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Have you ever heard these comments?
“You better be careful! If you eat too much sugar, you’ll get diabetes!”
“She has diabetes. She can’t have anything sweet.”
“Should you really have that fruit? It’s loaded with sugar and you have diabetes…”
“You shouldn’t have that drink. You have diabetes, right?”
When it comes to diabetes, it’s very important to know what’s fact and what’s fiction about your future living with this chronic condition. The more knowledge you have about diabetes, the more empowered you will be to make the right choices to take care of yourself. That includes understanding the relationship between diabetes and nutrition, including what foods are okay to eat and which ones you should have in moderation.
For the 16.5 million seniors living with diabetes, there’s good news: The future isn’t as restrictive as you might think!
A diabetes diagnosis will almost always lead to changes in your diet. But some of those changes you might have heard are necessary – such as cutting out all sugar – aren’t entirely true. Here’s what seniors need to know about living with diabetes and still enjoying the foods they love.
Safety First
Before diving into the facts about diabetes and food, it’s good to take a moment to talk about safety.
When you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will likely begin changing your diet immediately to help bring your blood sugar levels down. You could start a new exercise routine. You might also be prescribed medications.
Your body will react to fluctuating blood sugar levels as you work to bring them under control, and any medications you might be taking. As a result, you might experience everything from a blood sugar high that makes you feel dizzy to a blood sugar low that makes you feel weak. Sometimes those changes can happen very quickly.
That’s one of many reasons why it’s so important for seniors and older adults to look into a medical alert system. Though you might be familiar with medical alert technology as a way to help you if you fall down, it’s there for many other things too, including any sort of emergency.
Myth: Eating Too Much Sugar Causes Diabetes
Fact: This might be the most common assumption about diabetes – that it was brought on by having too much sugar in your diet. As science has determined again and again, diabetes is not caused by consuming sugar. To understand why, it helps to understand more about the types of diabetes and why they happen.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, according to UVA Health. The body attacks and destroys the cells that create insulin, and thus your body no longer provides the insulin you need to stay alive. Developing Type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with food choices.
Type 2 diabetes is the much more common form of diabetes. Your pancreas still produces insulin but your body can’t use it as effectively as it should.1 Because Type 2 is often associated with those who are overweight or obese, it could be easy to think that a high-sugar diet is the culprit. But the truth is that anyone can develop diabetes, even those who are of a normal body weight.
However, lowering the amount of sugar you consume is best for everyone, whether they have diabetes or not. Sugar is known to cause or worsen many health issues. Try to avoid foods with added sugars and limit your sweet treats.
Myth: Desserts are Always Off the Table
Fact: Speaking of sweet treats, diabetes doesn’t mean you have to turn down that piece of cake or that scoop of ice cream. It means that you must be more thoughtful about what you put into your body and when.
For some diabetics, desserts will drive their blood sugar up dramatically. For others, a sugary dessert might lead to a small blood sugar spike, but eating carbohydrates – like pasta noodles – can be the real culprit in a too-high blood sugar reading.
The key is to explore your diet to figure out what you should avoid and keep a food journal of what you had and what the results were. Perhaps your blood sugar barely rises with a small cup of fruit juice but seems to skyrocket if you eat anything fried. Maybe you can have plums with little effect but a handful of grapes sends your blood sugar too high. Carefully explore what desserts you can have and still keep your blood sugar under control.
Myth: Special Foods Can Help
Fact: There are some foods marketed specifically for those with diabetes. These are often labeled sugar-free. And while these foods can deliver as promised and keep your blood sugar lower, they come with their own problems:
· Foods marketed for diabetes are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Frequent consumption of these sweeteners can lead to problems for some people, including upset stomach and diarrhea.
· These foods are often high in saturated fat, which is something everyone should avoid.
· Even with artificial sweeteners and so much fat, these foods can often leave you feeling unfulfilled. The result is that you might eat even more than the usual serving, which adds more empty calories to your diet as well as the potential to spike your blood sugar.
· Foods marketed specifically for diabetes are often sold at a premium. You can save money by having small amounts of the “full flavor” product rather than the sugar-free option.
As you experiment and explore food options and how they affect you, it’s a good idea to have a medical alert pendant at your fingertips. If your glucose levels become a problem, press the button to get in touch with Alert1’s trained professionals, who will assess the situation and send the help you need.
Myth: You Can’t Eat Fruit Anymore
Fact: Fruit, especially whole fruit, is considered a must for a healthy diet. Since fruit has natural sugars, some might assume that diabetes means no more fruit for you.
But the truth is that even though consuming fruit might lead to a slight rise in blood sugar levels, fruit also brings much-needed nutrients and fiber that can keep you healthier. The American Diabetes Association reports in-depth about how fruit can affect your diet and which ones might be worth a shot.2
Just as with other types of foods, experiment with fruits to determine which ones keep your blood sugar steady and which ones send it too high. For instance, you might notice that pineapple gives a blood sugar spike, but an apple actually helps keep your blood sugar on an even keel.
Myth: Alcohol is Forever Gone
Fact: Not so fast. Beer, wine, and spirits are okay for those with diabetes as long as they are consumed in moderation. Again, keeping a diary of what you drink and how it affects your blood sugar is key. Some might see little difference in their blood sugar if they have a glass of wine, while others will see a spike within minutes.
You might also find that as you imbibe, you tend to reach for snacks. Since it’s so easy to graze on pretzels, chips, and the like while drinking, you could easily eat things that drive up your blood sugar. Besides that, mixed drinks can have surprising amounts of sugar that could push your glucose levels up.
But keep in mind that if you are on certain medications for diabetes – especially insulin – alcohol might not spike your blood sugar. Instead, it might actually make it drop to dangerous levels. Since it takes about 90 minutes for one drink to work its way out of your system, University of California San Francisco warns that a blood sugar low could happen hours later.3
If you are drinking alcohol, take your glucose meter with you and test your blood sugar often. Have something on hand to reverse a possible low blood sugar crash, such as glucose gels, juice, or sweet candies.
This is yet another example of how it’s a good idea to have an emergency button alarm on hand. Being able to reach out for immediate help can give you the peace of mind you need as you carefully experiment with your diet to learn and record what works for you and what doesn’t.
