What is it?
First of all, a quick explanation…glucose is a simple
sugar that is the main source of energy for the body.
Carbohydrate foods (starches, fruits, milk products)
supply us with glucose, and the cells of the body rely
on glucose in order to carry out their tasks. Simply
put, diabetes is a condition in which your cells don’t
absorb glucose as well as they should. As a result,
two things happen: sugar builds up in the bloodstream
(high blood sugar) and your cells don’t get the sugar
that they need to do their job. This can lead to a
variety of complications, some of which include heart
disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness,
kidney disease, and nervous system disease.
What are the symptoms?
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its
symptoms seem so harmless. Most of the time, diabetes
shows no symptoms unless you have a very high blood
sugar or complications. By this time, you have most
likely been diabetic for quite a while. Recent studies
indicate that early detection of diabetes symptoms
and treatment can decrease the chance of developing
the complications of diabetes. Some symptoms of diabetes
include:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Unusual weight loss
- Increased fatigue
- Irritability
- Blurry vision
Am I at risk?
The strongest risk factor for diabetes is weight.
If you are overweight, weight loss of as little as
5-7% of your current weight can reduce the risk of
developing diabetes (If you weight 200 pounds, that
translates into a 10-14 pound weight loss). Click on
this link to take the Diabetes Risk Test, provided
by the American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp
If you have any of the above symptoms or feel as though
you are at risk for diabetes, see your doctor for a
glucose test.
Prevention
The best way to prevent diabetes is to maintain a
healthy weight, and adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating
a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly. See
the objectives below for some tips on healthy eating.
If you are diabetic,
careful meal planning plays an important role in managing
your diabetes.
Main objectives:
- Eat a wide variety of foods every day. Eating a
wide variety of foods by incorporating foods from
all of the food groups as well as a variety of foods
within each group helps you get all the nutrients
you need to stay in good health.
- Eat high fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables,
whole grains and beans. They provide lots of vitamins,
minerals and fiber, but do not provide a lot of calories.
- Use less added fat, sugar and salt.
Daily goals:
- Eat meals and snacks at regular times every day.
You should eat every 3-4 hours. Don’t skip meals.
- Eat about the same amount of food every day.
- Space carbohydrate foods (starches, fruits, milk
products) throughout the day, having about the
same amount of carbohydrate at each meal. About
3-4 carbohydrate servings at each meal (45-60 grams
of carbohydrate) and 1-2 carbohydrate servings
at each snack (15-30 grams of carbohydrate) is
a good place to start. For a more individualized
plan, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.
- Pay attention to portion size.
If you want more info…
Contact the Nutrition Outreach Program here on campus
at 330-672-2063 or nutrition@kent.edu
American Diabetes Association Website: www.diabetes.org
Nutrition
Diabetes