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November is National Diabetes Month, with World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14.

Conemaugh Health System encourages all individuals to learn more about diabetes and potential symptoms that could point to a problem.

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and 84 million adults have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.

Diabetes is a medical condition in which the body does not make insulin or has a reduced response to insulin, causing sugar levels to be too high. Symptoms of diabetes including urinating often, blurry vision, being very thirsty, losing weight unexpectedly, being very hungry, experiencing more fatigue than usual, and being irritable.

Individuals at risk for diabetes or pre-diabetes include being over 45 years of age, having high blood pressure, being overweight, low physical activity, family history of diabetes or history of diabetes during pregnancy.

While people with diabetes can exhibit noticeable symptoms, most patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes do not show overt warning signs that they have developed the disease.Unfortunately, many do not know they have diabetes until they have developed one or more of its serious complications.

Conemaugh Diabetes Institute provides extensive education and support services to patients diagnosed with diabetes and individuals at risk for developing diabetes.

Staff members of the institute work with family members and primary care physicians to coordinate an effective plan of care for each patient. Individual and group education and appointments are available.

Conemaughs education programs are recognized by the American Diabetes Association and are led by Certified Diabetes Educators including registered nurses, registered dietitians, and additional healthcare professionals.

One of the key components of preventing and managing diabetes is following a healthy meal plan that focuses on achieving good nutrition, said Ashley Staruch, registered dietitian at the Conemaugh Diabetes Institute and Certified Diabetes Educator. Its not about following a fad diet that is popular at the current moment. Its about finding the right balance between eating the foods we enjoy and maintaining optimal blood-sugar control. Quality of life is such an integral part of healthy nutrition.

All foods, in moderation, can fit into a healthy meal plan.

Education for diabetes patients includes understanding healthy and unhealthy food options, meal planning, reading food labels, tips for grocery shopping, the best options when eating out and how to make the foods they enjoy fit into their daily meal plan.

We show patients that diabetes is manageable and they can still eat great tasting foods, Staruch said.

Its about balance and finding the healthiest ingredients for meals they are preparing. Once they experience small successes of seeing their blood sugars improve, feeling great and having more energy, it makes sustaining the healthy lifestyle easier.

One main concern for a person with diabetes is carbohydrates, which come primarily from starch, fruit and milk.

Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar by an individuals digestive system and cause an increase in blood glucose.

The more carbohydrates eaten, the higher the patients blood sugar.

A person with diabetes should focus on consuming healthy sources of carbohydrate found in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and low-fat milk.

Foods that should be limited are those that provide calories, but have little nutritional value. These foods include sugary beverages such as soda and juice, sweetened breakfast cereals, desserts and snack foods.

Its important to be aware of the foods we are eating and to keep track of what goes into our bodies, Staruch said.

Eating too many calories, specifically too many calories from carbohydrates, can cause the blood sugar level to significantly increase.

We need to focus on choosing healthy options, especially when it comes to carbohydrates.

Patients that appropriately manage diabetes and their blood sugar levels can lead normal lifestyles with limited or no complications. However, uncontrolled or unmanaged diabetes can lead to serious, irreversible long-term health conditions such as damage to blood vessels in the heart, brain, legs, eyes, kidneys, feet and nervous system.

Prevention and management are key, Staruch said. Whether trying to prevent diabetes or manage diabetes, we can help patients get back on track and enjoy their daily lives.

Diabetes meal planning tips and related informationare available on the CDC website at CDC.gov, and the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org.

Read more here:
Family Life | Health tips: Know the risks of diabetes and follow a healthy meal plan - TribDem.com

This entry was posted on October 29, 2019 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |