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Provided Courtesy of Nutrition411.com
Where Health Care Professionals
Go for Information
Lowering Your
Blood Sugar
Contributed by Shawna Gornick-Ilagan, MS, RD, CWPC
Updated by Nutrition411.com staff
Review Date 8/12
D-0550
Limit Extra Sugars
Limit Extra
Carbohydrates
Eat Three
Balanced
Meals/Day
Maintain a
Healthy
Weight
Lower Blood
Sugar
Focus on
Activity
Limit Extra Fats
Limit
Alcohol
Eat Three Balanced Meals
Each Day
• Every time you eat, the food you eat turns into blood
sugar
• Eating the same sized meal around the same time of day
can help control the release of blood sugar into your
bloodstream
• Each meal or snack should contain protein
• If it helps, mimicking the plate in the previous slide will
help ensure balanced, portion-controlled meals with
consistent carbohydrates
Eat Three Balanced Meals
Each Day (cont’d)
What does 15 grams (g) of carbohydrates look like?
• Cereal or grain=one slice of bread, half of a hamburger
bun, ¾ cup (C) unsweetened cereal
• Fruit=½ C fruit juice, ½ C canned fruit, one small piece
of fruit (eg, apple)
• Milk or dairy=1 C milk, 1 C yogurt
• Starchy vegetables=½ C beans, ½ C corn/peas,
½ C mashed potatoes, ⅓ C cooked pasta, 3 C popcorn,
½ C cooked oatmeal
Limit Extra Carbohydrates
• Skip that extra piece of bread
• Forgo fruit juices and eat fruit instead
• Drink diet and sugar-free beverages
• Measure out one serving of chips, crackers, and pretzels
to make sure you do not go overboard
Limit Extra Sugars
• Limit extra sugars to 40 g or 10 teaspoons (tsp)/day, not
including sugar in fruit or milk— limit only the extra, such
as that found in candy and nutri-grain bars
• Limit your intake of high-sugar foods to two or three
times/week or less
High-Sugar Foods
• Cakes (frosted, layer,
and plain)
• Doughnuts
• Pies
• Cookies
• Candies
• Jelly
• Jam
• Table sugar
• Honey
• Molasses
• Syrup
• Regular ice cream, regular
frozen yogurt, and sherbet
• Milk shakes
• Fruit ices and freezer pops
High-Sugar Foods (cont’d)
• Regular soft drinks
• Fruit drinks (canned or
concentrated)
• Drink mixes with sugar
added
• Chocolate milk
• Hot cocoa mix
• Sugar-coated cereal
• Granola
• Breakfast bars
• Canned fruit with heavy
syrup
• Dried fruit
• Fruit roll-ups
• Candied fruit
Focus on Activity
• You can achieve health benefits to your heart, lungs, and
circulation by participating in moderate-to-vigorous
aerobic activity 30 minutes most days of the week
• You can accumulate your timesthree 10-minute or two
15-minute sessions to equal 30 minutes
Focus on Activity (cont’d)
• Rate your workout on a scale from 1–10
• Aim for moderate intensity when exercising for health
benefits:
– 0=extremely easy
– 4 –7=moderate intensity
– 10=extremely hard
Limit Alcohol
• Drinking more than three drinks/day has a direct effect
on the heart
• Moderate drinking is defined as:
– Women: No more than one drink/day
– Men: No more than two drinks/day
• One drink is equal to:
– 12 fluid ounces (fl oz) of beer or wine cooler
– 5 fl oz of wine
– 1.5 fl oz of 80-proof liquor
Limit Extra Fats
• Choose low-fat and skim dairy products
• Eat lean meat (trim fat and remove skin)
• Bake, roast, braise, broil, grill, or poach food
• Avoid fried foods
• Watch for hidden fats in salad dressing, gravy, and
processed foods
• Read labels to avoid hydrogenated oils
• Limit oils to 1–2 tsp at a meal or less
Maintain a Healthy Weight
• Losing 5%–10% of your body weight can help you
improve your blood sugar values and control your
diabetes:
– Example: Losing 10–20 pounds (lb) for a 200-lb person
Maintain a Healthy Weight
• Lose weight by creating a calorie deficit:
– Reduce portions
– Try to use calorie-free beverages
– Focus on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy,
and whole grains
– Opt for the fat-free, sugar-free versions of foods
– Read food labels
– Eat three meals/day
– Stay well hydrated
Maintain a Healthy Weight
(cont’d)
• 1 pound of fat=3500 calories
• Focus on activities to burn extra calories
Understanding A1c
A1c Reading
6%
7%
8%
9%
10%
11%
12%
Average Blood Sugar Level
126 mg/dL
154 mg/dL
183 mg/dL
212 mg/dL
240 mg/dL
269 mg/dL
298 mg/dL
dL=deciliter, mg=-milligram
Source: American Diabetes Association®. Standards of medical care in diabetes—2012. Diabetes Care [serial online]. 2012;35(suppl
1):S11-S63. Available at: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/Supplement_1/S11.full. Accessed August 3, 2012.
Understanding A1c (cont’d)
• Average A1c value in adults is 4%–6%
• 1% drop in A1c value is about a 30 mg/dL drop in
average blood glucose reading
Exchanges/Day for Various
Calorie Levels
Calories
1200 1500 1800 2000 2200
Starch/bread
5
8
10
11
13
Meat
4
5
7
8
8
Vegetable
2
3
3
4
4
Fruit
3
3
3
3
3
Milk
2
2
2
2
2
Fat
3
3
3
4
5
Source: University of Maryland Medical Center. Diabetes diet—diabetic exchange lists.
Available at: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_general_guidelines_heart-healthy_diets_000042_5.htm. Accessed August 5, 2012.