Monday, November 22, 2010

Carbohydrate Choices

So here is the weekly question! Remember, these are usually asked by people with diabetes, but the information is useful for everyone. To control diabetes, you really just need to eat healthy, which everybody should do!

I am very confused. I have been told to have 3-4 carbohydrate choices at each meal. Could you help me figure out what one of these carbohydrates equates to? Is it one gram of carbohydrate or one item containing carbohydrate? Please help!

When a dietitian or doctor refers to carbohydrate choices, they are usually referring to choices in the exchange system. 1 carbohydrate choice is equivalent to 15 grams of total carbohydrates on a food label. So, for example, a food containing 43 grams of total carbohydrate would be equivalent to 3 carb choices (round up to 45/15=3).

Eating 3-4 choices per meal (recommendations typically assume 3 meals/day) allows you 12-16 carb choices/day. However, spreading out your carbs over all your meals or eating all 12-16 in one meal and then no other carbs the rest of the day are two completely different things. With diabetes, it is essential to spread your carbs out so you can keep your blood sugar relatively stable. Eating a very high carb meal will spike your blood sugar and then not eating any carbs for the rest of the day will probably cause it to fall dangerously low. This idea of spreading out food choices throughout the day is also beneficial for those who don't have diabetes. By keeping blood sugar levels stable, there is less chance of getting extremely hungry later in the day and getting that shaky weak feeling that many people experience with low blood sugar, whether they have diabetes or not. For more information on exchanges see my post titled Sound Diet Advice and follow the links found there! Happy eating and enjoy your Thanksgiving meal!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Soda

Here is a shocking statistic that I read the other day for all you daily soda drinkers:

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, daily soft drink consumers have about an 80% increased risk of developing type II diabetes. The risk is increased 40% independent of weight. 1 sugar drink a day also increases the risk of heart disease by about 23%. 2 sugar drinks a day increases your risk by 35%.

WOW!!! Keep in mind that this is talking about regular sugar sodas, not diet. It is the high levels of sugar in the drinks that increase these risks so dramatically. Just keep that in mind next time you reach for that Coke!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Sound Diet Advice

Alright, time to really get this thing going! Here is a question I recently received from foodpicker.org:
My doctor has diagnosed me with diabetes and has told me to lose weight. I have heard about high protein diets, low fat/high carb diets, and many others. I want a sound diet instead of a fad. What type of diet is best given my situation?

Way to recognize that most fad diets are not long term! While they may have some short term affects, if you really want long term results you have to make diet/habit changes, not just starve yourself for a month. Weight loss is all about energy balance. You need to burn more calories than you consume, not just for the next week, but probably for a couple months, depending on your weight loss goals. A deficit of 500 calories/day equals a lb./week. You then need to make sure to only consume as much as you burn when you get to the point of maintaining your weight.

Some basic guidelines: choose nutrient dense foods, not energy dense. These are foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. These foods provide maximum nutrients and minimal calories. Choose foods that are high in fiber that will help keep you full for longer. Try to eliminate excess calories in meals such as butter, high fat dressings, and extra sauce.

A great way to figure out how much of all these foods to eat for your body is to use an exchange meal plan. The best way to get a personalized exchange plan is to meet with a Registered Dietitian, but there are also plenty of websites that can help you calculate them on your own. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00077 and http://www.livestrong.com/ have articles that describe what the exchange system is and how to use it, along with sample menus for 1200-2000 calorie diets. Basically, exchange systems put foods into groups such as fruits, fats, protein, carbohydrates, etc. You are allowed to choose a certain number of "exchanges" from each category every day. This gives people lots of choices and is an easy way to keep track of intake without tedious calorie counting.

Another great way to make sure you are eating nutrient rich foods is to follow the New American Plate diagram.
Just watching portion control is a great way to monitor/reduce calories. Make sure 1/2 of your meal is fiber rich vegetables which are low in calories, but will fill you up to avoid hunger.

My final do-it-yoursef recommendation is to check out http://www.MyPyramid.gov. This website has everything you need to create and track your own personal diet. It will help you estimate how many calories you burn/day and how many you need to consume in order to reach a specific goal. It has a huge database of foods and their nutrition information so you can track how many calories you are eating and at what percentages. Sample menus are provided and there is even a section that tracks physical activity. You can really customize the data output to what you are interested in. The website has tutorials to help you get started and is free to use. You will have to create a username and password, and it can be a little time consuming to input the foods you eat, but if you are serious about tracking what you eat to help you lose weight, this site is great!

Aside from the few that I have mentioned, there are so many tips out there for losing weight. Be sure if you decide to search the web for your own plan that it comes from a credible source. Watch out for anything that claims to help you lose any more than 1.5 lbs per week, cut out any major food groups, or just take a miracle pill. Also remember the importance of physical exercise in any weight loss plan. Consult an exercise physiologist and check with your doctor before starting any major exercise plan if you have health problems. For most people, 30 minutes of cardio/day is the recommended. Good luck to all and keep in mind that weight loss is a gradual process. There is no miracle that will drop 30 lbs of fat in a month, so stick with it!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Welcome!!

Hi there!!!

My name is Rachel Wyson and I am currently a senior in the University of Nevada Las Vegas' accredited Nutrition Sciences Program. I recently volunteered for the opportunity to be a Nutrition Editor for FoodPicker.org to help spread credible nutrition information and help people make better food choices. So here's how it works! The site has a database of foods that you can click on for recommendations on how often to eat them, specific information on fat, carbohydrate, and sodium content, the nutrition label, and physical exercise recommendations. While this database and information is directed towards people with diabetes and has specific information for that, I really found that the choices that the site promotes are really just sensible and healthy for any population!

Nutrition and the concept of healthy eating don't have to be a drag, but rather should be a delicious experience! It seems that because nutrition is such a huge topic these days, all the information can be overwhelming and even seem contradicting. The purpose of this blog is to help sort through the information and makes things a little clearer, so please post any questions or comments that you have. I will be posting and responding to a weekly question from FoodPicker.org that can be applied to a variety of populations and will also occasionally post information that I find to be useful. For more information, you can check out http://www.foodpicker.org/.

To get you started, here is the link to a very useful handout when it comes to reading labels...something that is so important for everybody to know how to do! http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm120909.pdf. For those with diabetes, really focus on the carbohydrate content. Talk to your doctor of Registered Dietitian to find out how many carbohydrate choices are right for you. Also pay special attention to calories from fat and saturated fat. Everyone should try to consume less than 30% of their calories from fat and less than10% should come from saturated fats.

Remember, everyone is different and their body needs and uses different foods in different ways. All of the advice I give is a general recommendation. If you are having specific nutrition related issues, you should seek attention from your doctor and a Registered Dietitian. Enjoy the site and feel free to pose any follow up questions for me!