Many Diabetics Not Following Healthy Eating Guidelines
A new study has found that most Americans with type 2 diabetes aren't getting a healthy diet.
In general, they're eating too much salt and fat, and not enough low-fat dairy, grains, fruits and veggies.
The study was published in the American Dietetic Association Journal, and it examined the diets of 2,800 patients with diabetes, all of whom were overweight or obese.
The results showed that 85% of participants were eating too much saturated fat, and 93% had too much sodium (salt) in their diet. Even patients who'd had diabetes for a long time weren't adopting healthier diets.
Lead researcher Dr. Mara C. Vitolins, explained in a written statement she was surprised by the findings:
I thought we were going to find people who, because they have a chronic disease, were more educated about and more motivated than the average American to eat healthy, but that's not the case.
Since diet plays such an important role in self-treating diabetes, and because getting to and maintaining a healthy weight is important too, Vitolins believes that more efforts must be made to educate diabetic Americans about nutrition and healthy eating:
The findings clearly illustrate a need to provide ongoing nutrition education for people with diabetes regardless of the amount of time they've had the disease.
I'm not so sure that's the answer. Many overweight and obese people know what they should do to be healthy, it's finding the motivation that's hard. Simply giving people more and more information can lead to confusion, and even less willingness to change.
What do you think? If you're finding it hard to eat healthily at the moment, would a chronic disease be a wake-up call? Or would you still find it difficult to shift your habits? Do you think there's enough information around about healthy eating?
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Oh boy, eating fat is not a problem for diabetics. Controlling carbohydrates is. How can this blog continue to push the company line that has been REFUTED!!!!
ReplyYou can't help but laugh and shake your head. This blog which claims to be a "Nutrition/Diet" blog, knows absolutely zero about either. Uh, too much fat, really? The problem is people like our buddy Ali here continue to spew out misinformation, that's why people don't know which way is up and which way is down when it comes to their diet and eating. Control of CARBOHYDRATES IS WHAT CONTROLS INSULIN. Diabetics need to limit their carb intake, not their fat intake. And for the record, saturated fat isn't bad, nor does it correlate with heart disease or any other illness. Come on now people, please do some research and stop being ignorant.
ReplyThank you.
ReplyWhen is the American Dietetic Association going to get with it. Carbohydrate control has always been the key to diabetes. The only carbs a diabetic should eat are vegetables. Fruits and grains are very dangerous.
ReplyFor adult-onset diabetics, insulin levels typically respond properly when your body is at its ideal weight -- particularly because the fat around the abdomen leads to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes.
Saturated fat is high in calories, and I think the idea behind reducing it is that you will lose weight and your metabolic processes will function properly, not that the macronutrient itself controls insulin.
ReplyAll fat is high in calories, not just saturated fat. But calories only matter if you're still stuck in the antiquated "calorie's in, calorie's out" mentality.
Insulin is the driving factor in weight gain. Eating too many carbs spikes insulin and puts your body into starvation mode, making it hoard calories as fat stores (simplified explanation).
But when you cut off the excessive flow of carbs, get most of them from vegetables, and consume fat and protein to fill you up, your body no longer thinks it's starving and it will start to freely burn anything you eat.
Oh, and saturated fat is GOOD for you. Men's Health is even catching up with that idea.
ReplyI didn't say that saturated fat is the ONLY fat that is high in calories. However, unsaturated fats are generally accepted as necessary in some amounts for health. It makes sense that this study would not suggest that those are eaten excessively by diabetics because of their benefits and because they typically come from "healthy" foods which the study indicated diabetics are not eating in large quantities.
I understand that insulin is a factor in weight gain, but Dr. Atkins and his ilk have not convinced me (or a significant number of the medical community) that insulin is THE driving factor in weight gain/loss. Numerous studies have pointed out that the "antiquated" calories in/calories out method is the only significant factor in weight loss. Whether those reduced calories come from carbs, fat, or protein is irrelevant. To argue otherwise is simply to ignore scientific evidence that you find inconvenient.
Furthermore, other studies show that a feeling of fullness and satiety arise when one's stomach is filled to a certain level, regardless of whether the foods in the stomach are proteins, fats, or carbs. If you are trying to lose weight and you want to fill your belly with as much food as possible to feel full, foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients (like vegetables, beans, fruits, and some proteins) will get you more bang for your caloric buck than fats.
ReplyI would like to know how long people are able to go between meals eating to saiety with high-cab, high-fiber foods and then have that compared to how long people are able to go between meals eating to saiety with high-fat, low-carb meals.
I think you'll find the high-fat, low-carb meals will provide a longer period of saiety and require fewer meals throughout the day, thus equalizing calorie consumption (since you're concerned about calorie's) between the two groups.
I could in turn argue that you are ignoring scientific studies that support low-carb diets because it's more convenient for you to do so and you don't like your calorie's in-calorie's out dogma to be challenged.
ReplyWhat they are assessing is their post-diagnosis diet.. ie. even though they are higher than the recommended levels of .. its still too high. These folks have no hope and destined for CVD and others. They may die before their parents.
ReplyIt doesn't surprise me that diabetics don't tend to follow a healthy diet. I wonder how many diabetics followed a healthy diet before their diagnosis vs. after. My MIL is type-2 diabetic and she eats basically anything she wants, but she buys the sugar-free versions. She eats a lot of processed foods and she'll eat sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, but she's still obese. I think what Ali was getting at was that diabetics should be trying to control their diet to try and reach an ideal weight; not just focusing on cutting out the sugar. Reaching a healthy weight can really improve the symptoms of diabetes, so it makes sense that they'd encourage it. Still, you do have to watch your carb intake if you're diabetic; fats and proteins obviously affect blood sugar less so most diabetics probably don't count how many of those foods they eat.
ReplyHah... diet blog is such a joke now. The posts just seem so, uninspiring.
Replyyes that's is tottaly right ! unlike type 1 ,Type2 is completely correlated to Life style like eating , fitness ,good sleep and stress
ReplyI recently puplished a tobic about this.. Hope you read it :D
In answer to Ali's last question in her article, there’s a lot of info floating around out there today that even a person who wants to change is at a loss to know the best changes to make. I found myself in that position 15 years ago. I was obese (100 pounds overweight) and wanted to improve my overall health and weight situation before I developed a chronic disease. I had finally become scared enough about my future health to make some changes. The biggest problem I faced was finding a method that really worked and was sustainable for life. I'd tried many things in the past and none worked for very long, and not for the lack of will power or trying to stick with to it. There's so much info out there that who can begin to know which advice is really the best? To that end, I read all I could find about nutrition, literally studying the basics as well as newer cutting edge info. A littel education goes a long way. I placed my focus on anything I could find about the newest published work relating to dietary fats and heart disease. One of my major fears was developing heart disease, secondary was the fear of stoke because I had high blood pressure at the time that was not responding well to high BP meds and dietary interventions. Long story short, I found a plan that was easy to follow and it worked. It is the Zone diet and lifestyle. The hormonal changes that take place in the body 'in the Zone', even within the first few days", result in satiety 24/7 (that's literally no hunger), increased energy and feelings of wellbeing, and increased mental focus. There’s no deprivation involved. It is easy to stick to a plan when you feel great, you’re continually losing the excess stored fat almost effortlessly, your food choices are literally endless and there’s no hunger or deprivation. You may be wondering what all of this has to do with type 2 diabetics. The Zone was originally developed for individuals with type 2 diabetes and also for heart disease patients. When a person has a little knowledge, the correct tools to do the job, and a plan the really works, both will power and failure to see results become things of the past.
Replyim lucky enough to live in france, and we tend to have healthier options, and a healthier culinary background. some medication made me gain 50 lbs within 9 months and end up with type 2. i used to eat healthily, but have switched to even healthier habits, which is mostly raw food, very little meat or fish, water and whole grain. and with the help of my new pup, im more active. still cant manage to shed all the weight.
Replyit really upsets me when i read that these people are digging their graves with their teeth. you dont choose who you are, but you choose what you eat; and it is much cheaper to eat healthily than junk food, and drink water rather than pop.
In fairness to Ali, I believe she was just reporting the results of a recent study and not necessarily giving her opinion on what constitutes a proper diet for a person suffering from Type 2.
With that said, I understand that natural saturated fat is not bad, especially for an active person and can actually help build lean body mass. But it's also well established that for non-active individuals, saturated fat does reduce insulin sensitivity.
I've known a few people with Type 2, and they refused to change their diets. The reason? Well, from my perspective, they were in denial about their condition and were convinced that it was only temporary...and that once their lives became less stressful, the symptoms would go away.
Also, I'm really amazed at the number of people out there who still believe that manipulating insulinogenesis is more important than controlling calories. This may be true for people with type 2, but not for the regular person who's trying to maintain a healthy weight. Someone tell these people that meat can raise insulin also. (now just wait....some low-carb taliban will counter with their favorite jelly-doughnut example)
ReplyI reversed my Type 2 Diabetes, high BP, obesity, high LDL, low HDL, depression and a overall poor life style starting with the mind. It's all up stairs folks, as soon as one makes the ultimate decision to get healthy desire and determination outweight the occassional poor food choice. As for food try to eat plants (only) in there purest form. You of coarse won't be able to sustain this and you'll succumb to a less than optimumal choice and then you will get back on track. The results that one gets in the first few weeks motivates for the next few weeks and so on and so on. Bottomline make it easy, don't fuss about this detail or that, "EAT a lot PLANTS and EXERCISE a lot. And please be nice!
ReplyIt is very important that we know the proper diet especially those diabetic.Diet with exercise is the best.
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