If you have diabetes, receiving nutrition education from a dietitian, especially a dietitian experienced in diabetes, makes it much easier to control your blood sugar. Many times it also reduces the amount of medication/insulin you need. Healthy nutrition recommendations are common for everyone, whether they have diabetes or not.
The only thing you need to keep your sugar balanced is education. You neither need magic recipes nor do you need to give up certain foods for the rest of your life. You just need to learn which foods raise blood sugar, how much of these foods you should consume, and how this nutrition plan will match your treatment (medication/insulin) and physical activity program.
Personally tailored medical nutrition therapy can reduce Hba1c levels by 1%. It provides a reduction of -2 (nearly 3% in individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes).
There are many meal planning methods that can be used to keep blood sugar balanced. Change lists, hand portion method, carbohydrate counting, plate model, glycemic index method can be preferred provided that they are suitable for the individual. Carbohydrate counting is a very effective method on metabolic control, especially in individuals with Type 1 diabetes.
Regardless of the method chosen, successful diabetes treatment will only be possible by working with an experienced diabetes team where the diabetic individual is at the center.
What is carbohydrate counting?
Carbohydrate counting is a meal planning method that will help you keep your blood sugar under control. Foods contain various nutritional elements such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates; It raises your blood sugar more than other nutrients such as proteins and fats. In other words, your blood sugar levels and insulin needs at the meal are related to the amount of carbohydrate consumed.
You can calculate the amount of carbohydrate consumed at meals with the carbohydrate counting method. You can adjust the insulin dose and/or the amount of carbohydrates to suit the target blood sugar before the meal and the amount of carbohydrates to be consumed. So you can learn to match the carbohydrate consumed with the insulin needed.
For whom Is it suitable?
The carbohydrate counting method consists of 3 steps.
1. and 2nd stage, that is, beginner and intermediate level, are suitable for those with Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, those using fast or short-acting insulin analogues, those using insulin pumps, those with reactive hypoglycemia, in short, it is suitable for everyone.
3. It is suitable for people with advanced type 1 diabetes, those using rapid or short-acting insulin analogues, and those using insulin pumps.
1. Step (Beginner Level):
At the beginning level, 'What is carbohydrate? Which foods contain carbohydrates? How are the carbohydrate amounts of foods calculated? The questions 'How do carbohydrates, proteins and fats affect blood sugar?' are answered, and the targeted amounts of carbohydrates to be consumed at meals and snacks are determined. A medical nutrition treatment is organized in accordance with healthy nutrition rules. All consumed foods and measured blood sugars are recorded.
2. Step (Intermediate Level):
At the intermediate level, the relationship between food consumption records, measured blood sugars and physical activity is observed, and practical applications are made regarding the use of nutrition labels.
3. Step (Advanced):
If you use an insulin pump or rapid/short-acting insulin, if you can calculate the amount of carbohydrates you consume, if you have learned the relationship between blood sugar, insulin, carbohydrates and exercise, and most importantly, if your blood sugars have reached the target levels. , you can proceed to the advanced level of carbohydrate counting.
At this stage, 'the carbohydrate consumed is matched with the insulin used'.
The carbohydrate/insulin ratio and the insulin sensitivity factor are determined.
Remember that healthy nutrition is common for everyone. The only difference in managing diabetes is the need for 'self-monitoring' (taking blood sugar measurements, keeping records, regulating blood sugar and insulin dose to suit what you eat).
Visiting your diabetes team (doctor - diabetes dietitian - diabetes Nurse) at regular intervals It allows your treatment to be rearranged, your training to be repeated, and increases your motivation by making you feel that you are not alone.
A diab Visiting a dietitian regularly gives you healthy eating habits, allows your medical nutrition treatment to be tailored to the current situation, and helps maintain a healthy body weight.
Healthy eating habits not only manage your diabetes better, but also improve your quality of life.
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