thoroughly enjoying her second preg-
nancy. She exercised every day - walking or swim-
ming - and ate a fairly balanced diet. She did give in
to temptation and had some ice cream every after-
noon, but it didn't seem to cause any problems. The
baby was active and gaining weight at a steady pace,
and she was right on target in her weight gain. But a