PART 1
I want to introduce again my new associate Jackie Peterson RD, CDCES.
She is a Registered Dietitian like me but has the added credential and expertise as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She has extensive training in working with people living with different types of Diabetes, including those using insulin pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitors. These people want to learn how to best use their Diabetes technology to improve their blood sugar management along with decreasing the burden of living with Diabetes and Jackie is the one fit for the job. Our clients are often referred to by endocrinologists to help the patient adjust to having an insulin pump and learning what is the best food plan customized to their lifestyle and food preferences.
DIAGNOSIS
People with Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 still have the ability to produce the hormone insulin, but the body becomes resistant to it leading to elevated blood sugar.
Your physician will confirm a Diabetes or Pre-diabetes diagnosis by looking at results of an A1C, where a 5.7%-6.4% determines Pre-diabetes and an A1c of 6.5% or higher shows a Type 2. This test tells what your average glucose level has been over the past 3 months. I am glad to report that we can typically get our clients’ A1C down from 8.6% to 6.4% in approximately 3 months where referring doctors often express amazement telling us they were about to put our clients on a second diabetes medication.
The first reaction to a Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis is shock, fear and even depression where most people will start an extremely restrictive diet immediately or feel like there is nothing they can do to change their Type 2 or Pre-Diabetes diagnosis due to genetics. We are adamant with our people that they do not have to live in fear of experiencing diabetes related complications if they work very closely with us and follow the dietary regimen and learn how to best use their Diabetes technology that we discuss during nutrition visits.
THE RULE OF FOUR
One popular recommendation we all have heard from personal trainers is how extremely important it is to eat 5 small meals a day that will prevent the blood sugar from spiking. There is some validity behind this recommendation, but we all know with full-time jobs and hectic lifestyles we are very unlikely to have the time to prepare 5 nutrient packed meals. Instead, what will be discussed in our nutrition sessions is how to create a well-balanced plate, which is beneficial for everyone! This well-balanced meal should contain 4 components: carbohydrates, protein, fat and color. For instance, we love to recommend for breakfast to have an egg white omelet filled with a couple ounces meat, sprinkle of cheese and veggies galore. We find clients enjoy making a frittata in advance which can be eaten for any meal. For snacks a Chobani low sugar yogurt, cottage cheese with salsa or turkey wrapped around a pickle are favorites. For dinners we like to recommend recipes from Skinnytaste.com, such as easy chicken salsa verde or turkey burgers stuffed with zucchini or even cauliflower fried rice.
We suggest eating in this way because protein, fat and fiber are all slower to digest than carbohydrate sources alone. If you combine your carbohydrate source with a healthy fat and/or fiber source you will sustain the energy you are getting from the carbohydrate source for longer. Because carbohydrates are the main source of fuel to your brain this combination will help prevent those post-prandial blood glucose spikes and keep your energy high. If you eat a fruit by itself it will spike your blood sugar and probably not keep you very full and satisfied for long. If you added some type of nut butter or plain yogurt as a healthy fat or protein source with the fruit it is going to help to slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates from the fruit, which is going to help you feel fuller for longer and optimize glucose control. Clients are finding success with their blood sugars when they add to their oatmeal in the morning two tablespoons of peanut butter as well as egg whites instead of water.
As your personal dietitian, we will go through days in the life of your current meals to best customize a meal plan that consists of the foods that you already enjoy. Regardless of the food items you choose, we will always be discussing ways to balance and optimize glucose control with a plan that fits into your lifestyle.
The good news is that most insurance companies pay for nutritional counseling for Diabetes. ABMG, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brown and Toland, CCHP, Cigna, Hill, United Healthcare Sutter.
Please feel free to call me at (925) 855-0150 or email me at lifeweight1@gmail.com and tell me about your nutrition concerns. I am happy to call your insurance and check on your coverage. Refer to my website www.LindaRD.com for my services.