When you have diabetes, it is important to keep blood sugar levels as stable as possible. Good blood sugar control can help prevent or slow the progression of some of the main medical complications of diabetes (1, 2). For this reason, avoiding or minimizing foods that cause big blood sugar spikes is essential. Despite being a healthy fruit, bananas are pretty high in both carbs and sugar, the main nutrients that raise blood sugar levels. So, should you be eating bananas if you have diabetes? How do they affect your…
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Diabetes Diet, Eating, and Physical Activity
Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle when you have diabetes. Along with other benefits, following a healthy meal plan and being active can help you keep your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, in your target range. To manage your blood glucose, you need to balance what you eat and drink with physical activity and diabetes medicine, if you take any. What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all important in keeping your blood glucose…
Read MoreCounting Carbohydrates Using a Food Label
Practical Tips for Accurate Counts Let’s get this straight: There is no such thing as a “pro” when it comes to carbohydrate counting. There is no master’s degree or PhD in Carbohydrate Science at any major university, nor is there a course focusing on counting carbohydrates in any dietetics or nutrition science program. And I’ve yet to meet anyone at a circus or carnival who, for a mere dollar, will “guess the carbohydrates” in your favorite food item, lest you win a valuable prize. So why would anyone with diabetes…
Read MoreDiabetes and Foot Problems
For people with diabetes, having too much glucose (sugar) in their blood for a long time can cause some serious complications, including foot problems. How Can Diabetes Affect My Feet? Diabetes can cause two problems that can affect your feet: Diabetic neuropathy. Uncontrolled diabetes can damage your nerves. If you have damaged nerves in your legs and feet, you might not feel heat, cold, or pain. This lack of feeling is called “sensory diabetic neuropathy.” If you do not feel a cut or sore on your foot because of neuropathy,…
Read MoreWhat Is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease. In type 1 diabetes cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed, and the body is unable to make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body’s cells use a natural sugar called glucose for energy. Your body obtains glucose from the food you eat. Insulin allows the glucose to pass from your blood into your body’s cells. Your liver and muscle tissues store extra glucose, also called blood sugar. It’s released when you need extra energy, such as between meals,…
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