Managing your diabetes
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, which means that this month is the perfect opportunity to reflect on your health prior to the onset of holiday festivities with the tendency for exercise and healthy eating to take a back seat. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the nation, and the CDC estimates that 9 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to get glucose (a breakdown product of carbohydrates in food), into the cells for energy, either because the body does not make enough insulin or because the cells do not respond to insulin. Insulin is the “key” that unlocks cells to allow glucose to enter. Excess glucose sitting in the bloodstream can cause the cells to think that they are starving for energy, and lead to nerve damage in the kidneys, heart, eyes, GI tract, and extremities.
The good news is that diabetes can be managed with the right resources. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about a referral to a Diabetes Self-Management Education Program, which can help you to learn life skills including medication management, psychological coping, goal setting, and healthy eating to manage your disease. Medicare and most private insurance companies cover diabetes education.
Prediabetes is also a major health concern. One in three Americans have prediabetes, while only 10 percent know that they have it. If left untreated, prediabetes can progress to diabetes within five years. Prediabetes occurs when blood glucose is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes.
Fortunately, a growing body of research shows that Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle modifications. Experts recommend losing 5-7 percent of excess body weight with exercise and adopting healthy eating habits such as portion control, avoiding excess saturated fat and refined sugar, and focusing on high fiber fruits, vegetables, unrefined whole grains, and lean protein such as beans, poultry, or fish. Furthermore, heart disease and diabetes are closely linked, so opting for foods such as a wild fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, olive oil, avocados, almonds, and non-GMO whole soy foods in place of animal protein may reduce risk of heart disease.
To learn more about managing prediabetes, ask your doctor about a CDC-Recognized Diabetes Prevention Program or visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention. If you have a history of gestational diabetes, are overweight, and have hypertension or high cholesterol, then you may be at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes, and should ask your doctor about testing options.
This Saturday Charlie Kimball, the first licensed race car driver with diabetes will be speaking at 11:30 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course Event Center. He will present “Inspiring others and proving that diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down!” RSVP online at kh.org/racecar.
Natalie Colla is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and diabetes services coordinator with Panhandle Health District. She is also a graduate of the University of Idaho Coordinated Program in Dietetics.